Ex Wife car upgrade opinions and advice. PCP content
Discussion
Ex wife has a 63 plate Volvo V40 Cross Country with 12 months payments left (bank loan) totalling around £1780. Car had it's service and MOT this week which cost a not insignificant amount (£1k due to several component failures). Car has 109k on the clock, and was purchased at 60k 3 years ago. It would seem upgrade time has come sooner than had been hoped. The plan is to obtain a vehicle for the next 4 years, then switch to electric/hybrid in 2025 when it's more affordable.
She earns approx £35k pa. Our son has complex medical needs, so reliability and decent dealer support is needed. He's medium rate DLA so Motability isn't an option at the moment, though he may well be higher in years to come. The main dealer (not Volvo) who she purchased the car from have had it for 5 days now due to every excuse going, and have not offered a courtesy car or any assistance. I've loaned her my brother's spare Renault Scenic (grim in every way). Local Mini/BMW dealership have been great in the past with my BMWs and her previous Mini, so would like to go back to them. We're looking at an approved used Mini Clubman for £14,990. Not wanting to spend more than £15k, and max monthly payment is £240.
Thoughts on the following options would be most appreciated;
Option A - Part ex the Volvo, they'll clear the finance, with £1k contribution from me to the deposit. PCP with monthly £223 over 4 years.
Option B - Hold onto the Volvo and hope nothing else goes wrong, finish the payments, then upgrade.
Option C - Bank loan with £1k from me and part ex the Volvo against the Mini.
Option D - A much better suggestion from PH bods.
I run around in a 22 year old MX5 and had to hand in my powerfully built, director card a few years ago following some serious health issues, otherwise I'd obviously send the butler off to pick up a new Bentayga. My personal thoughts are that I want them in something reliable with a decent dealership backing them up, rather than in a car that has demonstrated wallet ruining borkage.
She earns approx £35k pa. Our son has complex medical needs, so reliability and decent dealer support is needed. He's medium rate DLA so Motability isn't an option at the moment, though he may well be higher in years to come. The main dealer (not Volvo) who she purchased the car from have had it for 5 days now due to every excuse going, and have not offered a courtesy car or any assistance. I've loaned her my brother's spare Renault Scenic (grim in every way). Local Mini/BMW dealership have been great in the past with my BMWs and her previous Mini, so would like to go back to them. We're looking at an approved used Mini Clubman for £14,990. Not wanting to spend more than £15k, and max monthly payment is £240.
Thoughts on the following options would be most appreciated;
Option A - Part ex the Volvo, they'll clear the finance, with £1k contribution from me to the deposit. PCP with monthly £223 over 4 years.
Option B - Hold onto the Volvo and hope nothing else goes wrong, finish the payments, then upgrade.
Option C - Bank loan with £1k from me and part ex the Volvo against the Mini.
Option D - A much better suggestion from PH bods.
I run around in a 22 year old MX5 and had to hand in my powerfully built, director card a few years ago following some serious health issues, otherwise I'd obviously send the butler off to pick up a new Bentayga. My personal thoughts are that I want them in something reliable with a decent dealership backing them up, rather than in a car that has demonstrated wallet ruining borkage.
Firstly, I'm willing to bet you could have near on halved that repair bill if it wasn't at a main dealer. Find a local indy instead.
What was actually wrong with it? Is there anything to suggest it won't just carry on with regular maintenance?
I would steer well clear of used car PCP, the interest rates are usually mind-bogglingly terrible and you'd be much better off with a bank loan over a longer term.
What was actually wrong with it? Is there anything to suggest it won't just carry on with regular maintenance?
I would steer well clear of used car PCP, the interest rates are usually mind-bogglingly terrible and you'd be much better off with a bank loan over a longer term.
charltjr said:
Firstly, I'm willing to bet you could have near on halved that repair bill if it wasn't at a main dealer. Find a local indy instead.
What was actually wrong with it? Is there anything to suggest it won't just carry on with regular maintenance?
I would steer well clear of used car PCP, the interest rates are usually mind-bogglingly terrible and you'd be much better off with a bank loan over a longer term.
Quite. She was hooked in by the 'free MOT' that they offer. My voice was ignored on this, but know the purse has taken a kicking, she's willing to listen. The issue is that it's a Cross Country, rather than a standard V40 so there seems to be an added premium. What was actually wrong with it? Is there anything to suggest it won't just carry on with regular maintenance?
I would steer well clear of used car PCP, the interest rates are usually mind-bogglingly terrible and you'd be much better off with a bank loan over a longer term.
kiethton said:
If you've only just spent £1k on it I'd continue running it for now, at least to get some of your investment back. Volvos are normally pretty solid
That's why I was a little surprised at this. I had an XC70 on well over 200k and never had any issues bar a clogged DPF when I purchased it. Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff