10-05-2014, 08:36 AM
Hi,
Strange isn't it that having worked hard for 50 years struggling to save a few bob only to find that the money in cash is no good to even buy a small car. I'd like to pay our TV licence and rates in farthings.
Bron and I were set on buying a Skoda after reading the reviews and knowing that friends had bought Skoda's who were delighted with them. In many ways the Citygo would be ideal just for the two of us but occasionally would prove too small for my workshop activities and running rubbish to the tip; it's amazing how much garden rubbish our Aygo can transport in one load but a larger car would cut down on the number of trips.
On the other hand we also didn't want to go the other way buying a car which was too big just running up bills for the sake of it. Take for example someone I know who bought a large mobile caravan then had to buy an equally large car to tow with. The caravan is towed to indoor storage once a year then remains on the same site during the season meaning the large car is then used all year round; of course this has nothing to do with me but just an observation and only mentioned because it forms part of our decision in which car we chose.
The Roomster is a very capable car with lots of attributes and wouldn't break the bank to buy or run and a car we looked at and sat in whilst at the dealers. We also had a very close look at the Yeti also gleaming brand new in the showroom; again we sat in it and it was most impressive; the Yeti was my personal choice but just for the two of us do we need this sized car and against it where we live it would end up on the driveway all year round so I reluctantly dismissed it.
My chum David bought a new Fabia last September and is delighted with it and it was David who kindly introduced us to Skoda's otherwise we would have possibly ended up with a Toyota Yaris (another fine car). Having considered our needs and expectations of a car we were happy to follow David and bought the Fabia which seems a perfect car for us giving the needed increase in size but not giving significantly higher running cost in fact the Fabia appears to cost similar to the Aygo to run although servicing costs are higher with the Fabia but well within reason.
Many things influence the purchase of a car; firstly of course is the cost but this doesn't seem to deter many because we see lots of brand new "posh" cars that having been bought languish on driveways just for show or to run the children a few yards to school. Others like to buy pre-registered cars timing this when garages are trying to get their sales figures up in order to get manufacturers bonuses and in this instance many genuine bargains can be had. Buying a nearly new car whilst the car is still under warranty can save a great deal of money. These days even older second-hand cars tend to be more reliable and are cheap (unless they break down) so there is a huge choice available. For those wanting peace of mind then there are lots of leasing deals where for monthly payments a car can be leased for say a three year contract at favourable costs but the car will never be owned but this method does have merit in that apart from the monthly payment; fuel and insurance the cost of the motoring is known up front without any worry about maintenance.
Bron and I have run many bangers in the past and had engines on the kitchen table; in those days I thought nothing of doing a hard day's graft at work then getting stuck into car repairs at night but as the years passed I started to want to drive the cars the car being my slave not the other way around so we ended up buying a brand new 2CV on credit finding the monthly payments nicely balanced what we were spending on the old banger but suddenly we could get out in a reliable car spending quality time together and since that 2CV we've always bought new cars; when I was working we would trade in around every 18 months but since retirement now every three years just as the MOT is due.
These are my/our thoughts on our motoring needs and we are in a position to afford a new car but everyone is different so it's a case of paying and choosing; what works for us might be totally wrong for someone else.
If I had plenty of indoor space I wouldn't have minded building a kit car just for the fun of it but I suffer enough as it is during winter trying to do smaller restorations. Winning the lottery wouldn't see me on foreign holidays or ending up an alcoholic because I was bored; I would indulge in a lovely well lit and heated large workshop and also for Bron there would be an equally impressive studio for her crafting hobbies. We've got the space here but to use the space would be expensive for building due to the steeply sloping plot; I can dream though and in so many ways we are content living here.
Just rambling as usual before getting off my backside.
Kind regards, Col.
Strange isn't it that having worked hard for 50 years struggling to save a few bob only to find that the money in cash is no good to even buy a small car. I'd like to pay our TV licence and rates in farthings.
Bron and I were set on buying a Skoda after reading the reviews and knowing that friends had bought Skoda's who were delighted with them. In many ways the Citygo would be ideal just for the two of us but occasionally would prove too small for my workshop activities and running rubbish to the tip; it's amazing how much garden rubbish our Aygo can transport in one load but a larger car would cut down on the number of trips.
On the other hand we also didn't want to go the other way buying a car which was too big just running up bills for the sake of it. Take for example someone I know who bought a large mobile caravan then had to buy an equally large car to tow with. The caravan is towed to indoor storage once a year then remains on the same site during the season meaning the large car is then used all year round; of course this has nothing to do with me but just an observation and only mentioned because it forms part of our decision in which car we chose.
The Roomster is a very capable car with lots of attributes and wouldn't break the bank to buy or run and a car we looked at and sat in whilst at the dealers. We also had a very close look at the Yeti also gleaming brand new in the showroom; again we sat in it and it was most impressive; the Yeti was my personal choice but just for the two of us do we need this sized car and against it where we live it would end up on the driveway all year round so I reluctantly dismissed it.
My chum David bought a new Fabia last September and is delighted with it and it was David who kindly introduced us to Skoda's otherwise we would have possibly ended up with a Toyota Yaris (another fine car). Having considered our needs and expectations of a car we were happy to follow David and bought the Fabia which seems a perfect car for us giving the needed increase in size but not giving significantly higher running cost in fact the Fabia appears to cost similar to the Aygo to run although servicing costs are higher with the Fabia but well within reason.
Many things influence the purchase of a car; firstly of course is the cost but this doesn't seem to deter many because we see lots of brand new "posh" cars that having been bought languish on driveways just for show or to run the children a few yards to school. Others like to buy pre-registered cars timing this when garages are trying to get their sales figures up in order to get manufacturers bonuses and in this instance many genuine bargains can be had. Buying a nearly new car whilst the car is still under warranty can save a great deal of money. These days even older second-hand cars tend to be more reliable and are cheap (unless they break down) so there is a huge choice available. For those wanting peace of mind then there are lots of leasing deals where for monthly payments a car can be leased for say a three year contract at favourable costs but the car will never be owned but this method does have merit in that apart from the monthly payment; fuel and insurance the cost of the motoring is known up front without any worry about maintenance.
Bron and I have run many bangers in the past and had engines on the kitchen table; in those days I thought nothing of doing a hard day's graft at work then getting stuck into car repairs at night but as the years passed I started to want to drive the cars the car being my slave not the other way around so we ended up buying a brand new 2CV on credit finding the monthly payments nicely balanced what we were spending on the old banger but suddenly we could get out in a reliable car spending quality time together and since that 2CV we've always bought new cars; when I was working we would trade in around every 18 months but since retirement now every three years just as the MOT is due.
These are my/our thoughts on our motoring needs and we are in a position to afford a new car but everyone is different so it's a case of paying and choosing; what works for us might be totally wrong for someone else.
If I had plenty of indoor space I wouldn't have minded building a kit car just for the fun of it but I suffer enough as it is during winter trying to do smaller restorations. Winning the lottery wouldn't see me on foreign holidays or ending up an alcoholic because I was bored; I would indulge in a lovely well lit and heated large workshop and also for Bron there would be an equally impressive studio for her crafting hobbies. We've got the space here but to use the space would be expensive for building due to the steeply sloping plot; I can dream though and in so many ways we are content living here.
Just rambling as usual before getting off my backside.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
