Sweet spot for used car price?
Discussion
Hi everyone
I read an article on headphones saying the best value was to be had between 50 - 100 GBP. They said you can spend more than 100 and they will start to get better but the sound quality improvements would only be incremental for what you spend after this point.
I was thinking this also relates to used cars.
1 day before diesel-gate scandal I test drove a used diesel VW Jetta at the VW dealer around the corner from where I live. The car was OK but I could not justify spending the best part of 20K on a used car when I know there is gold at the end of the rainbow if you don't mind buying a car with some years and miles on it.
I think the sweet spot in used car value is about 4K. Admittedly I spent under 1K on my last 2 cars and they have been 100% solid If I ignore the dents that were there when I bought them. Such as the fat indentation from being hit by a javelin from one of the previous owners while practicing in his garden.
My neighbor bought a 1997 Volvo V70 for 500 GBP with 90,000 miles and he thinks its a fantastic car. The owner was selling as the drivers seat leather was falling apart but he has since found a donor chair and the car really is as good as new. He also says he would not have been able to afford his 2nd house if he was locked into car payments.
I first entered the dark realms of shoestring motoring when my 4 year old Vauxhall Corsa broke (again) Being a student at the time I decided to see what exotic delights I could find at the budget end of Autotrader and I bought a Ford Focus for 950. The car never set a foot wrong in the 5 years and 2 months of ownership before being rear ended by a 1970's MG who's driver was not paying attention.
I'm interested in looking at some teaching English jobs abroad for a few years before I turn 30 so I am selling my Focus estate which failed its MOT and I would never recoup the money from selling even if I fixed and MOT'd it.
I got to say I'm really hooked on seeing what I can scavenge but I was thinking next time maybe I will try and spend more and find a car a bit less tatty.
My thoughts on leasing cars is that its good if its a cheap car as you can get a reliable set of wheels for 100 GBP per month. Considering there is no MOT or maintenance bill to pay is actually really not a bad deal and my co worker does this for a Toyota Aygo.
I feel I'm rambling on a bit too much now so please give your opinion how much you need to spend to get a solid set of wheels with no javelin damage?
What are your thoughts on how much gold to spend on new car for the best value?
I read an article on headphones saying the best value was to be had between 50 - 100 GBP. They said you can spend more than 100 and they will start to get better but the sound quality improvements would only be incremental for what you spend after this point.
I was thinking this also relates to used cars.
1 day before diesel-gate scandal I test drove a used diesel VW Jetta at the VW dealer around the corner from where I live. The car was OK but I could not justify spending the best part of 20K on a used car when I know there is gold at the end of the rainbow if you don't mind buying a car with some years and miles on it.
I think the sweet spot in used car value is about 4K. Admittedly I spent under 1K on my last 2 cars and they have been 100% solid If I ignore the dents that were there when I bought them. Such as the fat indentation from being hit by a javelin from one of the previous owners while practicing in his garden.
My neighbor bought a 1997 Volvo V70 for 500 GBP with 90,000 miles and he thinks its a fantastic car. The owner was selling as the drivers seat leather was falling apart but he has since found a donor chair and the car really is as good as new. He also says he would not have been able to afford his 2nd house if he was locked into car payments.
I first entered the dark realms of shoestring motoring when my 4 year old Vauxhall Corsa broke (again) Being a student at the time I decided to see what exotic delights I could find at the budget end of Autotrader and I bought a Ford Focus for 950. The car never set a foot wrong in the 5 years and 2 months of ownership before being rear ended by a 1970's MG who's driver was not paying attention.
I'm interested in looking at some teaching English jobs abroad for a few years before I turn 30 so I am selling my Focus estate which failed its MOT and I would never recoup the money from selling even if I fixed and MOT'd it.
I got to say I'm really hooked on seeing what I can scavenge but I was thinking next time maybe I will try and spend more and find a car a bit less tatty.
My thoughts on leasing cars is that its good if its a cheap car as you can get a reliable set of wheels for 100 GBP per month. Considering there is no MOT or maintenance bill to pay is actually really not a bad deal and my co worker does this for a Toyota Aygo.
I feel I'm rambling on a bit too much now so please give your opinion how much you need to spend to get a solid set of wheels with no javelin damage?
What are your thoughts on how much gold to spend on new car for the best value?
I think you are right, 3k to 4k will bag you something relatively modern, should be cosmetically good, and mechanically fine.
Bangernomics has always worked for me from £1000 to £2000 but at this price you don't want to be buying anything complicated or historically a poorly constructed car (Peugeot 308) for example.
Bangernomics has always worked for me from £1000 to £2000 but at this price you don't want to be buying anything complicated or historically a poorly constructed car (Peugeot 308) for example.
Depends on your criteria.
If I only wanted something to tide me over for a few months, then anything under £1000 with a MOT that covers what I need, and bin the lot at the end of the time.
If I was Mr Sensible, then a relatively new car (< 5 years old) can easily be bought for between £4-5k which will serve you well for another potentially ten years if serviced and not abused. Lots of choice at that level too, from Astras to Insignia, Mondeo to Hyundai, etc. So everything covered from small shopping cart to family estate.
If I only wanted something to tide me over for a few months, then anything under £1000 with a MOT that covers what I need, and bin the lot at the end of the time.
If I was Mr Sensible, then a relatively new car (< 5 years old) can easily be bought for between £4-5k which will serve you well for another potentially ten years if serviced and not abused. Lots of choice at that level too, from Astras to Insignia, Mondeo to Hyundai, etc. So everything covered from small shopping cart to family estate.
I'd echo the 5-8k band. It'll get you a typical brand (Ford, Kia, Vauxhall) 3/4 year old hatchback without crazy mileage and probably just back from lease/company fleet. Alternatively a 6-8 year old "premium" brand (BMW, Mercedes etc.) with 60k or thereabouts without much hassle. On a low interest loan it'll run about £120-180 a month over 4 years and you'll ll likely have decent value left in the car to recoup or, if you need to clear the loan, likely able to sell for the balance.
Between about 8k and 20k I just see a lot of 1/2 year old deals, nothing particularly special or exciting. I find I need to look upwards of 20k and therefore a loooong way out of the realms of possibility for something truly special (*cough*Nissan GTR)
Between about 8k and 20k I just see a lot of 1/2 year old deals, nothing particularly special or exciting. I find I need to look upwards of 20k and therefore a loooong way out of the realms of possibility for something truly special (*cough*Nissan GTR)
Mexman said:
I think you are right, 3k to 4k will bag you something relatively modern, should be cosmetically good, and mechanically fine.
Bangernomics has always worked for me from £1000 to £2000 but at this price you don't want to be buying anything complicated or historically a poorly constructed car (Peugeot 308) for example.
This made me laugh. I know someone who bought a completely new 307 and 2 weeks later it completely died. He took it back and got a 2nd new 307 with slighly larger engine. 2 weeks later the 2nd new 307 had died. Lets just say he has never bought another Peugot.Bangernomics has always worked for me from £1000 to £2000 but at this price you don't want to be buying anything complicated or historically a poorly constructed car (Peugeot 308) for example.
All a question if budget. Some people can afford to spend £5k on a car but need it to last 3 years and still retain some value. Others can afford £5k per year in lease costs or depreciation without any concern.
And there's more to the law of diminishing returns than just simple functionality. Even in the case of headphones quality of materials, comfort, technology and longevity also need to be considered.
And there's more to the law of diminishing returns than just simple functionality. Even in the case of headphones quality of materials, comfort, technology and longevity also need to be considered.
I reckon you go up to £4k from a private seller who you have met and trust for a car with a good MOT history, good service history and appears to have been looked after.
That same car is £6k from a dealer, you don't get to meet the previous owner and the warranty may be worth little, if anything.
If you want to spend more then £8-9k upwards from a main dealer for a car with a good history, couple of owners, sensible miles and a warranty that you trust.
So for me, the dead-zone is £4k to £8k, and whilst there are no doubt plenty of great cars out there in that range, it's not where my money goes.
That same car is £6k from a dealer, you don't get to meet the previous owner and the warranty may be worth little, if anything.
If you want to spend more then £8-9k upwards from a main dealer for a car with a good history, couple of owners, sensible miles and a warranty that you trust.
So for me, the dead-zone is £4k to £8k, and whilst there are no doubt plenty of great cars out there in that range, it's not where my money goes.
Nickp82 said:
Problem is finding honest sellers, so many times I have asked “is there any javelin damage?” when ringing about a car only to have the phone hung up, they clearly have something to hide!
The problem is the number of people practising javelin on their front drive these days. Amateur javelin throwers should stick to practising in children's playgrounds (the ones with the bouncy rubber tarmac floors) - this would result in far fewer accidents.Spent just under 5k on a 'last off the line' MK1 focus...been bulletproof over nearly 10 years apart from usual maintenance items...n/a petrol engine/manual gearbox and generally simple.mechanics.on what is a.common car means when it does go wrong will be plenty of parts to source.
I am however in a similar boat looking for my next car ideally under 5k and.am struggling to.find an ideal replacement for the focus
I am however in a similar boat looking for my next car ideally under 5k and.am struggling to.find an ideal replacement for the focus
VR99 said:
Spent just under 5k on a 'last off the line' MK1 focus...been bulletproof over nearly 10 years apart from usual maintenance items...n/a petrol engine/manual gearbox and generally simple.mechanics.on what is a.common car means when it does go wrong will be plenty of parts to source.
I am however in a similar boat looking for my next car ideally under 5k and.am struggling to.find an ideal replacement for the focus
Vauxhall Astra in 1.6 Elite form:I am however in a similar boat looking for my next car ideally under 5k and.am struggling to.find an ideal replacement for the focus
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Focus Titanium/Titanium X
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
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Mazda3 Sport
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Strong Horse said:
My neighbor bought a 1997 Volvo V70 for 500 GBP with 90,000 miles and he thinks its a fantastic car...
We always had something new via our works scheme or lease, but I also play around a lot with older, cheaper cars (I had twelve cars up until last weekend for example) but Volvos really grabbed me during my "hunts". It started with a fsh V70 T5 which I paid around £800 for and I realised as I went through the paperwork that in 1998, it cost someone 36k! Since then, I have had 26 more Volvos. My neighbour caught the bug, too. He currently owns seven of my old ones.My sweet spot has always been £250 to £1000
I'd never spent over 2k on a car and have owned some nice albeit fairly normal cars. Never had major issues and hardly lost money when changing.
Have just spent 5k on something newer, I don't like it (don't get along with it) and I'll be losing a few hundred quid to change it.
I think any price can be a sweet spot depending what your after but it's just about buying smart.
Have just spent 5k on something newer, I don't like it (don't get along with it) and I'll be losing a few hundred quid to change it.
I think any price can be a sweet spot depending what your after but it's just about buying smart.
ZX10R NIN said:
I'd say 5-7k is the sweet spot as you can land a well spec'd newish car with a decent engine (around 150 is the sweet spot power to weight wise) output wise.
This.Even looking up Arnold Clark as a rough guide there are plenty motors in that range that will be adequate for A to B motoring.
Ok, it’s only a 1.0 litre petrol, but they have a 2016 Yaris with only 10k miles for 6 grand.
Sweet spot is definitely car dependant but for the average person not picky about makes and models who wants a mode of transport for a-b 5-6k should see anyone in a decent motor which should be reliable for some years of bought carefully.
I went through a stage of never spending more than a grand on cars and I got some really fun and interesting stuff I'd never otherwise touch including a Saxo VTR and a Mondeo ST24.
One of my best buys was a MK3 Mondeo Ghia X with a V6 for £1500, had running issues which I quickly diagnosed as a split breather pipe and repaired for about £15. Was a brilliant car after.
I went through a stage of never spending more than a grand on cars and I got some really fun and interesting stuff I'd never otherwise touch including a Saxo VTR and a Mondeo ST24.
One of my best buys was a MK3 Mondeo Ghia X with a V6 for £1500, had running issues which I quickly diagnosed as a split breather pipe and repaired for about £15. Was a brilliant car after.
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