Need An Opinion...

[FordLuke]

I've had my 07 Fiesta Finesse for a year come October and its been really great. I've been driving 2 years and started with a cheap Corsa before taking a leap to a newer Ford which I prefer. The trouble is I'm never happy and lately I keep seeing a car I really like the look of on the roads and its simply a newer version of the Fiesta but in white! I think it looks awesome.

Anyway, my problem. As I say, I've only been driving 2 years and I'm 20 so car insurance in itself is a pain in the back side on its own but at the moment my 07 Fiesta is coming up for renewal. I did pay the car off in full though when I bought it. Do you think it would be silly for me to sell my current car now and go for the more updated white version but on finance? Firstly, I'm guessing they won't come cheap so I'd have to go finance. Secondly, is finance an okay way to go? I've never done it, only heard a little about it so not sure if its worth it. Thirdly, am I being greedy and asking for a bit too much too soon? There's nothing wrong with my red fiesta but the thought of getting a newer one excites me.

Cheers.

[FordLuke]

Sorry if this is in wrong section or against any rules, btw.

[Mathrin]

I'm on ford finance, paying... a substantial amount per month for a brand new Fiesta Zetec in white. I think overall it costs like 1.5k more to do finance, but it's worth it imo.

[Marcr1]

I'd say go for finance if you can afford it. Taking into account you'd save money on no mots to worry about and it's taxed for a year. I'm not sure how much truth is in it but from what I've found newer cars are cheaper to insure as they're safer etc

[Mathrin]

Well I'm 24, passed in february and fully comp on my own policy is £800ish... and thats with the stacked premium of working in insurance. So there could be some truth to that idea!

[Marcr1]

When I passed at 17 I went for a brand new fiesta and most of my friends in the same area as me went for 10 year old + cars.

I paid £1300 and everyone else was at least £2000

[Marcr1]

It could also be its easier to repair new cars?

[FordLuke]

Hey lads, thanks for the replies. Yeah, I think it's true the newer the car the cheaper the insurance because of safety etc. When I passed at 18 the 1996 1.2L was a whopping £2500 for fire and theft insurance. Absolute joke. My insurance on the 2007 1.25 is still bad at £1800ish but that's fully comp.

Hmm, I'm really interested in doing this now. I bought my car at about £4.5K so would it be fair to say it'll be worth no less than 3K now? I've only put about 4000 miles onto it and its had no problems. I bought it from a Ford garage which could be useful as they have the newer version I want but at 12K so I wouldn't know how they'd approach it. Decisions...

[JonM]

3K deposit on Ford Options I'm sure would be fine... You can get one with no deposit. I got my Metal on options with only a little more deposit in comparison of car cost.

[MRC89]

The Mk7 is on average 2 (old) insurance groups lower than the Mk6 like for like. Example: Mk6 Fiesta highest insurance group 8 (excl. ST), Mk7 spans between group 4 and 6, on the old 1-20 insurance grouping.

I had finance on my Fiesta Zetec S, but I picked it up 2nd hand (6k miles) for £10,000 from motorpoint with repayments of £190 per month with a £2,000 deposit. If it's what you want to do then I'd say go for it, if you can't afford a brand new one look into places like motorpoint/carcraft etc which sell partly used cars. Just make sure you can afford the insurance on top of the finance repayments, shop around insurers and look at different engine sizes/trim levels til you find something that suits you.

Some info to take into account if you're not already familiar: http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/ford/ford-fiesta-guide.asp

[Marcr1]

Carcraft???? I'd never buy a car from there!

[jimrex]

At the end of the day, I don't think many people walk into a dealership and pay for a new car in full there and then. If you can afford the deposit (or can part-ex your Fiesta), and can afford the monthly payments, why not go for it? You'll be driving a brand new car, with a three year warranty and not have to worry about MOTs, paying for any big bills if something goes wrong, tyres for a while etc.

On the newer model, the tax, insurance, servicing and overall running costs will be improved as well. And I believe with Options, although you never actually own the car, you can hand it back after the finance period and start again... provided of course you have been saving for the deposit on the next one ;)

I had no idea when I bought my Fiesta as it was my first brand new car, but you'll find the dealers are more than happy to help (anything for a potential sale!). Just shop around, no two dealers will offer the same deals - I bought my Focus in Leeds because they could offer nearly a grand less than my local dealers, and also offered more for my trade in.

[FordLuke]

Sorry for the bump but I didn't want to create a new thread!

I lost one of my black trims last week so have had to buy a new set of 4. They came today and I put them on and don't really like them. :( They are black and white and do not go with the red car at all (I don't think). Now they're on though I can't get a refund. If I ever did turn round and sell the car (back to my Ford dealer presumably) would I be better off buying a set of Ford trims off eBay (like so http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-FORD-FIESTA-2008-Wheel-Trims-FULL-SET-4-NEW-Sale-/350700977516#vi-content) before hand and also ripping off my ford badge stickers?

[JoeZS19]

FordLuke I guess you could change the wheel trims back to ford ones as dealers tend to prefer cars as standard when traded in, but as theyre only trims they might not be as bothered as if they were after martket alloys.

I pay finance on my fiesta ZS, I px'd my mk6.5 ZS and pay a monthly payment which once you start paying you dont really notice it going out to be honest. I will say though that the mk7 fiestas are a big improvement on the mk6 :) so you wouldnt be dissapointed.

Would you be looking at finance or options? As with my finance i dont have an end payment as the finance covers the remaining cost on top of my Px, where as i beleive the options normally has a final payment or you can hand the car back if you dont want to pay it

[Steve92]

@ Joe, yours would be something like ford Acquire and not a PCP like options, in these instances is often cheaper to go to a bank as the interest rates are lower and you can sell the car as and when you want as there is no finance secured against the car. Always look at the amount of interest paid, not just the APR. At the minute Ford quote 4.9% on a PCP, this works out at £1500 in interest against a 10k loan, borrow that amount from the bank and you will pay £700 in interest.

Going back to the wheel trims, I doub't they would bother, providing they looked silver then they would be happy. What i would say though is cheap trims do not tend to be made of much and do fall off, so whilst 1 might might be cheaper by the time you have replaced 3 it works out more expensive.

[JoeZS19]

Steve92 im not sure i just know im with ford finance and pay a monthly amount with no final payment. the amount i pay a month i have no trouble paying so i didnt bother with a bank loan. but i get what your saying :)

FordLuke so you should be fine with the trims as they can easily be changed by the dealers if need be

[FordLuke]

Thanks. :)

I dunno, I keep looking but I think I'm too young to worry about getting a new car yet. I'm 21 next week and already on my second. It's more than fine and getting me around safely. I just look at these new ones both exterior and interior and instantly fall in love!

[JoeZS19]

FordLuke well im 22 and on my fourth car aha. I know what you mean about seeing cars about that you like even though yours is probably more than fine for what you need. Whats mk7 model fiesta were you looking at? Ive got the zetec s and honestly is the best car ive owned :) nice inside and out, handles like its on rails and pretty quick to

[FordLuke]

Any to be honest mate. As you say though the mark 7 is lovely. I'll have a look at the Zetec S. You took yours out with your local ford dealer then?

[iNath]

23 and on my 5th car, soon to be 6th ;)

[JoeZS19]

FordLuke if you want a sporty looking car (spoiler, body kit, bigger wheels, lower suspension) then the zetec s would be the one to go for, but you do get more gadgets on the titanium spec models. All are pretty decent spec though and will still be a great car :) .

Yeah i did, i was happy with my mk6.5 Zetec s and then i just popped to my local dealer to have a look at a mk7 out of interest and ended up getting it aha

[FordLuke]

23 and on my 5th car, soon to be 6th ;)

Oh wow. Have they all been brand new?

FordLuke if you want a sporty looking car (spoiler, body kit, bigger wheels, lower suspension) then the zetec s would be the one to go for, but you do get more gadgets on the titanium spec models. All are pretty decent spec though and will still be a great car :) .

Yeah i did, i was happy with my mk6.5 Zetec s and then i just popped to my local dealer to have a look at a mk7 out of interest and ended up getting it aha

Thanks Joe. Gonna have a little look now. That's sort of what I'm after.

[JoeZS19]

no worries :) .. I know my mk7 defo feels much more car for the money than my previous one.

Anything else you need just let me know :)

[Philf1]

Whatever car you buy there will always be another newer, better, faster one that you'll want. I have only had my MK7 Zetec S from new since last November but now want a MK7.5 ST, heyho.

Finance is worth researching, check APR, total payable, number of months. Dealers can often do reallygood dealsand loan against teh car socanalwaysre-posses if you don'tpay. Banks base on credit scores, but be aware that if you want topay back early there might be penalty charges even with some banks. Make sure before you actually apply that there will be no chance of rejection,you don't want that on your credit history. Ask at the dealers,atyour bank andcheck on-line as well.

Whatever you decide make sure you really can afford the repayments and insurance, last thing you need is a lovely shiney car on the drive and no money for fuel! Goodluck and let us know what you decide.

[Yokomoko]

Hi mate, I would like to say I am 22 and have had a rough time with insurance:

1st year: £2800 (1999 1.3 Mk 3 Fiesta)

2nd year: £800 (1999 1.3 Mk 3 Fiesta), risen to £1000 when swapping to a 2003 1.6 Focus Zetec

3rd year: £720

After paying in full, 6 months down the line, the 1.0 Ecoboost Fiesta Titanium will cost £390 for the rest of the 6 months, so profit midway through.

I worked it all out before even considering finance what I would be up and down - Excluding the deposit. I didn't take in to consideration the inevitable MOT costs, only put aside £70 for MOT each year, and with a dodgy fuel sensor, and the cat converter on the way out, would have been much more.

All in all, with REAL/Realistic mpg figures (under estimated), it worked out at about £200 a year more for a brand new Fiesta which would be more reliable. Not sure now much the cat would have been, but I was quoted £130 to replace the VSS (Visual speed sensor), and MOTs are always more than £70.

I reckon I am going to be breaking even at least, and I get a reliable brand new car with a ton of gadgets, and my car actually represents my job much more. I was annoyed when a basic barman got a newish 2009 Astra on finance, I earn probably twice what he was and was in a less good car, all that has changed now :-D

Edit - Might not be the best place to get unbiased advice by the way, it's an owners club, of course we don't regret our choices :p