[QUOTE 2934584, member: 259"]What Car always recommends buying cheaper cars if you want to cut the cost of motoring. Personally I couldn't give a hoot about the percentages, I'm bothered about the cost of driving.
As they say:[/quote]
Ah but What Car is a magazine based around selling new cars. If you really want to cut the cost of motoring the first thing to do is NOT buy a new car!
If you do want to buy a new car then my point was really to flag up that the Roomster has a very poor residual value and so although you don't pay a comparatively high amount for it, you are hit very hard when you come to sell it. Going on Users purchase at £10k, that is still costing you £6,800 in depreciation over three years.
I would not call that cheap motoring.
What I think happens is that similar MPVs all drop at about the same rate in value so some you pay a bit more for but then get a bit more back on resale. This then shows up as a higher percentage drop on the Roomster as it started at a lower price.
I was just pointing out the cost is not the price you pay at the outset. Depreciation is a huge consideration in the cost of motoring and often overlooked.
I am one for watching the cost of motoring but in doing this I have gone to the opposite extreme. I have a dirty great E Class Mercedes estate. It cost more in fuel, tax, insurance and servicing, but I am driving around in a car that cost £44,000 and now it is seven years old I picked it up for £9k. It will only drop in value by about £1k per year now and so that small drop more than makes up for the extra other costs. I can never quite understand people wanting cheap motoring but then buying a new car. The two just do not go together.
Of course different if the car is from work or whatever. Always lots of factors to consider.