Getting MS doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll become disabled or have to give up work. Most live relatively normal lives. Best to live in the now and try not to worry about what the future may or may not bring.
Personally, and this is nothing to do with MS, I’m against taking credit wherever possible. Apart from getting a mortgage, if I can’t pay for something in one go I won’t do it. Rightly or wrongly I’ve always been debt-averse. But if you do decide to go for it, I’d shop around for the best deal on the credit though, and fully check what the interest rate is and any hidden fees & charges.
I would say go for it as long as you can afford it. We’ve just borrowed to extend our house and buy a car, and it did worry me a bit. But there are so many things that can cause repayment problems, so you just need to be sensible. If you can afford a bigger deposit and higher monthly repayments, it’s worth doing to keep the interest down and get it paid off sooner. Worst case, the car can always be sold anyway.
I agree with the others, that you need to just go for it, and enjoy your life, and don’t hold back.
Enjoy life for what it is and what it can give you now.
Another option, besides credit deals is a bank loan. The banks are doing really good deals at the moment. I find the banks can be more understanding and flexible and will give you the best deal that suits you. Also, you can pay for payment protection insurance (PPI) to cover you, if your circumstances change, and you need help with the paying off the loan ( eg - usually they will pay it for 12 months, if you become unemployed ).
Another idea, is to stick it on your mortgage. ( thats if you are not in a fixed rate deal ). The mortage will give the money at much lower percent interest than anything else. They are usually about 3.8 - 4.4 percent interest whilst the bank will be 6 or 7 percent interest. This would be the cheapest deal of all of them.
Finally, another idea is to buy a brand new car. There are alot of car deals out there where you pay no interest at all. ( 0 percent interest) while you pay it off over so many years. The only thing is you pay more for the car, being new.
Also if you do become even more disabled and need help, you can apply for a disability living allowance and use this to buy a motability car. ( and sell your other car too ). Allong with this you would be able to get a free disabled tax disc.
The way I see it, there is alot of options and support out there, and you dont need to worry about “what ifs”.
You asked if we/I worried about taking out credits / loans etc. My answer is No, I have learnt to grab what I can when I can ( within reason - as long as I’m sensible ). I find if I dont do things or buy things when I need or want them, I always regret it later. I have a few small credits ( eg - laptop and my adjustable electric bed ), but I always wait until I finished paying one or two of them off, before I consider buying something else…eg we really need a new sofa.
My circumstance is different from yours, where I have had to retire on ill health grounds. My concern tends to be that my husband might lose his job because of reccession, or worst of all my health deteriorates so much that I cant enjoy this and that. This is all the more reason why I believe in the “Live for today” approach to life.
I am sorry but I have to take issue with Almond’s advice to put a car on your mortgage.
The interest may be lower but you will be paying it for 10, 15, 20 years (whatever is left on your mortgage term) You will probably still be paying for a car that has rusted and gone. The second point is that a mortgage is a secured loan (secured against your home) It is not good money management to take a secured loan for something transient like a car or a holiday. (Although I know lots of people do it) Basically if you fail to pay a secured loan your home is at risk, with an unsecured loan if you become unable to pay, it can be put on a debt management plan where you pay only what you can afford.
That said: You can’t put your life on hold. And Almond is100% right with
“you need to just go for it, and enjoy your life, and don’t hold back”
It is not possible to future-proof your life completely, MS or no MS. So I do not think that a possible MS dx is a good reason to put important life decisions on hold. But this is not an important life decision: this is only a car.
Being old and old-fashioned, and having been brought up to believe that if you can’t buy it, you can’t afford it, I am temperamentally averse to loans and hire purchase commitments as a matter of principle, MS or no MS. But having MS certainly reinforces this natural tendency and also my aversion to doing anything that might keep me awake at night! - if I can help it. So if you want a view from an cautious old bird, here it is: don’t commit to outlay if you can afford to fund your transport needs from day to day income. But then you probably weren’t born as many years ago as I was! Good luck, whatever you do.