The Saab certainly is NOT a practical Mums car, I'd say, so it doesn't get my vote.
Neither does the way you intend to fund it!! OK it's 0% plastic, but, at a guess, you'd soon find a better use for the £$£$ if you wanted to spend it, not that you've got it, else you wouldn't use the plastic - if that makes sense!!
& it's a BIG jump from the Polo to just about anything, in real terms, but, more of a leap, to the Saab.
Think I'd be loking at the excellent value cars around, for the £200 cash you have & save a few $£$£!!
Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear!!
VB
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hubby is a student.....not good for income
2 kids........costs a bit and you no doubt have to either limit your income looking after them or pay for child care
credit card.........convenient, but expensive way of borrowing money unless you can GUARANTEE it will be paid off in the 0% period
i know i probably sound like your father now........but my gut reaction on the limited facts is...
get something considerably cheaper
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Sarahmoo - re the Saab as a good deal or not. I've just found one on Autotrader 05 reg, 48k miles for £700 more than yours. Clincher is that this is a Saab Approved Used car, so 12mths warranty as well as being newer and lower mileage. Bet the dealer would give more than £100 for a ten year old Polo too. If I was you I would walk away very quickly from this 9-5 of yours, it's certainly not an exceptional deal.
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These SAABs are nice cars, but they don't have a great reputation for reliability and this car is coming out of its warranty cover. It will also shed a lot of its current value over the next couple of years. One 'wobble' with that engine and you could have a £1000 bill to add to your debt. Don't forget its high recurring costs such as servicing and insurance. There is nothing worse than a car that keeps you poor!
Unless you are doing a large annual mileage, you don't need a big Diesel. I would go for a small-medium sized petrol Japanese car (unless you cover a high mileage - 15k per annum or more - in which case consider a Diesel). Think about spending money on a nice family holiday and enjoying watching the kids enjoy themselves on a beach, rather than sitting at home worrying and wondering how you're going to pay the bills on the SAAB.
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OK it's 0% plastic, but, at a guess, you'd soon find a better use for the £$£$ if you wanted to spend it, not that you've got it, else you wouldn't use the plastic - ...
whoa there. some of you may be jumping to the wrong conclusion (unless sarahmoo says otherwise) because a lot of money-savvy people use 0% plastic and continually move the balances to new plastic to keep it at 0%. if sarahmoo is not one those "credit card rate-tarts", then obviously the caution against using plastic applies.
i am not sure whether the £100 is a "trade-in-deduction" or an additional charge to dispose polo.
in either case, it looks poor value.
i.m.o. - in sarahmoo's buying position, i would decide not buy the saab.
however, once a woman has her heart set on something, all she wants is others to reinforce that decision and not to say she has got it wrong.
so, sarahmoo, happy motoring and good luck with your new saab.
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whoa there. some of you may be jumping to the wrong conclusion (unless sarahmoo says otherwise) because a lot of money-savvy people use 0% plastic and continually move the balances to new plastic to keep it at 0%. if sarahmoo is not one those "credit card rate-tarts" then obviously the caution against using plastic applies.
I thought most of the card companies had knobbled that option by applying 'transfer fees'?? I may be wrong and would like to be corrected if I am.
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get it bought OP
Go on you know you want to
dare you.........dare
show them who really is in charge
its only money......plastic at that
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Three weeks ago I bought a used BMW 5-Series from eBay.
The person who sold it to me was obviously not a car person at all. She'd had it a year, didn't think (and I believe her) that the airbag and battery warning lights were important, had tried to put the car through its MoT with two bald rear tyres, never thought to have it serviced, etc. (None of this makes it a very auspicious purchase, but it was cheap).
She was a mother of two children who wanted a local runaround car. She didn't have either the knowledge or the financial resources to look after a big car like that and, having paid £4,175 for the car 14 months earlier, let it go to me for £2k, probably having forked out in the region of £500 to get it through the MoT for comparatively minor work.
I'm comfortable with the prospect of some big bills and am willing to pay to drive a quality car. Importantly though I also have a certain amount of knowledge - hopefully enough not to be ripped off (unless I want to be - I'm pretty fussy!) and to know what needs doing, when and (broadly) how. However the 5-Series was totally unsuitable for her and she now drives a Fiesta of the same age - and being unsentimental that's probably the way it should be.
Aprilia - the typical transfer fee is 3% and gets you around 9 months - so that's about 4% PA APR if you're not paying the balance back (you shouldn't be - if you have it it should be in a savings account earning interest for you) - so very cheap money if you can get it. Of course it does mean that you're pretty stretched if your financial situation takes a downturn.
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WOW!
A lot of replies! THANKS! Food for thought indeed.
It is so much better hearing opinions from people not emotionally blackmailing/attached!
I am not totally money strapped...earn £35k a year. But yes, I have a husband and 2 kids to support. I would get the 0% card as a savvy way of doing the deal.
I do fancy a fastish car though as I am used to 100bhp! So, you have pretty much helped to dissuade me from the Saab. What should I get instead?
Thanks sooooo much in advance for all your help . I feel much better than 15 mins ago.
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I am not totally money strapped...earn £35k a year.
that changes it somewhat.
What does hubby want? or is this a girly indulging thing without him interfering too much?
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I do fancy a fastish car though as I am used to 100bhp! So you have pretty much helped to dissuade me from the Saab. What should I get instead?
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Something Japanese and reliable to keep you happy for a couple of years. Assuming you don't do too many miles, how about a Honda Accord 2.0i VTEC (prev shape) - around 150bhp. Stacks cheaper than the Saab, and likely to be far more reliable and more fun.
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I love Saabs - we have a 95 petrol estate. But I wouldn't advise you to buy a Saab if money is tight - like all 'big' cars they are expensive to fix and to be honest, 3 months warranty on a £9k car is poor. The depreciation is horrendous - it will be worth very little in 4 or 5 years time when you may still be paying it off.
Servicing is expensive - the 66 thousand mile service on a 93 or 95 will be about £400 at an independant, a lot more at a Saab dealer. Also, as Aprilia says, it is getting more difficult to do the card rate tart thing and with interest rates about to rise it's not the time to be taking financial risks in my view.
Get something more sensible now - in a few years time look for an older Saab from a good independant Saab specialist.
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ps ....oh, and my husband is going to be on C. £16k from Sept. Doing a doctorate and being paid to do it....
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I second all the opinions that suggested avoiding the Saab - steer well away.
There are many more cars that are more suitable for you. As someone else has already mentioned, the Focus estate is a great car both for practicality and driving pleasure. I drive fast, quality cars and rented two Focus estates a few years ago on holidays and was blown away by how good they were to drive.
So what you have two esates? - the alternative is to buy a small hatchback for husband and take his Passat until it starts costing too much to keep on the road.
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Back to first principles.
What do you need the car to do
and
what do you want it to do/have ?
In terms of the way you use it - passengers, luggage, types of journey, annual miles etc and what you like - leather trim, pink sport seats, etc
then people can recommend things that are likely to suit.
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I am so grateful for all this. MANY THANKS for taking the time to read and help with more informed advice! Breathing sigh of relief :) My decision has been made :)
OK,
I need a reasonable size car so I can fit kids in back. Some boot space but doesnt have to be an estate. I do c. 25 miles a day mainly motorway and some long journeys of around 100 miles some weekends.
I want a stylish, good looking car which can move a bit.
Diesel.
Not keen on Nissans, or Renaults...don't know why.... apart from that, v. open minded!
I would love a performance type car...is that realistic? If not, maybe a Focus. What are your thoughts? (Having poured my life history out in the last hour! lol)
Sarah x
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>>Diesel.
Any particular reason it has to be diesel? 25 miles a day is unlikely to be enough to make a diesel cost effective, is there some other reason you want one?
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A Honda. How about a Honda Stream 2.0 i-VTEC SE Sport?
Versatile (lots of room and has 6/7 seats) well equipped, good performance (Civic Type S engine) and handling, looks good (or ugly, depending on your viewpoint), rare and will never let you down.
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I thought most of the card companies had knobbled that option by applying 'transfer fees'?? I may be wrong and would like to be corrected if I am.
you are correct to say "most".
at the time of posting this reply, my research shows:
a handful of companies offering 0% deals for periods of 12 to 15 months.
a handful of companies allowing 0% free balance transfers for 3 to 6 months.
also a handful of companies are offering 0% balance transfer for 6 to 12 months but charging fees as low as 2%, and in one case a fxed capped fee of £50 regardless of size of transfer.
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Hi sarahmoo, don't take this the wrong way but get a grip. Cars are a money drain, always have been always will be. Can you afford a car? No. But you need one anyway, so forget the fantastic drive, the knicker loosening acceleration and handling, it is a mode of transport for now. All this 'go for it' crap by other people, ask them for a loan to buy the car and see the 'go for it' disappear into 'don't do it'.Who is paying to run the car? You are. So work out a sensible budget for running costs per year and get something accordingly. Don't string yourself out for a motorcar, get something you can afford and relax, that's where the pleasure is now. Later when you are an old buffer like me,then you can pick a nice car to enjoy.Also another benefit is owning a car you can actually afford and you can tell your folks what to do with their advice, kindly of course. Best of luck. Concrete.
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>>GORGEOUS. In love with it.
'Nuff said - when we're all driving battery powered pedalos, look back & think why you didn't buy it - having 2 kids is sensible enough.
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