New co. Car choices....what should I get ?

[S2 Giles]

Hi

My company focus is due for replacement and thank god the scheme has changed to a lease company, so now I can add funds to it and upgrade the car, a summary of the cars i'm considering are...

Honda Accord Type-R
Honda S2000
Audi TT quattro tintop
BMW 318 ci 2.0
Audi A3 1.8T quattro
Vauxhall Astra 1.8i coupe
Vauxhall Vectra (errrr) 2.6V6 cdx (cheap)

I have pretty much decided due to its mix of performance per pound£ but i'd be keen to hear some feedback on your thoughts before I sign anything ?

Thanks


Giles

>>> Edited by S2 Giles on Thursday 13th December 13:36

[marki]

Golf 4-motion is a good alternative

[sparks]

Hi,

Don't forget the new car tax rules. The cars you are suggesting will incur you a much larger tax bill than at present, unless (which it doesn't sound like) you are personally funding the cost.

I have seen figures for bigger bmw's going from around £2000 pa to about £7000!!

Having said that, the Audi I think will be the least hard hit by it.

You may however have the salary to cover this.

Let us all know what you decide upon.

Sparks

[kevinday]

IMHO of the cars on your list you can forget Vauxhall and BMW so choose between the Audis and Hondas.

[Tadhg]

IMHO forgot the rest and stick with the BMW
check out the new 320 TDCI compact.

[jaydee]

Uggh. Speaking as a long term Vauxhell company car driver steer well clear, between unreliability, driver boredom and the attitude of the garage were I got it serviced even if they introduce a mid, rotary engined £30k 700bhp supercar I STILL WOULDN'T WANT ONE . From this list it'd have to be the A3, the Honda Accord Type-R,S2000, Audi TT are not really everyday motors IMO and you'll get stung so much on the tax it could prob. fund your own second car!
Try test driving a Bora V6, superbly comfortable and well built as well as excellent in all weathers on all surfaces. Further advantage: It'll demolish any BMW this side of a 325

[marki]

quote:
ONE . From this list it'd have to be the A3, the Honda Accord Type-R,S2000, Audi TT are not really everyday motors IMO and you'll get stung so much on the tax it could prob. fund your own second car!
Try test driving a Bora V6, superbly comfortable and well built as well as excellent in all weathers on all surfaces. Further advantage: It'll demolish any BMW this side of a 325


Ditto the Golf 4 motion , but compared to the Audi , its got the better engine 5 doors better looks ,and is better handling that the Bora

[jaydee]

quote:
Ditto the Golf 4 motion , but compared to the Audi , its got the better engine 5 doors better looks ,and is better handling that the Bora

I tried both, in the end work dictated a saloon hence the Bora. I don't want to get into a "my Bora's better than your Golf" pissing contest however, I ended up with a Bora with the Sport pack (purely inadvertently(sp?)) and it's the best handling Veedub I've driven since the Mk2 Gti.

[hertsbiker]

Bora's a good un. I had the 2.0 a while back, very nice. Well, maybe not to everyones taste, but nicer than a Focus.

[S2 Giles]

Guys - thanks for the comments BUT let me add this....

Firstly, as its a lease in my own name with my company paying me then I lease the car I DO NOT pay any company car tax at all......beleive me, ive checked this out...

Also I find VW's incredibly dull and boring, I know they are well built but there is no style or flair.... the charisma bypass is just too much!!

I also drive a TVR S series as my weekend toy so am used to fun and not too worried about build quality...

And sorry, the BMW is dull too....I actually fell asleep in one at the showroom !! That said if I could afford a 2.5 upwards then I would of considered it but most other cars in the summary are faster for less money.
The 318ci is same cost to me as the faster alternatives.

Dont want to upset you guys but I thought you'd be driving enthusiasts, prefering sport to comfort, luxury and boredom !!!

Please tell me if i'm wrong ?

Giles

Edited by S2 Giles on Thursday 13th December 15:49

[marki]

Hi Giles
not upset its just useful to have a reliable (VW) car for the 30k km that i do a year.

[sparks]

O.K, so they pay you extra to lease the car in your name, but you still have to pay at least normal tax on the money they give you. The only other way to do it is *they* lease the car, but you pay for it.
So to other cars-
How about a Volvo s40/s60 T (the sh*t of a shovel models) or a Saab 93.
Neither handle brilliantly, but are certainly fast comfortable and reasonable fun, leaving the S2 'for the weekend sir'

Sparks

[jaydee]

quote:
Firstly, as its a lease in my own name with my company paying me then I lease the car I DO NOT pay any company car tax at all......beleive me, ive checked this out...

Dont want to upset you guys but I thought you'd be driving enthusiasts, prefering sport to comfort, luxury and boredom !!!

I'm certainly not upset and I DO prefer sport (my other car's a 993) but where's the point in having a company sportscar and a sportscar of your own . I'm in the same boat as marki, lugging lots of stuff lots of miles !
So no, you're not wrong from my point of view but half your original suggestions made me think you were after something "sensible" ?
You are, however, wrong about the tax issue (see IR172-Income tax and company cars.) I asked dieseldrinker about this (he's an accountant for LVL) and if you are being given an allowance for a car you suffer the same tax liability as with the company buying the car. If you take a lease for business use and do not declare the payment this is tax evasion.

[GasBlaster]

Got to be the Type R hasn't it?

[PetrolTed]

I drove an Accord Type R recently. I was very impressed with the chassis for what is after all quite a big car. Lifeless steering was the only criticism.

[marki]

quote:

. I'm in the same boat as marki, lugging lots of stuff lots of miles !
So no, you're not wrong from my point of view but half your original suggestions made me think you were after something "sensible" ?

exactly where i was coming from JD

[S2 Giles]

Gents

Tax - the payment into my account is declared and dealt with in the normal way. But I won't be taxed on the actual company car scheme as a company car user, so the co2 emissions etc don't matter too much.

Volvo - they are on the list but wey too expensive i'm afraid. The list is anything from Audi, VW, Vauxhall,Honda, Merc, BMW & Mini, Volvo.... but the more expensive become out of my financial reach..same goes for merc.

My current train of thought is the Accord Type-R, 0-62 in 6.9 with 140+ top end and a great handler for a front driver, still returns 30mpg on a run and the lease deal is a cheap'ish one.

Giles

[andymadmak]

Scooby Imprezza would do the miles plus go like stink.
Mates just got an MG ZS 2.5 v6 and, crap interior apart, its a stunning drive for the money

I've got the Volvo S60 Turbo for me day car (TVR400se for play days) and it's ok,and it looks lovely but its a bit off the beaten track as far as "cool" cars are concerned.
If you wanna play, go for a Type R Honda. Just don't expect to be able to hear what your clients are saying after you have to drive a long way to visit them,
Andy

[Nightmare]

out of the original list it would be the Audi no doubt at all (taking your criteria into account...if it were personal choise it would be the Integra)

but I would go with Andy with regards to an MG. I had a ZS and ZR for 4 days each and was so more impressed than I expected to be I really cant describe it! In my view, these cars are bloody good, and outstanding when you considering the cost compared to rivals.

chers]
Night

[350matt]

Whats wrong with the S2000?
It's fast, got a interesting engine excellent gearbox and is probably the most interesting car there.

Matt