Seeking new family car

[AudiMan9000]

Family of 4. I’m currently pumping huge sums of money into an Audi Q5 45 TFSI quattro.

Major expenses are:

PCP £479 pcm
Expensive insurance
Expensive tax (£40k+ list price)
Expensive petrol (big tank, powerful engine, 20something mpg)
Replacing all four tyres every 20k miles
Expensive servicing Audi servicing regime

Huge balloon payment means it’s not worth refinancing or paying it off. By the time the car was paid off, it would be ready for the scrap heap due to doing so many annual miles.

Despite my username and fondness for the four rings, I’m prepared to admit this is all a bit of a waste of money for what is a pretty dull family workhorse. The only real benefits are it being auto, high up, with a spacious cabin and a big boot.

We need to replace it with something that doesn’t cost the earth.

Criteria:

- Must be new and financed by PCP.
- Must be under £40k list price.
- Must be similar size to Q5.
- Must be automatic.
- Must be petrol.
- Must be front wheel drive.
- Willing to consider brands less prestigious than Audi but perhaps not at the extreme end of the spectrum e.g. Vauxhall, Dacia etc.

Any ideas?

[AudiMan9000]

All great tips. I don’t think the wife would like an estate, although I would if it was solely my decision. A lower powered cross over seems sensible. Ironically we probably should have kept my Q3.

[AudiMan9000]

GreatGranny said:

cuprabob said:

Dimebars said:

It's Groundhog Day!

+1

Doesn't matter what's suggested OP will just get the opposite

Joking aside, OP, it's good you finally realise it's just not worth trying to keep up with the Jones and there are other better value makes available.

It will take a while before I can put all this great advice into practice as there is about £1600 negative equity to iron itself out, but the penny has dropped re Audi. I went on their PCP calculator and the APR was something like 11%!