Ekona

The only cars I've ever 'owned' have been my MX5 and MR2 track slags!

I hate it when people multiquote to reply to posts as it looks like an argument for the sake of it, but I don't mean that here: It's just purely for ease, promise Seems like an average deposit to me, no probs there bud. It depends. If the car is worth (i.e. what you can sell it to Joe Bloggs or a dealer for) £15K, and the PCP is £12K, then in theory you have £3K equity. You can use that to either be a £3K deposit on a new car from a dealer, or sell the car privately and pocket that £3K. If the car is only worth £12K then you have zero equity. This is exactly what the finance companies are after, as it means they got their sums right. In this case, you then need to find more deposit for a new car, or just hand the car back and walk away. At this point, you've pretty much lost everything. If the car is worth £10K but the PCP is still £12K, you're laughing. At this point you've 'gained' £2K on the deal, so you definitely want to be handing the car back at this point! Alternatively, you might want to haggle with the finance company as they don't want to be stuck with a car worth less than is owing on it, so you might be able to get it for, say, £11K. However, in this situation nobody, not a private seller nor a dealer, is going to touch your car. If you want shot to someone else, you'll have to find the extra. This is the situation you're in throughout the loan period, though. I did the first bit with my 911 a couple of months ago. Finance company saw their money, I came out with a few grand in my pocket, and my buyer got a bargain. Don't mistake 'dealer' for 'finance company': They're two different entities. I bought my car from Porsche, but the financing was with VAG directly and they would've had the car back at the end, not Porsche. Actually, it would've gone straight to auction like my brother's Cayman R did when he cancelled his agreement, but I digress. People just want a new car. They don't care how they get it, even if it's financially disastrous for them ( ), as long as it's new. It's a stupid thing to do as the depreciation curve is ridiculous, but there is NOTHING like the feeling you get driving a brand-new car. Ever. Yes, you have other potential benefits like a warranty, and possibly free servicing, and maybe even a more fuel-efficient car, but the depreciation cancels all that out and more usually. Unless you're buying something like a P1 or a GT3 and you get instant appreciation, that is! In terms of ultimate common sense, buying a 370ZN on finance is daft. It's a car that isn't really loved, the styling divides opinion, it's not the star performer in this sector, it's thirsty and doesn't make a nice noise, and the interior isn't particularly great. And yet, none of that matters at all as we don't buy sports cars because they're sensible, we buy them because they're fun and they make us feel good, so if you can afford the finance and know what you're getting yourself into then I say go for it, as cars are a passion and if you love the 370ZN then that's all that matters! If I can ever get a drive sorted on one, I could well end up in one too, despite me knowing it's a stupid thing to do!

It's not quite that simple. Unless you've spent your time saving, you'll have no deposit for a new car so you need to find that. Ah, but I can use the equity in the car as a deposit! Yeah, if you have any: Finance people don't get rich by making errors like how much a car will be worth after 3-4 years... You could end up with a couple of grand equity, but equally you could end up with nothing if the market crashes or you picked a car that nobody else wants (a pink diesel Focus is going to be hard to shift!). Or you might go to a different manufacturer as you want one of their cars instead, and suddenly your equity is gone as they won't give you what you need to clear the finance, so you have to hand the car back and start again. PCP only really works when you have a LOT of spare cash you don't mind losing, or if you know you can save enough to cover the PCP at the end. Don't get me wrong, that's how I've financed some cars in the past and I lost a load, but it was totally worth the experience and I could afford to do it. If you know you're never going to pay the PCP figure off at the end, and you never have any intention of doing so, there's an argument that says you might just as well get a lease instead. Cheaper, less risk, guaranteed end dates etc. Just my two cents, anyway. Not trying to lecture anyone as I've done the exact same thing and it was awesome, but there are pitfalls to be aware of.

Why would I want to? I tried it when it first opened up, and it was full of griefers. I'd much rather spend some time mucking around at my own pace in the SP game than put up with kids who find it funny to shoot rockets at you the second you respawn, when all you want to do is try new stuff and maybe some races. Maybe I'll give it a go this time round now it's a bit more full-featured, but they still don't have the heists so I'm not sure there's a lot there for me personally to enjoy.

Oh wonderful, I just love it when people install stuff like that...! Does my nut it. Why on earth some guys don't think about repair work rather than just how easy they can make life for themselves, I'll never know.

I don't play it online anyway

Ultimately any used car is a risk. Personally I'd casually ask the previous owner what fuel they used, and depending on their reply I would walk. If buying from a garage you don't have that luxury, so you just make sure that everything else on the car is fine and go for it. I don't think you're worrying over nothing at all, your concerns are definitely valid, but as there's nothing you can realistically do I say just take a gamble and enjoy a great car.

In theory, possibly. If you've not had an alignment in the last year, consider this prime opportunity to get one. Also, get one anyway, a quick check isn't going to hurt.

Seems odd how that same problem has occurred for some people on both consoles. Sucks

It's going to be amazeballs.

So you had both a plumber and an electrician turn up on your thread, lucky man!

That's a heck of a lot of car for that money.

Ferrari drivers are not allowed to criticise the team, else they get very publicly censured or sacked. Alonso felt the wrath of this earlier in the season, and Seb is going to have to learn that pretty quickly.

Okay, so you've got a directly heated cylinder, and if you have power going in then I would agree it has to be the switch.

Yeah, totally get that, it's the one downside of the digital age. Thing is, this is a great game according to the reviews, and I will grudgingly admit that I'm enjoying it now I'm all powerful. If I'd ditched it straight away I'd have deprived myself of the fun I'm now eventually having. Makes me wonder if I should've stuck with Max Payne 3 and TLOU for a bit longer...?

I would assume that you just put the company in, or put the name of the company as the name IYSWIM.

Woah, let's back up a little here. You say you have no hot water. How is this normally heated? Boiler and cylinder? Combi boiler? Mains pressure storage unit (Megaflo et al)? I'm assuming it's not a combi with reference to the immersion heater, so probably the first or last one. Is there power to the switch itself on the live incomer?

Well, he was never anything special like Lewis or Schumacher or Senna, but he was handy enough behind the wheel. I agree though, I don't get the whole 'JB is an amazing driver!' thing either.

Even I've warmed to Alonso this year, couldn't stand him the last few years! Raikkonen should be given the boot, like JB. Move over guys, you're not what you used to be, and in Kimi's case that joke has worn very thin.

Like they used to back in the good old days then. I dunno, I think the current system is pretty decent if you ignore the double points fiasco. Nico has been ultra consistent this year and deserves to be where he is, and although Lewis has been unlucky with retirements (and having his team mate crash into him) that could happen to anyone.

Yeah, I enjoyed that too. I wish it was longer, and the slo-mo stuff actually gets in the way of the gameplay when you're trying to kill multiple bad guys so I turned it off, but it's still an immensely fun experience. Killing Hitler was ace

Very unlikely. The manual says to use 98RON, the big sticker in the fuel flap says 98RON, if the damage was caused by not using 98RON then it's user error. Might not be your error, but they wouldn't pay out.

I think you mean MW2. Still on Shadow Of Mordor. Still not really enjoying it. Still getting my money's worth.

Mine is my handle I used to use for Ultimate Online. I pinched it from a cardboard box. Seriously.

Cracking shot there