Car leasing

johngti

Has anyone got positive things to say about this? My GTi-mobile is non-ULEZ compliant so I’m looking to change it. There’s some decent leasing deals around at the moment that wouldn’t need a loan (would like to avoid borrowing money for the next year or so). Any reason to not do it?

oxoman

It can be an easy option if you can guarantee the following.
Keep to mileage limits as it gets expensive at end of lease if over.
Car has to be A1 inside and out otherwise they will charge through the nose.

beansnikpoh

I've leased cars for years. It's just a long-term rental of a utility, though I know some people get ever so invested in a lump of steel and plastic with wheels. I don't do many miles, so get pretty cheap deals. Keep it serviced (though you can pay for maintenance in the lease deal), don't knock it about and you won't get clobbered on the "fair wear and tear" when you return it. Anything major is covered by manfacturer's warranty. I suppose the downside is that you have less choice about model and trim, but idgaf about that. I have found Rivervale Leasing to be very good and competitively priced - leased 3 cars through them over the last 8 years.

I wouldn't have thought it's the cheapest way to drive, but it's convenient and you get a new car.

Stevo_666

Never leased myself (apart from once where I got an extra discount from a dealer for taking out a £1k lease on the car which I repaid 3 months later). Prefer to buy, get exactly what I want and hang onto it for a while and also not worry about getting stung at the end of a contract.

Not sure what the lease rates are like but given what inflation is at present, any spare cash you have is depreciating in value right now.

johngti

Cheers folks. Seen a decent deal for a Nissan Qashqai (sp!!) for £162 including maintenance over two years. 5000 miles PA is more than enough for me.

Given that Mrs GTi’s uncle just died and has a perfectly serviceable car on his drive, It’s a shame I can’t just nab that and drive it around for a while!! And since Mrs GTi is the sole executor for his will, she’s going to have to be above board on everything.

beansnikpoh

What's that, less than £40 a week for a new car? Hard to argue at that price.

To put the "exit charges" into perspective - as I said, I've had 3 cars over 8 years, not gone over the mileage limit - which for all the cars I've had is 12p per mile, and never been charged for any of the minor dings, scrapes or spills, even of the alloy wheels. The criteria by which they grade the car for wear and tear are freely available online, make sure you go round the car with the assessor at end of lease. Mind you - someone has driven into my current tank, which I'll have to pay to get fixed. There were bits of car and headlight "glass" all over the road one morning - minor scrape on my front bumper and wing, but I expect that will be expensive.

veronese68

beansnikpoh said:

Mind you - someone has driven into my current tank, which I'll have to pay to get fixed. There were bits of car and headlight "glass" all over the road one morning - minor scrape on my front bumper and wing, but I expect that will be expensive.

Just use one of those mobile repair blokes, if you take it to a dealer they would just get one of those in and then charge a hefty premium on top. I'll send you a message with details of a local chap.

beansnikpoh

"Smashing", thanks V. I had thought of one of those, but hadn't used one before.

me-109

Don't be too conservative with your mileage allowance. A 3yr deal on 5k miles per year is not just 15k at the point you hand it back. It's assessed annually, like at service time, and billed if you run over on any single year.

When you are casting around and speccing a car, any extras cost you heavy as only the base car value is considered for its retained value. The cost of those extras is fully depreciated over the time you possess it. If there are flashy bits you want, it's worth looking at a higher spec that includes them as standard.

seanoconn

veronese68 said:

beansnikpoh said:

Mind you - someone has driven into my current tank, which I'll have to pay to get fixed. There were bits of car and headlight "glass" all over the road one morning - minor scrape on my front bumper and wing, but I expect that will be expensive.

Just use one of those mobile repair blokes, if you take it to a dealer they would just get one of those in and then charge a hefty premium on top. I'll send you a message with details of a local chap.

Mobile guys just do minor repairs?

singleton

me-109 said:

A 3yr deal on 5k miles per year is not just 15k at the point you hand it back. It's assessed annually, like at service time, and billed if you run over on any single year.

I didn't know it worked like that, but definitely worth knowing thanks.

katani

singleton said:

me-109 said:

A 3yr deal on 5k miles per year is not just 15k at the point you hand it back. It's assessed annually, like at service time, and billed if you run over on any single year.

I didn't know it worked like that, but definitely worth knowing thanks.

Because it doesn't usually work like that and the total mileage is what matters.

beansnikpoh

What Katani said.

me-109

I looked at a few and remember the 2 through VW Finance worked like that (it was the one I signed up to).

katani

beansnikpoh said:

What's that, less than £40 a week for a new car? Hard to argue at that price.

To put the "exit charges" into perspective - as I said, I've had 3 cars over 8 years, not gone over the mileage limit - which for all the cars I've had is 12p per mile, and never been charged for any of the minor dings, scrapes or spills, even of the alloy wheels. The criteria by which they grade the car for wear and tear are freely available online, make sure you go round the car with the assessor at end of lease. Mind you - someone has driven into my current tank, which I'll have to pay to get fixed. There were bits of car and headlight "glass" all over the road one morning - minor scrape on my front bumper and wing, but I expect that will be expensive.

I once got charged £150 for a bit of chipped off paint, 1 x 1 inch area, on the very bottom of the front bumper. Scratches to the rims are not so much of a problem, but paintwork defect are.

johngti said:

Cheers folks. Seen a decent deal for a Nissan Qashqai (sp!!) for £162 including maintenance over two years. 5000 miles PA is more than enough for me.

Given that Mrs GTi’s uncle just died and has a perfectly serviceable car on his drive, It’s a shame I can’t just nab that and drive it around for a while!! And since Mrs GTi is the sole executor for his will, she’s going to have to be above board on everything.

Purchasing a GAP insurance policy may be worth considering: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/gap-insurance/

veronese68

seanoconn said:

veronese68 said:

beansnikpoh said:

Mind you - someone has driven into my current tank, which I'll have to pay to get fixed. There were bits of car and headlight "glass" all over the road one morning - minor scrape on my front bumper and wing, but I expect that will be expensive.

Just use one of those mobile repair blokes, if you take it to a dealer they would just get one of those in and then charge a hefty premium on top. I'll send you a message with details of a local chap.

Mobile guys just do minor repairs?

Usually, yes. Limited by time and working outdoors.

oxoman

Car manufacturers do a lease scheme for employees and most of them will have them valeted / detailed and touched up before handing them back for another after 12 months. It's how the dealers get the low miles A1 cars. OH,s boss got hit for 2.5k when he handed his merc back because of a paint blemish and over his miles on a 36 month lease.

micaab

Recently handed an Alfa back and was fearing the worst. Scuffed alloys and some car park scars.

But, less than £300. They did miss a couple of small dings which really surprised me. You'd expect proper Eagle eyed inspection.

photonic69

micaab said:

Recently handed an Alfa back……….

What? In a big cardboard box?

My past experiences of Alfas has been the miracle of them disappearing in front of my very eyes into a pile of rust.
(Was quite a while back tbh)

micaab

photonic69 said:

micaab said:

Recently handed an Alfa back……….

What? In a big cardboard box?

My past experiences of Alfas has been the miracle of them disappearing in front of my very eyes into a pile of rust.
(Was quite a while back tbh)

Lol that reputation is still with alfa.

But no, the Stelvio was faultless over 3 years. A few alfa quirks but nothing mad.

Car was good. Can't same the same about the dealership.

englishcyclist

I think if you get a good deal its worth it. I got a VW Arteon a few years back for like £200 / month... Great car for the money (normally like £400 / month) but I went back to PCP as I needed something quickly and couldn't wait for a new car lease to come through when the Arteon ran out.