You can lease a Seat Leon Cupra 290bhp for £1,700 deposit and 36 x £250pm

I bet it’s Skoda Octavia VRS lease prices or even Golf GTI.

But he doesn’t want a sensible (/ boring) car, he wants a bright Orange ST.

If you can afford it go for it, if it’s going to leave you short of cash or stuck without a car in 2/3 years time when you hand it back then don’t.

There’s always seem to be a lot of negativity towards people that buy new cars or lease.

You can lease a Seat Leon Cupra 290bhp for £1,700 deposit and 36 x £250pm

I nearly went for one of those a couple of years ago, there’s been some ace deals on them. I decided against it though because I thought it’s the type of car people get their houses broken in to for the keys.
6 months ago my mate had his house broken in to for his Dacia Logan and Skoda Citigo, so maybe I was wrong.

Yes, they might make £0 profit on the car, but it’ll count to their 1/4 bonus, and finance rebates

This is my understanding. It might be true that the price is the price the dealer paid. But they might get a discount on that or rebate based on meeting targets plus commission on finance and extras.

I’m sure you can do the sums on whether you can afford it. I’ll throw one minor fact. Apparently the first year of a cars life is not its most reliable

I’d do it!

FWIW I reckon that piece of paper showing zero profit may well be legit. That margin seems about right for a dealer.

As said above, they will make the money on the commission for PCP, the GAP insurance they (try) and sell you and the ‘Supershine’ or whatever they call it. It will also contribute to their sales volume bonus, which can be massive for a dealership (100’s of K per quarter).

You may find a dealer that is so desperate to go after the volume bonus that they will sell at a loss, so worth checking autoebid etc.

That said, if your guy is willing to do a part exchange on the lovely Panda, that’s a massive convenience, so probably not worth the hassle of finding a dealer who may offer less than a couple of hundred quid less, but no Panda money.

Dealers are having a rubbish time of it currently, so it is a good time to be buying, and the Sept reg change will also be looming, so they will be keen to get sales in now, and discount accordingly.

Worth considering if the lack of a 70 plate bothers you or not on a new car. Is it worth waiting til 1 September?

Apparently the first year of a cars life is not its most reliable

Bathtub curve 101 isn’t it

Totally different type of car, but for not much more (probably similar if you shop around, you can get an E300 Merc.

I know where my money would be going

(Actually my money went on an RS5, but that’s another story)

Merc

I’ve read all the comments, and taken it all on board.

I get that people think it’s a huge waste of money, because that’s been my opinion for the last 20 years. I just kind of want to be the first bum in the seat for once. Also I’ve looked at slightly older cars and the higher interest rates make the monthlies more expensive.

Also it’s not a 27k Fiesta. It’s just over 23. I am very well aware of everything else I could have the same price because I look at cars all day, every day. The thing about this, is it’s a sweet and innocent little Fiesta that will be cheap to run and will also be amazingly good fun when you want it to be. I can’t wait to drive it down to the alps running on 2 cylinders, it’ll be our cheapest trip ever.

I’d love a Focus RS or an Exige or a Cayman but then all that money would be sitting in the garage all week while we trundle around in discomfort in the Panda.

I can put 4k down and then pay £248 a month for 36 months with a final value of 11500. It won’t skint us but it’ll be a big decision to make in 3 years time.

This is the only brand new car I’m interested in. Just because it’s rare and I like fast Fords. If we don’t buy this it’ll be something completely different.

I feel your pain, Toyota Yaris GR4.
The deposit is paid, the stress will surely kill me before delivery.

That thing will be unreal, enjoy it! If I’d been in my job a bit longer and could make the payments that’s what I’d have.

That said, if your guy is willing to do a part exchange on the lovely Panda

We still get to sell the Panda. We just have to send a photo of the logbook to show that we’re switching to Ford and they’ll give us £1000 towards the deposit.

In fact I just put the Panda up for sale. So we’ll need a replacement before Doris goes back to work in September.

Thanks for all the input. We’ll be making the decision this week some time.

I get that people think it’s a huge waste of money, because that’s been my opinion for the last 20 years.

It’s not a huge waste of money, it’s money you will spend and get enjoyment out of.

People spend money on all kinds of things that could be considered a waste by some.

Go for it 😃

We still get to sell the Panda. We just have to send a photo of the logbook to show that we’re switching to Ford and they’ll give us £1000 towards the deposit.

Sorry, missed that – Get in!

Sounds like you really want it sharkattack, go for it mate.e=

This is the only brand new car I’m interested in.

You won’t regret going with you heart.   Watch this sensible mid life mans version of Top Gear then go buy & enjoy your new First car OP

Are you getting it in “orange fury”?

I bought a new Ford 4.5 years ago and have some thoughts that might be relevant. I had cash from my retirement lump sum. I emailed all the Ford dealers within 100 miles and asked them for a price for the car I wanted. The replies went from list price to 3k off list. When I spoke to the cheapest, they mentioned that if I took the finance package they would pay the deposit for me, £2.5k, and there was no restriction on how much I borrowed or when I paid it off. So I effectively get 5.5k off the list price. Looking at £248 x 36, plus 4k down and 11.5k later, how does that compare with the list price? Might you be better, if you can get a deal like I did, borrowing the money and buying outright?

I did find the reliablity poorer than I expected. About a year in, the clutch exploded and was replaced under warranty. But the bathtub curve seems to apply to models as well as individual cars, and I think Ford have pushed the technology a bit with the Ecoboost engine. It performs well, but it’s very sensitive to overheating, and the original models had a couple of plastic pipes in a minor bit of the cooling circuit; when they broke, it lost coolant and wrote the engine off in minutes. The coolant pipes to the turbo are also being found to corrode. The cambelt runs in an oil bath and was supposed to last the life of the car, but Ford now admit it should be changed at 150k, and others say 75k – but the other issue is that the shed fibres from belt clog the filter on the oil pump, and that fails and kills the engine. So if you’re looking at an Ecoboost engine, ask a few questions about what’s been done to fix those design defects.

yes very often (always) these days the dealers will offer bigger discounts for PCP sales than cash, as they get the commission for the PCP, but you have a lot of credit protection and can pay it off the moment the keys are in your hands and hence take the savings but not pay any interest. Paying cash is not the way to do it anymore.

Are you getting it in “orange fury”?

That’s the only colour for the 600 ‘Performance Edition’ cars. It’s basically an ST3 with all the expensive options (B&O stereo, LED headlights), the performance pack (Quaife LSD, track mode) plus some stuff you can’t get on the regular car like the magnesium wheels and adjustable coilover suspension. It’s undoubtedly expensive but you can spec a regular up to the same price and it’s still a regular Fiesta in a boring colour.

The cambelt runs in an oil bath and was supposed to last the life of the car,

That’s worrying because that’s what snapped in the van. I’d be very concerned if they’re still using that wet belt design on this engine especially if we intended to keep it long term.

Sounds like you really want it sharkattack, go for it mate

Doing all the boring stuff tomorrow like insurance quotes etc. Then I’ll get back to him…or not. Who knows?

Sounds like you want a new car because it’s new and should be reliable. It’s a pretty nice feeling (I’ve had new company cars before and bought my first new personal car four years ago). Clearly it’s not the cheapest option but potentially it’s the least hassle and maybe the most “want” option. I hope you enjoy the new car!

I put the Panda up for sale today at 11am. It’s just driven away with a new owner.

Unbelievable. The fastest, easiest car sale I’ve ever done. I’m a bit shell shocked to be honest and Doris is gutted.

So now we need a car. It may or may not be bright orange. It might be a boring vag.

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This furious Italian go-kart just sold about 8 hours after I advertised it. It went everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to the Italian Alps. One of the must fun cars I've ever driven. Absolute real life Mario Kart. Sad to see it go but you can't keep them all #fiatpanda100hp #100hpclub #italianstallion #mariokart #italiansupercar

A post shared by Tom Harrison (@tom00harrison) on Jul 26, 2020 at 11:14am PDT

Erm, if you’ve sold it, how do you get the extra £1k as you no longer own a car?

Because I phoned the Ford man today and asked what he needed and it’s just a scan of the front and second page of the logbook so I did that earlier. Just in case.

We’re picking it up on Thursday.

I’ve been sweating it all weekend but what’s the worst that can happen?

We can afford the payments and we get three years of cruising around in a modern, comfortable car full of gadgets for the first time. 3 years isn’t that long and if we decide we’ve made a horrible mistake we’ll never get another one. If we love it we’ll try to buy it at the end.

Phew. Now that I’ve finished flagellating myself for this gross indulgence, my main concern is that something out of our control will ruin it. The driving standards in Sheffield are absolutely appalling. We might get written off by a pensioner in an SUV (again). We might come out of Asda to find a dent in our bumper (again). Some jealous little scrote might just drag their key down the side of it (never actually happened to any of my bangers before).

I’ve got until collection to think about Gap insurance and bodywork protection so I’m going to read up about that. It’s £499 for the full 3 years from Ford.

Anyone want to meet up at Maccy D’s at the weekend and do some handbrake turns?

£499? The don’t get called “Stealers” for nothing.

I just did a quick quote for £24500 for 3 years and it was under £150!
https://totallossgap.co.uk/
I have no idea if they are any good, I was just curious and they came up first in google.

Excellent, enjoy! 😀

£499? The don’t get called “Stealers” for nothing.

I thought that might be the case. It sounds like the kind of thing I’d like to have even if we never use it, just for peace of mind, but I’ll read up about it and get some other quotes.

Excellent, enjoy!

We certainly will!

Thanks to everyone on here for pushing me over the edge.

As above – get the GAP insurance elsewhere or try to get a deal from Ford. All these GAP, paintwork protection coatings (Not PPF) are where dealers make much of their profit these days. Enjoy. Looks great

When we got our Mazda 3, they offered one of the paint protection products, but it had to be re-applied every year for an extra fee.

Like the GAP insurance, you can get cheaper paint protection from a decent valeter/ detailed if you’re bothered. A mate did his Arteon that way. After 2 years it’s still immaculate and water beads off.

I’ve done plenty of polishing to last a lifetime on a concours Triumph so I’m over washing and polishing cars for fun.

Yes get GAP insurance, just not from the manufacturer.

GAP insurance is a must or you could be left very out of pocket come insurance payout.

It comes with the super-duper paint protection thrown in. He said it makes dirt bounce off like magic. Not sure how much it was supposed to cost or how good it will actually be.

When it wears off I’ve got a mate who does really over the top detailing so we should be able to keep on top of it.

New car novelty wears off after a month or so and it just becomes a.n.other car, the primary focus of which is to get you from one location to another.

The novelty of the payments probably doesn’t wear off so quickly.

4k down payment would get you a half decent motor. 250 a month put to one side to cover inevitable maintenence would leave you with a decent pot of money to go on holiday with.

I think leasing only makes sense if you do it through your business. Chuck the whole lot against tax.

Who ordered the killjoy?

4k down payment would get you a half decent motor. 250 a month put to one side to cover inevitable maintenence would leave you with a decent pot of money to go on holiday with.

That’s what I’ve been doing for 18 years of driving. I just wanted something that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to buy outright.

It’s a one off, we might never do it again.

Great choice. Regularly voted best super mini hot hatch(or whatever) the segment is called these days. Looks ace 👍🏻

New car novelty wears off after a month or so and it just becomes a.n.other car, the primary focus of which is to get you from one location to another.

No it does not if you buy/rent a half decent car.

A decent car – every time you get in it you should look forward to it and they don’t get dull

A decent car – every time you get in it you should look forward to it and they don’t get dull

And some folks like marmite

A Cars a tool for me. It won’t excite me even if it’s a fancy car .

All cars are dull a car shouldn’t have to excite you.

Nice one! Great fun motor the FiST! I’m enjoying my Cupra ST I bought last November. A bit less exciting than the go-kartiness of the FiST, maybe, but nice pace and handling; certainly not dull, but life’s too short for dull!

Something to consider/research re GAP insurance is what will your car insurance pay in the first year of ownership. When I had to make a claim 3 months into owning a new 206 the claim advisor I spoke to said that if it had been written off I’d get a new car.

This was a few years ago and may not be for all companies, but could save on GAP insurance if you don’t need it for year 1. I don’t know if you can get GAP at any stage after initial purchase so may need some investigation.

A Cars a tool for me. It won’t excite me even if it’s a fancy car .

All cars are dull a car shouldn’t have to excite you.

That’s how I feel about road and gravel bikes so I just ignore the threads.

Something to consider/research re GAP insurance is what will your car insurance pay in the first year of ownership. When I had to make a claim 3 months into owning a new 206 the claim advisor I spoke to said that if it had been written off I’d get a new car.

Thanks for that. It’s pretty much what I gathered from reading about it and then we confirmed with our own insurance company. If the car is a total loss in the first 12 months, they’ll pay out exactly what we paid for the car. We’ll definitely pay for the remaining 2 years until we have to stick or switch.

We’re picking it up on Friday morning now. I had a work thing that I could not wriggle out of. Weather forecast is good and we’ll be taking the long way home!

I’ve read every single review I can find and can’t stop watching videos like this;

Awesome, that’s gonna be you that is. Thumbs up!

Lovely, great colour, I’ve gotta slum it a white Yaris, although I’m now tempted to test drive the Supra 🤣
What tasty car for £20k is a distance memory. 😶
Luckily for me my wife is a “whatever dear” type of girl.