Owning a car thing of the past!

[Edd1968]

I'm 49.

I'm just fed up of stumping up cash constantly on a supposedly superior car.

Right now my car needs a stabiliser bar for the rear diff, the bushes are shot. You'd have hoped you could just press the old ones off. Oh no, course not, part comes as a whole from mb 300 quid plus vat.

I have a weep from the gearbox bell housing. Not even going to attempt to fix that, will manage it until I can trade in.

Abs/esp light came on the other day. Code reading said internal esp fault. Managed to clear that with battery off for a while and my icarsoft.

If I need a new esp that's a grand.

All this for the "privilege" of driving an 11year old diesel and wondering what will break next.

Sounds like you're not enjoying your ownership.
If thats the case then perhaps it's time to change. It's my philosophy these days that if I don't enjoy something, someone, someplace I walk the other way. Life is too short!

 

[clk320x]

Right now my car needs a stabiliser bar for the rear diff, the bushes are shot. You'd have hoped you could just press the old ones off. Oh no, course not, part comes as a whole from mb 300 quid plus vat.

I have a weep from the gearbox bell housing. Not even going to attempt to fix that, will manage it until I can trade in.

Abs/esp light came on the other day. Code reading said internal esp fault. Managed to clear that with battery off for a while and my icarsoft.

If I need a new esp that's a grand.

All this for the "privilege" of driving an 11year old diesel and wondering what will break next.

All seem pretty easy to fix to me

 

[tron]

My hated new Vw bought new and completely reliable costs nothing to run. 60-80 MPG. My cheap Mercedes costs anything from 100 to 300 a day at the moment but I might enjoy it if I I ever get it working. Leasing isn't for me. I fly a small aeroplane and could have a better one if I joined a syndicate but it is MY aeroplane, to fly when I like. Few pay with cash these days because few have it but real money is the best kind.

 

[Yugguy]

All seem pretty easy to fix to me

Feel free to bob down anytime and sort it fir me. Or give me the 2 grand to have it sorted.

The above is just the latest in a long line..

 

[clk320x]

Feel free to bob down anytime and sort it fir me. Or give me the 2 grand to have it sorted.

The above is just the latest in a long line..

I just don’t understand the point of coming on here ranting about how expensive your premium marque car is to maintain if it goes wrong.

Either get it fixed or buy something else.

 

[Yugguy]

Wow. I had no idea my personal choice that affects noone else would cause so much anger.

It's not a rant it is an explanation as to why we prefer to PCP. Which is what the thread is about.

But yes, I expected more durability from an MB.

 

[wivenhoe]

O

Or maybe because years ago a Mercedes Benz C class (or any other class) was worth more used because it was a better quality car than a Ford Mondeo for example . These days that is debatable when looking at cars circa 2012/3 etc

It all depends what you measure the depreciation against. If it’s against the list then in most cases that is totally misleading because who pays full list on a new MB ? Equally, most prestige cars have a couple of £’000 options so it very difficult to know what the true drop in value is unless it’s your car.
My last car over 30 months from new, depreciated only 23% against list + options but 33% against what I actually paid. Current PCP’s from Merc are calculated after approx 10% discount from list.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I have never let depreciation rates stop me buying a car. The one I currently drive is probably one of the worst. However, I wanted the exact spec and I wanted a brand new one.

When I eventually sell it, I will have enjoyed every minute of owning and driving the vehicle and not give a hoot about depreciation (because I understood upfront what depreciation I was in for).

What people fail to consider, is that like maintenance and repairs, depreciation is simply one of the costs you should take into account when purchasing an expensive item. Large companies love depreciation as a tax deductible.

If you cannot afford the depreciation, don't buy it.

 

[Edd1968]

I have never let depreciation rates stop me buying a car.

... Me neither, end of!!

 

[219]

As above, who ownes their own car, as regards leases! Nearly everybody I know leases!! As for me I like to add bits ie diff alloys etc, cannot think about having a lease car and not being able to fiddle a bit!!! Only ever owned cars

I could lease a car for work , but have no interest in doing so .

Besides that I would end up driving round in some piece of junk that I would hate , it would cost me more to lease than I pay for my current cars to drive round in something else that would never be mine , and as said there are restrictions on what you can do to it , not to mention being charged for car park damage and the like when you hand it back .

No thanks .

BTW , apart from one colleague at work ,I don't know anyone who leases a car .

 

[clk320x]

Wow. I had no idea my personal choice that affects noone else would cause so much anger.

It's not a rant it is an explanation as to why we prefer to PCP. Which is what the thread is about.

But yes, I expected more durability from an MB.

Perhaps you misunderstood my post, I was in no way angry. Nor am I condemning your personal choice.

I’m not sure how old your car is, but it appears to be a W204 from your pp, so possibly 10 years old? Can we really expect items such as bushes not to wear out after many years and miles?

on the other hand my W212 is on 156k miles and all suspension components are still original with no play.

 

[219]

My work mates son has just least a bmw 4 , he says it’s better than mine!! Maybe! BUT I say I own mine !!!each to their own

When I see people driving by in new cars , I see people who mostly haven't paid for them and are mostly up to the ears in debt . Nothing to look up to .

 

[219]

I have never let depreciation rates stop me buying a car. The one I currently drive is probably one of the worst. However, I wanted the exact spec and I wanted a brand new one.

When I eventually sell it, I will have enjoyed every minute of owning and driving the vehicle and not give a hoot about depreciation (because I understood upfront what depreciation I was in for).

What people fail to consider, is that like maintenance and repairs, depreciation is simply one of the costs you should take into account when purchasing an expensive item. Large companies love depreciation as a tax deductible.

If you cannot afford the depreciation, don't buy it.

I buy my cars at the bottom of the depreciation curve , usually buying outright for the sort of money others pay to lease for a month . Given that I generally get a few years good use out of each car , I'm well ahead .... and I'm driving something interesting and different from the masses .

 

[Darrell]

I could lease a car for work , but have no interest in doing so .

Besides that I would end up driving round in some piece of junk that I would hate , it would cost me more to lease than I pay for my current cars to drive round in something else that would never be mine , and as said there are restrictions on what you can do to it , not to mention being charged for car park damage and the like when you hand it back .

No thanks .

BTW , apart from one colleague at work ,I don't know anyone who leases a car .

This is me.

 

[219]

It is all personal preference of course but I am an owner of my cars and really don't fancy leasing.

I started driving in the early 00's and back then many of the younger drivers wanting a newer car opted for finance. Back then though it was HP so deposit down, own it after 3-4 years. I did this on two cars which I bought from new (Megane 225/Twingo 133 FYI haha), paid them off entirely and ended up keeping them both. Of course this was when you could get the top of the range RS Megane with a decent discount for £16k, rather than the £32k they cost now.

Using that perspective, not even factoring in the interest on a loan a £30k car would cost you over £800 a month to own after 3 years. I suspect few people have that amount going spare every month.

So with the arrival of PCP deals people can get that £30k car and pay no where near what it would cost to own it. Personally that doesn't sit well with me but I don't blame people for doing it. In fact if £300-400 was literally disposable per month, I'd probably have myself a daily car on the cheap. Wouldn't be overly attached to it and just use it as a family wagon.

I think what I'm puts me off is the situations that many end up in, whereby they lease a car because it's only X amount per month. After so many years circumstances change and that amount becomes unaffordable, you're left in a situation where you can't get that next car because you need that monthly amount for a mortgage, kids or whatever. You then end up starting from scratch where as you could have just got a used/cheaper car, owned it outright after the finance period and actually have a car at the end.

I've been driving a bit longer than that .

After I passed my test in 1976 , I drove my parents cars for a few years , which cost me zip . A couple of years later , my dad gave me his W115 , which he'd had from new and bought a new W123 to replace it . In 1982 , I bought my Ponton , the first car i bought with my own money , for £100 , and kept it for 34 years ! I ran it continuously for about 10-15 years , then used it less and less , with it latterly sitting up my mum's drive ; eventually swapped it for the SL .

I've only twice borrowed money to buy cars - the first time was when I took out a bank loan over 3 years , borrowing £2500 to buy a £3K W123 ; then when I was 40 , I took out another bank loan for £10K to buy a £14K , 3YO W124 , which I kept for 11 years . I actually realised that , apart from better fuel consumption , the W124 really wasn't any better or worse a car than the W123 and I'd have been just as well keeping the older one which drove just as nicely .

After that , with the sole exception of the S203 , for which I paid £4K outright ( then about the same again in repair bills ) , I've never paid more than £1300 for a car ( W126 500SEL ) and usually much less , with only the current 190 needing more than routine tyres , batteries exhaust type things - and even with this car , when the CHG failed , I bought a good used engine from a fellow club member for £200 and fitted it myself ; to date I've had the car close on 5 years and even with repairs and maintenance added to purchase cost still owes me less than £2k .

I could easily have a new car on the drive , plus monthly lease bills + BIK tax , but would only get 7p/mile for business use as opposed to the 45p/mile I get for using my own cars for work ( and that pays much of my running costs ) .

 

[Peter103]

Always paid cash for cars never on the "strap" or the "never never"1st car was an Austin A50 Cambridge, my mother lent me the £70 and I paid it back, since then amongst all of them, there's been six BMW,s and I'm now on my sixth Merc, must have spent a fortune over the years. Once you've lashed out a few pounds on a new one it's much easier, and less money after two or three years to get another, maybe not brand new but, up to six months demonstrator, much less expensive, and dealer owned so full warranty etc, now I no longer work SHMBO tells me "your not having another one", but she's been saying that for years so, we'll see.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I buy my cars at the bottom of the depreciation curve , usually buying outright for the sort of money others pay to lease for a month . Given that I generally get a few years good use out of each car , I'm well ahead .... and I'm driving something interesting and different from the masses .

There is something special about getting the keys and driving off in a brand new car that had been built in Germany to exactly how you want it! I have owned many new and used cars over the years but there is always that much more pleasure in an unused unit and absolutely nothing wrong with a used car.

My best ever purchase was a 8 year old SAAb 95, 140,000 miles with a LPG conversion and every thing that opened and closed. I needed a car for 3 to 6 months (turned out to be 9). Paid £1800-00, spent £200-00 on it drove it for 9 months (getting 45mpg on the LPG cost basis) and sold it for £1800.

 

[Giantvanman]

Although I never modify my vehicles (except for an old Land Rover 90 I had for nine years), I prefer to own them and not lease.

I used to buy outright but now I buy using the offered finance which I settle completely in very short order.... no interest or charges incurred but discounts received.

This 'attitude' is contra to my normal 'be straightforward and completely honest' behaviour but having been dealt with very badly by M-B and a two of their dealerships, the ability to squash such apparently outmoded ideas of honesty and honour in business dealings results in much less guilt than it would otherwise in the past.

However, when buying our current car, a Range Rover, I made it clear to the dealership that I would be settling the finance if we took it and they raised no objections and we were still given a very good trade-in deal on the last M-B we'll ever own.

 

[PenelopePitstop]

I do what's cheaper. If it's better to buy certain model, I buy it. If it's cheap to lease, I lease it. I prefer new cars and don't want to freeze cash in them. Always look at total cost of ownership and decide based on that. I do not keep cars longer than 3 years, I like to change them. When I'm ready to die of boredom, I will buy one and keep it for 10 years.

The only problem I have with new cars is too much electronics, touch screens, systems thinking instead of drivers, etc. Not too many primitive, brand new cars left.

 

[Yugguy]

Perhaps you misunderstood my post, I was in no way angry. Nor am I condemning your personal choice.

It was me being oversensitive.

What makes PCP good for us is we get a friends and family discount through a nephew who works at Aston Martin. My wife got £2500 off list plus free colour upgrade through it.

My choices though are Ford, Fiat and Jeep.