At the moment, we can’t get away from the headlines – and reality – of rising costs. It’s not just the price of food, electricity, gas and water, but transportation and increasing fuel prices. Should we consider buying a new or used car with lower running costs? Can we afford to run a car post COVID?
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Like everything else, car prices are increasing. Car prices surged by 21% in 2021. Demand for used cars has increased, and while new car sales are up, the auto industry doesn’t have a steady flow of new vehicles – thanks to factory shutdowns, shipping, and more being put on hold.
Having a car in this post-pandemic world is still a necessity. For me, I require it to get to work and to get the weekly shop. (I would love to use public transport more, but it is incredibly unreliable and doesn’t run as regularly as needed.) Plus, reluctance to use public transport is at its highest in 18 years.
Hitting the road
I’m lucky; my mum has worked in a garage for over 20 years, so she has excellent first-hand experience of the cars on the forecourt. But the selection isn’t always huge or what I wanted. Plus, as someone at the wrong end of their 30s, I should be able to pick a car myself.
I passed my driving test the first time when I was 17. My parents bought me a block of lessons, and I had my first lesson on my birthday. Like everyone else at that age, picking out a dream car was fun. Having the freedom to go where I wanted, whenever I wanted, has opened up my world. I can travel around Cardiff and go on staycation as much as I like.
Apart from when I broke down! Weeks before lockdown, during the busy rush hour, my clutch went all the way to the floor and didn’t come back up again. With only 7% phone battery and a pad of paper, I wrote down my thoughts from the side of the road whilst waiting for breakdown recovery. Occasionally, I get caught parking in the wrong place too. I once had to write a funny email ranting about a parking fine at Asda.
My current car is 20 years old and has nearly 120,000 miles on the clock. (Pictured above) It is still going strong. I bought it second hand eight years ago. I currently own it and only have to pay insurance and road tax. However, I worry that I’m not sure I can afford the monthly repayments if anything happens.
Buying a car doesn’t have to be a stressful experience
The best way to determine if the car is right for you is to use a car payment calculator. Regardless if it’s a new, used or trade-in. The calculator can determine how much you may need to loan and the monthly repayments to help you budget. There are even tools to calculate the miles to the gallon, calculating your fuel budget. And it is easy and free to use.
Psst… If you hate number crunching, like me, then they also have some car-based games. Just for fun! Pretending I was Batman, breaking the speed limit, fighting villains and avoiding obstacles was a great way to unwind.
If you do get a new car, stop by and take me out for a spin!
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