Dilemma, Help!
Discussion
Please bare with me here, I get to the point eventually....
My leased 2020 Skoda Octavia Estate goes back in October.
ln October 2021 I ordered a Skoda Kodiaq Sportline with family pack (rear window blinds and door edge protectors) and heating pack (heated steering wheel & windscreen) on a 1+23 at £429 for 12.5k miles, which by todays standards is a pretty good deal for that length of lease. That car has an expected build date of 05/09/22 so should be here in time or thereabouts in time for my lease ending on 29/10/22.
October 2021 seems a million miles away now in terms of fuel prices, energy prices and food prices etc, in addition to my youngest starting nursery this month and us having to pay full whack fees for two years until he's 3 when we get his Scot Gov funded hours.
In October 2021 £429 was at the very upper end of what I was willing to pay (works out at £100 over my employers car allowance after tax). Therefore I'm contemplating cancelling my Kodiaq order with everything else in life being so much more expensive. Don't get me wrong, even with inflation we'll still be able to pay all our bills but disposable income for the fun things in life will take a massive hit.
I've been looking at other lease deals but there is nothing about of the size I need (want) on a 24 month deal. At this time 24 months is what I'm after as that's when my wife's lease on her MG ZS EV comes to an end and we can both re-assess what we're doing re cars at the same time, likely to be one 'nice' family car and one commuting banger.
My alternative to the Kodiaq is a 'cheap' family sized bus that will do me for 2 years, I've got a 0% purchase credit card which the purchase can be lobbed onto and cleared off in time, therefore the budget tops out at £8k max, ideally somewhere between £5000-7000.
I'd be looking for;
7 seats (ideally).
automatic.
fit in sliding rear window blinds (sounds ridiculous to have as a requirement but it was the one thing in the Kodiaq my 5 year old was buzzing to have in the car, so if possible I'd like one with that.).
air con.
ability to switch out factory stereo for one that can support apple CarPlay.
reliable - good service history - sub 100k miles
no preference on petrol or diesel, just not something that has crazy road tax. My wife's EV is the car used 99% of the time as a family car and my car is only really used for me doing work trips 1-2 times per week (average 60 miles round trip each time) and being loaded up for going on holidays (hence need for something big).
£5000-7000 is now the ropey bargain basement end of the market and there isn't a lot to go with but early contenders have been;
2010/11 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 e-HDI - when these first came out I had a job working for Avis whilst at uni and drove plenty of these, hateful to drive and has that stupid fixed steering wheel, but the rest of family would be happy in it with its pano roof, back seat tables and plenty of space. Would be concerned about PSA electrics.
2012/13 Peugeot 5008 1.6 e-HDI - a lot more conventional looking than the Citroen but tends to be a bit more expensive as a newer model. had a few Peugeot's in my time, had a 207, 308 and 407SW in my time, the first two were great but the latter was an electrical disaster, and I'm unsure if Peugeot had got their act together by the 2010's in relation to electrical gremlins.
2010/11 Ford Galaxy/ S-Max Titanium (ideally X) 2.0 TDCI - I drove plenty of these all those years ago and they were fine, having shots in one gives you no indication to what ownership would be like, I'm pretty much in the dark as to how reliable good these are.
2013/14 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI - I don't know too much about these, the 2007-14 generation of Zafira's were awful to drive when they were brand new, unsure of how the next gen ones would be. Downside is that these don't seem to come with roller blind option which isn't an absolute must but highly desirable as stated previously.
I've looked at various other concepts such as Saab's & Volvo' estates as well as usual German suspects, the problem with these would be that if anything did go wrong it would likely be very expensive to fix which is a risk at this price point as you're also typically looking at 15 year old cars as opposed to the 10 year old ones I've listed.
the only estate to have been something I'd consider would be the 2011-13 VW Passat 2.0TDI but that is sacrificing some of the wants listed, but it would be reliable enough (I'd hope)
Other options have been things like Hyundai Santa Fe/ Kia Sorrento which I'm just not feeling (plus they don't seem to have blind option, as well as £300+ road tax), likewise with the Altea XL by Seat which is just dull.
Apologies about the long ramble but the main questions are;
1. Should I A. ditch the Kodiaq and go for bangernomics option, or B. keep the Kodiaq in the hope that a new PM dishes out some kind of support to suppress inflation?
2. If answer to 1 is A, what would be a good recommendation? have I missed any outstanding candidate out?
My leased 2020 Skoda Octavia Estate goes back in October.
ln October 2021 I ordered a Skoda Kodiaq Sportline with family pack (rear window blinds and door edge protectors) and heating pack (heated steering wheel & windscreen) on a 1+23 at £429 for 12.5k miles, which by todays standards is a pretty good deal for that length of lease. That car has an expected build date of 05/09/22 so should be here in time or thereabouts in time for my lease ending on 29/10/22.
October 2021 seems a million miles away now in terms of fuel prices, energy prices and food prices etc, in addition to my youngest starting nursery this month and us having to pay full whack fees for two years until he's 3 when we get his Scot Gov funded hours.
In October 2021 £429 was at the very upper end of what I was willing to pay (works out at £100 over my employers car allowance after tax). Therefore I'm contemplating cancelling my Kodiaq order with everything else in life being so much more expensive. Don't get me wrong, even with inflation we'll still be able to pay all our bills but disposable income for the fun things in life will take a massive hit.
I've been looking at other lease deals but there is nothing about of the size I need (want) on a 24 month deal. At this time 24 months is what I'm after as that's when my wife's lease on her MG ZS EV comes to an end and we can both re-assess what we're doing re cars at the same time, likely to be one 'nice' family car and one commuting banger.
My alternative to the Kodiaq is a 'cheap' family sized bus that will do me for 2 years, I've got a 0% purchase credit card which the purchase can be lobbed onto and cleared off in time, therefore the budget tops out at £8k max, ideally somewhere between £5000-7000.
I'd be looking for;
7 seats (ideally).
automatic.
fit in sliding rear window blinds (sounds ridiculous to have as a requirement but it was the one thing in the Kodiaq my 5 year old was buzzing to have in the car, so if possible I'd like one with that.).
air con.
ability to switch out factory stereo for one that can support apple CarPlay.
reliable - good service history - sub 100k miles
no preference on petrol or diesel, just not something that has crazy road tax. My wife's EV is the car used 99% of the time as a family car and my car is only really used for me doing work trips 1-2 times per week (average 60 miles round trip each time) and being loaded up for going on holidays (hence need for something big).
£5000-7000 is now the ropey bargain basement end of the market and there isn't a lot to go with but early contenders have been;
2010/11 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 e-HDI - when these first came out I had a job working for Avis whilst at uni and drove plenty of these, hateful to drive and has that stupid fixed steering wheel, but the rest of family would be happy in it with its pano roof, back seat tables and plenty of space. Would be concerned about PSA electrics.
2012/13 Peugeot 5008 1.6 e-HDI - a lot more conventional looking than the Citroen but tends to be a bit more expensive as a newer model. had a few Peugeot's in my time, had a 207, 308 and 407SW in my time, the first two were great but the latter was an electrical disaster, and I'm unsure if Peugeot had got their act together by the 2010's in relation to electrical gremlins.
2010/11 Ford Galaxy/ S-Max Titanium (ideally X) 2.0 TDCI - I drove plenty of these all those years ago and they were fine, having shots in one gives you no indication to what ownership would be like, I'm pretty much in the dark as to how reliable good these are.
2013/14 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI - I don't know too much about these, the 2007-14 generation of Zafira's were awful to drive when they were brand new, unsure of how the next gen ones would be. Downside is that these don't seem to come with roller blind option which isn't an absolute must but highly desirable as stated previously.
I've looked at various other concepts such as Saab's & Volvo' estates as well as usual German suspects, the problem with these would be that if anything did go wrong it would likely be very expensive to fix which is a risk at this price point as you're also typically looking at 15 year old cars as opposed to the 10 year old ones I've listed.
the only estate to have been something I'd consider would be the 2011-13 VW Passat 2.0TDI but that is sacrificing some of the wants listed, but it would be reliable enough (I'd hope)
Other options have been things like Hyundai Santa Fe/ Kia Sorrento which I'm just not feeling (plus they don't seem to have blind option, as well as £300+ road tax), likewise with the Altea XL by Seat which is just dull.
Apologies about the long ramble but the main questions are;
1. Should I A. ditch the Kodiaq and go for bangernomics option, or B. keep the Kodiaq in the hope that a new PM dishes out some kind of support to suppress inflation?
2. If answer to 1 is A, what would be a good recommendation? have I missed any outstanding candidate out?
I don't have a suggestion on a particular car that suits your needs but if the pricepoint was already at the very top of your budget then I'd be cancelling that order depending on any financial implications of cancelling. The increases in home energy costs are staggering and that could quickly eat away at the disposable income you'd designated for the new lease deal.
In short, 24month leases are fairly expenses and even more so when you're looking at a 7 seat SUV. Reasses your finances now and see what figure is viable for you - Sticking something on a 0% credit card is all well and good but if it drops 30% and you need to repay the CC you'll still need to come up with £2.4k to pay the difference. A 5 year personal loan of £15k comes in at £269/month, saving you a chunk on your proposed lease price and if you sell after 2 years then I'd expect the vehicle to have dropped less than the ~£6k (after interest) that you'd paid off of your loan.
In short, 24month leases are fairly expenses and even more so when you're looking at a 7 seat SUV. Reasses your finances now and see what figure is viable for you - Sticking something on a 0% credit card is all well and good but if it drops 30% and you need to repay the CC you'll still need to come up with £2.4k to pay the difference. A 5 year personal loan of £15k comes in at £269/month, saving you a chunk on your proposed lease price and if you sell after 2 years then I'd expect the vehicle to have dropped less than the ~£6k (after interest) that you'd paid off of your loan.
J1990 said:
I don't have a suggestion on a particular car that suits your needs but if the pricepoint was already at the very top of your budget then I'd be cancelling that order depending on any financial implications of cancelling. The increases in home energy costs are staggering and that could quickly eat away at the disposable income you'd designated for the new lease deal.
In short, 24month leases are fairly expenses and even more so when you're looking at a 7 seat SUV. Reasses your finances now and see what figure is viable for you - Sticking something on a 0% credit card is all well and good but if it drops 30% and you need to repay the CC you'll still need to come up with £2.4k to pay the difference. A 5 year personal loan of £15k comes in at £269/month, saving you a chunk on your proposed lease price and if you sell after 2 years then I'd expect the vehicle to have dropped less than the ~£6k (after interest) that you'd paid off of your loan.
You do make a fair point regarding the loan, obviously there is risk associated with it as who knows where used prices are going to go. thats where the idea of sticking £6k on the credit card appealed as I'd definitely have the full amount cleared within the 2 years of the 0% period, meaning the depreciation isn't as important as there is no chance of negative equity as I'd only be selling once paid in full.In short, 24month leases are fairly expenses and even more so when you're looking at a 7 seat SUV. Reasses your finances now and see what figure is viable for you - Sticking something on a 0% credit card is all well and good but if it drops 30% and you need to repay the CC you'll still need to come up with £2.4k to pay the difference. A 5 year personal loan of £15k comes in at £269/month, saving you a chunk on your proposed lease price and if you sell after 2 years then I'd expect the vehicle to have dropped less than the ~£6k (after interest) that you'd paid off of your loan.
Cancelling the lease will be fine, I lose £50 of £234 paid a year ago.
IMO, it's good to get out of the lease cycle. If you're worried about the cost of inflation rising your minimum bills each month, dumping a £429/month bill will help. Obviously, you then need a vehicle. Going down the used route on your CC gives you flexibility to pay off more quickly when you can.
The options you list are good. I'd avoid the Citroen if you hate driving them. It'll always be a bug bear and ruin the experience. My choice of the 4 would be between the Zaf and the Galaxy/S-Max. I see a fair few of each on the road and it's worth remembering that they're popular for a reason. Everyone on PH says that the S-Max is the one to have for driving dynamics but the powershift auto box has a reputation for unreliability.
For that reason, I'd go for the Zaf. You lose the appeal of the rear blinds but it should be a comfortable, reliable and decent car for you to do what you like in. Auto petrol Zaf's seem pretty thin on the ground but there are 2 Here that might fit the bill. One Cat S, one not. Just remember to budget a few hundred quid for a Car Play stereo. I've filtered to petrol here since AT says the diesel ones aren't ULEZ compliant which might cause a headache in future, the tax is the same and the MPG is both good and reasonably close to the diesel.
The options you list are good. I'd avoid the Citroen if you hate driving them. It'll always be a bug bear and ruin the experience. My choice of the 4 would be between the Zaf and the Galaxy/S-Max. I see a fair few of each on the road and it's worth remembering that they're popular for a reason. Everyone on PH says that the S-Max is the one to have for driving dynamics but the powershift auto box has a reputation for unreliability.
For that reason, I'd go for the Zaf. You lose the appeal of the rear blinds but it should be a comfortable, reliable and decent car for you to do what you like in. Auto petrol Zaf's seem pretty thin on the ground but there are 2 Here that might fit the bill. One Cat S, one not. Just remember to budget a few hundred quid for a Car Play stereo. I've filtered to petrol here since AT says the diesel ones aren't ULEZ compliant which might cause a headache in future, the tax is the same and the MPG is both good and reasonably close to the diesel.
I think it's worth considering how big of a car you want - the Zafira is Astra-based so is a size smaller than the Mondeo-related Galaxy & S-Max.
If you want something full-size, consider an import Toyota Estima (the continuation of the Previa) - JDM cars so generally low mileage, well kept, automatic petrol, high spec, Toyota engine and torque converter autobox so generally reliable, tax will be £295 I think on all imports.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206297...
I'd say go for a Galaxy they're a good option, dependable & a great family car:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204114...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208058...
The Hyundai i800 is a very good alternative at this price point but it may be a bit bigger than you want.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208028...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207278...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207248...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204114...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208058...
The Hyundai i800 is a very good alternative at this price point but it may be a bit bigger than you want.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208028...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207278...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207248...
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff