Car question - what`s the best small, cheapest car out there that will still carry a bike?

[Dirk]

If you have £15-20k to hand...

That goes without saying.

 

[Julia9054]

As @screenman says, the problem with a lot of the deals is that they do require an upfront lump sum and a large final payment. The 0% deposit deals are normally limited to lease vehicles. Even where you can get an ‘old fashioned’ HP agreement, you either need a sizeable deposit or get stung on the interest rate applied.

It’s often cheaper in the long run to get a bank loan and purchase outright.

If your eventual goal is to own the thing, that is certainly true. If, after the time period is up, you are happy to sign a new deal and get another car from the same dealer, you don't pay a final payment. It depends how you look at it. For a working person not nearing retirement or expecting circumstances to change, you are paying a monthly fee to have something new and reliable to drive.

 

[Sandra6]

Was it an HP, PCP or PL deal?

I don't remember. And I don't feel inclined to get into it with you. You clearly feel you know better about such things.

 

[Sandra6]

If your eventual goal is to own the thing, that is certainly true. If, after the time period is up, you are happy to sign a new deal and get another car from the same dealer, you don't pay a final payment. It depends how you look at it. For a working person not nearing retirement or expecting circumstances to change, you are paying a monthly fee to have something new and reliable to drive.

This. Exactly.

 

[Dirk]

I'm tempted to go on a PCP when I get the state pension in 3 years time. I've got no other use for the money; the government may as well supply me with new cars for the rest of my life.

 

[Dirk]

I don't remember.

Car dealers love customers like you.

 

[Julia9054]

Car dealers love customers like you.

Patronising.
From reading the thread, nowhere does it say that Sandra signed on the dotted line for the panda. Of course she would research, read the small print and know what she was getting into were she to do so.

 

[Sandra6]

Patronising's not the word I'd have chosen.

 

[screenman]

If your eventual goal is to own the thing, that is certainly true. If, after the time period is up, you are happy to sign a new deal and get another car from the same dealer, you don't pay a final payment. It depends how you look at it. For a working person not nearing retirement or expecting circumstances to change, you are paying a monthly fee to have something new and reliable to drive.

It is not new for very long though, nowhere near as long as the payments. Thing is people sign up for years ahead without knowing what might happen, sit in a car showroom for a few hours and see the customers coming back trying to get out of negative equity, not much fun.

I know it is just me but I have always hated credit, my kids are the same.

 

[screenman]

Patronising.
From reading the thread, nowhere does it say that Sandra signed on the dotted line for the panda. Of course she would research, read the small print and know what she was getting into were she to do so.

Sandra might well do so, most people do not, the excitement of the moment is often too much.

 

[screenman]

Forgot, dealers do like customers who sign up for 5 years, the commision is extremely good for them.

 

[Crankarm]

 

[Sandra6]

Forgot, dealers do like customers who sign up for 5 years, the commision is extremely good for them.

The favourite customers are the ones who go for the add ons - the service deals, the paint protection and the extras like footmats. That's where the money is.

 

[screenman]

The favourite customers are the ones who go for the add ons - the service deals, the paint protection and the extras like footmats. That's where the money is.

Completely agree, you may also be suprised to know that the largest percentage of those people doing so are the one's buying over a longer period, after all it is only £6++

Service deals are not always a bad thing if worked out correctly, for one it help keep the servicing up which helps retain values and spreads the costs for those that struggle with such things for one reason or another.

 

[Julia9054]

It is not new for very long though, nowhere near as long as the payments. Thing is people sign up for years ahead without knowing what might happen, sit in a car showroom for a few hours and see the customers coming back trying to get out of negative equity, not much fun.

I know it is just me but I have always hated credit, my kids are the same.

For most people, being able to buy things outright is not the way the world works.
I am a teacher. This means that I do not get bonuses/lump sums etc as in some jobs so for me to own something as expensive as a reliable car, I have to save hard for some years or get a bank loan. On the plus side, I have a regular monthly income and am very unlikely to be ever out of work and am 20 years away from retirement. Of course a dealership would be making money out of me. Same as my mortgage provider and my mobile phone company etc or my bank were I to get a loan. The bottom line for most people is how much can I afford to shell out each month and what is the best way of using that money to get me the newest, nicest and most reliable thing to drive.