Change to older or younger?

[A500leroy]

Hypothetical 8k. Current 2013 eurobox. Would you switch to a newer ( say 5 year old) eurobox , Or get a more interesting but older (say 15 year old) saloon/coupe/estate .

[DOCG]

986 Boxster

[RSTurboPaul]

Are you travelling to anywhere with a 'clean air zone' / ULEZ?

[edc]

A500leroy said:

Hypothetical 8k. Current 2013 eurobox. Would you switch to a newer ( say 5 year old) eurobox , Or get a more interesting but older (say 15 year old) saloon/coupe/estate .

It would depend what you are using the car for and what else you have on the drive or access to. I've done it both ways.

[covmutley]

edc said:

It would depend what you are using the car for and what else you have on the drive or access to. I've done it both ways.

This. 5k miles a yearca nd short commute or 15k miles per year? Need some details om usage

[A500leroy]

OK around 4k a year, and im drawn to Mercedes, but im cared of big bills.
Would a newer A class be better than say a ten or 15 year old C class?

[Jamescrs]

If you are scared of big bills it makes sense to buy a newer low mileage car generally, that being said it makes even more sense to forget Mercedes and buy a Toyota instead if bills are a concern

[PositronicRay]

On an older car, budget 5% p.a. of the original list price to keep it in good order.

Or just bodge it, and run it into the ground.

Edited by PositronicRay on Saturday 25th November 18:04

[Mr Tidy]

A500leroy said:

OK around 4k a year, and im drawn to Mercedes, but im cared of big bills.
Would a newer A class be better than say a ten or 15 year old C class?

I don't think an A Class would feel much better than your current Eurobox!

I've been running a 2005 manual BMW 330i as my daily for the last 4+ years and I love it even though it's now only worth Shed money.

It seems to throw up an unexpected £500 or so bill each year, but Manmaths tells me that's OK as it isn't depreciating!

[stanlow45]

If you actually need to use it to go anywhere or commute then buy as new as possible as you can afford, ideally Japanese. For a weekend car that doesn’t matter if it spends weeks off the road for repairs then something interesting is possible. HTH.

[InitialDave]

I'd say take the opportunity to buy something older and more interesting, but

- Buy a good one
- Take time to find the best spec (not just what kit it has, but avoiding stuff known to go wrong)
- Sort out the previous owner's deferred maintenance on purchase
- Have a "well, bugger" fund should it still vomit out something expensive just to spite you