New car vs Used car
We're a family of five and have been driving a 2009 Ford S-Max Titanium that we've had for six years. The car has been ideal as we often use the 7 seats to ferry the kids friends, grand parents etc. In that time it has been reliable and economical on the fuel, however at 125,000 miles there are a few issues starting to crop up which warrants looking at replacing it.
I'm keen to hear your views on the pros and cons of buying new vs second hand. My wife, who uses the car, wants a 7 seater automatic but is keen to move to an SUV. Our budget is around £30-35,000 and our annual mileage is 10,000 miles. The options in my eyes are looking at a new SEAT Terraco FR or Peugeot 5008, or going for a used car and I've been looking at either a BMW X5 (2016) or Volvo XC90 (2016) with under 80,000 miles. It feels like you get a lot more car if you go for the X5 or XC90 but then you run the risk of it being an older car and things could go wrong, with higher maintenance costs. Alternatively, if you go down the new car path you might not get exactly the same space and power, but you benefit from warranty etc.
I'm keen to hear your views on the pros and cons of buying new vs second hand. My wife, who uses the car, wants a 7 seater automatic but is keen to move to an SUV. Our budget is around £30-35,000 and our annual mileage is 10,000 miles. The options in my eyes are looking at a new SEAT Terraco FR or Peugeot 5008, or going for a used car and I've been looking at either a BMW X5 (2016) or Volvo XC90 (2016) with under 80,000 miles. It feels like you get a lot more car if you go for the X5 or XC90 but then you run the risk of it being an older car and things could go wrong, with higher maintenance costs. Alternatively, if you go down the new car path you might not get exactly the same space and power, but you benefit from warranty etc.
Asked on 29 October 2021 by Mark Caldwell
Answered by
Andrew Brady
Your thoughts are spot on. An older premium SUV like a BMW X5 or Volvo XC90 could be expensive to run when it's out of warranty, so we'd recommend a newer, more mainstream model. Bear in mind that, if you're buying soon, new cars are in short supply due to the chip shortage. This means you'll have to wait for a long time or pay over the odds for a used model. If your S-Max is still serviceable, it's probably worth waiting until next year to replace it.
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