Cash vs Car

[Mattt]

I'm beginning to consider my options regarding car situation come 2010/11 tax year.

I'm tempted to sell the Z4, get a Co Car and then an Exige/Elise for a toy - but want to run the numbers first.

I googled for a calculator, but they either wanted you to pay or just didn't seem to work on my browser (or any that I tried: http://www.harbourcars.com/cocartax/cash_calculato...

Does anyone have any good links, or their own sheet they knocked up to do it?

[bogie]

http://www.comcar.co.uk/newcar/companycar/taxcalc/...

..I can never seem to make a company car pay for me personally, always find it cheaper to run my own car 3 years old etc

...I guess if you are a "needs" type driver doing 25K miles plus a year, then theres no option, and a company is defo your best bet...just a shame that it tends to be limited to a new small diesel every few years

[Mattt]

Yep, my views on what is a suitable car differ somewhat from my company!

I'm expecting to be doing big(ish) mileages, which is the reason I'm considering it.

[JQ]

I think it's completely dependant on personal circumstances, how much the cash alternative is and what co. cars are available. I've just left the car scheme, having had a 330d Msport for the last 3 years and bought an 11yr old MX5. I'm now considerably richer and still enjoying my driving. However, there's no way on planet earth that I could have bought and run my own 330 on the cash my company would give me. So if my personal cirmastances had not changed (the arrival of 2 sons since I got the BMW and my OH giving up work to look after them) I would definately have stayed in the scheme as I would get a much better car than I could buy myself using the cash alternative. Now the cash pays for me to have a fun car and my OH to have a diesel family car, plus a bit extra each month in my back pocket.

[bogwoppit]

I found a few calculators but most had some aspect missing, e.g. old tax rules, or didn't have all cars listed. I ended up making my own spreadsheet to do the calculations. I hacked a way at it a bit to serve my specific purposes, but I might be able to dig it out if you still need it.

[Deva Link]

I think http://www.cashorcar.co.uk is OK?