General Out with the old, maybe?

[deeyup]

My panda 4x4 ta is coming up to 3 years old in March. It's just passed 20,000 miles today.
I'm undecided on selling it and getting a new one.

I was considering a new 4x4 multijet 95hp, as the performance is nigh on the same as the ta, but with better mpg, and the same road tax.
It's a big premium in price though. Almost £2k over the price of a new twin air!

I've been offered £6400 (funnily enough, more than they offered over 14 months ago!) from we buy any car for my one, which doesn't take into account any options. I reckon I'd get close to £7500 privately.

This leaves me wondering on another twin air. With the generous privilege deposit contribution £3750, and loyalty £500 bonus, it brings the new twin air at £10,325.
Add another £1900 for the Multijet, which doesn't really compute?

Or do I just pay the ballon, around £3500 in March and keep the one I've got?

Opinions please?

 

[Mercky]

My panda 4x4 ta is coming up to 3 years old in March. It's just passed 20,000 miles today.

I'm undecided on selling it and getting a new one.



I was considering a new 4x4 multijet 95hp, as the performance is nigh on the same as the ta, but with better mpg, and the same road tax.

It's a big premium in price though. Almost £2k over the price of a new twin air!



I've been offered £6400 (funnily enough, more than they offered over 14 months ago!) from we buy any car for my one, which doesn't take into account any options. I reckon I'd get close to £7500 privately.



This leaves me wondering on another twin air. With the generous privilege deposit contribution £3750, and loyalty £500 bonus, it brings the new twin air at £10,325.

Add another £1900 for the Multijet, which doesn't really compute?



Or do I just pay the ballon, around £3500 in March and keep the one I've got?



Opinions please?

Well you know what they say - the cheapest car you can own is the one in your driveway! Mileage is low too.

 

[gar074]

At only 3k to change, for a shiny new TA with a 3 year warranty, I reckon it makes lots of sense to swap it now. Yours is one of the earliest current-model 4x4s, and will therefore be one of the cheapest low mileage ones available, and consequently in demand (there are still old model Cross's on sale for over £6k!).

And if you keep it? I wouldn't want to run a TA without an extended warranty (which will be costly) - at least, not until there are lots of trouble-free 5-year-old examples with 80k+ on them.

As for the petrol/diesel dilemma, if your mileage is only 7k per year (20k over 3 years?) there's no point in paying that whopping great premium for a diesel.

 

[deeyup]

That's the exact same points of view I've been having myself.
Undoubtedly cheaper to keep the old one, unless something major fails?

Then there is a lot to be said for a new one with the warranty, no mot to do. Not that I'd expect a fail?

My annual mileage is around 11k. I've been driving a Nissan Leaf for the past 16 months too, which was intended to replace the fiat. I just couldn't bring myself to sell the fiat though. I love it that much! The Nissan by contrast is white goods.
I think the multijet still doesn't work out though. If it had been £1k on top, then yes, but the big increase over the eu5 model puts it over the edge.

Thanks for your replies both. Still undecided

 

[R1NGA]

Keep the TA deeyup - there's no reason to think they'd be expensive to run in the long term - it's a Fiat for heaven's sake, not an E63 AMG! 20k is very low mileage in absolute terms and as long as it has the toys you want on it and it does the job with a smile, I'd keep it.

Whenever I get a situation that has me thinking about other cars I normally treat my existing car to something special that makes a difference (such as the excellent Cruise Control I have in y TA) and I'm all in love again.

Personally I couldn't live with the clatter, stink and extra 70kg or so weight of the diesel - life's just too short to worry about the difference in MPG in a car that by anyone's reckoning is massively cost-effective to run with the wonderful TA.

Just my view of course though

 

[Goudrons]

I'm guessing there are a few owners considering what to do as their PCP deals near the end.

We've two Pandas on deals that will both end around the same time, and I too don't really want to hand our TA 4x4 over.

It's not perfect, but it's good at most things we need it for and it's bags of fun.
Though to be honest we probably could do with something a bit more comfy on long trips.

So I think I'll pay the balloon and hang on to the TA 4x4 but shop the 1.2 Lounge in for another deal, perhaps a Giulietta or a Giulia as both should qualify for Priviledge discount.

Whatever we get it'll be petrol, after our last couple of common rails, I'll not entertain another diesel.

If the TA 4x4 starts showing any signs of trouble, I can still shop it in for another deal!

 

[jrkitching]

Deeyup, firstly I'd rule out the diesel. On your proposed mileage, there's no way you can build an economic case for spending the extra capital cost. Also, whatever your personal feelings might be, I'd suggest the current swell of opinion against diesel power is too strong to ignore. You'll likely end up with higher depreciation and running costs than you planned for.

So that makes it a two way choice between keeping what you've got, and starting again with the same thing.

Unless you've got a good reason to suspect there are problems in the offing, I'd say keeping what you have will likely get you the lowest long-term total cost; plus it's also the easiest option. With just 20k on the clock and at least another ten years expected calendar life, most of your existing car's use value still remains. You also avoid the small but still very real risk of getting another one and having it turn out to be a lemon.

MOT's are just a red herring; you are probably worrying needlessly. Just take it to one of the 'MOT-only' centres and it'll almost certainly fly through for several years yet without issues; at 5 1/2 yrs, my 1.2 is getting close to 70k now, has needed only one set of tyres and one set of front brakes, and has passed 3 MOT's without advisories.

You also might find it quite hard to sell privately; folks are often reluctant to part with the sort of money a 3yr old car can command without any sort of warranty or meaningful comeback. Parkers top book for a private sale on a 3yr old TA 4x4 is just £5590 (albeit with 40k, you could probably add £500-£750 for a 20k car), and WBAC have been known to offer much less than their initial valuation if you actually try to complete the deal, so you might get less than you are planning for if you chop it in. Unfortunately, I don't think £7500 is realistically achievable - though I hope you'll be able to prove me wrong!

I'd suggest you focus on the changeover price; that's effectively what it will have cost you in depreciation to run the car for the past three years. I'll bet that's a bigger number than you'll likely pay in additional depreciation and repairs if you keep it for another three.

I can understand you being concerned about the potential liability of a relatively new engine that we don't yet have much experience of regarding long term reliability; I'd say the two biggest risks are the turbo and the multiair system. Whilst either will likely cost you a fortune if you take it to a franchised dealer out of warranty, there are other options; turbos can be reconditioned for a few hundred pounds, and a new multiair unit from S4P is around £450 with the forum discount, so whilst unpleasant, in the unlikely event that something awful does happen, it needn't necessarily break the bank. Plenty of folks here have paid more than that to a franchised dealer for a full service if their tyres and front brakes needed replacement.

Good luck, whatever you choose to do.

JR.

 

[Super Uwe]

It is a difficult one mate!

I think it's especially tricky given how good the deals are on new ones; like you say, a brand new one will cost just over £10k which I am guessing will bring your monthly payments down quite a bit? I am assuming you will be getting a good deal from your usual dealer

I have never driven a Multijet before (or a TA come to think about it), but I guess if you really love your car now with the TA engine, perhaps it might not be quite the same with the diesel?

Anyway, not sure if this helps much lol!

 

[varesecrazy]

My panda 4x4 ta is coming up to 3 years old in March. It's just passed 20,000 miles today.
I'm undecided on selling it and getting a new one.

I've been offered £6400 (funnily enough, more than they offered over 14 months ago!) from we buy any car for my one, which doesn't take into account any options. I reckon I'd get close to £7500 privately.

THE £6400 OFFER IS DUE TO THE "SNOWY SEASON"

your car is still essentially "new", and as said you can still offload it at signs of trouble..,

Charlie

 

[deeyup]

THE £6400 OFFER IS DUE TO THE "SNOWY SEASON"

Charlie

Undoubtedly.

It has snowed overnight not too many miles away from where I live.
A friend has just tweeted they woke up to this.



There is a window of opportunity to get the best price over the next few months, especially if we do have a bad winter.
Some may remember, in 2010 the panda cross increased in value in the glasses guide, over £1500 in one month! That was due to heavy snow, and in typical style, fiat removing it from their catalog.

Great info there jrkitching and considering the fact that each and every one of my 3 brand new fiats over the past 9 years have been delivered with faults, the lemon risk is there. Apart from my squeaky rear brakes, that we all have, and my occasionally non starting stop/start system which I can live with, my panda 4x4 is going great!
I also benefit from 18k two year service intervals, the new ones have halved that. My own descretionary annual oil change a lot cheaper than following fiats new schedule.

Yes Super Uwe (I still have to concentrate not to put ewe! ) I'll use griffin mill if I change. These deals are easy to get nowadays for anyone though. Just join the British cycling for £30 and you're in.
The deposit contributions are very generous at the moment.
If I was being totally sensible buying new, trekking ta at £8825. Now that's a bargain!

Thank you all for the comments. Lots of sensible stuff said.
The multijet is definitely out due to the cost. I have a thought that those in power may start upping the duty on the fuel as they turn against it more and more. Any savings with better mpg may be wiped out? Who knows? The £1900 premium is just too much though.

The sensible thing to do is pay the final payment on my panda and keep it. I could even not use my own money by getting a zero percent credit card ,if I can indeed pay the balloon with a credit card?

I do like a new car though.

:tempt:

 

[deeyup]

Whenever I get a situation that has me thinking about other cars I normally treat my existing car to something special that makes a difference (such as the excellent Cruise Control I have in y TA) and I'm all in love again.

Good idea R1NGA with the buying something for the car to refresh it. I've been doing a similar thing with our VW bus. It's coming up to six years old soon. I've never owned a car as long as that before!
Every once in a while, I'll do something to update it, change the wheels etc.I installed heated seats in it last year, which incidentally are 10 times better than the factory heated seats in my panda. That gave it a totally new lease of life.

On my fiat I've painted my roof black, fitted roof bars, and a tow bar.
I have the accessory wheels as fitted to the Antarctica and summer tyres, so I can save the winters for winter.
Unknown what to treat it to next if I keep it? If I could get some BFGoodrich all terrains in our size that would be 1st on the list.

I did consider lifting the suspension a little with this kit
click

 

[Goudrons]

The sensible thing to do is pay the final payment on my panda and keep it. I could even not use my own money by getting a zero percent credit card ,if I can indeed pay the balloon with a credit card?

I do like a new car though.

:tempt:

From what I've been told, if you do nothing they'll just take (or try to) the balloon payment on your final month in the same way as they have taken all the other payments.

That is unless you do another deal before hand (which the dealer will undoubtedly keep reminding you to do) or as common with most finance you can contact the finance company before this date and ask for a settlement figure, there might be a small charge, but it's often offset with some interest saved (if there was any on the deal to start with)
I'm guessing you can pay this settlement figure with a card, but I think I'll crack open my copper jar!

 

[jrkitching]

I could even not use my own money by getting a zero percent credit card ,if I can indeed pay the balloon with a credit card?

That's down to the discretion of the finance company; some will accept credit cards for balloon payments, some won't. If they do, expect to pay a surcharge of around 2-3%. Debit cards are usually accepted without surcharge. It will cost you nothing to ask.

At current savings rates, it'll likely cost you less in the long run just to pay it on a debit card and avoid the surcharge if you've got the cash sitting around. Otherwise, a 0% interest credit card could save you a reasonable amount over taking out a loan, if they'll accept payment by that method. There are quite a few cards out there just now that offer 2 years interest free on purchases, but do read the small print carefully.

 

[R1NGA]

I did consider lifting the suspension a little with this kit
click

Funnily enough I was reading through this only today (with the help of Google Translate of course...) and I too would consider trying it out. In fact so convinced am I that I want to investigate further I even looked for the "Buy it Now" button to see the cost, but it looks as though you'd need to order through one of their installation partners. If I could get hold of a kit for delivery top the UK I'd give it a go.

 

[oyumurtaci]

Price seems to be 170 Euros including local VAT. That being said, they don't do private sales it seems.

http://www.prometeomeccanica.it/prometeo_meccanica_listino_prodotti.html

 

[deeyup]

Funnily enough I was reading through this only today (with the help of Google Translate of course...) and I too would consider trying it out. In fact so convinced am I that I want to investigate further I even looked for the "Buy it Now" button to see the cost, but it looks as though you'd need to order through one of their installation partners. If I could get hold of a kit for delivery top the UK I'd give it a go.

You can buy from them. I was emailing one of their guys a while ago. He said no problem to buy direct and they would ship to the UK.

this is the guy to talk to
[email protected]

and this is a copy of the email text he sent me.

"The price of the KIT RIALZO SOSPENSIONI is 170 € including VAT and shipping.

Are you interested in the wheel spacers 15 mm. recommend them often combined with the upward suspension kit at a cost of 150 Euros including VAT. see photo attached.
https://www.facebook.com/prometeome...3263280153826/209521952527958/?type=3&theater
"


I've linked to these pics from their facebook page

the spacers

They look like they make some really good quality parts in house. They will even prototype bespoke parts for you.

 

[oyumurtaci]

Now I know what to ask for my birthday next summer.