Buying a car for 6-9 months that will hold most of its value?

Cyrus

Hi all, i havent been in the used car market for a while so looking for advice.

We are moving house soon but will be keeping my daughter in her current creche from the time being, so will have a short drive from dalkey to blackrock every morning. This will necessitate a second car for a finite period, say 9 months.

I dont want to spend more than say 8k, and ideally id like to recoup as much as possible when selling it in, what should i be looking at?

Id rather not end with a total bore fest (my previous cars as a younger fella included 2 e46 bmw m3s, 3.0 z4 coupe, e39 530i) so whilst it wont be something in that bracket as id rather not pay 1600 in road tax i would like something a little sporty.

what are my options?

if it was done purely on low running costs and resale what should a sensible person be looking at?

ironclaw

If you want to hold the resale value, you'll need to buy something rare and mind it. The theory being a person who appreciates the rarity, and provided the car has depreciated as far as it will, you will pretty much get what you bought it for. The downside being anything 'rare' is going to be in the performance bracket and otherwise expensive to run. What you gain in not loosing on resale, you lose in running costs.

Personally I think you'd be mad to lodge that amount of cash in a depreciating asset for 9 months. If it was me, I'd be looking at the safest (Due to your young daughter), most economical car that still has a little grunt. Its not exactly sporty, but the diesel Yaris springs to the mind (The new body, around 2008 mark) Like yourself, I've driven and drive my fair share of performance but its just about the only car I'd buy if I was slapped with the sensible stick. Fuel economy is phenomenal, even around town. Large, easy to get kids and things in and out of, and the build quality is exceptional. And to be fair to the car, it can shift when you need it to. Very good torque band and plenty of go off the line. The one we have has never missed a beat and its been horsed around the country for years.

The winning combo for you, in your situation, is they are rare on the ground and hold their value very well. I've only seen a handful and they always bring remarks as they just didn't sell here in large numbers at the time. Hard to find, but when you come to sell you should have no problem shifting it with minimal loss and minimal running cost.

Cyrus

cheers appreciate that

Cyrus

? http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/toyota/yaris/used-2008-toyota-yaris-tr-d-4d-waterford-fpa-2779477622715186745

acronym Chilli

Cyrus wrote: »

Hi all, i havent been in the used car market for a while so looking for advice.

We are moving house soon but will be keeping my daughter in her current creche from the time being, so will have a short drive from dalkey to blackrock every morning. This will necessitate a second car for a finite period, say 9 months.

I dont want to spend more than say 8k, and ideally id like to recoup as much as possible when selling it in, what should i be looking at?

Id rather not end with a total bore fest (my previous cars as a younger fella included 2 e46 bmw m3s, 3.0 z4 coupe, e39 530i) so whilst it wont be something in that bracket as id rather not pay 1600 in road tax i would like something a little sporty.

what are my options?

if it was done purely on low running costs and resale what should a sensible person be looking at?

Or buy a smaller bangernomics type wagon for around €1200 with NCT covering the 9 months you need. I know it violates your "non borefest" criterion, but the surest way to limit depreciation is to buy for small money and not have it blow up (second bit means keeping eyes open, but should still be manageable).

Not the most sensible option, but...
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-2l-for-sale/13508425

Looks like a very genuine sale to me (you can google the seller), though the pics are useless! She's reduced the price too I think, though will probably still struggle to get asking. Having tried to sell one of these before, if someone had offered me €700 I'd have been very pleased.

Cyrus

thanks, is something like this a bad idea? http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/bmw/1-series/used-2005-bmw-1-series-stunning-1-dublin-fpa-7021772960347010511

Timmyr

Cyrus wrote: »

thanks, is something like this a bad idea? http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/bmw/1-series/used-2005-bmw-1-series-stunning-1-dublin-fpa-7021772960347010511

Yes, very overpriced and not much of a resale market.

I only ever keep a car 6 months max, it doesn't necessarily matter what you buy as long as you get it at a good price.

08 1.9 passat is pretty much a guaranteed seller, any post 2008 cheap tax diesel is good

Edit: Also the yaris idea I would say is a very bad idea, buy something that people want, who wants a yaris?! you would be reselling into a very small market

CountingCrows

A 2008 5dr DSG VW GTI should be within budget. Bit of power and great gearbox for around town. Very resellable.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/used-2008-volkswagen-golf-2-0-gti-dublin-fpa-1654725817814900455

bazz26

Cyrus wrote: »

? http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/toyota/yaris/used-2008-toyota-yaris-tr-d-4d-waterford-fpa-2779477622715186745

I cannot see any benefit to buying a diesel for that short trip. It's not even going to be more frugal than a petrol model being stuck in traffic on short trips. A diesel takes longer to warm up so I really couldn't see a petrol one being much less economical on that trip.

Timmyr

CountingCrows wrote: »

A 2008 5dr DSG VW GTI should be within budget. Bit of power and great gearbox for around town. Very resellable.

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/volkswagen/golf/used-2008-volkswagen-golf-2-0-gti-dublin-fpa-1654725817814900455

Totally disagree, they are very hard sell at the moment, particularly one as overpriced as that.

Just because they are a good car does not mean people want them

Cyrus

Timmyr wrote: »

Totally disagree, they are very hard sell at the moment, particularly one as overpriced as that.

Just because they are a good car does not mean people want them

people dont want golf gtis now :pac:

wtf has happened

Timmyr

Cyrus wrote: »

people dont want golf gtis now :pac:

wtf has happened

The perception that everybody needs a low emissions diesel, had a gti golf recently and it was very hard sell

NIMAN

Cyrus wrote: »

people dont want golf gtis now :pac:

wtf has happened

The Irish now want cars with annual taxt €200 or less, and a diesel.

That nice Golf GTI is €710 and petrol.

Cyrus

Timmyr wrote: »

The perception that everybody needs a low emissions diesel, had a gti golf recently and it was very hard sell

ah i know,

thats how i have gone from m3s to an audi a5 black edition (with a 2.0 tdi engine )

Timmyr

Cyrus wrote: »

ah i know,

thats how i have gone from m3s to an audi a5 black edition (with a 2.0 tdi engine )

Same here, gone from japanese performance cars to diesel bmws :eek:

NLC1072

Smart Roadster! Ideal car, small displacement, warms up quick, very economical, real head turner, cheap, cheap on fuel, cheap on tax and very exciting when taken out on a twisty road!

Timmyr

Please dont buy a smart roadster if you plan on selling it again.

at the moment the only thing to do would be go to the UK and bring back a nice VRS Octavia or something similar

Cyrus

NLC1072 wrote: »

Smart Roadster! Ideal car, small displacement, warms up quick, very economical, real head turner, cheap, cheap on fuel, cheap on tax and very exciting when taken out on a twisty road!

id hardly get a car seat in that

NLC1072

Cyrus wrote: »

id hardly get a car seat in that

I had one for a small run around with a car seat as a second car

JJJJNR

maybe importing something vrting it and selling on might be the best option, estates seem to hold their value well.

Marcusm

Cyrus wrote: »

ah i know,

thats how i have gone from m3s to an audi a5 black edition (with a 2.0 tdi engine )

Timmyr wrote: »

Same here, gone from japanese performance cars to diesel bmws :eek:

Sheep!

Do you definitely want or need to get rid of the car after 9 months? Would you benefit from a fun runaround as a counterpoint to the diesel A5? Maybe a GTi, Cooper S or similar could be a good longer term hold. Just spend the Big Pilot money on it!

Soarer

For 9 months, I'd definitely go Bangernomics. You're gonna lose money otherwise.

Timmyr

Soarer wrote: »

For 9 months, I'd definitely go Bangernomics. You're gonna lose money otherwise.

Not true at all, most cars lose very little value in 9 months, if you get one at a good price there is no reason you wouldn't make a profit.

I keep my cars for no longer than 6 months and 9 times out of 10 I make a profit

alastair

If you want to avoid depreciation, there's clearly one standout option: a classic Porsche 911. The old Porsche bubble should hold for at least another year, and you'll get to look like what's her name in 'The Bridge'. If that's too jaunty for you, then what about a nice split screen VW van? Be the envy of every surfer up in Salthill. And loads of space for the child seat.

You'll need a tad more than 8k though.

Cyrus

Marcusm wrote: »

Sheep!

Do you definitely want or need to get rid of the car after 9 months? Would you benefit from a fun runaround as a counterpoint to the diesel A5? Maybe a GTi, Cooper S or similar could be a good longer term hold. Just spend the Big Pilot money on it!

we dont really need two cars, but we will temporarily, given that we are buying a house this year my plan is to wait a couple of years til things settle and then buy a 'proper' second car

til then ill keep the money safe on my wrist

nice_guy80

there are 92,000 cars for sale on donedeal

it is not a market where you will make money.
if you get close to break even, you are very lucky

Benbecul97

Toyota

Timmyr

nice_guy80 wrote: »

there are 92,000 cars for sale on donedeal

it is not a market where you will make money.
if you get close to break even, you are very lucky

Thats a poor analysis, this is very much a market where you make money.

In the last 4 months I have bought and sold the following, with Donedeal

2007 A4 Bought 4,250 Sold 4,900
2008 Passat Bought 5,000 Sold 5,750
2007 520d bought 7,000 sold 7,700

Soarer

Timmyr wrote: »

Thats a poor analysis, this is very much a market where you make money.

In the last 4 months I have bought and sold the following, with Donedeal

2007 A4 Bought 4,250 Sold 4,900
2008 Passat Bought 5,000 Sold 5,750
2007 520d bought 7,000 sold 7,700

You're obviously a genius.

But would you be able to do the same when each car would be a year older when time comes to sell?

Timmyr

Soarer wrote: »

You're obviously a genius.

But would you be able to do the same when each car would be a year older when time comes to sell?

No need to be a genius, buy low sell high, common sense

The difference in value between a 2006 and a 2007 is non-existant

CountingCrows

Take it easy Timmyr, no need to shoot down everyone who gives an opinion or suggestion.

ShadowHearth

Timmyr wrote: »

Same here, gone from japanese performance cars to diesel bmws :eek:

Went from Japanese performance cars myself, but not to German diesels, but to Italian diesels lol.

On topic:

I think it's madness spending 8k on temporary car, then lose money on it and go through the hassle of resale.
I would suggest to buy something for 1-2k eu, which has nct for a year, then when job is done, sell it for a good bit less. You will lose a lot less money from 2k, then 8k! It will be easier to sell too.
You might even pick up some luxobarge or just something with nice bigger engine. Pay that half year tax an it will be still cheaper.

Timmyr

CountingCrows wrote: »

Take it easy Timmyr, no need to shoot down everyone who gives an opinion or suggestion.

Not shooting anybody down, OP asked for helpful advice, that is exactly what I am trying to give

No point letting him believe misleading advice that may cost him money

ironclaw

Timmyr wrote: »

No point letting him believe misleading advice that may cost him money

Theres no way possible way he'll break even unless he got a massive discount on the purchase price versus the eventual sale price (30% or more I'd guess to factor costs)

Your tax and insurance are sunk costs. Your fuel, sunk cost. Theres a massive difference between flipping a car and actually keeping it on the road for a few months. You then have the inherent risk that something goes wrong or otherwise requires repair.

You are right in your ascertain you can make money on second hand cars, but only if you time between purchase and resale is very short, and you have no intention of running the car on the road.

Gumbo

Mk5 Golf GTi
05,06,07ish model as most devaluation already done.

Cyrus

kceire wrote: »

Mk5 Golf GTi
05,06,07ish model as most devaluation already done.

where best to see these, carzone doesnt throw up too many

nothing on vagdrivers in ages, any other enthusiast forums?

Idbatterim

a bangernomic, people on here have often sold them a while later, for more than they paid. Alternatively unkle a poster here, said on the bangernomic thread a few days ago, he was planning on selling his E60 520i with nct for reasonable money... tax E950, so not ridiculous, tax it for the year or by the quarter...

bazz26

Nice looking 08 GTi here with DSG and leather:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/08-vw-golf-gti-dsg-top-speclow-mileage/13585838

Timmyr

bazz26 wrote: »

Nice looking 08 GTi here with DSG and leather:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/08-vw-golf-gti-dsg-top-speclow-mileage/13585838

Back Bumper has been sprayed and seems a slightly different shade to the quarter

Edit: I should note, i mean the bumper is sprayed in that it should not be entirely red, GTI Bumpers are not colour coded like that

bazz26

I definitely would examine it closer, especially along the inside of the boot for signs of misalignment, welding or stray painting but a fair share of cars that age may have had cosmetic repairs to bodywork at this stage of their life. I would not rule it out at this stage yet.

CountingCrows

Any update OP?

Might be in a similar situation myself shortly as I'm ordering a 171 could be selling my existing car this weekend.

Cyrus

CountingCrows wrote: »

Any update OP?

Might be in a similar situation myself shortly as I'm ordering a 171 could be selling my existing car this weekend.

I won't require it now until the new year so have parked it for now (pardon the pun)