PCP Ends Then...?

[Blobcat]

Finally, you say "These figures just don't stack up with owning a small car on low annual mileage" - nor does buying a new car. Bangernomics makes much more sense than buying new

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

A nice 2000 E320 CDI estate in your link for £2,990 and almost run in at 545,704 miles

 

[mastereng]

Buying a new car to get free/subsidised servicing seems bizarre to me. Depreciation is the single biggest motoring cost for buyers of new cars - at the beginning of your ownership your A Class was probably costing you £400 / month in depreciation so £400 for an annual service is a drop in the ocean. This situation is obscured by the PCP but it's still real

Agree entirely that depreciation is by far and away the biggest cost. However if I hand over my £7.5K at the end of the PCP, thereafter servicing becomes a much bigger percentage of annual running costs, plus there is no warranty (okay, Mobilo but that is so vaguely worded I am not entirely convinced). If I dare refer to BMW again they are advertising fixed cost reasonably priced servicing for E46 3 series. I just don't feel comfortable with the potential annual servicing bills from Mercedes for a small car. Even the one service I have had was £200 for what amounts to an oil change and then things I don't need or can do myself (wash the car, top up washer fluid etc).

Finally, the guy who suggested get the old E Class Estate - I have considered that! My Golden Retriever finds it a bit of a squash in the back of an A Class so maybe the £7.5K could get spent on something infinitely more interesting albeit financially not very sensible!