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In my experience (which is n=2, so anecdotal) an older car will go one of two ways- you'll need to pay to maintain it in A1 condition, which is expensive and adds significantly to the low initial cost, or you do the minimum and accept that at some point you'll wave it goodbye as the scrap dealer drives off with it on their lorry. Approach 2 is likely to be cheaper, you just spend 3k every three years (say), plus £500 service and MOT (again, estimate).
If you want a single fixed cost per month then I'd look at leasing something new.
Dammit-
I totally disagree with this. it isn't that black or white. your Porsche, for example is maintained a level no-one else would require and you option two suggests cars are unusable after 10 years...
Sarah and I ran a '95 1L polo for about 5 years and all it needed was a fuse and a battery. there is no way in the world that vw will cost more than £250 a month over 3+ years. I have no idea about leasing cars - 250 a month was a guess.
BRM
Cheers. This would be out first car ever. And we're in our mid/late thirties. I literally know nothing.
It'd be nice to have something problem free, that can get us anywhere (a car can get you, including the continent).