Evening all,
I was looking for some contrary and confusing advice, so I thought I'd ask a bit of a daft question ;)
Basically, I learn to drive late (age 29) and to save myself the trouble of going through buying a car from dealer/stranger, and to get some no-claims under my belt, I bought my friend's X-reg Fiesta 1.3, which currently is at about 91k miles. I quite like it, although I suspect that most people have a soft spot for their first car.
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So it's time for a new car, and to the crux of the matter. What do you think is the better option - buying a car that was a cheaper model new, but has lower mileage second hand, or a car that was more expensive new, but has done more miles?
Really, I wear corduroy, so I've always hankered after a Saab. I know it's subjective, but would I better going for a Saab that has done 100,000 miles or something more tinny that has done 70,000, all else being equal? I don't know why, I'm thinking that if a car was better built in the first place, then it's more likely to be able to rack up the miles with less problems. . . ?
Cheers,
Richard
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If only it were that simple.
You find nowadays that a particular car range is built using the same floorpan and bodywork, so the cheaper models are not "tinny" compared to the more expensive models in the range. The extra cost of the top models is usually down to more powerful engines, more gadgets, better interior trim (e.g. leather) and maybe some body/suspension mods.
What you need to do is decide what you really need in terms of kit (e.g. leather, air con, sat nav etc.), check HJs car-by-car breakdown to see if there are any horror stories for that particular model and finally how much you're prepared to spend.
Once you've found a few cars that fit those criteria, then look at mileage, condition, servicing record and so on and then take it for a long test drive to see whether it feels "right". When you've ticked all the boxes, you've found the car you're looking for.
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The other thing to decide up front is how much you have to spend. As you're buying second-hand, build in a decent reserve for repairs the last buyer didn't have done - many people change a car when they suspect something's about to go wrong with it.
Also, read HJ's car-by-car breakdown to get a feel for different models' track record of achieving high mileages without trouble. If you look up, say, the Saab 95, you'll find a list of similar cars to consider down the right hand side. I guess the nature of a site like this is that the CBCB entries tend to be pessimistic, so any car that gets a clean bill of health here is a pretty safe bet.
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If you are only doing a few thousand miles a year, probably better to get a high miler to bring the average yearly miles into line
Conversely, if you do a lot of miles, pushing a car over 100,000 tends to put a lot of buyers off.
In general , I would go for a newer car with lots of miles (hopefully motorway miles)
MVP
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A lower mileage car may have had the Khyber pass thrashed off of it whereas a high miler may have belong to an HJ'er and had been serviced above & beyond the call of duty.
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My experience of buying more expensive models with high mileage is:
be VERY picky.
Prepare for some things to go wrong.
Repairs will be much more expensive..as bigger bits wear out..
Budget for at least £1,000 for unforseen disasters.
And always check the spare wheel - in high mileage cars it may be worn out..
( we always used our spare wheels)
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Cheap with less mileage, or expensive with more?
If only ;o)
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Budget for at least £1 000 for unforseen disasters.
Good idea to do that anyway, even when buying a used car which has recently had lots of stuff replaced. You just never know what might go wrong next - and I often read these stories of people saying "I can't afford the repair costs" - they should have budgeted for it in the first place!
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if you want cheap running costs , then choose a car that was cheap to start with
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As has been said expensive does not mean better built, just more toys and bigger bills.
Id steer clear of Saabs at least until you have a few more years experience in the big bad world of motoring. If you get a bad one it will bankrupt you. I speak as having had a few in my years.
Stick to main stream Fords / VW etc. Its impossible to give advice as motoring is such a subjective pursuit, thats why people like HJ can make a living writing about it and we all have an opinion. Good advice has been given whats cheap to begin with (the new price that is) will generally be cheap to maintain and run.
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