If you're unsure of whether you can afford it, don't do it. It sounds like it might be too big a commitment given the tone of your posts.

However, despite many claiming PCP is the devil, it can work well. Yes, you don't technically own the car, but your costs are also fixed. It's all well and good buying a car for £1-2000, or buying something that's 5 years old but, while you're saving money initially, the risks can be much greater. A cheaper, older car is going to need maintaining and could throw up expensive bills. Almost everything on cars built this century is expensive. A clutch change can easily cost £1000, same for fuel pumps, injectors and all sorts of other frightening things. You only need a couple of those things to happen over your ownership period and the older car could end up costing you almost as much as the newer one. I should think that if people added up every penny they spend on their car - tyres, brakes, servicing, cam belts etc etc etc, some of them would be surprised at how much they spend, especially if they are paying someone to do the work.

A friend (who is a bit sad) has spent ages on spreadsheets, calculating the cost of ownership for his (and other people's) cars and it's amazing how close it can be in terms of the overall cost over a given period. Some of the older cars he has owned, although cheap to buy, have cost the most overall. Currently he leases a Skoda Octavia. It isn't exciting by any stretch of the imagination, but the deposit was about £500 and it's just under £150 per month for two years. There will be no surprise repair bills, as it's all covered by the warranty. He will just have to pay for one minor service. It's fixed cost motoring and, for a lot of people, it's a very convenient way to do it and worth the extra expense for peace of mind. Every two years, he simply picks the car that suits him best that's on the best special offer and repeats. I would also say, if you're going PCP, only do it on a car that will have warranty for the length of time you plan to own it. Again, it reduces the risk. I cringe when I see people taking out finance on 5+ year old cars with high miles. If it goes wrong, you could lose a lot of money, very quickly. I remember a friend financing a Focus TDCI Sport (several years ago obviously!). The warranty ran out, then the car did it's fuel pump and injectors. It cost £2500 to put it right. He ended up keeping it for years because it had cost him so much. That wouldn't happen on a new/nearly new car with a warranty.

It's also worth noting that you often get better interest rates on new cars instead of used ones. I was looking at a Focus ST a couple of years ago. A new one, with some discount, worked out cheaper than buying one that was six months old because the interest on the PCP was c.3%, rather than c.14% on the used one. A personal loan is often a better solution if you're buying used. The interest rate will typically be lower and you will own the car outright. You will have to borrow the whole amount of course though, as the PCP will have a balloon payment that pushes the monthly cost down. You could always take the loan out over a longer period than you intend to keep the car though. Then pay it off when you come to sell.

Ultimately, buying any car comes with a certain amount of risk and cost. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another.