Do you buy brand new, nearly new, used or just runabouts? If so why?
Or do you opt for this new fangle thing of just add fuel deals a bit like leasing.
Also how long long do you keep your cars, run them inot the ground or trade in every few years? If so why?
Just nosey to see what different people think on the subject.
Family car leased, my knacker bought as cheap as chips and ran into the ground.
Although the Golf we lease at the moment is a lovely thing, so when the lease is up, I’m very tempted to buy it.
Large enough to fit camping gear in along with 2 young kids and a dog, economical enough to do a regular 40 miles a day to work and back and cheap enough to be able to think ‘oh it’s knackered, throw it away and start again’.
Currently running a Xsara Picasso 2.0 diesel and its been spot on, big enough and averages 54mpg.
When I first bought my own vehicles, they were usually 2-3 years old with low mileage and a local vehicle which I knew the history of. Then from 1972 to 2006 I bought brand new vehicles with about 3 exceptions. 6 months ago I bought a 2 year old vehicle,and if I ever buy anymore they will be low mileage and second hand. I have been running 2 at a time for years, but I think I will cut down to 1.
Replaced my car last July, got an 05 reg Rover 75 Connoisseur Diesel, that was £2,800. It’s a bit boring but good on fuel and has bulletproof BMW engine and JATCO gearbox.
Car before that was a Rover 825 V6 Sterling, paid £1,300 for that and had it eight years, sold it for £300. Sold it to a preservationist.
Car before that was a Ford Sierra 2.0 GLSi, paid £300 for that, had it eight years too and sold it for £285. Buyer used it as a donor vehicle for a Westfield kit car.
No point in spending money on depreciation when the car sits in the yard all week is my way of thinking.
I have a fixed rate personal loan that cost just under £200 per month, that I extend every 3 years, as long as the interest rates remain low. This allows me to change my car when I like without the ballache of having attached to a finance agreement.
I choose a car that suits my needs at the given time. This weekend I just picked up a DS3 60 plate with 40000 on the clock. I also try and pick ex lease agreement cars as they are normally only 3 years old, have had any niggle faults fixed under warranty and are well looked after with regard to service plans etc.
Everyone’s will be different and will likely work for them. I do wish I had a bit of extra cash sloshing about to be able to have a 2nd “project car”. But really i’m just too tight at heart…
Wouldn’t buy brand new. Buy them between 6-12 months old. Got my current car in January. An 11 month old 62 plate Astra 2.0 cdti SE. Cost almost 23k new but I got it for 11.5k. Still getting a decent car for less than half the price of a brand new car. Still got 2 yrs manufacturers warranty left on it too.
Buy them on HP cos at least I own the car after 4 yrs.
I am easy on my cars so I expect about 5 or 6 yrs trouble free motoring with them before I trade it in for my next car.
best advice I got regarding cars was from exes stepfather (millionaire ) buy the demonstrator ,put a private plate on and a) you will save thousands b) it will be fully loaded with every extra you can think of c) most importantly the arse next door will never know it isn’t a brand spanker. 
I`ve never paid more than £3,500 for a motor. (gangstafied merc 190 - looked the dogs, and went like ***t off a stick).
Had a nicely customised 1275GT Mini that fair flew as well. Forget what I paid now, but it certainly wasn`t a fortune.
Also had a nice 1.8i 306 meridian. 3yrs old, 32,000mls & fully loaded for £3,200. Had about 10 main dealer service stamps if I remember rightly!
Bought some proper cheap old bangers (diesel Maestro, cavalier, corolla etc. purely for getting to and from places of work. These were all justifiably beasted to death.
Currently running a re-mapped 1.8 turbo MGZT. Had bulletproof head conversion (no k-series problems), new w/pump, pulleys & belts, cold air feed induction kit, uprated wastegate, civic type R boost gauge (where the clock used to be), custom stainless exhaust, drilled/grooved discs, good ICE, leccy everything. Beautiful trophy blue metallic which makes it for me. All for a grand.
I only change cars when I`ve either run it into the ground, or I just fancy something different.
Ive always bought privately and at good prices, and (luckily or skillfully!) never been landed with a lemon. Ive got in the habit now of paying for stuff in cash and as it seems to work well for me, will continue to do so. There`s plenty of really good, well cherished cars for sale out there, so my take on it is why pay (or owe) a fortune?
My last car was a 96 Vitara. Owned by my auntie from new. I got it in 07 with 80k on the clock. Paid £500 for it. Owned it until August 2012. Sold it for £650. In all that time the total bills in repairs (Not including consumables like pads, fluids, filters, etc…) came to less than £400 including MOT test costs. That was the best car I owned in regards to getting my moneys worth.
Car I have now (Volvo V40 W reg (2000)) cost £450 from ebay with a months MOT. Passed first MOT, second mot required a brake pipe (£60 fitted). And all the electric toys work.
I personally would rather buy a good old car, than a new sparse one. You can get some really nice cars with loads of toys for a good price if you look hard enough.
As I cover in my car weekly a whopping mileage, ranging from 30 miles to as many as 60 miles week in and week out my policy is to not pay over £300 for one. It has to have at least 8 months MOT on it. If it passes the next one I keep it, if it fails I throw it away. Simples.
My last 2 cars were on e-bay I look for low mileage and about 4 years old with a long MOT.
I tend to buy interesting cool stuff (usually off Ebay) and keep it for six months or so, before moving on to something else. I foolishly let my no claims bonus lapse by remaining on classic car insurance for over two years, so now I’m stuck with running classic cars. 
Currently running a 1991 Daihatsu Fourtrak and a 1989 Eunos roadster. I never pay more than five or six hundred quid for a vehicle nowadays, I’d never run anything newer than early 1990s and I’d never, ever, ever, lease a new car. Oh, and never on credit either … cash only.
Not more than £1000.
Can’t see the point spending anymore for it to sit in the car park all day.
Buy oldish van that will run for at least three years, max £2.5k, that I can throw 5 dogs in and not worry about it getting trashed. By the time my lot have finished moulting in it, there’s probably new life forms lurking in there - no point getting anything pretty.
Buy good quality second hand low mileage as a works van
Kid hauler is of similar vintage but much older
4x4 was bought for next to nothing and restored/ customised.
My toy was bought for 200 quid and the donor vehicle for the same money and has had about 3 grand spent on preparing it
I’d never buy a new car or van
But upon retirement (30 years away) I’ll probably buy a very new 4x4 (assuming they’re still legal)
£400 for a W reg Renault Scenic from the geezer who does car stuff who lives next door. Anything goes wrong he bodges it up for a home made apple crumble or some bread pudding. Winners all round. Cheers Carl!
Wife has a new car every 3 years, I went through a few years running bangers and my motorbike during the better months. But now my commute is longer and I get a better wage I run a 3 year old (when I got it) car. Although as I’ve got a 3rd child due I’m looking at changing to a newer family car.
I have never bought new, my current Volvo is 23 years old (owned by me for 14 years) but my van is only just 21! As long as they keep going and I can still repair them then they will get older still… 
Just a means of transport to me and I’m not too bothered about a lot of comfort, after all I drove Fodens for 20+ years!!!
Pete.
I have always bought whatever I could afford, so the range of cars I’ve owned has a big gulf between cheapest and most expensive.
I’ve had my current one for five years now, it’s time for a change really, but I love it and not only that, I’ve just done all my savings on something else, so it’ll be a while before I chop it in.