If you're thinking that a student is going to be owning a Merc or BMW then you're a whole different socio-economic group to us.
I'm thinking I might get a Skoda Fabia next year or so. I've heard great things about Skodas, considering the price, and that people are actually really happy with them. They're just knock off VWs nowadays anyway.
Torn between getting one second hand and leasing one though, not really sure which would be better.
There are cheap Cars from VW, the polo for example. You can also buy used.
Also dont lease. It is always more expensive then straight out buying.
Well it is and it isn't. If you pay the full amount of the lease then yes you'll be paying more, however there are various contracts that you can get. A lot of contracts are 2-3 years at a fixed rate, at the end of which you can decide to give the car back and pay nothing extra, buy the car outright paying the rest of the value (will cost you more overall but less at a given time) or continue leasing at a fixed monthly rate.
It really depends on how likely I am to stay in the UK long term, which I still don't know the answer to.
But yeah I could lease a Skoda Fabia for just over 120 pounds per month which is pretty decent. Total cost over the 3 years is under 5 grand which for a brand new car is great, particularly as it includes road tax and warranty+breakdown. It's all about time scales as to what is more worth while, and also how much you can afford to pay at once.