To buy new or not ?

[dcdick]

Been offered a great deal on a 1.2s (a/c) provided I deal before 1st March.

Basically it's 0% finance with a very generous trade in or a pcp that will leave around £2k equity after the term

Decisions decisions .............even a "better" model with sat nav/alloys/tints etc is very affordable

I've had a 2 month "test" drive in my ex & am well pleased as they say

Ideas anyone ?

The missus has her eyes on a colour that suits her as well 

Cheers

Dick.

[guest1521]

You might consider a 1.4... but be aware it has just 10% more power and 0-60 times are just a second faster.
The 1.4 is, in fact, 1339cc. The 1.2, 1198cc.

Either way, A/C is a must on these cars with large glass/glasshouse area...

Why not go for a 'Honda Warranty' two year old example? Depreciation is the biggest cost of ownership...

[guest4218]

New car is tempiting but you need to think how much value your car will lose as soon you leave the showroom plus the new honda iazz will come out next year..
Best thing buy a used one with low mileage like i did but don't buy a 1.2 buy a 1.4 is little more bigger but has got more power more torque and the mpg is the same as the 1.2

[Garyman]

Wouldnt consider 1.2 tbh but anything else will be fine

[madasafish]

I bought my ES 1.4 CVT Jazz with 4 years free servicing, reversing sensors and Weather Protection Pack (side trims, mudflaps and carpet covers)...6 months old  300 miles on clock... for £3,000 under List Price plus Options..

Buy used under a year old and you save loadsofmoney.

[monkeydave]

nowt wrong with the 1.2 but get the a/c s or now a/c SE i got mine 3 years ago new and is great round town and great on the motorway but if i were to replace it now i would wait to either get the new shape comming out or get a better deal on the current model when the new one comes out

[dcdick]

New car is tempiting but you need to think how much value your car will lose as soon you leave the showroom plus the new honda iazz will come out next year..
 

That's why the offer I have is so "cheap" just on a couple of models (the hardest to shift I suppose) but includes the extended warranty/mats etc..... as well as the ex trade in price, and a future equity of close to £2,000.

There is a 7 month old 1.2 SE in the dealership with the balance of the warranty service pack & almost £3,000 off the current list but no interest free   (would have to re-negotiate the part ex as well) & even using my banks "super duper special" loan rate instead of the dealers it puts almost £1,300 on the price not saving that much as even with a pcp the future value will be a fair bit lower than a new car's.

Just to muddy the waters even further I can deal on the base Civic as well at a very good pcp deal.

Oh well, I pass the dealer most days so might pop in for a coffee in the morning to see If I can screw some more discounts out of them 

[dcdick]

Thanks for all the replies.

I don't see that much difference between the 2 engines for the Jazz.

Buying new is always a bit of a gamble but as we are low mileage users nowadays the future value will be as good as it will ever get & your trading in a car that still has 2 years warranty/service/roadside assistance cover remaining.

Fixed price motoring with everything covered except punctures 

Cheers

Dick.

[guest1521]

1.2 or 1.4?

"In reality, unless you drive both versions back to back it’s difficult to spot any significant differences between the two."

The AutoCar article (link below) does conclude by saying the Fiesta is better for driving enjoyment...

... (but if you need space in the rear and a 'feeling of allround space' Jazz wins hands-down, I'd say.)

Motorway journeys? I do lots of 360 mile trips in my 1.2. Personally I don't see how just one-tenth extra power and one-tenth extra torque can make a blind bit of difference practically speaking 1.2 vs 1.4.  Makes a difference to your purchase price, though...

Also, be careful of buying a particular Jazz 1.4 model with a relatively expensive tyre (for the 'type' of car), with little choice. I'm not sure exactly which Jazz model it is, but it has been the subject of surprise/frustration on this Forum. Always consider tyre 'choices/prices when buying a car - if running costs are imortant to you.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/honda/jazz/first-drives/honda-jazz-1.2-se

[dcdick]

1.2 or 1.4?

"In reality, unless you drive both versions back to back it’s difficult to spot any significant differences between the two."

The AutoCar article (link below) does conclude by saying the Fiesta is better for driving enjoyment...

... (but if you need space in the rear and a 'feeling of allround space' Jazz wins hands-down, I'd say.)

Motorway journeys? I do lots of 360 mile trips in my 1.2. Personally I don't see how just one-tenth extra power and one-tenth extra torque can make a blind bit of difference practically speaking 1.2 vs 1.4.  Makes a difference to your purchase price, though...

Also, be careful of buying a particular Jazz 1.4 model with a relatively expensive tyre (for the 'type' of car), with little choice. I'm not sure exactly which Jazz model it is, but it has been the subject of surprise/frustration on this Forum. Always consider tyre 'choices/prices when buying a car - if running costs are imortant to you.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/honda/jazz/first-drives/honda-jazz-1.2-se

I do agree, there is little "real world" difference in performance between 1.2 - 1.4 seems a strange choice of engines from Honda to say the least

The tyres you refer to are fitted to the "higher end" stuff (EX etc...) 185/55 16 & in 2008 when they appeared on the Jazz were a bit uncommon & hence more expensive.  Loads of them around these days starting around £45 up to £80 or so for "premium" tyres that the Jazz certainly doesn't need (small/light/not very fast)

An alternative is to go up to 195/55 tyres, will need to be 4 tyres at once but will make your speedo read almost exactly correct.  Steering may be slightly heavier but insurance company will also want to know about it.

[RichardA]

Buying new vs used sometimes comes down to how long you wish to keep the car. I bought my Jazz new six and a half years ago; I never intended to keep it this long but by doing so the costs have evened out.

Sometimes nearly new cars are not such a good deal next to new when factoring in finance deals or other incentives offered on new cars such as service packs, deposit contributions, etc. I do wonder if some nearly new or ex-demos are priced so high just to push people into a new car.

The biggest factor with the Jazz is that because most (all?) are sold to private buyers, there are relatively few nearly new examples for sale - unlike with the Fiestas or Corsas - which I suspect most are probably ex-rental fleet!

On the other hand I think some buyers focus too much on the monthly payments and end up buying a £18k VW Scirocco on a PCP when they went shopping for a £12k used VW Golf on HP - all because the salesman said 'I can get you into a brand new car for the same amount' (that is a true story by the way!).

[peteo48]

With one or two exceptions, I've always bought used - more often than not about 2 to 3 years old. It's that depreciation thing that swings it for me. My 1.4 EX was £8500 at 3 years old with 11,500 miles on the clock. New it would be between £14 and £15k.

You can come unstuck though. I had a Golf 1.9 TDI which cost me an absolute shed load in repairs but that stands out as being the one time I bought a duffer.

[richardfrost]

My 1.4EX cost me £11600 with a 12 month service and brand new fitted mats. It was first registered in March 2013 and had 12,400 miles on the clock. It was a short term lease to an individual, not a car rental firm. The car is immaculate and has saved me many thousands over buying new.

Hepworth Honda (Halifax and Huddersfield) have many similar Jazz models coming off short lease deals and I had quite a few to choose between.

I also go my 2005 1.4SE from there which my son drives. Both cars are superb and Hepworth have been an outstanding dealership, picking up the niggles on the '05 car with no issues.

[culzean]

My first Civic was a lease car,  6 months old with 14K on the clock,  saved about 5K over new price,  I went on to do 180K in it and never a spanner on it.

No point in buying new, depreciation in first 12 months is quite bad, savings on buying nearly new can be massive, as far as I know second hand cars only attract VAT on the difference between the price the dealer buys them at and what he sells them for.

[chrisc]

I usually buy new but wait for end of financial year offers and "demo" cars.  Latest Jazz was such a demo, had covered 450km and came with a 3 year warranty.  Was 17.5% off the new price