I'm this close to buying...

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[Frik]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Without a shadow of a doubt I would have thought.

Consumption and servicing are crippling.

[GFWilliams]

It'll be quicker..






enough said

[Harsh]

James.

i dont think you will like my honest answer to this but i'm going to say it anyway.

If you're thinking about running one of these on a budget then walk away.
they cost a lot more to run than you would imagine.
fuel costs are high as mpg is not great.
parts and servicing are also much more expensive than the VXR.

i know how much you love your driving, and how annoyed you would be if you had a great car (which the EVO is) sitting in the garage becuase of a minor fault, or insurance or high fuel costs (and the price of fuel WILL go up again)

either stick with the VXR as the devil you know, and a good car too or look at something else.
i would suggest you're getting a good deal on this simply because they need to move it on.............

Edited by Harsh on Friday 13th March 17:59

[Sods Law]

I'd say do it! reducing any liability at the moment is a good thing.

If you "sensibly" drive ir you should be able to bank the savings..... however then the £600 a year can bw set aside for additional servicing if required...


Go on get rid of the Bedford Rascal with super hair dryer power and get some rally lifestyle.

Also if you get over book value for yours, how much are we talking, would this offset the ownership costs or more importantly deprecuation for the first year?

I'd do it but thats just me...

[Funk]

Just buy a proper hot-hatch, Diz. Like a Focus ST.

[john_r]

James - as you know I ran one of these from new for 30k miles over 2 years...

Happy to dig out the bills and post up the costs of running one of those if you want? But it'll probably make you cry...

Assuming it'll be under extended warranty then it has to be serviced by a main dealer. I think my largest bill was around £1,200 for main service and brakes all round. The 9k service will be well north of £500 and the interim 4.5k service will be around £250 to £300. Servicing is every 4.5k miles OR 6 months. So even if you use it as a second car and only do 1,000 miles in 6 months it will still need a service... The big service is horrible - engine, gearbox, differentials and AYC oils need changing and they are all 100% synthetic - I think that's every 18k miles and the oil cost is eye-watering!

REAL world MPG on my FQ (320) was well under 20. If I tried really hard (i.e. sub 3k revs) I could get 22mpg. The gearing is short, so economical driving is hard work. On a hoon you will see sub 12mpg and on track around 4-5mpg.

Anything remotely long distance will leave you practically deaf and crippled: suspension is rock hard and the effective sound proofing was obviously too heavy to bother with!

Because of the way the FQ's are setup it will eat all 4 tyres at the same rate... I munched a set of Goodyear F1's every 7k-9k miles. I guess if driven more sedately then you'll maybe see 12k miles from a set? Approx £120'ish a corner I seem to remember and very sensitive for weight balance and kerbing.

Ignoring all of the above - they are awesome point to point and track beasts and in the right hands will see off just about anything else!

BUT, they're cheap to buy and Ferrari'esque to run!

Also heard lots of horror stories about non-dealer 'cheap' servicing messing cars up, resulting in BIG dealer bills to put them right.

If you want an Evo, then go for the less complex and cheaper to run Evo 6 (TM edition if you can find one). Or dare I say it, a scooby is 7 or 8/10ths as capable as an Evo for a fraction of the running costs?

[touching cloth]

If I have understood the situation, you seem quite pleased that you might get out of the VXR cos it's worth what the loan is, putting you back on a "clean slate" sounds like your viewing it as a narrow escape. However you are then going to take on another loan that is 100% of the price of the new car, regardless of it being less monthly than you currently pay you are still putting yourself directly back into the situation of having a loan that will very likely have you in negative equity from the moment you drive away. I probably sound like an old boring fart but if you haven't got at least a chunk of cash to put in, then why buy a £12k car at all? Sell privately clear loan and probably have some on top (private sale should garner more than a trade in), then spend a bit less and borrow less and you'll have more disposable to run the thing and you'll be at a flatter part of the depreciation curve.

Edited by touching cloth on Friday 13th March 20:24

[xllifts]

touching cloth said:

If I have understood the situation, you seem quite pleased that you might get out of the VXR cos it's worth what the loan is, putting you back on a "clean slate" sounds like your viewing it as a narrow escape. However you are then going to take on another loan that is 100% of the price of the new car, regardless of it being less monthly than you currently pay you are still putting yourself directly back into the situation of having a loan that will very likely have you in negative equity from the moment you drive away. I probably sound like an old boring fart but if you haven't got at least a chunk of cash to put in, then why buy a £12k car at all? Spend a bit less and borrow less and you'll have more disposable to run the thing and you'll be at a flatter part of the depreciation curve.

Diz for what its worth the TC is talking good sense, also having rallied an evo and also know of people who have owned one it is an expensive car to run as JR has found.
The car ticks all the boxes for hoonage BUT and its a BIG BUT it costs BIG BUCKS to run.

You will spend 3k + on it in the first year just getting it setup right for you and then servicing that must be done, stick with the vxr for a bit fella, better the devil you know.

If you are serious about going cheaper/same price, and less maintanence look at the twingo sport its a good car, http://www.renaultsport.co.uk/roadcars/twingo/over...

In three words matey DON'T DO IT

HTH

Dave

[John D.]

Diz, without even bothering to consider the details of your loan, personally I can't see buying an Evo being a good way to save money mate! Cracking cars. I do see the attraction. Surely theres plenty of other cars that tickle your fancy out there within budget?

[Kinky]

Diz - just my tuppence worth ....

I'd not switch at all. Either stick with it - or 'downgrade' to an older/cheaper car.

What justification is there for getting a new car? Other than saving £50 a month? Get an older car and save £250 a month, etc, etc ....

K

[Revs_Addiction]

Wow SAS in sensible advice shocker!! (dave b excepted)

Have to say that I agree with the others in that I can see that £50/month getting eaten up plus some by the additional running costs.

[Kinky]

Diz - I guess it's the whole head v's heart argument.

I have those very same arguments every day - and head wins every time. Otherwise I'd be in a Cerbie now

[stevieb]

Diz,

how about a Impreza STi with a remap to 340Bhp, can get one for around 9k and cheaper to run and insure than the Evo.. 95% of the driving fun for half of the yearly running costs..

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_popup.js...

Steve

Edited by stevieb on Friday 13th March 22:12

[okgo]

Is there not something else you can buy that is more fun that your car, but doesn't cost quite as much as an evo to run?

[okgo]

If you branch out you will find decent examples of every car. And I should think if you go main dealer most of them will give you settlement to get a deal done

[okgo]

Always the question.. Having seen you buzzing around in the VXR it will be tricky to top it looks wise. But there are many routes to explore out there right now..

[Turbofun]

Diz

I had a 2000yr Impreza turbo loved it but wanted to upgrade (faster) and i test drove a Evo8 FQ300... one of the best cars i ever drove !... however once i did my sums the running coast are high(John R is never wrong)..
So I bought a 03 Impreza STI Pro Drive... a great car but no Evo... however it still ticked 90% of the boxes..

However if you want some thing more aggressive then you are not going to find a more complete car then an Evo...
If you are not going to use everyday then Im sure you can run one at a sensible loss
Go for it and find out ... otherwise you will never know...

[P-J]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Diz - I don't know you but I'm sure I will get to meet you at some point.

Personally I wouldn't get into a new loan at the moment no matter how tempting the deal may look. The costs of the Evo far outweigh any saving you may have on finance.

Can I just add that I am typing this with beer googles on...if it was in the cold light of day I'd be more direct

[xllifts]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Diz
Swerni will tell you same as i will ifyou are sruggling with the thought of finance and are tight on money/budget, you will be bankrupt within a year with an evo.

Put that sensible head on and look at keeping your Vxr or trading for a decent secondhander but you will not find a car that will be as clean/healthy as you want it both mechanically or paintwork/interior wise unless you buy from new.

And knowing you that would be an issue!

Why not stick with it for now and when finances improve then go for a new evo.

Just something to remeber a car is usually the second biggest purchase a family will make (first being house or ex missus) so finance on a car is the norm you won't get away from that unless your loaded.

Hope this gives you some pause for thought......

Dave