Very true!
General Looking at buying options
- Thread starter Scorg
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General Looking at buying options
For someone claiming to be "expert" in vehicle finance you're certainly not filling me with confidence.
Scorg, my advice would be to seek guidance from someone that wants to offer you sound, independent advice, not someone who is clearly just trying to sell you finance.
ClareBear701
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Scrogg - I am in no hurry to sell finance over this forum - I came on here to try and solve a problem with my 500. I joined in this thread as I do have expertise in this area and was happy to point out some of the pro's and cons of different funding options, however I made the mistake of running a quick quote and presenting the figures without checking the information provided to me.
i bought my 500 at 6 months old off eBay for £8500 and list price was over 11k at the time
i bought my 500 at 6 months old off eBay for £8500 and list price was over 11k at the time
Nice!
Dont get those deals anymore do we
I remember 2 years ago AC Honda had a 1.4 sport with 20k miles on it going for £8000, was one of the launch models on an 07 or 57 plate if I recall.
Never seen that spec priced like that since.
No finance is really cost-effective, as you are paying interest on a depreciating item.
The simple fact is as long as you are happy with the price of the car and the deposit, repayments and term of the loan then it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks as they are not the one working to earn the money and then paying it.
With interest rates as low as they are at the moment your Savings aren't earning you much, so paying a bigger deposit and borrowing less is, in my opinion, a good idea at the moment. If you were getting a decent return on your savings and a low rate on the money you are borrowing then the opposite would be true. But that's just how I see it...
i bought my 500 at 6 months old off eBay for £8500 and list price was over 11k at the time
But yours has the steering wheel on the wrong side, so comparing to new list price is not as relevant as it would be on a RHD one
That's all very true. I am for the moment trying to think though all the options and they all have their pro's and cons.
But yours has the steering wheel on the wrong side, so comparing to new list price is not as relevant as it would be on a RHD one
Lol, did Rob cheat and get a lefty ?
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Very good post. good advice "not to buy a car you can't afford" - you need to be comfortable with repayments and think what happens if ...
That's all very true. I am for the moment trying to think though all the options and they all have their pro's and cons.
Lol, did Rob cheat and get a lefty ?
i was looking for a LHD anyway
i prefer them and they are 'more Italian'
and it is holding value better than RHD
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Hey
I've been to Arnolds and had a go in a 1.2. To my surprise the engine performs differently to the one in the Panda, was taken aback.
From the get go upto 70 it does feel similar to the brava. Although I do notice it sorta lacking response at that speed in comparison, this must be where the exta 12 hp comes in I guess.
But I was really surprised in a positive way.
Now would I get one still, im still back and forth on the matter.
I do have my price quotes in hand now so I know exactly whats on the table.
If anyones interested, its coming in as this for the HP (I'm not really wanting pcp in the end)
10 plate 1.2 lounge
4900 up front
60 x £122
08 plate 1.4 sport
4900 up front
60 x £97
There are pros and cons to both.
Think the next thing I am wondering about is the servicing costs between the two, I remember a while back reading something about the cost of 1.2 servicing (at least via fiat) was insane, in the £300 mark or worse. Same situ with the 1.4 or not?
I've been to Arnolds and had a go in a 1.2. To my surprise the engine performs differently to the one in the Panda, was taken aback.
From the get go upto 70 it does feel similar to the brava. Although I do notice it sorta lacking response at that speed in comparison, this must be where the exta 12 hp comes in I guess.
But I was really surprised in a positive way.
Now would I get one still, im still back and forth on the matter.
I do have my price quotes in hand now so I know exactly whats on the table.
If anyones interested, its coming in as this for the HP (I'm not really wanting pcp in the end)
10 plate 1.2 lounge
4900 up front
60 x £122
08 plate 1.4 sport
4900 up front
60 x £97
There are pros and cons to both.
Think the next thing I am wondering about is the servicing costs between the two, I remember a while back reading something about the cost of 1.2 servicing (at least via fiat) was insane, in the £300 mark or worse. Same situ with the 1.4 or not?
1.4 is pretty cheap to service and less than the 1.2
if you do motorway work you will enjoy the extra oomph of the 1.4
if you do motorway work you will enjoy the extra oomph of the 1.4
Thats what keeps playing in my mind, my work commute involves dual carrageway and motorway and I usually take the car on a long distance drive every year ontop of that also.
On the other hand the 1.2 is hardly the worst car to drive on a dual carriageway. Granted Rob is of course right that the 1.4 will be better on dual carriageways but you've also got to factor in fuel economy as well as the 1.2 is a bit more frugal than the 1.4.
Pros
New rear suspension
New car!
~2 years more warranty
Your choice of spec
Errrr better quality wheel centre caps?
Not saying that the 1.2 is the best engine for everyone but there are certainly some advantages to getting a newer car
When you do your sums though do take into account the higher road tax of the 1.4, the higher insurance, lower fuel economy whilst of course balancing it up against the higher purchase price of the newer car and higher servicing costs of the 1.2 which aren't really going to be that much more
Pros
New rear suspension
New car!
~2 years more warranty
Your choice of spec
Errrr better quality wheel centre caps?
Not saying that the 1.2 is the best engine for everyone but there are certainly some advantages to getting a newer car
When you do your sums though do take into account the higher road tax of the 1.4, the higher insurance, lower fuel economy whilst of course balancing it up against the higher purchase price of the newer car and higher servicing costs of the 1.2 which aren't really going to be that much more
But you have to remember, i'm coming from a Brava 1.2 16v, which has higher road tax (post march 2001 model) and lower fuel economy over the 1.4, so its win, win for me either way
Insurance wise, I believe will be similar to what I have now (oddly, if I insured our old stilo it would have been cheaper then the brava, which I could never work out beyond the airbag count :s )
I best mention though, that the new unregistered 1.2 on offer was a 2009 spec, so still with older suspension and no start/stop. (and I think its pricing was with a free coat of crossover black on it).
Other concern is, we cant really wait on a brandnew build for too long as all three of us need the use of cars. Can get away with april and May but come june, maybe not.
Still It's a final decision to be made after the holiday so that will be one for first week of may. So i'll feedback more on what im doing later on
Insurance wise, I believe will be similar to what I have now (oddly, if I insured our old stilo it would have been cheaper then the brava, which I could never work out beyond the airbag count :s )
I best mention though, that the new unregistered 1.2 on offer was a 2009 spec, so still with older suspension and no start/stop. (and I think its pricing was with a free coat of crossover black on it).
Other concern is, we cant really wait on a brandnew build for too long as all three of us need the use of cars. Can get away with april and May but come june, maybe not.
Still It's a final decision to be made after the holiday so that will be one for first week of may. So i'll feedback more on what im doing later on
Well tbh I reckon if you were to order a new car you could find plenty in production to change to your hearts delight so it won't take forever for it to arrive.
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If I were in your situation, and I had £4900 to pay up front. I would buy a car that cost £4900 - and not get any finance - but thats just a personal preference
I have not driven a 1.4, but drive 150 miles each day in my 1.2. It costs me £30 to tax, cheap to insure - and (with my driving) quicker than 90% of road users on dual carriageways (not a boast, just a statement) - albeit takes some revs to get up to speed. I find myself hitting the rev limitor when wanting to get up to speed.
That being said .. servicing is astronomical .. probably BMW, Merc servicing is cheaper.
So if I were in your situation .. I would go for the 1.2 Lounge every time.
There is plenty of 500 stock around at the moment, so if your dealership tries to push you in to one they have on site and refuses to look at what else is available then go somewhere else to buy.
What would be your first choice model/engine/colour/interior/options? I'll have a look how quickly one would be available.
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It's worth noting with the price of servicing. AC does a service plan for 3 years for £349. So you can ignore all the silly 1.2 service prices people mention.
Thanks for the thoughts and comments, all valid points.
Good to know about the servicing plan that AC have on offer too.
Although one thing im wondering Scrogg, do you mean plenty of stock of new or used ?
From what I saw on the dealers lot, there are plenty of new Pops in stock but the black 2009 spec lounge plus a yellow one in the showroom were the only ones they had of that spec.
If I did go for a new one, then it would be a 1.2 Lounge, Red, with black interior trim (whats the chances of finding interscope ?)
Otherwise, on a used one, Same spec but with a 1.4.
If it comes to used stock, Fiat approved doesnt show anything for scotland, its as if Arnold Clark holds a near monopoly on that side of sales.
Morrisons garage in Stirling are the only others with an online stocklist that I know of and they only list 2 used Pop's.
Good to know about the servicing plan that AC have on offer too.
Although one thing im wondering Scrogg, do you mean plenty of stock of new or used ?
From what I saw on the dealers lot, there are plenty of new Pops in stock but the black 2009 spec lounge plus a yellow one in the showroom were the only ones they had of that spec.
If I did go for a new one, then it would be a 1.2 Lounge, Red, with black interior trim (whats the chances of finding interscope ?)
Otherwise, on a used one, Same spec but with a 1.4.
If it comes to used stock, Fiat approved doesnt show anything for scotland, its as if Arnold Clark holds a near monopoly on that side of sales.
Morrisons garage in Stirling are the only others with an online stocklist that I know of and they only list 2 used Pop's.
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