Keep it simple -

Buy new - 100K in 4 years depreciation a killer

PCP/ lease - payments will add up to almost the full price of car over 4 years

I would buy a 2-3 year old, reliable make car (on approved used), mileage <15K. Keep it 12-18 months - sell at 50-60K when say 4 - 4.5 yrs old & a reasonable mileage to re-sell. Repeat the process.

I used to buy "go to work cars" brand new cars - run out models, last of that shape & my wife had a "nice car" which we used at weekends.

Last one was 2001 Honda Civic estate - £10,500 instead of £16K list - kept it 5+ years before buying a new car on retirement. Colleagues used to rib me about the car as they ran mostly 2-2.5ltr MB/BMW company cars. In the 5 years the company bought my car roughly twice over including insurance, rfl, maintenance & the odd repair (it guzzled rear exhausts!)

Is this a cash or "nice thing" question?

25k miles a year on any new car via lease/pcp will take all of the £400 a month, leaving nothing spare for tyres, fuel, insurance, servicing etc.

Buying a year old of the above from somewhere like Motorpoint as and when a good one comes up is the best price point, but if you use their (or any garage) finance it will be expensive so you'll need a HP style loan sourced yourself.

I wouldn't want to sit in a nasty car doing your sort of mileage - what you choose needs to be comfortable, quiet, have decent performance but good economy etc.

The question of where you are in life seems relevant to me. Would saving £100 a month mean you are buying a house or clearing a mortgage quicker? Have you been able to get the "new car thing" out of your system yet - if not then I'd probably suggest a short term lease on something nice that will be expensive at your mileage, but let you drive something posh for a year. Having "lived the dream" and also "paid the price ticket" you will probably find the next car choice a bit easier. You can find 1 year lease specials, especially on Mercs, popping up semi-regularly but lasting for a very short time. The HJ recommends list of companies are a good place to start.

Welcome to the forum. I think this depends to some extent on what your attitude to cars is. Clearly it's important to get the choice right, gven that you spend quite a lot of each day in the car: but is the car just a means of getting from A to B, or do you actually enjoy driving and want something that will give you pleasure as well as good service?

If the former, you have some good advice above: newish Mondeo or something Japanese or Korean. A hybrid or plug-in may be worth consideration; expensive when new but a nearly-new one could be a good buy.

But if the latter, you'll feel, as I do, that although finance is a vital consideration in buying and running a car, it isn't the only one. Your allowance protects you from the worst effects of depreciation, so you can afford to indulge yourself within reason. And even with a high mileage, the prestige German makes that are your initial thoughts still hold their value well. That's why I have an Audi (a 2.0 petrol Q2) - a good deal on a new one and it should be worth something when three years old. When you're in an Audi you don't wish you were in something else - a good feeling.

One good compromise between all the factors you mention - including your father's view - would be a new Skoda Octavia vRS (hatch or estate). It has the Golf GTI engine but is cheaper and roomier than the GTI. I had three of them in succession and loved them, and as a new Octavia model is coming in later this year there should be some good deals on the current one. Look at the various options on finance and do the sums.

Edit: taking Brettmick's point above, with the value of your Polo as a deposit, you should get an Octavia for a lot less than £400 pm.

Edited by Avant on 06/07/2019 at 10:29

Edited by SLO76 on 06/07/2019 at 13:57