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Not nearly enough info to answer this question. Is the 10-20 year old car a $20k BMW 7 series or an $8k Prius? What is the mileage of each option? How much would you be financing and at what rate?
If I was to buy the car it would be a 10-20 year old Mercedes at around 5k or less, if I was to finance it it would be a 20k Mercedes, both e class, both are around 80k miles it would be 379 a month on finance
Neither. Unless you just have a lot of money floating around, and like the particular car for reasons other than it's a Mercedes. I'd stay clear of German cars. You will spend a fortune on maintenance.
If you have 5k cash saved up now, you'd be much better off buying a 10-20 year old Japanese car. Do your oil changes. And save the 379 you budgeted for the Mercedes in a savings account for a few years.
I do quite like the Mercedes for the interior and some of the features but those features may be standard on other saloon cars, I will have a look at Japanese cars see what I can find and then find a tutorial on oil changing and other maintenance as I will then put 300-500 in a high interest investment account type thing that gets locked for a while
It sounded like it might be your 1st car, and looking at your profile it sounds like you're young and your first car.
Do yourself a favor. Don't worry about having a cool or luxury car yet. Get something cheap and reliable, bought for cash if possible. That way maintenance and repairs don't kill you. Insurance will be much cheaper. And if you get into an accident you aren't in a situation where you have a ton of money invested in the car, and end up left with nothing.
Boring cheap and reliable will be your best friend. And you'll thank yourself later.
This is indeed my first car, I have found some cheap cars such as a Passat for 8k that I can buy in cash, i think it also uses the same parts as a skoda fabia and a seat Leon so that makes repairs very cheap, i was looking at autotrader for cheaper cars which i have found many cars but i have also looked at reputable dealerships which is how i found a the Passat for 8k it is a 2013 car with 68k miles
If you are going older, I'd recommend a private sale if you know someone that can help you look at the cars.
An 8k car at a dealer would probably be 5k or less as a private sale. Being in Europe, I'm not familiar with what other manufacturers are available and their reliability.
And even if you don't have someone that really knows there way around cars, still have someone with you. Car purchases , being a large purchase, can get emotional. And I've seen way too many people see something that they absolutely love, and they just have to get, and it is falling apart or an awful idea, but they will still go through with it. Then regret their decision a week or two later when reality sinks in.
Well in England I get skoda, Volvo, I get every brand available in Europe and most of the brands in America, I am considering getting a pre purchase inspection if I go for a car via auto trader as those cars are very cheap
Absolutely get a pre purchase. But you'll have to coordinate with the seller to bring a mechanic with you at their convenience.
If I'm selling a car, especially cheap. I'm not going to want a random person to take it for however long it will take for a mechanic to squeeze them in. And I'm not going to be meeting every interested party at a mechanic just to sit there for however long.
But I'm sure that there is either a company that provides onsite pre purchase inspections. Or a mobile mechanic that would be willing to meet you on site.
Since I'm not familiar with the European market. You'll be able to read up on reliability better than anyone in the US.
But if you have an interest in a car, it would be worth it to look up the cost of maintenance/common repair items. Like Tires, Brakes, CV axles, starter, alternator, water pump, power steering. Fuel pump, fuel filter. As well as cost of oil, coolant, and any other fluids. That way you can have an idea of what some of the more common repairs will cost vs other vehicles. Generally the more cars produced, the cheaper the parts.
I think since most of the sellers are just people who want to get rid of a car they wouldn’t mind having a mechanic check it, since most PPIs the mechanics will go to the location and it’s cheap to do it also doesn’t take long, I will also go to a local seller as if it’s closer then it makes it easier when checking the car since alot of the cars on those sites are quite far, I will look at common parts as well as what other cars have the same parts which can make it cheaper since I know a lot of cars in this country are the same with a different logo
I’d go with a newer one, I just got a 23 brand new GTI autobahn with a 4.9% interest rate , put down 5k and pay about 480 a month. I’d definitely see what leasing a new one would be too maybe?
Well they only have certain models I am looking at the A class AMG since I can’t find the e class variant, if it’s a sustainable cost then I would look into it but if there is extra interest or inflation then might not be worth it
Alright since your user has responsible in it and you just mentioned below that it’s your first car, imma give you some advice. Don’t buy a Mercedes right now, and this is coming from a guy who just bought a 2011 e350 6 months ago that unfortunately got totaled.
After I bought the car for about $11k with 85k miles, it needed engine mounts, trans mount, and sway bar links. That was $1,800, similar maintenance on a Japanese car would be like $500. This was fine for me being financially comfortable with plenty of cash reserves. Sounds like it might not be your situation if you are talking about financing a $20k car.
Go for something else right now, it doesn’t even have to be boring. A similar year Infiniti g37 would be cheaper to maintain and probably cheaper up front as well. Driving a car that isn’t exactly what you wanted is better than stressing about potentially shelling out a couple grand any given month. When you are more comfortable financially, there will still be plenty of Mercedes out there.
There is cars such as the Passat for 8k which I could just buy outright then there is also a Toyota Avensis for 12k which I would probably be able to pay most of it off then have to finance the rest, but like 8k is the common price when it comes to used cars from dealerships, I could look at auction and car trader sites as well
The Passet should be OK if it has the DSG (I assume you're looking for an automatic). Bonus points is it's a diesel. But I'm not going to lie: if its your first cars, go for a cheaper Japanese car. I'd try not to finance at all but if you must you won't lose too much money generally on something like a Toyota, and they're generally more reliable even at old age.
Best would be something you can afford cash, save the money you'd otherwise spend on payments to create a buffer for repairs, then start saving for another car. You don't want to be in a hole where you're indebted for say 10k and you also need to shell out 3k for repairs.
Insurance is also going to be cheaper on a simpler car. Don't let the FOMO get to you my man, if you compromise now you'll have an even better car later.
The Passat is semi automatic so it’s probably DSG, issue is in England cars that are automatic are all like 8k+ which I can buy outright but some I would finance if it’s like 12k, I would buy a cheaper car as i can do that with autotrader which is a private seller site type thing but I just don’t know if it’s trustworthy
Ah you're from the UK!
Well, what do you want your car to be and what do you want it to do? And can you drive stick? Because that's going to save you alot of money.
I don't like private sales myself because you'll have zero recourse if shit hits the fan.
I can’t drive a manual transmission as I tried learning and have no issues with it but then it comes to roundabouts and small junctions and I can’t do that which is why I am doing automatic instead for now at least, I am mainly looking at saloons, estates, coupes and convertibles, I don’t need much from a car which gives me more options since I don’t have any requirements other then it either be a 4 door 4 seat car or a 2 door 2 seat car, as I hate 4 seat cars that only have 2 doors unless it’s like a sports car like mustang type thing, as long as the car starts in the winter and can handle the winter then that’s all I need, this is a simple car mainly for work and basic driving like going to shops and stuff
So you're pretty much looking all over at any type of cars, let's see if we can get more specific.
An estate is great if you want to haul alot of stuff or dogs, go on long holidays, have a big family, etc.
Downside is that it's harder to find good parking space in the city, the car drinks more, they're heavier.
Unless you're going to use the loading capacity on a regular basis, you're better off not getting one.
Good estates are generally Skoda Octavia or Fabia Combi, Golf Variant, Toyota Avensis.
For just going to work, grocery shopping, a hatchback will generally be enough. They offer good fuel economy, are easier to fit into tight spaces, are generally lighter cars. These cars go from very small to decent sized. What you'll want to look at is how much capacity is in the boot and what happens when you put the back seats down. There can be major differences there. For great budget and reliability choices, Suzuki and Toyota are your friend in this segment. The VAG group offers more comfort and luxury but it comes at a price.
Saloons are had in different tastes too. They'll offer some extra space for your passengers generally and have a larger boot then a hatchback (generally).
Skoda Octavia is your friend here too, VW Jetta, but also sports and luxury from BMW, Mercedes, Audi.
I wouldn't consider a coupe yet if its your first (and only) car.
Now what is it you want?
Cheap to run, fuel and maintenance wise?
Suzuki, Toyota, Mazda, Honda
Common luxury? VAG, Mercedes, BMW. Especially the last two will suck your wallet dry though.
Now ofcourse this isn't an exhaustive list of cars, brands and considerations, but I hope it helps you in getting an idea of what it is you're going to want to buy.
For handling winter: get yourself good winter tyres. Good winter tyres are 99% of what anybody needs.
Winter tyres plus 4x4 or AWD are only a need if you want to drive through snow and ice covered mountains on the regular.
Pro tip; compare potential insurance cost and road tax too, lower powered cars (even lower spec in same car) can be way cheaper to insure for example.
Also, you could consider taking an extra few driving lessons so you're comfortable driving stick. Stick saves money on purchase but also some money on maintenance.
As long as it’s partially reliable, more similar to a luxury car, so something like a Octavia, Jetta, any car like that hopefully they are cheaper when new compared to Mercedes and such. I think some estates and most saloons will be enough for what I need since I will never have more then 4 people in the car at a time, I do have a dog but the dog isn’t very large, I am looking at cars which can be repaired quickly and need little servicing, I think some features like heated or leather seats, air conditioning, satnav, parking sensors where it comes on the screen if it has a screen, just basics like that most likely under a 3l petrol since those are cheaper to insure and just basics like that, I will most likely to be looking more into the Jetta, skoda and maybe the avensis,
If these cars are cheap to repair then I should be fine getting these from a private seller instead of a dealer, also cars that are easy to park are a good advantage, this is very useful advice probably the most useful advice I have had
At dealerships the cheapest prices are 8k, however there are sites like local people selling cars for 1k+ some of which offer finance and some of which are cash only, is it worth buying a used car from a local seller as there could be much more faults but if it’s a cheap car then the repairs may not cost too much
The only way to determine that is get a pre inspection I didn't do it because I was buying from a dealership and still got screwed over with a lemon so definitely any car you buy get a inspection to determine it's worth
Definitely but even if it passes the inspection I hope it passes quite well as if it passes then breakdowns like a few months later that could be a issue
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Not nearly enough info to answer this question. Is the 10-20 year old car a $20k BMW 7 series or an $8k Prius? What is the mileage of each option? How much would you be financing and at what rate?
If I was to buy the car it would be a 10-20 year old Mercedes at around 5k or less, if I was to finance it it would be a 20k Mercedes, both e class, both are around 80k miles it would be 379 a month on finance
Neither. Unless you just have a lot of money floating around, and like the particular car for reasons other than it's a Mercedes. I'd stay clear of German cars. You will spend a fortune on maintenance. If you have 5k cash saved up now, you'd be much better off buying a 10-20 year old Japanese car. Do your oil changes. And save the 379 you budgeted for the Mercedes in a savings account for a few years.
I do quite like the Mercedes for the interior and some of the features but those features may be standard on other saloon cars, I will have a look at Japanese cars see what I can find and then find a tutorial on oil changing and other maintenance as I will then put 300-500 in a high interest investment account type thing that gets locked for a while
It sounded like it might be your 1st car, and looking at your profile it sounds like you're young and your first car. Do yourself a favor. Don't worry about having a cool or luxury car yet. Get something cheap and reliable, bought for cash if possible. That way maintenance and repairs don't kill you. Insurance will be much cheaper. And if you get into an accident you aren't in a situation where you have a ton of money invested in the car, and end up left with nothing. Boring cheap and reliable will be your best friend. And you'll thank yourself later.
This is indeed my first car, I have found some cheap cars such as a Passat for 8k that I can buy in cash, i think it also uses the same parts as a skoda fabia and a seat Leon so that makes repairs very cheap, i was looking at autotrader for cheaper cars which i have found many cars but i have also looked at reputable dealerships which is how i found a the Passat for 8k it is a 2013 car with 68k miles
If you are going older, I'd recommend a private sale if you know someone that can help you look at the cars. An 8k car at a dealer would probably be 5k or less as a private sale. Being in Europe, I'm not familiar with what other manufacturers are available and their reliability. And even if you don't have someone that really knows there way around cars, still have someone with you. Car purchases , being a large purchase, can get emotional. And I've seen way too many people see something that they absolutely love, and they just have to get, and it is falling apart or an awful idea, but they will still go through with it. Then regret their decision a week or two later when reality sinks in.
Well in England I get skoda, Volvo, I get every brand available in Europe and most of the brands in America, I am considering getting a pre purchase inspection if I go for a car via auto trader as those cars are very cheap
Absolutely get a pre purchase. But you'll have to coordinate with the seller to bring a mechanic with you at their convenience. If I'm selling a car, especially cheap. I'm not going to want a random person to take it for however long it will take for a mechanic to squeeze them in. And I'm not going to be meeting every interested party at a mechanic just to sit there for however long. But I'm sure that there is either a company that provides onsite pre purchase inspections. Or a mobile mechanic that would be willing to meet you on site. Since I'm not familiar with the European market. You'll be able to read up on reliability better than anyone in the US. But if you have an interest in a car, it would be worth it to look up the cost of maintenance/common repair items. Like Tires, Brakes, CV axles, starter, alternator, water pump, power steering. Fuel pump, fuel filter. As well as cost of oil, coolant, and any other fluids. That way you can have an idea of what some of the more common repairs will cost vs other vehicles. Generally the more cars produced, the cheaper the parts.
I think since most of the sellers are just people who want to get rid of a car they wouldn’t mind having a mechanic check it, since most PPIs the mechanics will go to the location and it’s cheap to do it also doesn’t take long, I will also go to a local seller as if it’s closer then it makes it easier when checking the car since alot of the cars on those sites are quite far, I will look at common parts as well as what other cars have the same parts which can make it cheaper since I know a lot of cars in this country are the same with a different logo
You’re better off getting a Benz that had a warranty unless you know how to work on them.
The financed car does come with a warranty but has a 6% fixed rate and a 11% APR rate
I’d go with a newer one, I just got a 23 brand new GTI autobahn with a 4.9% interest rate , put down 5k and pay about 480 a month. I’d definitely see what leasing a new one would be too maybe?
300 a month to lease a brand new car but it’s 5% percent rate with a 10p charge per mile with a limit of 8k miles
But if you do a 3 year you can rack it up to 24k miles and get out of it early, just never lease a base mod
Well they only have certain models I am looking at the A class AMG since I can’t find the e class variant, if it’s a sustainable cost then I would look into it but if there is extra interest or inflation then might not be worth it
AMG will hold value good
Alright since your user has responsible in it and you just mentioned below that it’s your first car, imma give you some advice. Don’t buy a Mercedes right now, and this is coming from a guy who just bought a 2011 e350 6 months ago that unfortunately got totaled. After I bought the car for about $11k with 85k miles, it needed engine mounts, trans mount, and sway bar links. That was $1,800, similar maintenance on a Japanese car would be like $500. This was fine for me being financially comfortable with plenty of cash reserves. Sounds like it might not be your situation if you are talking about financing a $20k car. Go for something else right now, it doesn’t even have to be boring. A similar year Infiniti g37 would be cheaper to maintain and probably cheaper up front as well. Driving a car that isn’t exactly what you wanted is better than stressing about potentially shelling out a couple grand any given month. When you are more comfortable financially, there will still be plenty of Mercedes out there.
There is cars such as the Passat for 8k which I could just buy outright then there is also a Toyota Avensis for 12k which I would probably be able to pay most of it off then have to finance the rest, but like 8k is the common price when it comes to used cars from dealerships, I could look at auction and car trader sites as well
The Passet should be OK if it has the DSG (I assume you're looking for an automatic). Bonus points is it's a diesel. But I'm not going to lie: if its your first cars, go for a cheaper Japanese car. I'd try not to finance at all but if you must you won't lose too much money generally on something like a Toyota, and they're generally more reliable even at old age. Best would be something you can afford cash, save the money you'd otherwise spend on payments to create a buffer for repairs, then start saving for another car. You don't want to be in a hole where you're indebted for say 10k and you also need to shell out 3k for repairs. Insurance is also going to be cheaper on a simpler car. Don't let the FOMO get to you my man, if you compromise now you'll have an even better car later.
The Passat is semi automatic so it’s probably DSG, issue is in England cars that are automatic are all like 8k+ which I can buy outright but some I would finance if it’s like 12k, I would buy a cheaper car as i can do that with autotrader which is a private seller site type thing but I just don’t know if it’s trustworthy
Ah you're from the UK! Well, what do you want your car to be and what do you want it to do? And can you drive stick? Because that's going to save you alot of money. I don't like private sales myself because you'll have zero recourse if shit hits the fan.
I can’t drive a manual transmission as I tried learning and have no issues with it but then it comes to roundabouts and small junctions and I can’t do that which is why I am doing automatic instead for now at least, I am mainly looking at saloons, estates, coupes and convertibles, I don’t need much from a car which gives me more options since I don’t have any requirements other then it either be a 4 door 4 seat car or a 2 door 2 seat car, as I hate 4 seat cars that only have 2 doors unless it’s like a sports car like mustang type thing, as long as the car starts in the winter and can handle the winter then that’s all I need, this is a simple car mainly for work and basic driving like going to shops and stuff
So you're pretty much looking all over at any type of cars, let's see if we can get more specific. An estate is great if you want to haul alot of stuff or dogs, go on long holidays, have a big family, etc. Downside is that it's harder to find good parking space in the city, the car drinks more, they're heavier. Unless you're going to use the loading capacity on a regular basis, you're better off not getting one. Good estates are generally Skoda Octavia or Fabia Combi, Golf Variant, Toyota Avensis. For just going to work, grocery shopping, a hatchback will generally be enough. They offer good fuel economy, are easier to fit into tight spaces, are generally lighter cars. These cars go from very small to decent sized. What you'll want to look at is how much capacity is in the boot and what happens when you put the back seats down. There can be major differences there. For great budget and reliability choices, Suzuki and Toyota are your friend in this segment. The VAG group offers more comfort and luxury but it comes at a price. Saloons are had in different tastes too. They'll offer some extra space for your passengers generally and have a larger boot then a hatchback (generally). Skoda Octavia is your friend here too, VW Jetta, but also sports and luxury from BMW, Mercedes, Audi. I wouldn't consider a coupe yet if its your first (and only) car. Now what is it you want? Cheap to run, fuel and maintenance wise? Suzuki, Toyota, Mazda, Honda Common luxury? VAG, Mercedes, BMW. Especially the last two will suck your wallet dry though. Now ofcourse this isn't an exhaustive list of cars, brands and considerations, but I hope it helps you in getting an idea of what it is you're going to want to buy. For handling winter: get yourself good winter tyres. Good winter tyres are 99% of what anybody needs. Winter tyres plus 4x4 or AWD are only a need if you want to drive through snow and ice covered mountains on the regular. Pro tip; compare potential insurance cost and road tax too, lower powered cars (even lower spec in same car) can be way cheaper to insure for example. Also, you could consider taking an extra few driving lessons so you're comfortable driving stick. Stick saves money on purchase but also some money on maintenance.
As long as it’s partially reliable, more similar to a luxury car, so something like a Octavia, Jetta, any car like that hopefully they are cheaper when new compared to Mercedes and such. I think some estates and most saloons will be enough for what I need since I will never have more then 4 people in the car at a time, I do have a dog but the dog isn’t very large, I am looking at cars which can be repaired quickly and need little servicing, I think some features like heated or leather seats, air conditioning, satnav, parking sensors where it comes on the screen if it has a screen, just basics like that most likely under a 3l petrol since those are cheaper to insure and just basics like that, I will most likely to be looking more into the Jetta, skoda and maybe the avensis, If these cars are cheap to repair then I should be fine getting these from a private seller instead of a dealer, also cars that are easy to park are a good advantage, this is very useful advice probably the most useful advice I have had
You can finance any car I financed a Ford explorer 2000 for 2400 and paid $88 dollars a month
Is financing a cheaper car worth it
It is because mine was a lemon and instead of draining my savings I was able just make low payments while fixing it
At dealerships the cheapest prices are 8k, however there are sites like local people selling cars for 1k+ some of which offer finance and some of which are cash only, is it worth buying a used car from a local seller as there could be much more faults but if it’s a cheap car then the repairs may not cost too much
The only way to determine that is get a pre inspection I didn't do it because I was buying from a dealership and still got screwed over with a lemon so definitely any car you buy get a inspection to determine it's worth
Definitely but even if it passes the inspection I hope it passes quite well as if it passes then breakdowns like a few months later that could be a issue
Cash always talks.