Car for my mother: £10k for used or monthly on new?
Discussion
Car buying isn't something I usually seek input on, however I generally buy outright and at a fairly low value... and generally try and buy stuff that is "safe" as in, will suffer minimal losses and that ethos has filtered down to family too however I now find myself in a situation where I'm not really sure how best to proceed, the brief overview:
My mother is in her 70's, mobility fine etc and she's currently driving a 59 plate Mazda 2 Sport that she bought outright via a Mazda dealer about 14 years ago. It only does about 2,000 miles a year and it's mostly running around locally with the odd weekend trip, but sort of 50 miles tops. It's served her well, no real issues - her only issue was it was n 195/45/16 tyres so seemed puncture prone. It's now on 15" steels with all seasons and vastly improved. I had hoped rust would kill it at it's last MOT and force her hand but annoyingly, it lives on.
She is coming round to the idea of change - she accepts said Mazda is made of tin foil and rust and she accepts that it's not really fit for purpose for transporting her ever growing grand kids and this every growing scooter collection. She has a budget of £10k... probably more but that's what she's happy to spend. We've steered her down the "min SUV" route - she likes the Vauxhall Grandland, the older Mokka... likes the Captur and the Mazda CX5 but the latter is too big. She could nip up to Arnold Clark or do click and collect on something of that ilk - ie sub 1400cc petrol, urban proof (so no 18" alloys etc) and she's a techophobe so basic wins.
However, here is where I'm out my depth...
I suggested that a £10k car via a dealer would not only depreciate, but after the basic warranty runs out then it's a rather expensive car that could be dear if it bit her. Granted it may not but I really cannot be bothered with the aggro of big repair bills so I suggested she could look at something new and on a monthly deal, ie why would you spend £10k of your own money if there was a monthly alternative - she's not fully on board more so as she doesn't want to be left 3 years down the line, with a car worth little and a outstanding finance bill so I suggested a cheap, fully maintained deal that would allow her to hand it back / change it whenever.
I've had a brief look and it would seem that the likes of a Citreon C3 / Corsa 1.2 / 208 / Sandero can be had on a 3yr term with minimal down payment, sub 5000 miles a year and all coming in at under £250 a month.
Granted, a broad spectrum but given the above, any thoughts / words of wisdom as the murky world of PCP / leasing isn't something I'm well versed with. The other option being buying her something borderline sheddy and whilst this has benefits (ie, not caring too much) she's worried about ongoing issues / repairs etc etc.
My mother is in her 70's, mobility fine etc and she's currently driving a 59 plate Mazda 2 Sport that she bought outright via a Mazda dealer about 14 years ago. It only does about 2,000 miles a year and it's mostly running around locally with the odd weekend trip, but sort of 50 miles tops. It's served her well, no real issues - her only issue was it was n 195/45/16 tyres so seemed puncture prone. It's now on 15" steels with all seasons and vastly improved. I had hoped rust would kill it at it's last MOT and force her hand but annoyingly, it lives on.
She is coming round to the idea of change - she accepts said Mazda is made of tin foil and rust and she accepts that it's not really fit for purpose for transporting her ever growing grand kids and this every growing scooter collection. She has a budget of £10k... probably more but that's what she's happy to spend. We've steered her down the "min SUV" route - she likes the Vauxhall Grandland, the older Mokka... likes the Captur and the Mazda CX5 but the latter is too big. She could nip up to Arnold Clark or do click and collect on something of that ilk - ie sub 1400cc petrol, urban proof (so no 18" alloys etc) and she's a techophobe so basic wins.
However, here is where I'm out my depth...
I suggested that a £10k car via a dealer would not only depreciate, but after the basic warranty runs out then it's a rather expensive car that could be dear if it bit her. Granted it may not but I really cannot be bothered with the aggro of big repair bills so I suggested she could look at something new and on a monthly deal, ie why would you spend £10k of your own money if there was a monthly alternative - she's not fully on board more so as she doesn't want to be left 3 years down the line, with a car worth little and a outstanding finance bill so I suggested a cheap, fully maintained deal that would allow her to hand it back / change it whenever.
I've had a brief look and it would seem that the likes of a Citreon C3 / Corsa 1.2 / 208 / Sandero can be had on a 3yr term with minimal down payment, sub 5000 miles a year and all coming in at under £250 a month.
Granted, a broad spectrum but given the above, any thoughts / words of wisdom as the murky world of PCP / leasing isn't something I'm well versed with. The other option being buying her something borderline sheddy and whilst this has benefits (ie, not caring too much) she's worried about ongoing issues / repairs etc etc.
I live on the South Coast and the retirees nearly all drive a Honda Jazz, which seem fairly destructible and cost peanuts to run.
I appreciate a Jazz is not a Mini SUV but for me it would be the default option for someone in their 70s, there are loads around for sale with various prices and choice, just don't go for a red one as they all seem to end up pink!
I appreciate a Jazz is not a Mini SUV but for me it would be the default option for someone in their 70s, there are loads around for sale with various prices and choice, just don't go for a red one as they all seem to end up pink!
Why on earth are you trying to convince her to sign up to a never ending conveyor belt of finance? £250 a month is still spending all of her budget but with nothing to show for it in 3 years time.
As she's found with her Mazda, something Japanese and simple mechanically will last a long time in that usage. Buy a youngish Toyota and she'll even get the full benefit of the 10 year/100k warranty.
Something like this would be covered until 2032.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410155...
Alternatively she should have plenty of choice of Yaris, Corolla, Auris at that money if she's willing to drop the SUV.
As she's found with her Mazda, something Japanese and simple mechanically will last a long time in that usage. Buy a youngish Toyota and she'll even get the full benefit of the 10 year/100k warranty.
Something like this would be covered until 2032.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410155...
Alternatively she should have plenty of choice of Yaris, Corolla, Auris at that money if she's willing to drop the SUV.
Edited by Snow and Rocks on Monday 25th November 10:48
For 2k miles per year, I would be looking at buying something low mileage outright for below £10k. You say she has an old Mazda 2 which she ran without issues. A modern car doing low mileage simply isn't going to blow up after the warranty expires. Get the oli changed annually, stick to the service schedule and be on your way.
Fwiw, I bought my mum a C3 four years ago. She does 2-3k miles per year, mainly around town. Cost was £7k new and WBAC offer £5.5k as it stands. It has been serviced, had a new battery and no issues. At such low mileage, I can't see the point in spending £3k per year on a lease.
It sounds like there is still life left in the Mazda yet so why change it?
Perhaps something similar like a Jazz or Yaris when it comes time to change? If she must have something bigger/more expensive to transport grandkids/their paraphernalia around then perhaps her children should be chipping in to help subsidise her budget?
Perhaps something similar like a Jazz or Yaris when it comes time to change? If she must have something bigger/more expensive to transport grandkids/their paraphernalia around then perhaps her children should be chipping in to help subsidise her budget?
If she likes the Captur then I can say from experience that that era of small Renaults are good solid cars.
Mrs S ran a 2016 Clio 0.9 TCe from 9k miles to 95k miles - all it needed beyond servicing and consumables was a new thermostat gasket (£10 and less than an hour DIY). £0 road tax and never did less that 40mpg despite lots of city traffic driving.
Replaced in Feb this year with a 2020 version of the same car - interior build quality is a big step up and the 100hp version of the 0.9 TCe feels much quicker. 5 year warranty for 2020 onwards cars also. She’s done almost 20k miles already and it’s been faultless, feels more grown up and is even more economical.
Eldest step daughter has a 2016, 104k mile Clio 1.5 dCi - she doesn’t look after it but it soldiers on gamely..
Mrs S ran a 2016 Clio 0.9 TCe from 9k miles to 95k miles - all it needed beyond servicing and consumables was a new thermostat gasket (£10 and less than an hour DIY). £0 road tax and never did less that 40mpg despite lots of city traffic driving.
Replaced in Feb this year with a 2020 version of the same car - interior build quality is a big step up and the 100hp version of the 0.9 TCe feels much quicker. 5 year warranty for 2020 onwards cars also. She’s done almost 20k miles already and it’s been faultless, feels more grown up and is even more economical.
Eldest step daughter has a 2016, 104k mile Clio 1.5 dCi - she doesn’t look after it but it soldiers on gamely..
Would she be able to charge at home?
Well under budget:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024110559...
Well under budget:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2024110559...
Mini MPV is surely a better type of car than mini SUV for an older person. More practical, easier to load, better room for kids/their stuff etc. Better visibility for parking. Something along the lines of the Vauxhall Meriva rather than Grandland. FIAT 500L maybe - my Mum had one for years and regrets changing it for a Ssangyong Tivoli.
How about Hyundai ix20, or KIA Venga? Citroen C3 Picasso? Peugeot Bipper Teepee?
How about Hyundai ix20, or KIA Venga? Citroen C3 Picasso? Peugeot Bipper Teepee?
Scootersp said:
Om said:
It sounds like there is still life left in the Mazda yet so why change it?
TBH is sound like the OP isn't so happy with his kids being in it, as much as she wants to change it? "She has accepted" rather than "she has asked me if I can look......" Snow and Rocks said:
Why on earth are you trying to convince her to sign up to a never ending conveyor belt of finance? £250 a month is still spending all of her budget but with nothing to show for it in 3 years time.
As she's found with her Mazda, something Japanese and simple mechanically will last a long time in that usage. Buy a youngish Toyota and she'll even get the full benefit of the 10 year/100k warranty.
Something like this would be covered until 2032.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410155...
Alternatively she should have plenty of choice of Yaris, Corolla, Auris at that money if she's willing to drop the SUV.
Thanks. Just for clarity, I'm not trying to steer her towards a lease / new or anything other in particular - we've discussed anything from a sheddy sub £2k Fiesta / Clio right the way up to her £10k budget and then also looked at the various monthly options on new or nearly new and there are pro's and con's to all options. I don't want to go out of the fire, into the frying pan thus something on par with what she has isn't idea however something with minimal worry / hassle / expense when it comes to running costs / repairs does appeal. As she's found with her Mazda, something Japanese and simple mechanically will last a long time in that usage. Buy a youngish Toyota and she'll even get the full benefit of the 10 year/100k warranty.
Something like this would be covered until 2032.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202410155...
Alternatively she should have plenty of choice of Yaris, Corolla, Auris at that money if she's willing to drop the SUV.
Edited by Snow and Rocks on Monday 25th November 10:48
Interesting that you linked to the Yaris. Her friend, who had a C1 that was dying has just bought a nigh on identical car... however she just walked straight in to the local Toyota dealer and said "Yup, that'll do" and that was that whereas my mother is proving a bit harder to try and convince. Her takeaway observations of said Yaris having been out with her friends is "it bongs at us a lot" hence something basic / simple / is a pretty significant requirement. The SUV thing, by that I mean she's quiet keen to have high profile tyres, likes the idea of body mouldings and a slightly elevated driving position. The current Mazda, despite swapping off the 195/45/16's is incredibly harsh, borderline unpleasant.
Scootersp said:
TBH is sound like the OP isn't so happy with his kids being in it, as much as she wants to change it? "She has accepted" rather than "she has asked me if I can look......"
You're correct. Her Mazda dates back to the days she was pretty much the sole user but lately she's been taking the kids more - school pick up etc and she's now accepting of the fact, it's not a big car. With both car seats in the back, there's pretty much no space and my 7yr olds head is nigh on touching the C pillar. That plus age, by that I mean corrosion (I had genuinely hoped it'd fail it's last MOT, thus force her hand... but it passed) and it's not the sort of thing you'd want to have an accident in. So yes she's open to the ideal of replacing it, she can see why it's now time to change but she's not being forced nor has she asked... but I suspect her indecisiveness is largely due to her looking to me for a solution, but my buying approach and hers is very different this is new territory for me as far as new / lease etc goes. Previously, I've always looked after her car however the aforementioned kids, work, houses etc means I have precious little time and hence her car has been rather neglected of late but is now too far gone to rescue, it's simply not worth it. As a result, she's had to use garage services a ore often lately and has racked up a few bigger bills, that's a given but it always brings hassle with it... so in some ways, yes I'd like to see her in something a bit newer, a bit more suited and a bit bigger. Frustratingly we (my sister and I) have suggested she could use one of our cars for child duties but despite having driven all manner of mini buses etc in the near past, she's very against that idea - we've had a few words on that subject, pointing out it'd make sense but to no avail.
I'm swaying towards something within her £10k allocated budget but with some sort of manufacturers warranty remaining - I'm not convinced a GrandLand is the answer, did propose a C3 AirCross or even a Dacia Duster... there's plenty options out there but I fear that is the issue, there's nothing she particularly wants as far as "I like that, I'll buy it" but instead she's got a rather broad budget, she doesn't want / need a diesel but also doesn't want something slow, she tends to get on with it more so on motorways etc (hence, the Mazda 2 Sport) and she doesn't want anything with hard suspension / tyres nor touch screen controls...
I fear I may have to take a couple of patience pills, set aside a Saturday and go and have a look at a few options with her.
Like I said above, some sort of Toyota is the answer. 10 year/100k warranty and Toyota reliability/build quality means you can avoid the finance trap and still have peace of mind.
That Aygo X thing I linked above is about as simple as a modern car can realistically be and with an annual service will be under warranty for almost a decade. Not sure it gets any less hassle than that.
That Aygo X thing I linked above is about as simple as a modern car can realistically be and with an annual service will be under warranty for almost a decade. Not sure it gets any less hassle than that.
Maybe she'd like a Mazda CX-3.
I know what you're saying about resistance to touch screens and modern tech. As I said above with my Mum, she got really confused and frustrated going form a mainly analogue 2013 FIAT 500L to a 2019 Ssangyong Tivoli with more modern tech and driver aids. She particularly hated the auto full beam feature, did not like losing control of when the full beam goes on and off, so I had to help her find the right setting to disable that in the menus somewhere. I can't say I disagree with her entirely, I have 2 cars with the feature, a Skoda Superb which has a brilliant system which gets it right pretty much 100% of the time, and a Nissan Leaf whose system is really quite poor and unpredictable. When you live in the deep countryside and have to drive on very dark unlit roads in the winter, if the auto full beam system isn't responsive enough or doesn't turn the beam on when it should be doing so, it can be quite frightening.
You're right, OP, patience and understanding will be required, but I am a great believer in avoiding modern tech for older folks if they seem resistant to it or unable to cope with it. Better to keep it simple. So, in answer to the thread title, and for that reason above, I'd be going with a second hand £10k car, because a brand new one now will be full of all sorts of driver assist tech which she probably won't like, particularly since all sorts of assistance stuff was mandated for all new cars since 1st April this year. She'll be ringing you up saying "It's bonging at me all the time, I don't know what to do!!" Take the path of least resistance.
I know what you're saying about resistance to touch screens and modern tech. As I said above with my Mum, she got really confused and frustrated going form a mainly analogue 2013 FIAT 500L to a 2019 Ssangyong Tivoli with more modern tech and driver aids. She particularly hated the auto full beam feature, did not like losing control of when the full beam goes on and off, so I had to help her find the right setting to disable that in the menus somewhere. I can't say I disagree with her entirely, I have 2 cars with the feature, a Skoda Superb which has a brilliant system which gets it right pretty much 100% of the time, and a Nissan Leaf whose system is really quite poor and unpredictable. When you live in the deep countryside and have to drive on very dark unlit roads in the winter, if the auto full beam system isn't responsive enough or doesn't turn the beam on when it should be doing so, it can be quite frightening.
You're right, OP, patience and understanding will be required, but I am a great believer in avoiding modern tech for older folks if they seem resistant to it or unable to cope with it. Better to keep it simple. So, in answer to the thread title, and for that reason above, I'd be going with a second hand £10k car, because a brand new one now will be full of all sorts of driver assist tech which she probably won't like, particularly since all sorts of assistance stuff was mandated for all new cars since 1st April this year. She'll be ringing you up saying "It's bonging at me all the time, I don't know what to do!!" Take the path of least resistance.
Edited by Skodillac on Monday 25th November 15:02
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