From new to old
Discussion
Mondeo Mk4 2.5T?
mjf1 said:
Requirements:
1. Larger than the Golf or at least as big. I want to be able to shove a bunch of stuff in it and comfortably seat 2-4 adults.
Check.1. Larger than the Golf or at least as big. I want to be able to shove a bunch of stuff in it and comfortably seat 2-4 adults.
mjf1 said:
2. Fast, but doesn't have to compare to the Golf (obviously won't at this price point)
Yeah, it's quicker than a GTD 0-60 but it's not quite as quick as the GTImjf1 said:
3. As reliable as possible. I've not got the space or tools to work on a car anymore
Volvo Engine and if the warranty direct stats are to be believed Ford are far more reliable than VW. Certainly mine hasn't thrown anywhere near as big a bill as our VW! mjf1 said:
4. At least 25mpg, ish.
Yes. My long term is 25mpg and that's mostly short journeys. mjf1 said:
5. I do quite a few long (400+ mile roundtrip) journeys each year so would like it to be fairly comfortable. Happy with an auto or manual. Latter would be more engaging but also more annoying on longer journeys.
Yes, it'll do decent mpg on a run (for a 2.5T petrol) as well, I'll easily get 500miles out of a tank on a run. mjf1 said:
6. Heated seats would be nice but not a deal breaker
Yes.mjf1 said:
7. Can I get a V8? I really want a car with a V8 but I don't think it's a realistic aim.
Ah. No. It is a turbo inline 5 though. Did similar recently, previous to lockdown had 2 cars, daily MK1 Leon FR TDI and weekend Porsche Cayman S 981.
Was using neither really, Cayman wasn't practical with the dogs. Sold both, paid off the finance I owed on the Porsche and bought a SAAB V6 Estate.
WFH so mileage isn't an issue.
Was using neither really, Cayman wasn't practical with the dogs. Sold both, paid off the finance I owed on the Porsche and bought a SAAB V6 Estate.
WFH so mileage isn't an issue.
I've done the new to old thing twice now.
The first I just bought badly and the old car wasnt great
More recently I bought my Subaru and it's awesome. I don't miss anything from my brand new car.
My advice is buy carefully, my Subaru took some finding but has 1 UK owner l, was bought via an owners club and it's in great condition for a 2003 car
Subaru legacy in twinscroll or 3.0 spec or Octavia vrs was my list, seems it would suit you too
The first I just bought badly and the old car wasnt great
More recently I bought my Subaru and it's awesome. I don't miss anything from my brand new car.
My advice is buy carefully, my Subaru took some finding but has 1 UK owner l, was bought via an owners club and it's in great condition for a 2003 car
Subaru legacy in twinscroll or 3.0 spec or Octavia vrs was my list, seems it would suit you too
How long is left on the golf finance? Worth keeping a bit longer? If you sell breaking even, then have to save before you can buy the old car, to me it doesn't seem to make a huge amount of sense. Sure you lose the tie of monthlies but you also lose a car which is still young enough to have warranty and next to no maintenance costs. The replacement at 4-5k will have neither of those comforts.
I've done this sort of thing a few times and would caution the OP to take their time before making a decision. I would personally add a third option: go slow / do nothing.
It's perfectly reasonable to change cars when your needs change, but sometimes (for me at least!) the impulse to change becomes a stronger factor than logical reasons. While working from home has become normal for some jobs, things could look quite different in time.
If you bought the Golf TCR new, you will take a bath on the depreciation and - should you change your mind and want to buy another - it would be a folly financially. That said, there can be a huge satisfaction in finding and renovating a slightly older, cheaper car.
It's perfectly reasonable to change cars when your needs change, but sometimes (for me at least!) the impulse to change becomes a stronger factor than logical reasons. While working from home has become normal for some jobs, things could look quite different in time.
If you bought the Golf TCR new, you will take a bath on the depreciation and - should you change your mind and want to buy another - it would be a folly financially. That said, there can be a huge satisfaction in finding and renovating a slightly older, cheaper car.
I thought about doing this with my Golf GTI and lifting a load of cash out.
However financially I can't get it to make sense as you sell your car at a loss to market value and will over pay at the dealers so lose out on a few £K straight away.
You also might be very disappointed as having a Golf TCR it does everything really well except maybe give you that final 5% of ultimate driving enjoyment.
I do understand where you are coming from and what you are looking for however as I often find myself doing the same.
However financially I can't get it to make sense as you sell your car at a loss to market value and will over pay at the dealers so lose out on a few £K straight away.
You also might be very disappointed as having a Golf TCR it does everything really well except maybe give you that final 5% of ultimate driving enjoyment.
I do understand where you are coming from and what you are looking for however as I often find myself doing the same.
mjf1 said:
I've got a 2020 VW Golf GTI TCR and it's costing me a fortune to own. Unfortunately it just sits on the drive not doing a lot because I work from home now. While I like it, I'd prefer not to pay so much for a car I'm not really using.
I'm quite spoilt by having had brand new cars for quite a while now so would probably miss creature comforts if I downgraded, yet I still yearn for some driver engagement. The Golf is fast but more often than not it's not actually that fun and the performance isn't really usable on the roads without being quite silly.
In the past I have had some real drivers cars which you could comfortably explore the performance of. Things like MK2 Golfs (Yeah, I like VWs!), Clio 172/182s, MX5s, 306 GTi-6, Megane F1, R53 Cooper S, Civic Type-R (EP3), Fiesta ST MK7, etc.
I miss those cars... but it's hard to find good, older cars, especially when they're performance oriented & some of them are getting on for 20-30 years old. However now that I can have a car for occasional use only rather than commuting, I should be able to get something a bit more mental. Unfortunately though I've only got room for one car and need it to be fairly reliable & practical as it will be the "family car".
Given that at least 60% of my driving seems to be to or from supermarkets, I should really be looking to spend a lot less on motoring. Therefore I've come up with the following two options:
Option 1 - Buy an old car
Sell the Golf, which is going to roughly break even depending on what I can sell it for. Then I save up for a bit (I've got access to another car for a few months) and go and buy something for cash. I can then live for a while with no monthly payments and see if I get on ok.
Budget: £3-4.5k ish
Option 2 - Lease
Sell the Golf. Find a lease deal with an upfront of <£1500 and monthlies around £250.
Requirements:
1. Larger than the Golf or at least as big. I want to be able to shove a bunch of stuff in it and comfortably seat 2-4 adults.
2. Fast, but doesn't have to compare to the Golf (obviously won't at this price point)
3. As reliable as possible. I've not got the space or tools to work on a car anymore
4. At least 25mpg, ish.
5. I do quite a few long (400+ mile roundtrip) journeys each year so would like it to be fairly comfortable. Happy with an auto or manual. Latter would be more engaging but also more annoying on longer journeys.
5. Heated seats would be nice but not a deal breaker
6. Can I get a V8? I really want a car with a V8 but I don't think it's a realistic aim.
Leftfield idea... I would consider a 4x4 like a Landcruiser or Shogun (therefore not worrying about 'fast') but not sure if I know enough about them to buy a good'un. Just another itch I want to scratch, really.
I also absolutely love the Subaru Forester & Legacy Outback but have never driven one so they could be awful. I think I just like cars which are completely unecessary.
Any help / advice appreciated. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's made the move from financing new cars to paying outright for an older car
I'd go for option 1 & as mentioned earlier I'd be looking for 2.5T Mondeo, they're a good steer & with an nice amount of power as well as spec, you'll probably want to change the headunit so you have (DAB/Android Auto/Apple CarPlay etc) a modern interface.I'm quite spoilt by having had brand new cars for quite a while now so would probably miss creature comforts if I downgraded, yet I still yearn for some driver engagement. The Golf is fast but more often than not it's not actually that fun and the performance isn't really usable on the roads without being quite silly.
In the past I have had some real drivers cars which you could comfortably explore the performance of. Things like MK2 Golfs (Yeah, I like VWs!), Clio 172/182s, MX5s, 306 GTi-6, Megane F1, R53 Cooper S, Civic Type-R (EP3), Fiesta ST MK7, etc.
I miss those cars... but it's hard to find good, older cars, especially when they're performance oriented & some of them are getting on for 20-30 years old. However now that I can have a car for occasional use only rather than commuting, I should be able to get something a bit more mental. Unfortunately though I've only got room for one car and need it to be fairly reliable & practical as it will be the "family car".
Given that at least 60% of my driving seems to be to or from supermarkets, I should really be looking to spend a lot less on motoring. Therefore I've come up with the following two options:
Option 1 - Buy an old car
Sell the Golf, which is going to roughly break even depending on what I can sell it for. Then I save up for a bit (I've got access to another car for a few months) and go and buy something for cash. I can then live for a while with no monthly payments and see if I get on ok.
Budget: £3-4.5k ish
Option 2 - Lease
Sell the Golf. Find a lease deal with an upfront of <£1500 and monthlies around £250.
Requirements:
1. Larger than the Golf or at least as big. I want to be able to shove a bunch of stuff in it and comfortably seat 2-4 adults.
2. Fast, but doesn't have to compare to the Golf (obviously won't at this price point)
3. As reliable as possible. I've not got the space or tools to work on a car anymore
4. At least 25mpg, ish.
5. I do quite a few long (400+ mile roundtrip) journeys each year so would like it to be fairly comfortable. Happy with an auto or manual. Latter would be more engaging but also more annoying on longer journeys.
5. Heated seats would be nice but not a deal breaker
6. Can I get a V8? I really want a car with a V8 but I don't think it's a realistic aim.
Leftfield idea... I would consider a 4x4 like a Landcruiser or Shogun (therefore not worrying about 'fast') but not sure if I know enough about them to buy a good'un. Just another itch I want to scratch, really.
I also absolutely love the Subaru Forester & Legacy Outback but have never driven one so they could be awful. I think I just like cars which are completely unecessary.
Any help / advice appreciated. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's made the move from financing new cars to paying outright for an older car
Edited by mjf1 on Thursday 27th May 00:41
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101268...
Or the ST220 is another good option:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105102...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105122...
Now if you want a V8, the CLS 500 is the pick, with mixed driving you'll see a real world 22-24mpg maintenance wise they're actually pretty decent, this one has sensible tax too:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101168...
Also before taking the plunge go & look at the cars you're considering that way you'll know if you're reading to take the plunge.
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