Second car … what to do…

[Wildfire]

So a while back (4 years ago) I picked up an 04 Golf 2.0 FSI for the wife. Mainly to keep what was left of my wheels on the Z4 safe … and the rest of the car.

It’s served us well until this year (106k) and lately it has hit “that time” and bits are failing. Currently it need x2 lambda sensors, there is a small oil leak and a slow water leak (that neither me nor my mechanic can find), recently the bonnet switch failed and the oil refill light won’t go out, now the bonnet catch / cable has failed, the wife broke the handle trying to get it open and both fog lights have taken a hit and need to be replaced.

I’m currently in 250 miles from home and can’t get the bonnet open and am hoping that the water will be ok until I can get home and try and get it open.

The plus side is it’s not a 100bhp 1.0 turbo and it is comfortable and I don’t care about leaving it on the street.

But I’m now getting to the point where the inconvenience is getting to me and I need to work out what to do.

We also want to move house this year, but do need a reliable car (in addition to the Z4).

1. Get it repaired and hope it lasts a while and nothing else breaks.

2. Trade the car in for about £500 and finance something around the £15k mark on finance. Probably from a main dealer. Leon or similar. Take the risk the wife may be a little more careful.

3. Sell the Z4C, see what I can get the wife for what I can get most of the Z4, take a bit of savings and finance something a bit more fun for myself.

Option 3 is probably a well outsider as it kind of defeats the idea of getting something reliable that both the wife and I can use.

Basically we need something that is reliable, more than 120bhp and that I can transport a mountain bike in.

WWZ4F do?

 

[buzyg]

Buy an old Mazda2 Capella Sport. Love mine to bits. Well over 100k on the clock. Just 100bhp but feels way more, as it weighs noubt. Plenty of space in the back . Even has a tow bar. Never gone wrong since I paid £1300 quid for it 3 plus years ago. Oh and the best bit, it handles like a go kart and is genuinely fun to chuck down a lane.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106163889674?onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&price-to=50000&sort=relevance&radius=1500&include-delivery-option=on&postcode=pl124ty&advertising-location=at_cars&transmission=Manual&minimum-badge-engine-size=1.6&make=MAZDA&model=MAZDA2&fuel-type=Petrol&page=1

 

[mr.tourette]

Option 2 does seem a bit nuclear, I'm with buzyg, if you need a 2nd runabout for this Mrs, get rid of the golf and buy something Japanese, mazda is a good choice but personally I'd be looking to a Honda civic around 2008 era, just about the most reliable car you can get, decent 1.8 vvt petrol or 2.2 diesel are both punchy, comfortable reliable and cheap to buy and run and the fold down rear seats sort your mountain bike problem

Failing that option 3 if you are not totally smitten with your z4c.. In terms of option one I'd leave that at the door, my wife also had a golf that started falling to bits at the 100k mark and in terms of the repair bill you might throw at that imho it would be better invested elsewhere

 

[TitanTim]

If you say you have a budget of around 15k to finance a car then why not have a wander around a car supermarket site and see what appeals.

Age old problem, older you buy chances are you will be back to square one in a few years unless you get a really well looked after car which most aren't these days.

I wouldn't even rule out something like a new Dacia Stepway, latest model looks ok, plenty of room or Sandero which you might be able to get the higher specced model for the budget or Hyundai i20, 5 year warranty etc or something nearly new with balance of warranty, Fiesta, Polo etc.

Tim.

 

[enuff_zed]

I need to read these things more closely.
I thought Option 3 said 'see what I can get for the wife'!
Hmmm, maybe though........................ :roll:

 

[Wildfire]

Funnily enough the Golf replaced our aging Civic that got T-boned whilst we were away and the couple we bought it off had replaced it with a Civic.

My "silly option" is to try and get the wife something for ~£7k, then expand out into maybe an older R8 for myself (I only really drive once every 2 weeks, if that).

 

[Scubaregs]

@wildfire, pity you are so far away, I'm about to sell a 69 Corsa griffith in fantastic condition to the local vauxhall dealer as they are giving me more than the company I'm buying the Z4 from.

 

[brillomaster]

option 4 - trade the car in, buy another cheap car. as mentioned, something japanese would be a good bet.

i wouldnt be committing to any further finance if you're needing a mortgage for a new house, and selling the Z4c seems a bit drastic!

 

[IRD]

Good second hand cars are in short supply at the moment. Some dealers are raising the price of existing stock. I enquired after a BMW 330e which went up £3000 overnight at a BMW dealer’s in Stevenage. So if you buy now you will pay a premium price. We sold two cars to buy our new 330e Touring and got our money back on both. There is an issue with the production of semi-conductors which is affecting the supply of new cars. This is having a knock on affect and there is an increased demand for good second hand vehicles. Thus prices are at a premium. So now isn’t the best time to buy.

 

[Ed Doe]

Similarly to BuzyG, I've got a £1000 Citroen C1 for daily/winter/runabout duties. It's probably a bit more extreme than BuzyG in terms of 'basics cheap motoring', but I have a 10mile commute down crappy backroads, so for winter/miserable weather it's perfect. It's actually a complete hoot to drive, it feels pretty peppy, does about 55mpg, and costs bugger-all to run (tax is £20 a year, insurance £140 a year), meaning on net owning both the Z4MC & the C1 isn't a hideously costly.

The big caveat I guess being that if we need to go anywhere as a family, we do also have my wife's Tucson as the sensible family car... Not sure I'd recommend a Citroen C1 & a Z4 as an ideal 2-car garage for a young family....!! :lol:

 

[Wildfire]

option 4 - trade the car in, buy another cheap car. as mentioned, something japanese would be a good bet.

i wouldnt be committing to any further finance if you're needing a mortgage for a new house, and selling the Z4c seems a bit drastic!

This is the current thinking. I was / am hoping the Golf survives until we move. Then I can work out what we can do properly.

The main issue with a newer car is that the wife isn't the most careful with her cars. She never cleans the exterior or interior and kerbs vs wheels, front bumpers are casualties of war, as are pot holes. And let's not talk about mechanical sympathy for clutches. So I fear a 19 - 21 plate on finance may plummet past any agreed value rather sharpish.

I think by her own admittance she would like to go back to a Civic, so if the Golf does look terminal maybe a 2012 model may be affordable and I can still stick a MTB in the back.

Once we move I'll look at the Z4C. I intended to keep it 2 years in 2011 and still have it. But I do fancy something a bit different before the electric revolution sets in full swing.

 

[bigwinn]

I need to read these things more closely.
I thought Option 3 said 'see what I can get for the wife'!
Hmmm, maybe though........................ :roll:

couple of camels?

Seriously OP- I would err toward option 1 OR finding a cheaper, older car to run as a second (wifes car), I would happily trade in my other halfs 2010 XC60 (utter rubbish BTW) for a 2005 E46 touring

Option2- if you have cash to splash- go for it, but 2nd hand prices are still rising and youll pay more on PCP etc

Option 3- dont be silly

 

[Wildfire]

Thanks all.

Until pointed out I didn't realise that 2nd hand cars were on the up! When I looked at Golf's we paid £1500 for a Mk5 with 88k on the clock (2.0 GT). Now 1.4's are £3.5k+

Well it's off to the mechanic with the Golf to prolong it's life.

If it get's worse or terminal I think I'll look into a Civic probably a 2012+.

 

[Zforbes]

This

i wouldnt be committing to any further finance if you're needing a mortgage for a new house, and selling the Z4c seems a bit drastic!

:?



Buy the house, see how finances are then when you're comfortable buy something tasty for the driveway

 

[Ole gits rule]

option 4 - trade the car in, buy another cheap car. as mentioned, something japanese would be a good bet.

i wouldnt be committing to any further finance if you're needing a mortgage for a new house, and selling the Z4c seems a bit drastic!

This is the current thinking. I was / am hoping the Golf survives until we move. Then I can work out what we can do properly.

The main issue with a newer car is that the wife isn't the most careful with her cars. She never cleans the exterior or interior and kerbs vs wheels, front bumpers are casualties of war, as are pot holes. And let's not talk about mechanical sympathy for clutches. So I fear a 19 - 21 plate on finance may plummet past any agreed value rather sharpish.

I think by her own admittance she would like to go back to a Civic, so if the Golf does look terminal maybe a 2012 model may be affordable and I can still stick a MTB in the back.

Once we move I'll look at the Z4C. I intended to keep it 2 years in 2011 and still have it. But I do fancy something a bit different before the electric revolution sets in full swing.

I had this issue but with some careful words SWMBO now tends to be a little better, not perfect as I still clean the cars but she is more aware of damaging alloys and paint, she learnt when it cost her £500 to send her 208 back as she had herbed two alloys and scratched the paint.

Mechanical sympathy - I cured that with an auto box.

We had a family friend just trade an Astra with peanuts but got £2.5k against a £8.5k car so even though prices are on the up, you should get a little more in part ex.