New Car - Excitement to instant regret
Discussion
Now this is the weirdest thing I've ever experianced. Over the last 15 years I've had 15 cars, had a lemon and a car I couldn't physically drive during that time but always been happy to have the car.
Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
I just wonder if it’s the car itself. I love alfas and have had a few over the years, but it’s a very different brand nowadays under Stellantis with the stelvio and tonale. A diesel SUV is of course still an Alfa but it isn’t the Alfa of our youth that we all loved.
I will say most of the SUVs I have had I have felt the same on picking them up, before eventually settling into them and accepting them for what they are .
I will say most of the SUVs I have had I have felt the same on picking them up, before eventually settling into them and accepting them for what they are .
When is the 'new luxury car tax' due to end and the rate drop to £30? If you didn't have the Alfa, what would you have instead and how much would that cost to tax? Anything brand new that was over the threshold for the luxury car tax is going to sting you on tax, that's how it works, it's the price you pay for a brand/nearly new car. I had the same thing when I got my V60 a couple of years ago; once you've paid the tax just write it off in your mind and get on with enjoying the car.
Edited by parabolica on Monday 14th November 09:38
Lurch1989 said:
Now this is the weirdest thing I've ever experianced. Over the last 15 years I've had 15 cars, had a lemon and a car I couldn't physically drive during that time but always been happy to have the car.
Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
You bought a car without knowing how much it was to tax?Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
And then, when you found out that the tax on your £570 per month car was an extra 40-odd quid a month, you want someone to steal it?
You're right - that is the weirdest thing......
You got the car you wanted. Enjoy it. £40 a month on a car like that is pittance. Just wait when you have to start servicing it and putting tyres on it.....
Muzzer79 said:
You're right - that is the weirdest thing......
You got the car you wanted. Enjoy it. £40 a month on a car like that is pittance. Just wait when you have to start servicing it and putting tyres on it.....
My thoughts as well. You got the car you wanted. Enjoy it. £40 a month on a car like that is pittance. Just wait when you have to start servicing it and putting tyres on it.....
Paying VED is far from fun but in the grand scheme of things when compared to how much tax we happily pay each time we put fuel in the car, how much insurance cost is tax, how every car part has 20% tax on it, VED is a relatively small cost of running a car.
So after 2 years (at which point I'm assuming it drops to the £30 tax rate) you're going to pay £1,010 extra right?
Being 2 years newer, perhaps it will be cheaper to maintain, does it need an MOT yet? The 2 year older one might do, might need more wear and tear items within your ownership, plenty of ways it might have been more expensive.
Equally, it's a higher spec, was the purchase price the same? If yes, then your £1,010 extra is just paying for the extra spec / newness, I don't know.
I assume the amateur psychologist response would be marketing has led you to believe a diesel Alfa SUV will make you feel happier thanks to fitting in with your 'active lifestyle' etc., whereas in fact it's just a diesel mass produced transport just like any other diesel box and the money you've spent hasn't made you any happier, and the car is now a 1.7 ton reminder of that.
Being 2 years newer, perhaps it will be cheaper to maintain, does it need an MOT yet? The 2 year older one might do, might need more wear and tear items within your ownership, plenty of ways it might have been more expensive.
Equally, it's a higher spec, was the purchase price the same? If yes, then your £1,010 extra is just paying for the extra spec / newness, I don't know.
I assume the amateur psychologist response would be marketing has led you to believe a diesel Alfa SUV will make you feel happier thanks to fitting in with your 'active lifestyle' etc., whereas in fact it's just a diesel mass produced transport just like any other diesel box and the money you've spent hasn't made you any happier, and the car is now a 1.7 ton reminder of that.
Similar but not the same lol
I recently opted out of the company car Scheme and paid £30k for a transporter, was excited at the time then didn't sleep for 3 days thinking what on earth have I spent that much on a van for.
A few days later it was fine, a few months later I love it and when I'm feeling a bit like I'm missing my 3 series etc I just think of the reason I got the Transporter, 3 kids and a dog, camping, the kids love it etc, also I just tell myself work are paying for it!
I recently opted out of the company car Scheme and paid £30k for a transporter, was excited at the time then didn't sleep for 3 days thinking what on earth have I spent that much on a van for.
A few days later it was fine, a few months later I love it and when I'm feeling a bit like I'm missing my 3 series etc I just think of the reason I got the Transporter, 3 kids and a dog, camping, the kids love it etc, also I just tell myself work are paying for it!
parabolica said:
When is the 'new luxury car tax' due to end and the rate drop to £30?
It started in Mar2017, I had a 4 Series coupe (reg Jan 17 and the list price was £48k) before but the arrival of our first child coming this Feb has forced me to get something more practical.Edited by parabolica on Monday 14th November 09:38
It's 5 years from new, so 3.5years from now. Just in time for it to go to it's next owner
If £40 a month VED is ruining your enjoyment of the car, then you probably didn't enjoy the car that much in the first place.
I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
jonwm said:
Similar but not the same lol
I recently opted out of the company car Scheme and paid £30k for a transporter, was excited at the time then didn't sleep for 3 days thinking what on earth have I spent that much on a van for.
A few days later it was fine, a few months later I love it and when I'm feeling a bit like I'm missing my 3 series etc I just think of the reason I got the Transporter, 3 kids and a dog, camping, the kids love it etc, also I just tell myself work are paying for it!
I recently opted out of the company car Scheme and paid £30k for a transporter, was excited at the time then didn't sleep for 3 days thinking what on earth have I spent that much on a van for.
A few days later it was fine, a few months later I love it and when I'm feeling a bit like I'm missing my 3 series etc I just think of the reason I got the Transporter, 3 kids and a dog, camping, the kids love it etc, also I just tell myself work are paying for it!
Exactly it - the coupe I had was great. Oddly the Alfa drives a lot better, a lot tighter round corners and less rear happy. I had the choice of a Curpa on the car list, but it was 490 a month in BIK (40% tax payer). So I'm still up.Maybe it's just me upset that I've overlooked something so trivial
Tiglon said:
If £40 a month VED is ruining your enjoyment of the car, then you probably didn't enjoy the car that much in the first place.
I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
I’ve got a 2009 SL350. It astonished me that the VED is a ridiculous £630 a year. It’s bonkers. I placate myself that at least it’s only £200/year to insure. It’s like the gods of motoring give with one hand and take with the other. I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
Tiglon said:
If £40 a month VED is ruining your enjoyment of the car, then you probably didn't enjoy the car that much in the first place.
I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
That is a bit crackers! Where I draw the line though is either side of the big hikes for the same car. Why but an '06 plate car for example, that is £615 when a '55 plate car may be identical in most respects (performance, mileag etc) but over £250 p.a. cheaper on VED.I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
The 'premium' on VED on cars over £40k I think is removed 5 yrs AFTER renewal of VED, i.e. 6 years from 1st registration. And it won't rrevert to £30 like a pre-April 2017 car, it will be £165 p.a. (at current rates).
With the VED rates in mind, it's why I ensured I bought a 'facelift' SLK R171 for myself. An '08 plate onwards facelift car is 223g emissions.
My only car purchase regret was a Suzuki Swift TD car bought for daily use. I got it cheap in a private sale (£2200), but it took me a few weeks to notice that the rear door and rear quarter weren't quite the same shade of metallic grey.
It had obviously had major repair work (it wasn't a CAT car though, I'd checked), and the recurring DPF problems put me right off it. I've owned over 70 cars and it's the only one I regretted buying, despite many Lotus / TVR cars that have drained my wallet (I knew their foibles), but because it had issues I hadn't noticed. Grrrrr.Muzzer79 said:
Lurch1989 said:
Now this is the weirdest thing I've ever experianced. Over the last 15 years I've had 15 cars, had a lemon and a car I couldn't physically drive during that time but always been happy to have the car.
Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
You bought a car without knowing how much it was to tax?Now, I started a new job, got a car allowance and went out and got an Alfa Stelvio. Always wanted one since they came out and finally had the option. So for a £570 payment my net cost is £270/m
I looked at 2, first one was 2.2D and tax came in at around £30 a year. Happy days. I then went to another garage and got the same engine, just a slightly better spec (reversing camera and 2 years newer). Car tax is now £535 - my excitement to get in and drive away died at that exact moment.
I was over the moon driving to the garage, but now look at the car like I'd be quite happy if someone stole it.
Anyone else had this buyers remorse? It's purely the tax I think.
And then, when you found out that the tax on your £570 per month car was an extra 40-odd quid a month, you want someone to steal it?
You're right - that is the weirdest thing......
You got the car you wanted. Enjoy it. £40 a month on a car like that is pittance. Just wait when you have to start servicing it and putting tyres on it.....
I did the same a few years ago when I opted out of my company car scheme and bought my 18 plate 335d. At the time if I'd have done my research properly I would've bought a pre March 17 car. To me it was more of an annoyance than a massive regret, when I got my current Jag XF I just accepted it and it was part of my budget.
Jonno02 said:
When will the 40k value increase? Soon enough run of the mill white goods cars will be dragged into the higher bracket…
Ha ha, never!It's called fiscal drag, and it's a convenient way for governments to raise taxes by stealth.
Slightly OT, but in Australia fiscal drag is an election issue. In the UK few people have heard of it, though hopefully that will change.
Tiglon said:
If £40 a month VED is ruining your enjoyment of the car, then you probably didn't enjoy the car that much in the first place.
I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
If wifey came home with a liability of that size I'd probably push her in the nearest river and shout after her not to come back. I remember my other half finding out that a £3k car I'd bought was £615 a year VED, and wanted me to sell it. She suggested buying a new car for £20k instead, because it had free tax. Try to work that logic out...
The really amazing ones are the 10 or more yr old 2.0l Ssangyongs or whatever that are over £500 to tax. I'm amazed any are still on the road with that burden attached to them.
I will guess they're bought by people who don't know the cost until they go to tax it after purchase.
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