downgrading car worthwhile?
Discussion
I'm saving for a house deposit currently have 15k but 30k+ is more realistic. Saving at least 1200/month living at home so building up pretty quick. Currently drive an 8p3 A3 S line 1.8T with 55k on the clock. Whatcar valuation says its worth £9700 private sale although that seems quite high. Im thinking of getting a 330ci to pocket some money. They are probably the only older car i wouldnt mind driving as they still have a pretty plush interior and look cool in a slightly retro way, as well as being a nice engine.
Everyone seems to say you can pick up a good 330ci for like 4k but i cant find a lot on AT or ebay. Certainly not many facelift ones. One with 100k+ on the clock and pre facelift are cheap but im a little concernd and confused about all the water pump / radiators etc, these would not be done as part of a routine service schedule so would almost certainly need doing on a car of this age to avoid bigger bills. I only do abotu 5k miles per year dont use it for work.
Forgot to mention my a3 is just now due a cambelt change and front tyres so thats at least 600quid. Not sure if i would need to get that done prior to selling.
Thoughts?
Everyone seems to say you can pick up a good 330ci for like 4k but i cant find a lot on AT or ebay. Certainly not many facelift ones. One with 100k+ on the clock and pre facelift are cheap but im a little concernd and confused about all the water pump / radiators etc, these would not be done as part of a routine service schedule so would almost certainly need doing on a car of this age to avoid bigger bills. I only do abotu 5k miles per year dont use it for work.
Forgot to mention my a3 is just now due a cambelt change and front tyres so thats at least 600quid. Not sure if i would need to get that done prior to selling.
Thoughts?
Wont the depreciation of the VRS be a lot worse than the evoque? They seem to be holding their value quite well. Im looking at it that my Audi will depreciate at a reasonable rate but the old 330 is basically worthless now anyway so i can bank the money rather than watching it depreciate away.
Sometimes its better the devil you know instead of what could look like a cheap option costing much more £.
Sensible would be a £1k car instead a run of the mil thing nothing special run it until it dies worst case you get £200 scrap value so really little risk.
What are your tyres breaks pads discs major arrive VED (how much have you got left on it - can you not use the car right into the last month of VED and MOT then dispose?) like on the car
Sensible would be a £1k car instead a run of the mil thing nothing special run it until it dies worst case you get £200 scrap value so really little risk.
What are your tyres breaks pads discs major arrive VED (how much have you got left on it - can you not use the car right into the last month of VED and MOT then dispose?) like on the car
I'd look at 2 options. Either keep what you have, or sell up and buy a sub £1000 car from the Bargain Basement thread (I know it's very broad but anything Jap if you need something relatively reliable).
Dont think there's much point downgrading for the sake of a few grand, might as well go the whole way. A grands worth of E36 328i won't be any less fun that a £4k E46 330i in my opinion.
Dont think there's much point downgrading for the sake of a few grand, might as well go the whole way. A grands worth of E36 328i won't be any less fun that a £4k E46 330i in my opinion.
sell it and get a shed for a bit - the£600 you save on not fixing it could buy something interesting, if it breaks expensively you can weigh it in and get another. My £600 merc C280 is a comfy old bus, packing a sweet, smooth and quiet V6 motor, much nicer to be in than my pals A3 2.0 diesel (I was surprised how noisy that was, when they gave me a lift last week)
Yeah some of the replies echoing my concerns that the price difference would disappear into repairs on the older car. But then my car is out of warranty and could blow a turbo or something and cost me a grand, not much on a 330 would cost that much.
I drove a 2000 fiesta for 4 years, dont fancy going back to something that cheap. The 330 has an appeal because its faster and sounds a lot better than my A3, and i like the interior on it. I guess i just fancy a bigger NA engine as well and i was thinking if i could buy one and pocket 4k it might not be a bad idea.
I drove a 2000 fiesta for 4 years, dont fancy going back to something that cheap. The 330 has an appeal because its faster and sounds a lot better than my A3, and i like the interior on it. I guess i just fancy a bigger NA engine as well and i was thinking if i could buy one and pocket 4k it might not be a bad idea.
300bhp/ton said:
sting3r70 said:
They are probably the only older car i wouldnt mind driving as they still have a pretty plush interior and look cool in a slightly retro way, as well as being a nice engine.
Sorry, but my logic fails at this point.
ED209 said:
Well i downgraded from a 2012 evoque to a 2013 octavia vrs and almost 10k cash paid off the mortgage. I dont regret it, well 99% of the time anyway.
Downgraded? I know which I'd rather have and it isn't the Evoque.chrisw666 said:
300bhp/ton said:
sting3r70 said:
They are probably the only older car i wouldnt mind driving as they still have a pretty plush interior and look cool in a slightly retro way, as well as being a nice engine.
Sorry, but my logic fails at this point.
, a 330ci is still new and shiny to me (24).On a more helpful note, yes I would 'downgrade' to an older car as having nearly £10k in a small dull hatchback seems daft to me. I would consider going from an A3 to a 330ci to be an upgrade myself.
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