Newer car worth extra money?

[Benzino]

Hey all, looking for opinions. There are 2 Golfs I am looking at, both pretty much have the same mileage and similar spec, but their age and price differ. One is a 132 in the UK, and including vrt and flights etc is about €2k cheaper. The other one is a 152 in Ireland. Is the 152 the better value overall?

Condition is more important I know, Ive had the UK car inspected and its in great condition, but I can view the 152 more readily and it only has an additional 500 miles on the clock over the 132. Also if something happens to the 152, I can return it, not so easy with the UK car.

I think I know the 152 is the better option (it probably edges it in spec too, slightly more bhp), but would others opinions.

 

[AlbacoreA]

I'd go with the newer.

 

[Leper]

We got burnt with a UK import car. Once rust set in underneath, the car literally died at the NCT Test Centre where having failed we were not let drive it. Stick with the Irish option.

 

[PaddyBloggit]

I'd go with the newer.

+1

 

[AlbacoreA]

There isn't enough difference in cost. It's basically less than the depreciation. You prefer it anyway.

 

[Benzino]

Yeah, I think I knew it anyway just wanted some opinions. Condition of car is always more important than age in my opinion, but the cost difference just isn't enough to warrant going for the cheaper car. Thanks everyone

 

[AlbacoreA]

With the problems with insurance for old cars, and massive mileage in the medium used car market. If you can afford a newish car then it's the least hassle.

 

[noproblem]

I'd go with the Irish car and not just because it's newer but because it supports the economy, etc. What would happen if suddenly everyone stopped buying in Irish shops, garages, restaurants, petrol stations, etc, etc, etc, etc? I'd imagine it might get difficult for the owners of these places to pay staff, services and everything else. By all means it is your choice, you can do what you want, so can all of us, but don't come crying when there's no money for this, that and the other.

 

[mathepac]

Newer car would be my choice.

@noproblem, it seems Irish consumers have stopped buying new cars from Irish main dealers. New car sales are -17%, used imports +40%.

 

[noproblem]

I know that mathepac, they'll also be the ones complaining when there's not enough money in goverment coffers to pay for services, etc.

 

[HollyBud]

I pay more then enough to the government coffers as it is without paying an extra couple other thousand because it's the right thing to do.
Go with the best value option.
BTW I'd go with the Irish car in this case. It's an extra 2K but crucially its 2 years newer.

 

[newtothis]

Just a thought, but are you comparing like with like? By like I mean similar in every respect, both in the spec of the car and where and how it's being sold (e.g. private sale vs. main dealer warrented). The reason I ask is that I'd expect the imprt to be cheaper: you'd expect a €2k saving (I'm assuming that's 10-15%?) on cars that were equal, inclduing their age. If the local car is priced lower than it should be relative to the import, I'd ask the question why. Is it priced lower relative to other local cars that are similar?

 

[Benzino]

Just a thought, but are you comparing like with like? By like I mean similar in every respect, both in the spec of the car and where and how it's being sold (e.g. private sale vs. main dealer warrented). The reason I ask is that I'd expect the imprt to be cheaper: you'd expect a €2k saving (I'm assuming that's 10-15%?) on cars that were equal, inclduing their age. If the local car is priced lower than it should be relative to the import, I'd ask the question why. Is it priced lower relative to other local cars that are similar?

There are a few differences in the car spec. I'd say the Irish car (152) is a better spec, it has an extra 10bhp, sunroof, reverse camera and sports seats that are half leather/half cloth over the UK car, whereas the UK car (132) has Park Pilot (car steers itself into parking spots) and the ability to switch driving mode over the Irish car. So spec wise, not a huge amount in it (some people don't care for sunroof, camera probably a tad unnecessary with parking sensors which both cars have).

Warranty wise, I'm not sure what the Irish car will come with, still need to sort that out (I've only placed a refundable deposit). But the UK car comes with 90 days, so isn't really practical considering I'd have a 14 hour round trip journey to take the car back (on expensive ferries).

The Irish car is priced lower than other similar cars. Now why that is, I don't know. The saying it's too good to be true does come to mind, but I will be checking it over and hoping to get a mechanic to have a look at it too. I think the time of year helps, not many people are buying a car at this time of the year, plus dealers will be expecting and influx of used cars in the new year. It's also a petrol which there are only 7 of this type for sale on Carzone.ie at the moment, so I think that helps as there doesn't appear to be much of a market for petrol's in Ireland. The dealer also has a very good reputation online.

 

[galway_blow_in]

VW golf are about the most expensive car you can buy second hand , not to mention very over rated

a ford focus with the same spec should be at east 2 k cheaper , better car too

 

[RedOnion]

Are you sure the 152 is an original Irish car, and not an import?

If it is and the milage isn't high you might still have a Volkswagen warranty on it for the reminder of 3 years.

 

[Benzino]

VW golf are about the most expensive car you can buy second hand , not to mention very over rated

a ford focus with the same spec should be at east 2 k cheaper , better car too

It may be the most expensive car second hand, but it also means you will find it easier and potentially get more money back when selling it on (provided it's looked after) due to it's popularity. I'm not a huge fan of Focus, they look very boring in my opinion.

Are you sure the 152 is an original Irish car, and not an import?

If it is and the milage isn't high you might still have a Volkswagen warranty on it for the reminder of 3 years.

I did a motorcheck on it, and it states it wasn't imported. That's a good point on the warranty, it is well under the 90k km limit so there would be about 9 months left on it, which isn't bad.

 

[galway_blow_in]

It may be the most expensive car second hand, but it also means you will find it easier and potentially get more money back when selling it on (provided it's looked after) due to it's popularity. I'm not a huge fan of Focus, they look very boring in my opinion.



I did a motorcheck on it, and it states it wasn't imported. That's a good point on the warranty, it is well under the 90k km limit so there would be about 9 months left on it, which isn't bad.

and a golf isnt boring ?

 

[Benzino]

and a golf isnt boring ?

Not in my opinion, no.

 

[Ceist Beag]

Just so I'm following this correctly, the UK car is a 132 diesel Golf and the Irish car is a 152 petrol Golf, is that right? That might explain why the 152 is only €2K more than the 132 as a diesel holds it value better (currently at least though that may change) and is a more expensive car new. From a quick check on carzone, 132 diesel golfs from dealers seems to be around the €16.5K mark. The 152 petrols Golfs on carzone have a big variation on price - anything from €14K to €22K so it's hard to know what the expected value of these are but if you're getting a 152 petrol Golf for anywhere around the €18.5K mark (i.e. €2K over the average price of a 132 diesel) then it looks like a good deal if it's from a reputable dealer. As RedOnion said, for a 152 I would expect some of the warranty to remain which should give some more comfort on that offer.

 

[Learner2015]

Yes they cars are not comparable - one is diesel and one is petrol, two years in the difference age wise and one is UK one is not.

Ceist Beag anyalysis seems fairly reasonable.

If the Irish car is one of the petrol 152s on carzone now (not the Golf Rs though) all bar the cheapest one which is Red are from VW main dealers. This being the case this is your lowest risk option by a mile. I'd buy the Irish car.

Galway - I agree the Focus is a better car VFM wise and probably engineered equally well to the Golf. But its not a Golf - sad I know but thats how it goes. Even after Dieselgate VW still command a premium over their Ford / Toyota / Opel and many more rivals. Just shows what a strong brand they are.