Is Cutting Back To A Small Car Prudent, A Sound Decision?

 Gone are the good old-days of cruising in a luxury SUV like the rich. It's time to make cutbacks. If you want more you'll have to work very hard in these hard times. At the very least together we need to be seen as being sensible, careful, making sound decisions, thinking about security and the fundamentals in life. Gone is the good life. Back to the simple life.


It's not that bad. Cutting back to a small car will put the fun back into motoring. They go well, they're more spacious and comfortable these days. They've got style and street cred' and most are now very safe. But best of all they cost less to buy, less to run. You make huge savings but is it a good idea?


Common sense says a small car is a good idea because they're more affordable cars to buy and cheaper to run. They're also the most Eco friendly cars.


The question is, is a small car all you need? Every time car fuel prices goes up or there's an economic downturn surveys reveal peoples' intention to buy a small car next time. Most didn't then go and buy a Vauxhall Corsa. The medium size hatch - Focus, Astra, Golf - has remained the most popular car sector.

In the early 70s oil crisis people rushed to trade their Cortinas for a new mini car. They proved too small and most returned within the year to trade back up in size. They lost a fortune in depreciation on their new small car purchase which would have paid for many, many years of fuel for their previous car. By 1976 the market was flooded with second hand small cars. Mind you that was when a small car was 3.5m long, the size of a small city car today.

So if you're thinking about a small car think twice about a tiny town car. Most new small cars since 2005 are now near 4m long and could possibly be all the car you need.

A few points to watch out for:

• Cars which rank closely for fuel consumption may not prove to be significantly different in real on the road driving conditions.
• If you're considering diesel calculate your saving in fuel costs more than cover the extra cost of buying a diesel car within a reasonable amount of time and mileage.
• Don't use top ten new car sellers as proof they're the best cars. The new car market depends on many factors not concerning the private motorist. Taking into account used car sales and the loyal following most small cars have - every small car for sale in the UK is a potential contender, so make comparisons.

When a small car is it not all the car you need consider larger cars like the Focus. There's a huge special offer battle going on this summer on new cars which are also competing with used car sales so there's a great deal out there somewhere. If you can save £2000 it could cover one years petrol or depreciation or maybe all the finance interest. By the looks of it you could save over £3000 on some deals with 0% finance.

Think more economical car, rather than smaller car. Some SUVs have a combined 50 mpg today. Remember a car that costs less generally can only depreciate less. Also check out the cost of maintenance and evaluate your way through every figure of a finance agreement. Finally get a proper car insurance quote before you buy because the new 1 to 50 groups have spread the difference between different variations of the same model car.

You could always keep your old car and keep the enormous cost to change a car to pay for fuel, parts and insurance for many years to come on your present one.

Regards
Ralph