Zig Zag Wanderer

That is a good point. Yes, UK houses are considerably smaller and more expensive over there. For the same size, I can buy something here for a quarter of the price.

And yes, we are blessed with land. I live 20k out from a town with all mod cons, and have 10 acres, a pool, and can't see a neighbour. To do that in the UK, you'd need a million quid or more, here you can get it for $400k.

And the weather! Why don't English houses have a covered area outside? I used to huddle in the rain to have a fag with my nephew in the uk. Here, we have outdoor covered seating everywhere, even in most pubs and restaurants! It's very much an indoor lifestyle, and poorer for it. If pubs go, it'll only be those pretty awful nightclubs for socialising.

Amazulu

What I find bizarre about the UK is that many people drive the latest and greatest cars and go on pretty good holidays, yet live in tiny, shitty houses. My last time there, I really noticed the quality of the cars - parked outside distinctly average houses. Case in point being the sister and family of a good friend of mine who live in Scotland. They've just taken delivery of a Mercedes SUV yet live in a bog standard as f**k 3x1 semi. My brother's wife's daughter and partner from her previous marriage, don't own a house yet drive 2 Audis. I'd rather live in a better house and drive a crap car - which is what it's generally like around these parts

paulry

Yeah, I noticed that as well on my last trip there. Visited an old neighbour in the street I used to live, and while the rooms were generally a bit bigger than the average - even though the houses were modern former local authority housing provided for British Rail workers so they were pretty modest really - there were Beamers, Jags, big SUVs parked up in the spaces outside many of the houses - each house barely as wide as the cars were long (and don't get me started about houses with barely the width to park a car outside yet 3 or more people in each house have a car). Ah, and the gatherings - 20 people jammed into a room not much bigger than our bathroom over here. But people make do and they don't know what they don't know, I suppose.... That in some ways makes Australia a best kept secret. Would always go back for trips though. Great to catch up with all the friends and family. Also there's heaps of things to do and see in the UK that people don't really appreciate and make the most of until they're too far away. Completely agree about better house and less nice car - which is a better investment too.

BadgeIsBack

Good observation. You don't want to sink cash into a depreciating asset...

I also find the DiY thing cute - money spent on cute patios - when a deck here is just 1 piece of the pie. That said, the other extreme here is the unnecessary toys, mezzanine shed, and loads of toys eg bikes, quads - half of which is all rubbish and not called for. In the UK the country can be a genteel vocation - muddy wellies and a pair of binos - here it's 2 stroke and 4 stroke methods of burning oil......and gumtree listings of old cars and tools- "oh - look here's a boat I picked up ....."

paulry

And in the UK new cars depreciate in value staggeringly quickly. For much of my time in the UK we had very basic and oldish second hand cars. Even had one of those original Czech made Skoda's at one stage. Paid just 200 quid for it - a gawd-awful ugly car it was too (used to pride myself on that, haha!) but besides having the boot under the bonnet it was as solid as a tank and we drove it for miles and miles with no problems and amazingly when we sadly sold it a few years later because we couldn't fit a pram plus luggage under the bonnet, I got only something like 50 quid less than we paid for it! The nicest car I had over there was a Honda Accord that I picked up at the British Car Auctions over in Blackbushe around 2002. That car was the top of the range executive model and had all the bells and whistles, and was an extremely comfy car. My kids loved it. Brand new, it cost just over 20 000 pounds. But at less than 2 years old and something like 25 000 miles on the clock I picked it up for just shy of 4000! That was a great car and lasted us until we emigrated in 2010. Actually, that's another thought: In the UK people change their expensive cars every couple of years or so - which is another habit that I've never quite understood. And even worse with motorcyclists. I bought a bike in 2005 in London and still have it more than 15 years later here in Australia and with no plans to replace it in the foreseeable future - it might even be my last bike because it's very fit for purpose and still goes like a dream. An uncle in Wales who is only half a dozen or so years older than me, has had about 5 very expensive bikes in that time. He must have spent a fortune, I reckon, and I don't think his income is particularly good.

Amazulu

Leasing (or contract hire) is much more of a realistic option over compared to here (where it is a pathetically expensive joke). Lot's of competition plus an oversupply of cars makes it financially attractive. I used to do it - a new car every year (nothing flash though - Renault, Nissan etc) that had no service costs and was tax deductible. It was a no-brainer. The last car we had was a Renault Scenic small people carrier, fully loaded with extras for GBP99/month plus VAT (which I could deduct). An absolute bargain

Have a look at this and you'll get the idea:
https://www.allcarleasing.co.uk/spec...RoC3Z8QAvD_BwE
330 quid a month for a BMW 5 series M Sport, 350 for a Tesla 3

It only works if you can deduct it as a business expense though IMO

paulry

Ah right, I can see why they do it now. I'm more of a cash buyer kind of person myself but for those who don't but they have the income and/or can deduct it as a business expense then sure, it's a no-brainer.

Over here my son and I did the math when he was looking for a car and we agreed that to do it like that here its more like a zero brainer. Happy to say he's also very careful with his money (all those books over the years: "Rich Dad Poor Dad", etc through to "Barefoot Investor" paid off it seems) and perhaps even to a fault. He said the other day he walks 25 minutes to his office rather than pay $14 for parking for the day. I know, he gets that if you're earning over 100 an hour why would you walk for 50 mins a day to save 14? But he reckons its a combination of exercise, a nice walk, and principle. He probably wont be saying that in summer, but fair enough.

BadgeIsBack

Plenty of people finance cars here to get a newish car for reliability, safety and looks. To be fair, the trend for mid-size SUVs is also practical, but you got a lot in the boot of a Commodore or Falcon.
I don't buy expensive new cars - I have paid cash for the last 5 years.

You can pay cash for a car that with FSH can last years with no significant repairs. I think some people just like newish cars.

Amazulu

With the Wuhan Flu overreation ongoing, the price of 2nd hand cars has risen and their availability decreased. I've just bought a car for my son to learn to drive manual (most of the kids only learn to drive automatic, which is bizarre - if you can't drive a manual, you can't drive IMO). Shopping for it was a depressing experience. Prices for anything decent were crazy and lower cost cars were truly shit. I ended up buying a great 10yo Hyundai Getz with very low kms but probably paid $1500 more than I wanted to. Anyway, I bought it and it's a great little car - I'm driving it a lot! I think that today, with 7 year warranties and capped price servicing, new is the way to go for many cars

paulry

We did the same for our sons. Got them an old Toyota Corolla Seca. I bought it on ebay and paid $2400 for it. It was a bargain because it had a reconditioned engine, new clutch and gearbox, new brakes, tyres, etc - receipts and service book provided. Strange that they sold it after doing all that work but there you go. Even the aircon was good. It was a great decision because both my lads learned to drive in it and got through the bumps and scrapes phase that most new drivers inevitably go through, and they both now drive manuals very competently. It also surprises me that some people have never driven a manual - I saw to it that my kids can drive cars, motorbikes - the lot. Thinking about it, I'm proud that my wife and I have equipped our sons with everything we could for a good life. Unfortunately with the car, the year before last my youngest son got shunted in the city and the other drivers insurance declared the car a write off. I was a bit sad actually because the car still had lots of go in it - the engine was good and it was actually still very nippy for a 1997 "old girl" of a car and it was quite enjoyable driving it and light on petrol too - especially for city driving and compared with my own 3.4 litre car. After a bit of tough talking with the insurers (quite handy at the time having a trainee lawyer for a son), the insurers coughed up $2750. Not bad for over 5 years use and both kids now up and running as very competent drivers. Good luck with your Hyundai.

I have to agree, those 7 year warranties and capped servicing do look tempting. And here in Australia with the lower depreciation year on year compared with the UK there is a bit more temptation to go that route. I probably wont be on the market for another car for a good few years though so will see what things look like then. Maybe there will be compelling reasons to go electric by then, but not particularly looking forward to that. An internal combustion engine is hard to beat.

Beoz

Picked up a new Vdub with the long warranty, capped price servicing and stupidly low interest rate from the dealer at end of financial year. Re-negotiated mortgage well and truly paid for the monthly repayments. It is tough to get a second hand car at the moment. Short supply of new cars, people ripping off jobkeeper/seeker, plenty of good jobs in mining, infrastructure, finance, construction, lots of money trickling down.

northernbird

I've been here 15 years now and only been back once. I will obviously always be English but am a proud Australian citizen and this is now home.

paulry

I pretty much feel the same way though I define myself as British rather than by my regional birth and upbringing identity, Welsh - though that could be because I lived 16 years of my life in Wales and around 18 in England. My sons who were born and only ever only lived in London in the UK see themselves as English.

BadgeIsBack

I was figuring that jobkeeper paid to kids who barely needed it would see them all save for cars.

I still can't justify 40k+ for a new car and I'm in mid-size SUV land these days minimum - and many of those are not as big as I'd like.