Since quite a few threads on branding, I thought of creating this one.
If you have X amount of money to buy a car, which one will you choose (both costs same)?
1. A base model of (perceived) snob brand (BMW 1, Merc A etc.)
2. A top model of (perceived) budget brand (Skoda, Kia etc.)
I'd personally choose #2.
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ancient wisdom states that (1) is worth more than (2) at trade in time.
I'd go for (2) if I thought it was value fro money and it it fulfilled all of my other criteria (nbr 1 - looks good).
JH
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3. A mid-range Volvo.
It's not considered alongside the prestige brands but neither is it a run of the mill car.
You get most of the equipment you want than a bargain basement prestige but not overloaded.
Last edited by: gmac on Fri 26 Mar 10 at 13:49
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Depends if it's your money, you're buying new or used and/or you plan to keep the car for a long time surely ?
Depreciation is by far the highest cost in running a car for at least the first 3 years (probably more like 4 or 5). This impacts lease costs (company cars), finance costs (PCH or whatever) and actual costs (buying it yourself however you finance it).
So, take the time to do the sums, then make your choice, the worst of all worlds is spec-ing up a new prestige brand with the toys, then you lose most of the additional cost in depreciation - especially on leases.
Prestige cars tend (these days) to have the basics e.g. all 3 Series BMWs, Merc C-CLasses or Audi A4s have a full complement of airbags, ABS, ESP, TCS etc, a reasonable stereo, fog-lamps, alloys and air-con/climate so they're not exactly basic.
Best to buy a blinged up mainstream car 'nearly new' when it's lost a lot of value, if you're leasing then BMWs, Audis and Mercs will probably be cheaper because they depreciate less from new. Arguably the only 'mug punters' are those who buy nearly new prestige cars for little less than the new price or worse still buy new ones and spend £10K on options which will be almost worthless at trade-in.
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I keep cars a long time, so my answer is #2.
I'd get a really nice Skoda - probably an Octavia Hatchback.
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Trade in value would be an issue for me, so I certainly would not buy an expensive FIAT/Kia etc. I think I would get a Skoda too if I could find one fast enough. I looked at the space spec Fabias and although they will be bigger and safer than the Panda I bought I bet in the city they would be no where near as fun to drive.
I hate driving in traffic but I love controlling an engine, I love high reving cheeky cars hence buying a FIAT.
I think two many people also try to buy too flash and can't afford to run it. I had £7k to spend on a car, I bought the most basic thing possible for that money, its as much as a chic magnet as white paint but if I had bought a £7k second hand BMW the running costs would make me resent it.
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Rattle - BMW running costs at those levels are no more than the equivalent Mondeo or Vectra....Plenty of reasons for people not wanting to buy BMWs at any price - each to his own, but don't give me this reverse snobbery stuff ! :-)
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I am going back to the basics though, not just insurance but cost of tyres etc. Most BMWs now have silly low profile tyres on them, I know my dads Fiesta costs almost £100 for each tyre so god knows how much a flash BMW will cost.
Of course you can get a proverty spec BMW.
To me brands like BMW/Merc really start to make sense when you get into the mid range stuff, the 5 series for example is a very very nice car. It is much better than any Ford or Vauxhall.
I personaly have nothing against BMW but I hate people buying cars for the badge but then it is their choice. The reason I hate them is they look down on Ford Focuses etc when it is probably a better car than 1 series.
I would love to own a high spec 3 or 5 series one day but they are probably luxery cars, just mainstream cars with a 'posh' badge.
The same thing goes on in the HIFI world, audiophiles have snubbed some of the higher end Marantz/Sony stuff just because it has a crap badge.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Fri 26 Mar 10 at 19:02
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When I was buying the XC90 I was told that the spec was everything and value really depended on spec. Not totally convinced I bought an SE which has most things on that you would want. The only things that my car does not have perhpas others might are: -
Electric passenger seat (the drivers is electric)
Sun roof
Bi-Xenon lights
folding door mirrors
Different internal trim
Now I miss none of these, although I would like all of them. However on a car that cost me £18,000, I would not pay much more that say £500 to have them all on.
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My starting point would be size and seating/luggage capacity. A BMW 1 series or Merc A class would fall at the first fence as too small for four adults + kit for 2 weeks camping in France.
At my size point, med large estate, I'd much rather have a Citroen or Skoda that's adequately powered and trimed over a base petrol just for the badge. Cars here are run into the ground so resale value at 3yrs/36k is not an issue.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 27 Mar 10 at 20:12
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It always comes back to Skoda !
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>> It always comes back to Skoda !
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Is it any wonder?
If the Skoda success story keeps going, I wonder what VW's reaction will be.
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I think it comes back to Skoda because - at least at the moment - they manage to hold their value as well as a VW, unlike the other brands that Movilogo has in mind for the second category.
VW have always been, in those terms, 1.5 - neither prestige nor budget - and that has been a good thing for them. Skodas are now rightly seen as having the same good quality as a VW, and generally better dealers.
Movilogo puts the finger on the choice many of us make - and naturally we want the best of both worlds. As an Octavia driver who's also recently had two VWs, I think I've got it.
That said, there was something special and feel-good about the Audi I had between the VWs - but I got that because of the V6 engine, not the badge. Too expensive to replace with another.
(Edit) Londoner - I read recently that VW top brass are indeed worried about that very point. For example, with the Octavia and now the Superb estates, there is very little reason to choose a Passat.
Last edited by: Avant on Sat 27 Mar 10 at 23:13
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Snob base model vs high spec budget brand - Tooslow
