Cars: Keep or Renew?

[damoocow]

Anyway back to the original thread topic, for what it's worth I have had my old toyota for 14 years , my wife has had the old Telstar for 11 years...of course over that time we have had to fork out some money for repairs etc but certainly not what you would call excessive by any stretch...depreciation is just a foreign memory to us, but what it has really managed to do is free up a lot of cash that enabled us to pay our house off...worth considering I would say...really when you look at it cars are just basically transport , boring transport really...no matter how big the engine etc... overall cars are pretty lame and getting a newie every couple of years [with your own money] is a bit of a losers game to me...my opinion and you can take it or leave it,
damoocow

[990B Luva]

Well, i now have to upgrade cars, as of today my XR6 is now a write off, anyone got ideas on a cheapish car...

[PeteyD]

mazda 121 bubble. Cheap and reliable.

[Moe Norman]

you need a pushbike 990B, keep the QLD Roads safe.

[Fishman Dan]

....anyone got ideas on a cheapish car...

Anything 10 minutes after you've driven it?

[goughy]

Well, i now have to upgrade cars, as of today my XR6 is now a write off, anyone got ideas on a cheapish car...

Are you gonna fill us in or do we need to watch the news?

[990B Luva]

I was coming home from work, travelling AT THE SPEED LIMIT got hit in the back left quarter, spun and put into a sound barrier, the guy that hit me f&cked off leaving me to pay my excess (OUCH $2100)... insurance company gave me a rental car, but today, i had yet another not at fault accident, i had an unlicenced Indian driver go through a stop sign and take out the front end of the rent-a-shitter (Hyundai Getz)

[goughy]

Take the bus!!

Now, who feels like explaining the benefits of leasing cars etc. Since I run my own business I'm sure it's what we'll be advised to do in the future. But I don't get it. The simplest explanation I've had so far is because the repayments are less. Then a few years down the track get rid of it get another one.

[Grunt]

I lease Goughy but it is Salary Sacrifice. May not be the same conditions of your situation but it works for me I get fuel, servicing and rego included in a payment that comes out before tax. At the end of it I can buy the car for a minuscule fee. Works for my situation.

[BrisWesty]

All cars decrease in value.

After 2 years, the fastest depreciation has normally already occurred. Let someone else be the sucker and lose their money.

Do you want cash flow? Do you want depreciation? Do you want assets that appreciate in value? If you had an investment that decreased in value at the same rate as a car, you'd shoot the person who recommended it to you (and probably wreak vengeance on their family for good measure)!

Is it nicer driving a car that doesn't leak, break down, etc. Yes. Absolutely. Is it necessary to have something expensive? No. If it's not destroying the rest of your life by putting it out of balance, drive it if you want to!

Taken to extremes, drive the crappiest car that continues to run without breaking down. Free up your finances to invest on stuff that matters. At the end of the day damo is pretty right. It's just a means of getting from a to b.

[terryand]

Here it is, sitting at the dealer waiting for me to pick it up next Wednesday

Still has to have the tinting done and the tonneau is in the back seat.







Can't wait, going to be a long 6 days

Terry.

[Grunt]

Nice looking ute Tezza

[990B Luva]

Well, since having thought about it, i'm probably going to be getting 2 cars... a stock 1994 Fairlane Ghia as a daily driver and a highly modified 351CI V8 1979 Fairmont Ghia as an investment

[markTHEblake]

Now, who feels like explaining the benefits of leasing cars etc. Since I run my own business I'm sure it's what we'll be advised to do in the future.

If your making heaps yes, its good in an accounting sense.

However if you have the equity, finance it against your home, cheaper than a car lease and cheaper insurance.

If you have the cash, invest your cash into any current non tax effective debt (ie home loan), and borrow for the car as above.

[terryand]

Been home for a week now and have only driven the new ute once,she won't let me near the keys

But I have to say after driving it home last Monday, I am a real deisel fan now. The over taking ability of this ute compared to my old one is amazing. I can now overtake in half the time I was able to before, which on the roads around here is a godsend.

I can see us getting alot of use out of this ute up here,it should serve its purpose well, can't wait to orginise our first trip away now.

When we do eventually come back to Brisbane I can't see us going away from the deisel cars with the likes of the golf around and the deisel focus on ther way.

Terry.

[BrisVegas]

yeah, i think our next car will be a 2.0 diesel. hard to argue with great fuel economy and the same torque as a 3.5 litre petrol.

[Grunt]

Dion, the Diesel Focus is supposed to be a gem. Will more than likely be the next car for me.

[BrisVegas]

yeah grunt, but it's only a manual at the moment. unless you're into offroading i think a diesel and an auto are a must.

The mondeo will hopefully come out with the 6 speed ZF and 2.2 turbo diesel later this year. That would do me nicely.

[Grunt]

Manual is good for me.

[terryand]

The 5 speed auto in this ute of ours is awesome. All the old deisel mythes are blown away with the common rail tech.

Have to agree about the torque factor to Vegas, they really play above their weight now. I would go as far as to compare overtaking in the Ranger at 100km/h very close to the overtaking ability if not on par of the XR6 turbo.

Terry.

[goughy]

It's taken a long time for the diesel attitude to come down under. I believe something like 50% of cars in europe are diesel and have been for years.

[shazza_rs]

My brother has the VW Golf Diesel.... absolutely loves it. Great fuel economy.

[markTHEblake]

whats gunna happen when all the diesel rebates get canned?

[oz]

I just ordered a Captiva Diesel (manual) last week. Sadly, delivery is likely to be 8 weeks. Economy is very, very good for a soft-roader, and the level of standard safety gear is impressive, ABS, ESP, Front, side & curtain airbags. Good towing capacity, and self-levelling rear suspension etc, etc.

Test driving the diesel, the torque was outstanding, and while it's not quick by any stretch of the imagination, performance is more than acceptable, and it drives very nicely.

[BrisVegas]

nice one oz. My neighbours bought the Captiva petrol top of the range 2 months ago. They love it. My only concern would have been the fuel economy of the petrol, but the diesel should be a winner. They're so cheap too. For the same money as a Mazda 6, you can get a lot of car!