How much could you justify spending on a motor?

bigkev49-2

Leaving out concerns like running costs, depriciation, tax, insurance and all that jazz whats the most you could write the cheque for before thinking "thats just too much" ??

jayok

Well I'm struggling to bring myself to spend €19k on a car at the moment. I refuse to spend any more than €20k. But €19k is just a little too much.

ninty9er

At the moment in college €5k...in 10 years time all going well I wouldn't have any qualms putting 70k-80k in a dealer's pocket for the right car...not to mean that I would intentionally go out with the thought I have €70k and I must spend all of it!!

mike65

Meawhile in the real world...!

10k max anything more is waste, bearing in mind what you can buy for 10 grand if you have some wit and time.

Mike.

ninty9er

mike65 wrote:

Meawhile in the real world...!

10k max anything more is waste, bearing in mind what you can buy for 10 grand if you have some wit and time.

Mike.

Ah yes but someone always has to take the initial hit...and that's not on a new car above either.

Something like thisor this or one of these

Seth Brundle

ninty9er wrote:

At the moment in college €5k...in 10 years time all going well I wouldn't have any qualms putting 70k-80k in a dealer's pocket for the right car...not to mean that I would intentionally go out with the thought I have €70k and I must spend all of it!!

2 points:
* is the 70 or 80K before tax or after VAT and Bertie Ahern's VRT special is applied?
* surely in 10 years you will be high up within the FF party to get yourself a ministerial car paid for by the taxpayer.

copacetic

mike65 wrote:

Meawhile in the real world...!

10k max anything more is waste, bearing in mind what you can buy for 10 grand if you have some wit and time.

Mike.

really? surely it all depends on what you can afford and what you like?

ZiabR

jayok wrote:

Well I'm struggling to bring myself to spend €19k on a car at the moment. I refuse to spend any more than €20k. But €19k is just a little too much.

I am in the same boat as you mate. I bought my last car for 5k but now only a year + later i feel myself needing an upgrade. I have come the conclusion that i should have spent more the first time around on a decent car.

So i am giving myself a budget of 18k-19k to get a 04 Honda Accord in Dec 07 - Jan 08. That will get me a 4 year old car with low mileage and it will be a very decent car lasting me 3+ years.

ninty9er

kbannon wrote:

2 points:
* is the 70 or 80K before tax or after VAT and Bertie Ahern's VRT special is applied?

The amount by which my bank balance will drop!!

kbannon wrote:

* surely in 10 years you will be high up within the FF party to get yourself a ministerial car paid for by the taxpayer.

I wish, but one can always live in hope:p


I just love this forum....it's certainly a lot more liveley than most of the others I've used:D

Seth Brundle

ninty9er wrote:

I just love this forum....it's certainly a lot more liveley than most of the others I've used:D

We're just helping you get the thick skin needed to get into FF.


You know we do love you though!

unkel

I started out like most people, but I've changed my ways. In more recent years, I've really enjoyed getting cars that are almost as good as new, but for only 10-20% of the original price

My last two purchases were a 7 year old €11k BMW (originally about €120k) and a 5 year old €6k Rover (originally about €35k)

Neither have given any bother so far, although the license plates are proof that the unkel family can't really keep up with the Joneses - something that seems to be of critical importance to many people in this country. I love those people

bazz26

I have never spent more than €10k to trade up each time. I could not justify anymore than that.

I also try to limit borrowing money from thieving financial institutions. I usually stump up at least half the cost myself.

Owen

Thankfully I've yet to buy a car with my own money, but I'm in the process of considering one. I think I'd spend 40k, but this would be a keeper. I know it's a cliché, but it'd be a car I wouldn't consider parting with at all. I just have to convince myself, and herself. Ordinarily, I'd go with the sub 20k bracket and buy a car that would have been 60k+ originally.

Guy:Incognito

mike65 wrote:

Meawhile in the real world...!

10k max anything more is waste, bearing in mind what you can buy for 10 grand if you have some wit and time.

Mike.

Set money aside for a minute, would you not be far happier to have owned your car from new, and not got the product of how someone else treated it?


TBH my limit is what the bank will give me.

Given th emoney I would always buy new. I like th eidea of being the only person to have driven my car. Knowign its been treated properlly and well looked after. Unfortunately I;m not ina position to buy the cars I want at new prices.

ninty9er wrote:

I just love this forum....it's certainly a lot more liveley than most of the others I've used:D

Wait till next year when one of the other parties is in and we're all paying no tax, getting petrol for free, have a doctor, a dentist and a gard each and buying new ferrari's for €10k. (just thought I'd take a sample from each parties lies and roll them up into one:) ). Then you'll have everyone saying how silly your choice of parties is.

Anan1

It really depends on how much money one has. Personally, I would never borrow for a car. If I can't afford it without borrowing then it's too expensive for me.

andrew_ireland

ninty9er wrote:

Ah yes but someone always has to take the initial hit...and that's not on a new car above either.

Something like thisor this or one of these

G'wup outta that, S80s nothin til you've spun the 4.4L V8!:eek:

Gatster

If I had it I could justify the UK price for a new 997 911 GT3. At the moment, however, up to €25k when landed and registered in Ireland, and it should be worth more here when I come to sell it

Rowley Birkin QC

Good mix of replies there lads. I'm in the same boat as ned I reckon, spent maybe €15-25k on a car that was sold in the showroom for €50-60. You would get a lot of car for a moderate lump of cash.

Of course all this depends on those nice people at DIT giving me my town planning degree in two years time!!

RobAMerc

I am happy to spend a good wedge on a car, and to take a bit of pain for it - i.e. will sacrifice something else in order to have it. Current car cost a fairly nice sum and I can't drive it without thinking it was money well spent.

I will not sacrifice good handling and dynamic ability just to look good or have the newest plate on a car that I can get. Quality old vs new crap if you get me.

Cyrus

Gatster wrote:

If I had it I could justify the UK price for a new 997 911 GT3. At the moment, however, up to €25k when landed and registered in Ireland, and it should be worth more here when I come to sell it

whats being landed and regd for 25k then

Im 26 and just finished my accountancy training contract, so at the moment 25k is my max given that i have a mortgage on the horizon etc. However i would never put a max on what i would spend but id have to be able to reasonably afford it.

I cant ever see myself buying a car less than 3 yrs old tho, it just doesnt make sense to me buy new/newish when you get so much more value for having an older number on a reg plate

Gatster

Might get another Z3, but could well be an Evo 7 or 8 , was looking at STI's but the VRT is insane...:eek: :eek:

ninty9er

Gatster wrote:

looking at STI's

You want to avoid them, Jaysus you could do yourself some damage;)

mike65

Stekelly wrote:

Set money aside for a minute, would you not be far happier to have owned your car from new, and not got the product of how someone else treated it?

Nope! Some people have this, I think weird obession with a new car smell and shine and the presumption that nothing wil go wrong for the first 2-3 years. The smell fades and does the shine and they do go wrong (ask any Renualt/Fiat/Alfa/Merc etc etc owner!).

Mike.

blastman

I'm with Mike on this, I've just bought a car in the UK that will hopefully end up costing me about 7K by the time I pay the *spit* VRT. I've been more than happy to have never paid more than this for a car in the past. Let some other clown pay for the new car smell and the plate, a good valet is far cheaper!