Hey thanks for the reply. A lot to think about. My last car was a BMW x3. Well... Still is at the minute. I'll have a look around. Cheers
Is your X3 unreliable? If not, you need to consider that buying another car that potentially has had several years, owners and miles under its belt, much of which you know nothing about, even with a full service history (FSH) - for example, it could've been used for lots of short journeys or laid up for ages. This uncertainty grows as the car gets older (not so bad if its had one owner, a main dealer FSH, especially if you know or can trust the seller), and thus the chances of a replacement car having an expensive problem rises accordingly.
Often, if you've had little/no problems with your current car and its suitable for the usage going forward (e.g. diesel with a DPF being used on regular longer journeys in fast flowing traffic, petrol engined cars otherwise [towing aside]), then often its best to keep your current car until:
a) you can save up for a newer second hand one (or a brand new one) that is potentially more reliable over the longer term, as your existing car will not depreciate much and thus the extra cost of fuel/VED will be minor compared to a big failure on a replacement;
b) potentially expensive reliability issues (not just ordinary wear and tear items) start appearing, meaning you could get a scrappage deal or simple scrap the (now very old) car (as its worth buttons only) and get a new/newer second hand one.
I'm currently following this method for my 12yo Mazda3 - I've owned it since new, and as its had relatively little issues over the years and I've kept it well maintained, I'm going to run it until something really expensive/terminal goes wrong with it (i.e. not cost effective to fix), putting up with the higher VED (£220) and about 10-20% lower mpg than an equivalent new model (make dependent, not that much as I do low mileage at present) because the cost of buying a new car would be huge (depreciation - mine does at about £100 - £200pa rather than in the £000s) or even a second hand car (complete history not known).
Worth considering IF your current car is reliable, but I'd have a look at the Reviews section for your X3, especially under the 'Good and Bad' and the owners reviews for peotential expensive issues that your car may be 'due', whether because of its age, engine type (especially if its a diesel with a DPF) or that you've just been lucky thus far (luck obviously can run out, although with cars issues can be mitigated by good servicing, taking them on regular longer runs on fast flowing roads [any car, not just diesels] and using high grade fuels [especially if the car's used on short runs a lot])
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw#used
Not sure which X3 you have (though I'm guessing the older model of the two), so choose from the list on the above link. Below are the owners' reviews - just use the top drop down list by manufacturer and follow the list/links to the specific model you own (note that all X3s of that era will be on the same list - petrols, diesels, different specs, so just pick the closest ones to yours, particularly engine related):
www.honestjohn.co.uk/owner-reviews/
Sadly only 1 owner review for the older X3, many more for the newer one, but the engines are almost certainly different. Try other sites and BMW owners clubs for similar owners' reviews and lists of problems - at least then you'll have a more informed decision as to whether its worth you even changing the car at all - it may be well worth changing it, it may be not.
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