To Hire or to Shed?

[GoneToLA]

Foodhoover said:

Having read the start of the strand and wanting in excess of 250 bhp and 4 doors means that my favourite sheds (alfa 166/ Audi A6/ Rover 75 V6/ W210 E class mercs) do not apply so we are into the stealth sleepers. Now don't laugh but early Audi A8's, Old jags (dangerous plan but an X308 or even at 245 bhp a 4.0 litre X300) can be found with enough life in them to actually not depreciate over a few months, test drive a few and you'll be able to spot a good 'un by feel and smell. You might even want to go for something rarer is a w140 merc S420 if you can find one it'll last and it won't depreciate.
That said, I do love the plan for an 9-5 Hot Saab. Torque steer rules!
pity that at 15K (or 20 sheds in my book) that a VXR8 is so much over budget, you could buy one of these, run it, valet it and sell it on without losing anything and you'd have a corvette engine!!!!!!!

All 'stealth sleepers' would appeal.

To clarify, my ideal minimum 250 bhp was referring to a long termer. A shed needn't be at that level - although of course I'd be happy if it were!

[GoneToLA]

NickJC said:

Worth also emailing leasing companies to see if they have any vehicles that have been handed back a few months early, or taken back?

A good shout potentially - thanks.

Any recommendations anyone may have for specific companies would be welcome.

[GoneToLA]

revirdtset said:

Shed of course :-)

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

There are so many, I LOVE sheds :-)

A varied selection indeed!

Are some of these a little pricey [for what they are] though? Think I may have been spoiled reading the Barge thread for so long!

[GoneToLA]

MrH said:

Happy to help with the hire side if needed, we see many clients between cars or similar who take a brand new car from us for 3-12 months

Details in my profile if you wanted to chat.

Cheers, Mark

Thanks Mark.

Had a look at the [great] website, and may drop you a note within the next couple of weeks to see if a deal can be done.

Congrats once again on launching your business so successfully!

[Cerberaherts]

GoneToLA said:

A varied selection indeed!

Are some of these a little pricey [for what they are] though? Think I may have been spoiled reading the Barge thread for so long!

All but the last one are overpriced. And the last one will kill you in bills......

[QuattroDave]

GoneToLA said:

Sounds like a great find. If I could locate something similar, I could forego both shedding and renting.

Petrol V8's are the ones to look for, you could get an 05/06 plate one for £6k or thereabouts and don't worry too much about the economy. I've regularly seen north of 30mpg on a run and even when I had to tank it at 85-90 the whole way home it gave me 27mpg.

Round town is awful though, 15mpg today for my 3 mile commute, six month average of just under 21mpg with mostly town driving.

[HustleRussell]

GoneToLA said:

revirdtset said:

Shed of course :-)

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

There are so many, I LOVE sheds :-)

A varied selection indeed!

Are some of these a little pricey [for what they are] though? Think I may have been spoiled reading the Barge thread for so long!

All of those are well over shed money, they're desirable cars to some buyers and that is not in keeping with the shed philosophy.

[HustleRussell]

Here's a great source for sheds, both on this page and the 'retro cars for sale' board;

http://retrorides.proboards.com/board/3/particular...

[eltax91]

revirdtset said:

Shed of course :-)

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

There are so many, I LOVE sheds :-)

Not a SINGLE one of those is in shed budget. :P

[Toaster Pilot]

Hertz do long term rental like you require.

I'd just buy this week's SOTW though - £850 Octavia VRS....

[QuattroDave]

Toaster Pilot said:

Hertz do long term rental like you require.

I'd just buy this week's SOTW though - £850 Octavia VRS....

Can't go far wrong with a mk1 Octy vRS, I had a banana yellow estate one for three years, literally no problems with it, could do 40mpg on a run, had enough poke not to be too bored. Only issues for me was no cruise control (but can be dealer refitted for £170) and it's not very well insulated so the cabin is filled with lots of road and wind noise on a run above what the boggo speakers can drown out!

[TheTyreAbuser]

To be fair, shedding would be my choice but there are short term contract hire's out there if you really want them.

https://www.carsondemand.co.uk/

Who cares when you can shed it up though?

[boardtweet]

Hey I love this thread, I sold my 11 plate Audi A4 Dynamik and drove around in my mums (was previously my gramps) N reg mondeo 1.9d which has been around the clock twice and owned by my family since new for a few months until I went out and purchased for £1500 a 2000 W reg 2ltr Mercedes C Class and I love it!

So what it is missing a few MOTs its bullet proof, there is no rust on it and apart from a rear electric window that doesn't work and the occasional electrical gremlin that sets my wipers and washer jets off now and again its a great car to drive around in so hey forget about the problems that may occur and do it!!!

Who needs a flash car sitting on the drive or in a car park most of its life while you are paying silly money for it each month...just makes me chuckle, all in the name of consumerisum! This worlds gone mad so as I said jump in and enjoy the sheds!!!!

If mine goes wrong beyond economical repair I will relish the challenge drive about in the mondeo a bit more until I find another suitable shed!

[GoneToLA]

HustleRussell said:

Here's a great source for sheds, both on this page and the 'retro cars for sale' board;

http://retrorides.proboards.com/board/3/particular...

Some interesting options here - thanks for the link James.

When a car has just a couple of months MOT left, does this indicate a pending disaster? Is it possible for a seller to get a full years MOT say, perhaps, 3 months before the current one expires?

[GoneToLA]

QuattroDave said:

Petrol V8's are the ones to look for, you could get an 05/06 plate one for £6k or thereabouts and don't worry too much about the economy. I've regularly seen north of 30mpg on a run and even when I had to tank it at 85-90 the whole way home it gave me 27mpg.

Round town is awful though, 15mpg today for my 3 mile commute, six month average of just under 21mpg with mostly town driving.

I agree ref economy. Kind of used to it now having had 3 V8s over the years. M3 is great on a run - between 350 and 400 miles per full tank. I'm just not used to UK fuel prices these days!

One of the prominent posters on Barge thread listed a 'real world' mpg comparison, which is a great comfort for Petrolheads. Man Maths, etc!

[GoneToLA]

QuattroDave said:

Toaster Pilot said:

Hertz do long term rental like you require.

I'd just buy this week's SOTW though - £850 Octavia VRS....

Can't go far wrong with a mk1 Octy vRS, I had a banana yellow estate one for three years, literally no problems with it, could do 40mpg on a run, had enough poke not to be too bored. Only issues for me was no cruise control (but can be dealer refitted for £170) and it's not very well insulated so the cabin is filled with lots of road and wind noise on a run above what the boggo speakers can drown out!

Interesting wording in the ad:

'Not Mechanically checked or Inspected however we will always give you an accurate description of the car before you travel. RAC Dealer, Competitive Prices 24/7, UK Delivery, 12 Months MOT & Breakdown, Warranty, Part Exchange, £850'

If it's not been mechanically checked yet they offer a warranty, is the warranty not too valuable? Or is the phraseology just not great?

[GoneToLA]

TheTyreAbuser said:

To be fair, shedding would be my choice but there are short term contract hire's out there if you really want them.

https://www.carsondemand.co.uk/

Who cares when you can shed it up though?

Interesting website - thanks.

The 7 seat MPV comes out at 0.00 inc VAT on their calculator, so I guess that'll be the one for me!

[GoneToLA]

boardtweet said:

Hey I love this thread, I sold my 11 plate Audi A4 Dynamik and drove around in my mums (was previously my gramps) N reg mondeo 1.9d which has been around the clock twice and owned by my family since new for a few months until I went out and purchased for £1500 a 2000 W reg 2ltr Mercedes C Class and I love it!

So what it is missing a few MOTs its bullet proof, there is no rust on it and apart from a rear electric window that doesn't work and the occasional electrical gremlin that sets my wipers and washer jets off now and again its a great car to drive around in so hey forget about the problems that may occur and do it!!!

Who needs a flash car sitting on the drive or in a car park most of its life while you are paying silly money for it each month...just makes me chuckle, all in the name of consumerisum! This worlds gone mad so as I said jump in and enjoy the sheds!!!!

If mine goes wrong beyond economical repair I will relish the challenge drive about in the mondeo a bit more until I find another suitable shed!

Yes Tom - having an alternative shed available in the event that one's current shed goes kaput does indeed provide a sense of freedom! Hope the W202/3 continues to serve you well.

[HustleRussell]

GoneToLA said:

HustleRussell said:

Here's a great source for sheds, both on this page and the 'retro cars for sale' board;

http://retrorides.proboards.com/board/3/particular...

Some interesting options here - thanks for the link James.

When a car has just a couple of months MOT left, does this indicate a pending disaster? Is it possible for a seller to get a full years MOT say, perhaps, 3 months before the current one expires?

You can get a new 12 month MOT any time you like. On newer, more valuable cars over 3 years old it is common practice to get it done in preparation for sale even if it wasn't due for months.

Any really cheap car could be a pending disaster, that's the fun part! But yeah, cars with short MOTs need to be extra cheap and as a buyer you would need to be on maximum lemon alert.

[eltax91]

GoneToLA said:

NickJC said:

Worth also emailing leasing companies to see if they have any vehicles that have been handed back a few months early, or taken back?

A good shout potentially - thanks.

Any recommendations anyone may have for specific companies would be welcome.

This makes me think of something similar. Take a look at lease take back sites. There's a few people offering the ability to take over leases (buy my lease I think one was called) and just pay until the end of their term, they have paid the deposit and they have some reason they wish to get out of the lease, but they are trying to avoid the early cancellation charges.