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Company car choice?
nick205 - 30/3/04 at 04:22 PM

Some opinions please guys - I have been offered a company car as part of a new role at work.

As the car has to be 4 door and diesel my first thought is a Seat Leon TDi PD Cupra.

Anyone got any better ideas?

Cheers

Nick


Jumpy Guy - 30/3/04 at 04:43 PM

do two engines, one with a stonking 170 bhp...


mackie - 30/3/04 at 04:48 PM

Honda Accord i-ctdi.
It's bloody amazing. Nicest diesel engine this side of a 330d for definate and 52mpg, Euro 4 compliant. Best car in class, and big too.
A bloke at my work just got one with leather, sat nav, nice 17in wheels etc, it's a quality car in every respect.


stephen_gusterson - 30/3/04 at 05:25 PM

whats your budget?

if you have 20k, there is the BMW320 ES

150hp and 15% tax rating. Euro 4 compliant.

DO you really want a seat? Thats the volkswagen engine - comes in 100 and 130hp. Audi A4, golf, etc, all have the engine

atb

steve


stephen_gusterson - 30/3/04 at 05:27 PM

Thats an expensive car to lease.....

anyone thats interested, I have a pretty comprehensive list of cars offered by interleasing (3000 models) with all the lease values for 20k and 4 years on it.

The honda you mention is the top model, which costs more than many of the beemer diesels to lease....


atb

steve


quote:
Originally posted by mackie
Honda Accord i-ctdi.
It's bloody amazing. Nicest diesel engine this side of a 330d for definate and 52mpg, Euro 4 compliant. Best car in class, and big too.
A bloke at my work just got one with leather, sat nav, nice 17in wheels etc, it's a quality car in every respect.


A Badger - 30/3/04 at 10:06 PM

Don't get an Alfa. My mates company have banned them as they spend more time off the road.

New Gearboxes, new exhausts, new dash, and not one of them is older than 18 months.


stephen_gusterson - 30/3/04 at 10:21 PM

my mate had an alfa 156 for 3 years, no probs.

His previous car - a 146 - needed both sets of front door hinges rewelded cos the doors fell off the body!

We have a 156 in another group company - its famed for being the most unreliable car in the fleet.

To my mind, the 156 is a tad plasticky.

atb

steve


nick205 - 31/3/04 at 08:00 AM

The Seat has the 150bhp diesel and IMHO drives and looks better than the Audis and VWs.

The Bimmers are nice, but too pricey and I don't have any faith in the Alfas.

I think I'm talking myself further into it.

cheers for the opinions guys.


mackie - 31/3/04 at 12:53 PM

The Honda he got is on lease for £400/m, which isn't bad. He looked at the BMW and Audi but for that money he couldn't get any of the nice extras. All that kit is standard on the model he got. Residuals are good too, much better than Mondeo/Vectra/Avensis etc, but then it is a better car.


Hellfire - 31/3/04 at 01:40 PM

Our company has just taken Alfa's off list too - our 24 cars have I believe 5~6 Alfa 156's. At any one time there is at least one in the garage or waiting to go in... nice drive though!

Has anyone noticed how many BMW's there are on the hard shoulder's nowadays or is it my eye's?


Guinness - 1/4/04 at 08:01 PM

Beware of the tax man, he loves company car drivers. Make sure your finance department work out the implications before you agree to taking a company car. I pay over £200 a month in tax on a Passat. Rubbish.


stephen_gusterson - 1/4/04 at 08:30 PM

no

to buy a 6000 quid car over 3 years will cost you 150 a month. at the end of those 3 years its lost half its value.

then you needed to service it, pay for tyres, etc.


200 a month is a lot, but its a screaming bargain!!!!

Take the case of a 12000 quid car over 3 years, 75k miles

car purchase = approx 400 a month alone!

4 x tyres approx 400 quid a year.

Insurance - another 400 quid?

servicing - 600 quid

depreciation - 3,000 a year approx

fuel - 2,500 a year.

work it out

200 a month is a screaming bargain. Give up your company car and fund one for 200 quid if im wrong.


A beemer diesel is only 108 quid a month - even at 40% tax rate. Fuel is approx 70 quid. For a whole month.

On the other hand, getting an RX8 will cost 480 a month.

play the system right, and you are quids in.

dont bitch about a gift horse. The alternative is worse