Motors How did you purchase (or rent) your car?

I'm constantly suprised by the amount of new cars on the road around me - I couldn't see how people could pay for them all in cash!

Then I learnt that around 8/10 people finance their cars using a finance scheme of some kind, of which there are many (explained below):

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-ne...plained-full-guide-to-paying-for-your-new-car

I'll start off - I've got an ancient VW Polo that I own outright (paid in cash obviously!), but I don't do many miles so it's perfect cheap motoring.

How do you finance your car? Did you pay in cash, or are you on a Personal Contract Plan or Hire Purchase?

 

I presume you only mean new cars, because the sub two grand I spent on all of my old bangers isn't that hard to raise.

But in my case... bank of mum and dad.

 

Well my last car was paid for with the insurance payout resulting from the writing-off of it's predecessor, after a f*ckwit pulled across the road in-front of me, waved on by his wife, leaving me nowhere to go.

 

PCP. Works for me because payments are low and I can bail out of the loan at any time and hand the car back without penalty. At the end I can decide to keep the car or start afresh on a new model.

This only works if you have no sentimental attachment to keeping the car and you look after it (although you often get lots of free servicing and cleaning to help towards that --the dealership wants their car back in decent shape too). In terms of depreciation it comes down to about the same cost if you bought your car via conventional loan and sold it on eventually.

 

I've opted for a variety of different payment methods over the last few cars on the basis of differing circumstances each time.

2005: First car, Citroen C2 VTS, new. Bought shortly after getting my first job out of uni - decent enough money coming in but hadn't saved anything up by that point, opted for finance as it was a bit cheaper over the term than a PCP. Opted for new over something second hand because I just got my first real job, and there was no way I wasn't having a shiny new car

2009: Second car, BMW 123d Coupe, new. Traded in the Citroen against this and went PCP as I planned at the time to change after a few years. As it happens, I did change my car after a few years, however, paid the balloon at the end of the PCP and have kept this one for the Mrs, which she still drives.

2011: Mrs's first car, Suzuki Swift Sport, 2nd hand (~2y). Paid cash as there were no particularly compelling reasons to do anything else.

2013: Current car, BMW 730d, new. PCP because they were doing it at 0%, so would be moronic to go with any other option. I don't plan on handing the car back at the end of the agreement, and instead keeping for an extra few years.

 

Cash. Went to cargiant liked it and paid cash

 

First car - second hand, 24 month payment plan with dealer.

Second car - new, 36 month finance with manufacturer/dealership. Written off 3 months before the final payment was due.

Third car - new, 36 month finance with manufacturer/dealership. Written off 18 months after final payment was made.

Van (current vehicle) - second hand from commercial vehicle trader, paid in cash.

 

I've only ever paid cash, currently driving a 14 year old 3 series that cost £28,500 new, or £2,000 when I picked it up a few years back.

Always been more than happy to take advantage of the massive depreciation cars suffer

Caveat, expect bills

 

My car I got off my parents in lieu of inheritance from a grandparents, which they already owned outright. My motorcycle I bought new with a loan secured against the bike, the term was three years but I paid it off within 18 months. My new motorcycle I'm going to buy outright, already got all the money saved up, just waiting on delivery now.

 

Buy all mine cash one I have now 4k tbh buying brand new is a mugs game you loose so much in just the first year and then it goes steadily down hill from there.

 

Always paid cash for cars, had a bike from new that cost £4800 that went down on finance when I was younger.


Damn that 4800 would of bought me a really really nice car today!

 

Sounds like a good plan - as long as the maintenance isn't too high. One of my friends just bought a E39 BMW M5 - but it turns out the head gasket is on its last legs (which will be expensive to fix). I dare say a 320i or similar would be a lot cheaper.

It sounds like there's a fair old mix on the Bit-Tech forums, although finance seems to be a popular option. I don't use my car enough to ever really justify it - although as a petrol head I'd love to buy something new - trouble is I don't have the cash (having just bought a house).

I'd quite like a 2015 V8 Mustang, but without £33,000 that's a bit unlikely!

 

By that logic, buying just about anything new ever is a mug's game - furniture, bikes, cookware, clothing, electronics, a toaster etc. All of these things are readily available second hand and far more cost effective when you look at £/use.

 

I think hire purchase is a better option than finance. With finance you spend years paying for a car that's worth way less than half of what you've paid for it by the time you're done, and if that's 36 months you now have the added complication of needing to MOT test it every year and potentially buying a third party warranty to protect against breakdowns (warranty on all my cars so far has been 3 years).

New cars are also too expensive for what you get in my humble opinion. The Fiesta I hired for a few weeks last year was £16995 as configured, and it wasn't even that nice. As near as makes no difference £17k would buy a heck of a nice 3-5 year old car with lots of options and plenty of change to get it taxed, insured, MOT tested and even freshened up with a good enhancement/correction detail and "change to taste" mods like wheels, ICE etc.

It'll be a long time before I buy another new car, if ever. When I do get around to buying myself a comfortable, economical sports hatchback for evening and weekend use it'll probably be an approved used vehicle from a local dealer.

 

Cars loose value quicker than most large purchases you'll never make a profit on it a house you can a designer watch you can even some furniture never a brand new car

 

Houses are the clear exception, anything else you're going to lose money on barring limited-availability or otherwise special items - even cars: getting your name on an early pre-order list for exotica can net you a very healthy profit indeed.

Any any rate, that's some incredibly loose logic there, but I'm not going to argue with you, because neither of us are going to change stance

 

Cash all the way, don't like borrowing money, very proud of the fact I have only ever owed for my mortgage and a business mortgage.

The last 'new' car I bought was in 2008, cost me £17k, paid 'cash' and now it's worth 6k, you always loose money on cars so there is no point in worrying about it.

I had a friend who was dead set on HPI cars, "Mate, mate you can get a 35k car for £260 a month", to which my answer was "yes mate, that's the depreciation your paying for", he never did understand it.

 

But... you're paying for the depreciation whether you go cash, PCP or finance - you're just paying for it in different ways at different times.

 

I tend to pay cash as I have a serious car buying habit, often buying and selling the car in a 12 month cycle.

In fact my daily BM, is due an MOT - the wife even commented that being a year from purchase date! Seem to have settled into the BM in my old(er) age!!

 

Yes, but after the 3 years of the contract if you have paid cash you still have the car.

When you paid cash for car you are not paying for depreciation your buying the car.