when did cars get so expensive
Discussion
Mrs old golf dies the other day, 200k miles, did us well, and we had been meaning to get a new one, but its still going so why bother.
I thought well lets get a £500 shed for a few months while we look for a replacement, no dice, seems £500 cars dont really exist.
ok then we will spend 10k and get something to last a while, not much there to get either, a few nice ish cars but nothing i would want to keep for a few years.
When did cars get so expensive, and what happened to the sheds?
I thought well lets get a £500 shed for a few months while we look for a replacement, no dice, seems £500 cars dont really exist.
ok then we will spend 10k and get something to last a while, not much there to get either, a few nice ish cars but nothing i would want to keep for a few years.
When did cars get so expensive, and what happened to the sheds?
We bought our family car (Hyundai ix20 mpv) which my wife runs 10 years ago as an ex demo. It cost £10995. It has 93k miles on it now and still runs with no problems. I often think about replacing it but to be honest I think we will keep it until it dies.
Possible replacements are now around £25k if we were looking at buying new or nearly new. I wouldn't mind so much but many of the features and tech in new cars these days I could happily do without. There's something very refreshing about a car which operates with a key to open and start it, and just drives without having to select different driving modes and turn off nanny driver aids that nobody needs. Not really a fan if touch screens either.
I think you could find something a few years old which would fit your needs. Cars seem to last well these days and I'd be happy to buy something maybe 5 years old and up to 60k miles without worry.
Are you looking for another Golf equivalent?
Possible replacements are now around £25k if we were looking at buying new or nearly new. I wouldn't mind so much but many of the features and tech in new cars these days I could happily do without. There's something very refreshing about a car which operates with a key to open and start it, and just drives without having to select different driving modes and turn off nanny driver aids that nobody needs. Not really a fan if touch screens either.
I think you could find something a few years old which would fit your needs. Cars seem to last well these days and I'd be happy to buy something maybe 5 years old and up to 60k miles without worry.
Are you looking for another Golf equivalent?
ChrisH72 said:
We bought our family car (Hyundai ix20 mpv) which my wife runs 10 years ago as an ex demo. It cost £10995. It has 93k miles on it now and still runs with no problems. I often think about replacing it but to be honest I think we will keep it until it dies.
Possible replacements are now around £25k if we were looking at buying new or nearly new. I wouldn't mind so much but many of the features and tech in new cars these days I could happily do without. There's something very refreshing about a car which operates with a key to open and start it, and just drives without having to select different driving modes and turn off nanny driver aids that nobody needs. Not really a fan if touch screens either.
I think you could find something a few years old which would fit your needs. Cars seem to last well these days and I'd be happy to buy something maybe 5 years old and up to 60k miles without worry.
Are you looking for another Golf equivalent?
We have rented a hyundai i20, its new(400 miles on the clock) and its driving us both mad with the constant bongs and lane corection, its a nice car apart from that, but i couldnt live with it, and its menu after menu to turn them off.Possible replacements are now around £25k if we were looking at buying new or nearly new. I wouldn't mind so much but many of the features and tech in new cars these days I could happily do without. There's something very refreshing about a car which operates with a key to open and start it, and just drives without having to select different driving modes and turn off nanny driver aids that nobody needs. Not really a fan if touch screens either.
I think you could find something a few years old which would fit your needs. Cars seem to last well these days and I'd be happy to buy something maybe 5 years old and up to 60k miles without worry.
Are you looking for another Golf equivalent?
we are looking at older cars for this reason.
richhead said:
Mrs old golf dies the other day, 200k miles, did us well, and we had been meaning to get a new one, but its still going so why bother.
I thought well lets get a £500 shed for a few months while we look for a replacement, no dice, seems £500 cars dont really exist.
ok then we will spend 10k and get something to last a while, not much there to get either, a few nice ish cars but nothing i would want to keep for a few years.
When did cars get so expensive, and what happened to the sheds?
10k will get you a nice car, it's all dependent on what you want from your car.I thought well lets get a £500 shed for a few months while we look for a replacement, no dice, seems £500 cars dont really exist.
ok then we will spend 10k and get something to last a while, not much there to get either, a few nice ish cars but nothing i would want to keep for a few years.
When did cars get so expensive, and what happened to the sheds?
Kia Xceed:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603110...
Ceed:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512138...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603100...
Astra Elite Nav:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603130...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202512068...
The enactment of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a landmark point in time.
Nowadays, £2000 or even £3000 is seen as "banger" money, which I am sure is higher than previous points in history, inflation-adjusted. Many dealers will now scrap a car rather than risk the comeback that may come at that end of the market, so they'll have a floor below which they won't trade in. You'd think the gap would be filled by private sellers but WBAC has pretty well mopped that up, partly because there's more and more ways to scam, pressurise or generally make uncomfortable a private seller, so people just can't be bothered with it any more.
Also the "ens
tification" of newer cars and the rise in electric means that, say 2015-2020 petrol/diesel cars with decent spec, mileage and condition are seen as something of a golden era of decent cars which are somewhat affordable for outright purchase and have some useful life left in them. So their value has gone up.
Nowadays, £2000 or even £3000 is seen as "banger" money, which I am sure is higher than previous points in history, inflation-adjusted. Many dealers will now scrap a car rather than risk the comeback that may come at that end of the market, so they'll have a floor below which they won't trade in. You'd think the gap would be filled by private sellers but WBAC has pretty well mopped that up, partly because there's more and more ways to scam, pressurise or generally make uncomfortable a private seller, so people just can't be bothered with it any more.
Also the "ens
tification" of newer cars and the rise in electric means that, say 2015-2020 petrol/diesel cars with decent spec, mileage and condition are seen as something of a golden era of decent cars which are somewhat affordable for outright purchase and have some useful life left in them. So their value has gone up.paul_c123 said:
The enactment of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is a landmark point in time.
Nowadays, £2000 or even £3000 is seen as "banger" money, which I am sure is higher than previous points in history, inflation-adjusted. Many dealers will now scrap a car rather than risk the comeback that may come at that end of the market, so they'll have a floor below which they won't trade in. You'd think the gap would be filled by private sellers but WBAC has pretty well mopped that up, partly because there's more and more ways to scam, pressurise or generally make uncomfortable a private seller, so people just can't be bothered with it any more.
Also the "enstification" of newer cars and the rise in electric means that, say 2015-2020 petrol/diesel cars with decent spec, mileage and condition are seen as something of a golden era of decent cars which are somewhat affordable for outright purchase and have some useful life left in them. So their value has gone up.
I would argue the golden era was maybe 2002 to 2014, that's where all the reliable EFI engines were, some carried past that, and the really good ones revamped by the Chinese and doing the rounds again. Nowadays, £2000 or even £3000 is seen as "banger" money, which I am sure is higher than previous points in history, inflation-adjusted. Many dealers will now scrap a car rather than risk the comeback that may come at that end of the market, so they'll have a floor below which they won't trade in. You'd think the gap would be filled by private sellers but WBAC has pretty well mopped that up, partly because there's more and more ways to scam, pressurise or generally make uncomfortable a private seller, so people just can't be bothered with it any more.
Also the "ens
tification" of newer cars and the rise in electric means that, say 2015-2020 petrol/diesel cars with decent spec, mileage and condition are seen as something of a golden era of decent cars which are somewhat affordable for outright purchase and have some useful life left in them. So their value has gone up.I drive new stuff through work, and know why many can no longer drive lol, too much reliance on tech and avoidance of noise if you exceed the limit.
If you look in the Shed thread there’s still plenty about at that kind of money.
I agree with posters above though, the proliferation of the ADAS stuff makes new cars really unattractive. That being said, manufacturers are catching up and apparently Renault’s one button solution to turn all the ADAS off is good, while still complying with the EU rule.
I agree with posters above though, the proliferation of the ADAS stuff makes new cars really unattractive. That being said, manufacturers are catching up and apparently Renault’s one button solution to turn all the ADAS off is good, while still complying with the EU rule.
Small, simple cars from the era before touchscreens and especially nanny tech are holding strong and even rising in price and have been for a while.
When small cars are disappearing, partly due to increased cost of making them due to these daft tech mandates, it’s not rocket science when it seems to cost a thousand pounds for a weekly shop on Tesco, that people are shying away from £25k small cars that annoy them every time they get in and can’t be fixed by a local garage cheaply because they don’t have the software. I guess that’s why even a 12 year old Honda jazz can command 7-9k now for example.
When small cars are disappearing, partly due to increased cost of making them due to these daft tech mandates, it’s not rocket science when it seems to cost a thousand pounds for a weekly shop on Tesco, that people are shying away from £25k small cars that annoy them every time they get in and can’t be fixed by a local garage cheaply because they don’t have the software. I guess that’s why even a 12 year old Honda jazz can command 7-9k now for example.
TomTheTyke said:
If you look in the Shed thread there s still plenty about at that kind of money.
I agree with posters above though, the proliferation of the ADAS stuff makes new cars really unattractive. That being said, manufacturers are catching up and apparently Renault s one button solution to turn all the ADAS off is good, while still complying with the EU rule.
For now!!I agree with posters above though, the proliferation of the ADAS stuff makes new cars really unattractive. That being said, manufacturers are catching up and apparently Renault s one button solution to turn all the ADAS off is good, while still complying with the EU rule.
The market has changed over thee years I think.
Dealers overheads have gone up.
CRA.
But it must come down to supply and demand?
Covid messed up the supply, there is a cohort of used cars almost missing from the market.
Less new cars a re sold than 10 years ago, but the number on the road keeps going up.
I wonder to what extent more people are leasing etc, and if that means more cars go back into the trade via main dealers?
Has the business model shifted towards making more money from second users?
Are more cars getting scrapped at younger ages? Accident write offs increasing?
More 10+ year old cars scrapped due to expensive accumulations of faults?
Are older cars failing the MOT on emissions and getting scrapped?
Some used cars look to me like bad value compared with leasing a new one, for many peoples circumstances.
A lot of older used cars look OK in an advert but are wrecks when viewed.
Particularly estates.
Dealers overheads have gone up.
CRA.
But it must come down to supply and demand?
Covid messed up the supply, there is a cohort of used cars almost missing from the market.
Less new cars a re sold than 10 years ago, but the number on the road keeps going up.
I wonder to what extent more people are leasing etc, and if that means more cars go back into the trade via main dealers?
Has the business model shifted towards making more money from second users?
Are more cars getting scrapped at younger ages? Accident write offs increasing?
More 10+ year old cars scrapped due to expensive accumulations of faults?
Are older cars failing the MOT on emissions and getting scrapped?
Some used cars look to me like bad value compared with leasing a new one, for many peoples circumstances.
A lot of older used cars look OK in an advert but are wrecks when viewed.
Particularly estates.
HTP99 said:
For now!!
Well any change to the rule would only affect cars made subsequently. But a Renault 5 or the new Twingo that has this button over the next few years will make a more attractive second hand buy as a result. It is annoying, however, that the UK can’t have this stuff disabled rather than sticking to the EU rules, presumably because ‘safer.’
OutInTheShed said:
The market has changed over thee years I think.
Dealers overheads have gone up.
CRA.
But it must come down to supply and demand?
Covid messed up the supply, there is a cohort of used cars almost missing from the market.
Less new cars a re sold than 10 years ago, but the number on the road keeps going up.
I wonder to what extent more people are leasing etc, and if that means more cars go back into the trade via main dealers?
Has the business model shifted towards making more money from second users?
Are more cars getting scrapped at younger ages? Accident write offs increasing?
More 10+ year old cars scrapped due to expensive accumulations of faults?
Are older cars failing the MOT on emissions and getting scrapped?
Some used cars look to me like bad value compared with leasing a new one, for many peoples circumstances.
A lot of older used cars look OK in an advert but are wrecks when viewed.
Particularly estates.
10 year old cars are too valuable to scrap for faults. Dealers overheads have gone up.
CRA.
But it must come down to supply and demand?
Covid messed up the supply, there is a cohort of used cars almost missing from the market.
Less new cars a re sold than 10 years ago, but the number on the road keeps going up.
I wonder to what extent more people are leasing etc, and if that means more cars go back into the trade via main dealers?
Has the business model shifted towards making more money from second users?
Are more cars getting scrapped at younger ages? Accident write offs increasing?
More 10+ year old cars scrapped due to expensive accumulations of faults?
Are older cars failing the MOT on emissions and getting scrapped?
Some used cars look to me like bad value compared with leasing a new one, for many peoples circumstances.
A lot of older used cars look OK in an advert but are wrecks when viewed.
Particularly estates.
Shortages are created by the big auction houses keeping cars until they get what they want for them more than anything.
They give the big main dealers a valuation to secure the business, any trade cars we buy from them are at this valuation, we trade them, dealer puts his margin and has no issues selling them, back for more next week.
Dealers are struggling for used cars, can't buy regularly from auction as prices can be far to high, not enough margin left in them because autotrader set what is a good price or above average price, above average are hard sell.
People not wanting to sell private doesn't help either, plays into the hands of BA and the many subsidiaries, Aston Barclay is now another of them.
Big business rules.
We're looking to change my wife's 2017 Astra. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, just serviced and mot'd, but we've had it six years and just fancy a change.
Got a budget of £10-12k and a mileage of up to 50k.
What's a surprise is our Astra (Sri nav) is only getting p/x offers of £3500-4, but to get a car two to three years newer you have to stump up an extra £8-9k.
We've been looking at Mazda 3s or CX-30s, but they're all miles away and I just can't be bothered to travel miles these days
Got a budget of £10-12k and a mileage of up to 50k.
What's a surprise is our Astra (Sri nav) is only getting p/x offers of £3500-4, but to get a car two to three years newer you have to stump up an extra £8-9k.
We've been looking at Mazda 3s or CX-30s, but they're all miles away and I just can't be bothered to travel miles these days
Elroy Blue said:
We're looking to change my wife's 2017 Astra. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, just serviced and mot'd, but we've had it six years and just fancy a change.
Got a budget of £10-12k and a mileage of up to 50k.
What's a surprise is our Astra (Sri nav) is only getting p/x offers of £3500-4, but to get a car two to three years newer you have to stump up an extra £8-9k.
We've been looking at Mazda 3s or CX-30s, but they're all miles away and I just can't be bothered to travel miles these days
Another reason, cant be bothered lol, so you are left at the mercy of the prices for both part ex and new at local dealers, and you wonder why they shaft you ? Got a budget of £10-12k and a mileage of up to 50k.
What's a surprise is our Astra (Sri nav) is only getting p/x offers of £3500-4, but to get a car two to three years newer you have to stump up an extra £8-9k.
We've been looking at Mazda 3s or CX-30s, but they're all miles away and I just can't be bothered to travel miles these days
This selling us convenience is really taking effect lol.
Do you have your shopping delivered too ?
Doesitdrive said:
10 year old cars are too valuable to scrap for faults.
Shortages are created by the big auction houses keeping cars until they get what they want for them more than anything.
They give the big main dealers a valuation to secure the business, any trade cars we buy from them are at this valuation, we trade them, dealer puts his margin and has no issues selling them, back for more next week.
Dealers are struggling for used cars, can't buy regularly from auction as prices can be far to high, not enough margin left in them because autotrader set what is a good price or above average price, above average are hard sell.
People not wanting to sell private doesn't help either, plays into the hands of BA and the many subsidiaries, Aston Barclay is now another of them.
Big business rules.
There are plenty of secondhand spares available for many 10 year old cars.Shortages are created by the big auction houses keeping cars until they get what they want for them more than anything.
They give the big main dealers a valuation to secure the business, any trade cars we buy from them are at this valuation, we trade them, dealer puts his margin and has no issues selling them, back for more next week.
Dealers are struggling for used cars, can't buy regularly from auction as prices can be far to high, not enough margin left in them because autotrader set what is a good price or above average price, above average are hard sell.
People not wanting to sell private doesn't help either, plays into the hands of BA and the many subsidiaries, Aston Barclay is now another of them.
Big business rules.
Google tells me over half a million cars are insurance write-offs every year.
Interesting point about the number of cars in the trade, many 'used car lots' seem to have less stock on site?
Are you saying there are more held by big traders than there used to be?
It does seem to be more expensive to keep a tidy old banger on the road. 15 year old cars have lots of tech in them to go wrong.
A diesel that needs a new DPF can be close to worthless.
Another thing, I think there are less DIY mechanics these days, crs are harder to work on, people don't have the culture.
So a car that might have been repaired in the past is unviable if a trade repair isn't worth it.
But the core of it is, a lot of buyers (more cars taxed) and less used cars out there, because sales fell off a cliff in 2020 and haven't recovered fully.
Also I suppose there are people in the market choosing to buy a 'superior' used car instead of a cheap new car?
We also have a Mk3 Focus Ecoboost (with the belts changed). 80-odd K miles.
It is used most days. Again, it is a good car and in good condition. It still drives very well. No hassle to live with and not a car to worry about.
It doesn't seem worth it to replace it.
When we do move the Focus on, we will probably get a simialr sized EV.
It is used most days. Again, it is a good car and in good condition. It still drives very well. No hassle to live with and not a car to worry about.
It doesn't seem worth it to replace it.
When we do move the Focus on, we will probably get a simialr sized EV.
OutInTheShed said:
There are plenty of secondhand spares available for many 10 year old cars.
Google tells me over half a million cars are insurance write-offs every year.
Interesting point about the number of cars in the trade, many 'used car lots' seem to have less stock on site?
Are you saying there are more held by big traders than there used to be?
It does seem to be more expensive to keep a tidy old banger on the road. 15 year old cars have lots of tech in them to go wrong.
A diesel that needs a new DPF can be close to worthless.
Another thing, I think there are less DIY mechanics these days, crs are harder to work on, people don't have the culture.
So a car that might have been repaired in the past is unviable if a trade repair isn't worth it.
But the core of it is, a lot of buyers (more cars taxed) and less used cars out there, because sales fell off a cliff in 2020 and haven't recovered fully.
Also I suppose there are people in the market choosing to buy a 'superior' used car instead of a cheap new car?
Dealers want cars they are not going to retail off site ASAP. Google tells me over half a million cars are insurance write-offs every year.
Interesting point about the number of cars in the trade, many 'used car lots' seem to have less stock on site?
Are you saying there are more held by big traders than there used to be?
It does seem to be more expensive to keep a tidy old banger on the road. 15 year old cars have lots of tech in them to go wrong.
A diesel that needs a new DPF can be close to worthless.
Another thing, I think there are less DIY mechanics these days, crs are harder to work on, people don't have the culture.
So a car that might have been repaired in the past is unviable if a trade repair isn't worth it.
But the core of it is, a lot of buyers (more cars taxed) and less used cars out there, because sales fell off a cliff in 2020 and haven't recovered fully.
Also I suppose there are people in the market choosing to buy a 'superior' used car instead of a cheap new car?
Private sellers sell to WBAC,
Same bottom line, let's the big auction houses drip feed the smaller dealers, who also pay big auction fees and only get cars from auction at the price the auction house are willing to sell them for, having given valuations to the main agents they have come from, they are on massive sites for a reason.
Small dealers have less cars because finding cars with margins big enough, cars needing mechanical or bodywork are definitely on the radar,because the usual auction route is very difficult, some are trying Ev when they normally wouldn't just because they are cheap and have a good margin.
Then auto trader dictate selling prices.
It used to be buyers that set the market, cars had to be a price they were prepared to pay or didn't sell.
Lots on here are in denial lol, but it is big business dictating car prices.
Last year the dealers I get trade cars from would sell based on the part ex value that had given plus a profit. Based on miles and condition.
This year we have to pay the valuation the auction gives them, whatever the condition, which means more cars going to auction, if there is no decent margin they are not worth buying, so they are controlling us too.
Not all cars bought through WBAC go to auction, the best are retailed by other subsidiaries of BCA, and if the truth was known, the best cars at auction probably are too. They have retail arms for a reason.
When low miles 1.6 2012 Focus are retailing and selling for 6k, thete is something afoot in the market
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