Post lease dilemma

[pavarotti1980]

My lease is going back in December and decided not to get another one and just a buy something to have a for a few years but not wanting to spend a fortune and put it towards overpaying mortgage instead.

So my dilemma is buy something which hopefully will cost pennies to keep on the road for about £1500 or spend a little bit more (£5-6k) and get something a little bit younger. If getting a cheap shed then more than likely be a Fiesta/Corsa type territory and just hire a car if needed for trips away. If spending a bit more then get something Focus/Golf size.

Whats a man to do?

Edited by pavarotti1980 on Tuesday 26th November 11:35

[ZX10R NIN]

Spend around 2.5k & that should get you a decent C/CLK270/E320 or Volvo S60 D5 both will be reliable & serve you well.

CLK270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

C270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

E270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

S60

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

S80

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[pavarotti1980]

ZX10R NIN said:

Spend around 2.5k & that should get you a decent C/CLK270/E320 or Volvo S60 D5 both will be reliable & serve you well.

CLK270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

C270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

E270

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

S60

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

S80

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

I like the MB CL/CLK. Is the major thing rust on those?

[ZX10R NIN]

pavarotti1980 said:

I like the MB CL/CLK. Is the major thing rust on those?

No the post 2003 are fully galvanised on the CLK, now you may find a bit at the front of the rear arch, this will be from constantly being hit by stones from the rear wheels & it should only be (£150-200 for a proper repair) surface rust at worst.

Rust was an issue on the earlier CLK, if you find rust anywhere other than I've already described on a W209 CLK then it's either a sign of a poor repair or it's been sat in a lake

[pavarotti1980]

ZX10R NIN said:

No the post 2003 are fully galvanised on the CLK, now you may find a bit at the front of the rear arch, this will be from constantly being hit by stones from the rear wheels & it should only be (£150-200 for a proper repair) surface rust at worst.

Rust was an issue on the earlier CLK, if you find rust anywhere other than I've already described on a W209 CLK then it's either a sign of a poor repair or it's been sat in a lake

Domestic battle will ensue as the Mrs said "its awful, but its your car"

[Sheepshanks]

I don't think that age C Class (the C270) would be galvanised. 36K miles on it is incredible though - pity the MOT history appears to have 75K recorded at one point when it looks like it should have been 15K.

[ZX10R NIN]

pavarotti1980 said:

Domestic battle will ensue as the Mrs said "its awful, but its your car"

Once you take her for a drive she'll be fine my OH was the same but soon changed her mind once she'd been in it a few times, as they're actually a nice place to be.

[Roboticarm]

I'm driving a £1500, golf sized, reliable car right now

A 2005 Toyota Corolla t sport, it's the facelift so fixes many of the issues with the original, is a warm rather than hot hatch at 190 bhp.
As reliable as they come, fairly interesting, decent enough on fuel, cheap to insure and not common

I moved from a PCP to this, alot to be said for shed motoring, park to anywhere, wash it occasionally, service and mot once a year, if a big bill arises move it on

[pavarotti1980]

Popped and had a look at CLK just to get an idea of what they are like. It was a definite no from SWMBO.

Now thinking as above and getting something sensible so thinking of Honda Civic. Apparently that is more sensible

[pavarotti1980]

Now looking for the replacement and narrowed it down to a shed (of sorts)

Infintite wisdom required from PH'ers

Both cars appear to have full history/extensive history with no major issues popping up on MOTs but would you choose a
Mondeo https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/2009-ford-mondeo-ti...

or

Civic https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda/07-reg-honda-civic...

[nickfrog]

I think there is a good middle ground between a disposable shed and spending too much in something nicer that might still throw something pricey to fix but is just outside warranty.
I think the sweetspot is something Toyota or Korean with a couple of years of the original warranty left, perhaps a Auris for around £6k to £7k. Perhaps more than you want to spend but might prove very cheap overall in the long run.

[pavarotti1980]

nickfrog said:

I think there is a good middle ground between a disposable shed and spending too much in something nicer that might still throw something pricey to fix but is just outside warranty.
I think the sweetspot is something Toyota or Korean with a couple of years of the original warranty left, perhaps a Auris for around £6k to £7k. Perhaps more than you want to spend but might prove very cheap overall in the long run.

Yeah between £5-6k more than i want to spend

[The Voice]

I've also left the leasing scene, for similar reasons. Previous car was a leased Cupra 300. I now use my car full allowance to overpay the mortgage by £600 per month, and have bought a 2013 Astra CDTI estate for £2000, which has so far been perfect - and easily hits 50mpg+. Park it anywhere, never wash it etc - very liberating, especially in winter on the wet, salty, manky roads. I regret paying many hundreds of pounds a month on lease cars previously.

[nickfrog]

pavarotti1980 said:

Yeah between £5-6k more than i want to spend

Sorry I saw this in your original post

pavarotti1980 said:

or spend a little bit more (£5-6k) and get something a little bit younger.

[pavarotti1980]

nickfrog said:

pavarotti1980 said:

Yeah between £5-6k more than i want to spend

Sorry I saw this in your original post

pavarotti1980 said:

or spend a little bit more (£5-6k) and get something a little bit younger.

Aye i was planning on that. A new roof on the house has reduced the budget a little bit

Edited it now

[ZX10R NIN]

Go for the Mondeo.

[pavarotti1980]

The Voice said:

I've also left the leasing scene, for similar reasons. Previous car was a leased Cupra 300. I now use my car full allowance to overpay the mortgage by £600 per month, and have bought a 2013 Astra CDTI estate for £2000, which has so far been perfect - and easily hits 50mpg+. Park it anywhere, never wash it etc - very liberating, especially in winter on the wet, salty, manky roads. I regret paying many hundreds of pounds a month on lease cars previously.

Mine is also Cupra 300. Bodywork getting fixed next week then collected the week after. Part of the reason for wanting a cheapy. Park it anywhere etc.

I look back and realise how much i have paid over the years and I could have pretty much paid off the mortgage in that time

ZX10R NIN said:

Go for the Mondeo.

That was the direction i was heading.

Edited by pavarotti1980 on Wednesday 27th November 09:01

[Red 4]

With the budget you're restricting yourself to in view of your other commitments/ priorities I'd just buy the best condition/ mileage/ history car you can find.

It doesn't really matter what it is (within reason).

Having said that I'd probably stick with the Japanese options due to reliability/ longevity.

Mazda 3 or Mazda 6 petrol are decent cars - be very wary of rust though - post 07 cars are much better.

If you can find a decent example they steer well and are reliable.