First car : lease or buy?

[zwk500]

However if the OP is doing lots of miles then the fuel and tax savings will offset that.

Modern petrols have DMFs and Turbos, so I'm not sure they are that much better.

I have an almost 10 year old diesel that hasn't given me any problems like the ones you describe. It's £30 to tax and does 60mpg on a run so probably saves me at least £500-700 a year compared to an equivalent petrol.

Except usual servicing it has only needed an ABS sensor and I am getting the belts changed next month for £500.

And as LEZs get rolled out the greater costs of taking a diesel into town will factor into it.

 

[dgl]

Believe the cheapest decent tyres you can get are Falken's, made by the Japanese company Sumitomo, we used them as they were the cheapest tyre that wasn't Chinese at our local tyre place.

As for the clutch, my sister's car has done over 130k on the original clutch and she seems to not be noticing anything different about it.

Also have a good check for rust, just because a car has got an MOT, however new, it doesn't mean there aren't any rust issues and I've seen people online but cars with relatively recent MOT's where it's clear that the MOT tester was either not very thorough or the MOT test was "suspect".

 

[A0]

However if the OP is doing lots of miles then the fuel and tax savings will offset that.

Modern petrols have DMFs and Turbos, so I'm not sure they are that much better.

I have an almost 10 year old diesel that hasn't given me any problems like the ones you describe. It's £30 to tax and does 60mpg on a run so probably saves me at least £500-700 a year compared to an equivalent petrol.

Except usual servicing it has only needed an ABS sensor and I am getting the belts changed next month for £500.

It needs to be *alot* of miles - my local Tesco's current fuel prices are Unleaded 145.9p Diesel 160.9p - so diesel is already 10% more expensive per litre.

The website Honest John has "real" fuel economy figures as reported by owners, for the Fiesta from 2008 onwards, petrol models are about 49mpg, the diesel is about 65mpg, but the list price difference between a basic petrol (£11,745) and equivalent diesel (£13,145) is £1,400.

I reckon you need to be doing about 15,000 miles a year for the diesel to be more cost effective.

 

[Fleetmaster]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd reopen this thread to give an update.

I ended up taking the good advice many of you offered me and, as soon as I passed my test, found a thirteen year old 1.4 Fiesta with 110k miles for £2600, it was relatively cheap to insure and has been a wonderful car so far.

It's fairly good on fuel economy and very comfortably does motorway speeds, has plenty of space and I haven't had any major issues with it yet, I did have the brake pads replaced but that's been it for maintenance. The clutch will probably have to be changed at some point but hopefully not until the MOT.

Thank you all very very much for the advice, I really appreciate it and it's probably saved me a lot of money over leasing a new vehicle!

You've made a good choice. Did you get some help, or was this just good fortune? I was definitely going to advise you to seek help of experienced people, as your OP read like you could have been ripped off easily. Not your fault, just the confidence of youth. You don't know what you don't know. No offence, but I have assumed you are a young person. Even if not, older person doesn't necessarily mean experienced car person.

Basics like whether a Fiesta does motorways fine, whether a new driver on a budget has the luxury of considering comfort (nope!), whether 10k a year is a lot, whether MoTs should bother you one bit, are all stuff that Old People pick up through bitter life experience. Be Wise, exploit your Elders. Rinse them for every scrap of advice. Ignore them if they drive a rust bucket. Keep doing it. Always more more learn, expensive mistakes to avoid.

There's nowt wrong with an old car as long as it's a reliable model - which Fiestas obviously are - it has been well looked after - which sounds about right at that average mileage if it's still economical - and you're not going to be thrashing it - which you obviously won't be.

As long as it hasn't got go faster stripes, a 1.4 Fiesta that old is never going to be too bad on insurance, even for a new driver. Be warned, don't make the mistake many newbies make and tell lies, even little white lies, on your application. They will make you pay for it, should you make a claim.

That said, you might want to research what you can do to better secure it, the locks/immobilizer probably aren't the best. Nobody's going to put much effort into stealing it other than idiot opportunists, but since any theft or damage would seriously mess up your life and your wallet, it's worth checking.

Now is the time to start cultivating relationships with mechanics, to save every penny you can. Find someone you trust, and reward them with regular business. Garages value repeat business most of all, but make sure to get second opinions discretely, or even educate yourself on the basics, to guard against being taken advantage of long term.

Don't insult their professionalism, but don't be an easy mark either. Never be afraid to ask questions, and speak up if you don't like or just don't understand the answer. Find out out what a new clutch for a Fiesta should cost, and how long it takes to fit it. Under no circumstances use high profile or even dealer garages. They really don't want your business and you can't afford it! But they will happily rinse you.

Hopefully you got basic roadside assistance included in your insurance, but if not, definitely get some. Nothing flashy, just the essentials, because with an older car like that, with your long drives, it's worth it even for one breakdown. A dodgy clutch, even more so. Don't wait to get that fixed either, you likely don't have the experience to know how long you can push it. Tip: if you find yourself rolling backwards during a hill start, you waited too long!

Last but not least, it may sound ridiculous, but do your best to keep it in good condition. Tyres, servicing, even basic cleaning. If things go well and you can afford an upgrade in a few years time, your low mileage will mean you still might be able to get back a nice little cash sum for your first car. The benefits of the current market (high demand, low supply).

On the flip side, do at least be prepared for serious but a little predictable bad luck. Your car, even that make, isn't bulletproof. They're small and cheap for a reason. Good running is not a foolproof indicator of future performance. Consult the manual for the major work ahead (always mileage based), and accept that bad luck sometimes means the engine explodes a good 30k miles before it should, and often right after you shelled out good money to replace expensive parts. Thems the breaks. For major work, always get a guarantee, but for a car that price and age, it's quite likely to be cheaper to scrap it and buy another.

With a fair wind though, it's the car after your second purchase that is the point you start to reap the benefits of age, wisdom and wages. Full roadside assistance. Extremely comfortable and powerful cars, for cheapish insurance. Dealer servicing. Courtesy cars.

Oh sweet Lord. How I wish I could relive those wonder years!

Good luck fella.

 

[hst43102]

A sound choice - Fiestas are tough, generally reliable, cheap to fix and any garage can fix them.

Brake pads are consumables, like tyres and exhausts, nothing to worry about there.

Just a word on tyres though - under no circumstances buy cheap Chinese brand tyres - there are good budget tyres out there at normally a only a couple of pounds more, but with vastly better performance, brands like Nexen, Hankook or Kumho are much better than unknown Chinese brands. My Vauxhall Insignia has a couple of cheap Chinese tyres on (were fitted when I bought it) and I can truthfully say in 30 years of driving I've never before experienced such appalling tyres - fine in the dry, scary in the cold or wet. I could not recommend them under any circumstances and especially not to a new or inexperienced driver.

On the Fiesta just check to ensure the cambelt aka timing belt and water pump have been changed at the correct intervals.

Thanks a lot for the advice @A0wen - the car's currently got a full set of good condition Continentals which should last a good while, but I'll bear that in mind if and when I do have to change them. I tend to try not to buy any off-brand Chinese products for any purpose - not only quality issues but also ethical issues surrounding their manufacture!
I'll make sure to get the cambelt and water pump checked at the next service.

Also have a good check for rust, just because a car has got an MOT, however new, it doesn't mean there aren't any rust issues and I've seen people online but cars with relatively recent MOT's where it's clear that the MOT tester was either not very thorough or the MOT test was "suspect".

Thanks for the advice - I don't think the car has any bodywork issues whatsoever, all the paintwork is intact and there aren't any major bumps or scratches, and definitely no rust in the usual places (front wings, under the doors...) but I'll also make sure to get that checked. Thanks!

And as LEZs get rolled out the greater costs of taking a diesel into town will factor into it.

This was one of the reasons I decided to get a petrol - I don't know how much long distance driving I'm going to use the car for eventually (hoping that train will cover a lot of it) and I'd rather avoid paying any LEZ charges wherever possible!

 

[A0]

Thanks a lot for the advice @A0wen - the car's currently got a full set of good condition Continentals which should last a good while, but I'll bear that in mind if and when I do have to change them. I tend to try not to buy any off-brand Chinese products for any purpose - not only quality issues but also ethical issues surrounding their manufacture!
I'll make sure to get the cambelt and water pump checked at the next service.

That is often a good sign about how a car has been cared for. If it's been run on a shoestring you'll find cheap tyres, usually mismatched ones at that. When you find decent tyres on a cheap car it suggests somebody has taken a bit of care and hasn't just gone on Blackcircles or down to Kwikfit (other fastfit centres are available) and asked for the cheapest tyres.

 

[Back2front]

Buying for sure