kingandy | (no subject)

My car is in need of substantial repairs before I MOT it, and it needs MOTing by the end of the month so that I can buy road tax. Friendly Local Garage Man estimated there was somewhere around £400 of work (though he can't personally get it done by the end of the week, he's very busy). So, either I have to find some place that can do the repairs by Friday or get hold of a new car.

I seem to recall a few people on the flist mentioning spare cars but I strongly suspect they'd be out of my price range ... I'm currently toying with the idea of leasing, because it's like paying off a loan but better because the leasing company take care of all the repairs and servicing, and you get a new car, and stuff like that. The other options are combing Auto Trader (which can be enormously fast), or walking into somewhere like Carcraft and seeing if there's something I can drive off the lot (for a minimal part-exchange on the old Honda). I'd probably have to let them finance me, though, as I don't really have the time to chase around banks and loan agencies to get the best deal. Anyway, I probably wouldn't know the best deal if it slapped me in the face shouting "I'M THE BEST DEAL".

... Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness ending, I'm in a bit of a rush.

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A car loan from the likes of car craft et all will generally be ripping you off compared to even bank loans. Take the time to shop arround because it will make a big difference to your repayments.

Yeah, I wasn't mentioning that as a plus point.

Yep - flee in fear from Carcraft - they are very expensive.

The MR2 is £3.5k and the MG £4k. The issue doesn't stop there though - the insurance would be a killer as you have too many points on your licence.

What's your budget? You know I love a good car conversation :)

Well, if I get a loan I could probably go for a few thousand, I don't know. People are willing to lend you a hell of a lot these days. In terms of purely hard cash, though, I'd be looking at about £500-£1000 for an old banger.

The tactic of buying an old car and driving it into the ground is probably not the way for a happy life, but past experience has made me wary of signing up for long-term payment commitments...

What I'm looking for is a reasonably economical car with at least four doors, and good potential boot space (ie, seats may be folded down to allow for kit), not too big but with a good roomy driver's seat. This allows for the considerations of (a) LARP, (b) Ferrying friends around, (c) commuting to work and (d) being a lanky bugger. I am informed that the category known as the Supermini would be most suitable.

If you're willing to go to the £1000 mark or thereabouts you would probably be able to get something that wasn't actually an old banger. You could join the "Practical Japanese Car Club". I bought my Toyota Corolla a year ago for £1400 so you could probably get something similar now on your budget. I too was fed up of always fixing things and stuff breaking and since getting Corollas (this is my second in a row, would still be on number one if it hadn't been for stupid drunk woman writing it off) the most I've had to get done for an MOT was freeing up a break calliper for £30.

They've got big boots, which can be made into giganto-boots if you fold the seats down, and 5 doors with plenty of driver space. And the main thing - if serviced regularly, they don't break. They're the best selling cars of all time don't you know.

Anyway. That's all from the Toyotota Promotion Society for today.

My brother bought another one too.

Gotta say I totally agree - get a loan for £1,000 (or put £1,000 on a credit card and then change to one with an interest free period) and go japanese - easily the best choice.

Corolla, Mitsubishi Colt, Civic, Mazda 3 series - all hideously reliable, all cheap, none bangers.

Do not go for any finance deal they offer you at a car showroom. Pay for it and stick the balance on a 0& credit card if you can...

Not always. I got a Hire Purchase from Ford with 0% for 4 years. I can't think of a better deal. But then mine was new.

Best loan deal, I've seen is 6.1% with Sainsburys.

Carcraft - avoid with a barge pole. Even if you could drive off with one, it will be overpriced and your trade in will not be a good one.

Try going to Honda dealership, as the new registrations are out and there are some good deals with older cars. Alternatively, buy from auto trader with a loan, but take someome with you who knows about cars so you don't buy one which will colapse in a week.

Suize has a good point. Pre Reg cars are cheaper too. If you are looking at second hand you could apply to someone like AA or sainsburys and get an excellent rate.

I have only heard bad things about carcraft. Is there anyone you can take with you who knows about cars? I took my retired Mechanic Grandad with me. I was looking at second hand but ended up with an excellent deal only £500 more for a new one compared to a 3 yr old one.

Hmm, I like Sainsbury's loan calculator. Let's see, if I want to pay back £100 a month, I can borrow £1000 for a year, or £6600 for 7 years! ... now that I've said it out loud it doesn't seem so useful.

It seems their 6.1% only applies to the largest of large loans. Still, the idea of having a nice, comfortable £3000 to play around with does appeal somewhat, even if I will be paying it off until I'm 33.

If you want to know the best loan deals around without a lot of effort finding them; go to www.fool.co.uk.

I go there for all my financial advice as they tend to be right up to the minute on the latest rates people are offering.

ephraim is selling a car on ebay.

Absolutely agree with others here re: car finanance *deals* - they only exist to rip people off.

Thinking about it a bit more, Citroen are offering 0% interest on new cars. That might work out better than a loan. Watch the added protection in the small print though. There may be other dealerships that do that as well, as Citroen's don't look that good!

I agree with all the above comments about Carcraft.

And are you aware of Autotrader's online prescence?
It's really very good.

Stay the hell away from anything to do with Black Horse as well!
I'm also on the car trail, but won't know until the first weekend in October what I've got to play with.

However Arnold Clark had a couple of good cars in, and are probably easy for you to get to, they also do a special deal on insurance which may work out cheaper than your premium (or not) and had a reasonable selection. When you are going shopping, let me know and I'll happily tag along!