STILL flip flopping - lease or buy - any advice please?

[piperdelux]

Sigh... I've asked the same question in a few different ways now, so here's another - I am flip flopping all over the shop.

My leased S5 coupe goes back end of next month - have been searching (daily, many times daily!) for suitable replacements. Have conceded I am getting nowhere near the amount of car for the money ive been paying, but remained unsure of leasing again or buying, either new or used.

I have had a couple of quotes this week for;

420i Gran coupe
Auto
24 months
8k miles
Circa £9k all in for the term

That's about the best I can find for anything I half fancy for my budget (circa £400 pcm amortised). Has to be 4 door now ive got a nipper's seat to get in.

I have seen this today, for sale at stratstones - says it's 2017 car, but only 101 miles, no plates on it - so not sure why that is, but essentially its 'new'.

https://www.stratstone.com/search/VehicleDetails/u...

Obviously its impossible to say for sure, but am I better off spending the £9k ish for 2 years leasing, or buying this - likely to fetch £14k plus after 2 years with circa 16000 miles on it?

As always, appreciate any advice....

[nunpuncher]

Do you need something so new? You'd suffer less depreciation and get something a bit tastier if you could go older.

I just came off the leasing merry go round after a good run of cheap fast cars. I was convinced I needed something new for my insignificant annual mileage as older cars blow up all the time... don't they? In the end I decided I'd rather drive something fun and old with a potential risk than something new and ste.

Life's too short.

[piperdelux]

This is true - having been in company cars for 10 years, then lease the last 2, having the backing of a warranty is always a comfort - I had a dual mass flywheel and clutch need replacing on a previous beemer - god knows what bill I'd have been hit with.

But, the counter argument is to buy something older and set up a bork fund just in case. And looking at the car ive linked to, the manufacturers warranty would be nearly out anyway I guess.

Cheers for the input.

[SWoll]

nunpuncher said:

Do you need something so new? You'd suffer less depreciation and get something a bit tastier if you could go older.

I just came off the leasing merry go round after a good run of cheap fast cars. I was convinced I needed something new for my insignificant annual mileage as older cars blow up all the time... don't they? In the end I decided I'd rather drive something fun and old with a potential risk than something new and ste.

Life's too short.

It does depend on just how much you depend on your car TBH. If mileage is minimal and other options available fine, if having a car off the road will affect you livelihood then it's a very different proposition.

[Dr Jekyll]

SWoll said:

It does depend on just how much you depend on your car TBH. If mileage is minimal and other options available fine, if having a car off the road will affect you livelihood then it's a very different proposition.

Is a 100,000 miles plus car really that much more likely to require unscheduled time off the road than a newish one?

Certainly not in my experience.

[James76G]

That GC coupe you listed is a bit of an odd one as it's a Sport and not a M Sport (I.e. the one most folks want). It has only has normal nav and not the widescreen pro nav. It's also going to be much slower than your S5, so I'd avoid if I were you.

I don't know what your outright purchase fund is, but assuming it's £16k based on your S4 post if you are considering a new 4GC then surely a nice 4-5yr old 335i with a BMW warranty would be an option?

[Patrick Bateman]

I've started leasing in December for the first time in my life and my workmate today said I've hardly got any chat now cause I'm never moaning about cars breaking any more.

So depending on how sick you are of fixing cars, the dependability is great.

[SWoll]

Dr Jekyll said:

SWoll said:

It does depend on just how much you depend on your car TBH. If mileage is minimal and other options available fine, if having a car off the road will affect you livelihood then it's a very different proposition.

Is a 100,000 miles plus car really that much more likely to require unscheduled time off the road than a newish one?

Certainly not in my experience.

Had a number of 3-5 year old cars over the year that have required extensive warranty work but not had a single issue with the past 4 new cars we've leased across a 10 year period so in my experience the answer is yes.

Simple logic would suggest the older and more well used an item is the more it will degrade and require fixing surely?

[Don Phil]

Depends if you plan on selling the purchase car after 2 years. If you are, you may a well lease a new one for the same net cost but you aren't stumping up 23k up front.

If you keep the purchase car longer than 2 years then your overall cost will be probably be less than leasing another similar car new for another 2 years.

I think the trick is to find a happy medium between cost, age, spec so you will be happy to keep it longer than 2 years, be able to rely on it for longer than 2 years and get a decent car for less than you'd be paying if you keep leasing new ones.

[GreatGranny]

I always buy 3-5 year old cars for between £8k & £12k.

They tend to do lots of miles (30k per year) and always diesels because of the mileage.

The only car that has thrown up a big bill (£500+) was my S40 1.6d when the DMF went at 105k miles and shortly after the DPF began to fail so it got traded in.

The other 4 or 5 cars have never thrown up any big bills other than the usual brakes, tyres, pads etc.. and that's including 2 x XC90's.

I've probably been lucky because they don't get treated well and have had a few missed services.
However I seem to drive with mechanical sympathy and being diesels there's no point in thrashing them.

OP, don't discount lowering your budget to avoid the worse of the depreciation curve.

[piperdelux]

Thanks all for the advice. I think having been trawling leasing sites (and several more wasted calls today), my mind is made up to buy.

Also fairly certain will go for used, as a previous poster said, I will be able to get something more interesting and have a wider choice for my budget.

Definitely keen to get into something that has taken the majority of its depreciation hit, and open to the idea of something older/cheaper that's at the bottom of 'the curve'.

Again, main requirements are;

4 door
Decent boot space (not necessarily estate though)
Petrol (will only be doing low miles)
No 'known' major issues/reliable
Can shift if needed - but probably not the V8's as have been suggested, although would be nice!
£20k max, but ideally less

I know that's all maybe a little vague - cars i've seen that I like the idea of;

330/335i
535i
6 series gran coupe maybe?
S4 - avant or saloon

Any advances on any of the previous suggestions? Thanks all....

[SWoll]

Or buy something a bit older that has already done the majority of it's depreciation for the same budget.

https://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/vehicle/201901093790362

So much more car for the money, surely can't drop any more than £5k over 2 years and still comes with official warranty.

[jimmybell]

Do the suggested cheaper option for 2 years - save the difference. Then buy a nicer car than a 420i in 2 years time.

[ZX10R NIN]

If you want a car that you can extend the Manufacturers Warranty on then you get some decent options:

320i GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

420 GC

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

330i M Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2.0T A4 S Line

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo Vignale

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Now the real VFM offering are the Infiniti Q50's in either 2.0T form which are swift & well equipped, the small dealer network means when you purchase a service pack it normally includes collection & delivery.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

But if you want properly quick then go for the Q50 3.5h S these come with everything including the kitchen sink Bose Stereo Cameras Heated Steering wheel etc, they're a decent steer too I've supplied two (one to a family member) both are finding them a great option, they're averaging 33mpg, they were 2016/17 AWD models but the older models have the same drivetrain.

2014 RWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2015 AWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2017 AWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The FM reception can be weak but Infiniti will replace the unit free of charge.

[piperdelux]

ZX10R NIN said:

If you want a car that you can extend the Manufacturers Warranty on then you get some decent options:

320i GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

420 GC

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

330i M Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2.0T A4 S Line

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo Vignale

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Now the real VFM offering are the Infiniti Q50's in either 2.0T form which are swift & well equipped, the small dealer network means when you purchase a service pack it normally includes collection & delivery.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

But if you want properly quick then go for the Q50 3.5h S these come with everything including the kitchen sink Bose Stereo Cameras Heated Steering wheel etc, they're a decent steer too I've supplied two (one to a family member) both are finding them a great option, they're averaging 33mpg, they were 2016/17 AWD models but the older models have the same drivetrain.

2014 RWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2015 AWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

2017 AWD

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

The FM reception can be weak but Infiniti will replace the unit free of charge.

Thanks for taking the time for such an in depth reply, the Infiniti's are really interesting and something I'd not checked out previously.

Regards the extended warranty on BMW, Audi etc - whats the score with that then? Can you extend up the car being 4 or 5 years old? Thanks again...

[ZX10R NIN]

piperdelux said:

Thanks for taking the time for such an in depth reply, the Infiniti's are really interesting and something I'd not checked out previously.

Regards the extended warranty on BMW, Audi etc - whats the score with that then? Can you extend up the car being 4 or 5 years old? Thanks again...

Manufacturer's Warranties across the board can be extended for another 3-4 years after the original warranty expires, also when it comes fit finish & having a similar level of kit then the 3.5 Infiniti's are a different level to the German alternatives I listed but the 2.0T's are a similar spec.

Or go for the 330i I listed.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Wednesday 13th February 15:21

[nunpuncher]

In my view leasing is a great option if:
a) You need something boring and economical that's reliable and fully covered by warranty, breakdown cover etc should you need it.
b) There's a cheap deal on that allows you to get something fruity for naff all.

I think that after an S5 you'd find a 320i utterly miserable and would resent the fact it was costing as much. I think if you are willing to accept something that dreary to drive for the sake of being affordable and reliable/covered then you are in category (a) above and should just get one of the cheap Volvo, Skoda, Arteon etc deals.

With a used car it's a case of doing some research and trying to balance purchase price v potential depreciation and potential bork fund required. Most of the cars in your list above have known potential expensive repairs but "potential" is the key word here.

With regard to the question about 100k mile cars above. My view is that it's all about how a car has been cared for. A 100k mile car can be like triggers broom and in some cases a more sensible purchase than a 70k mile car that is just hitting the point where all the bushes, bearings and balljoints are in need of renewal.

Edited by nunpuncher on Wednesday 13th February 12:37

[The Voice]

As has been said, a 320i/420i will seem absolutely gutless after an S5, you'll be bored with it after five minutes - but stuck with it for two years...

[rustyuk]

I was in the same position a couple of months back. None of the then current deals (Volvos and Skodas) took my fancy. Got totally fed up with looking so I just bought something.

Someone here posted last week about getting a loan for 20k (£370 per month) to supplement a purchase. That was cheap compared to my last lease so I'll be buying something nice in the summer!!