Sensible Or Not Sensible? Please assist!!

[MrSparks]

OK I hate these threads but admittedly I am struggling with a decision slightly.

A couple of months ago I sold my 15 plate Range Rover to fund a large stock acquisition on my company which meant I couldn't afford to run the car and fund the deal with everything I had going on.

Fast forward a couple of months and the business has caught up enough to start paying me again and now I'm itching for another vehicle (currently driving a 65 plate Renault Kango Van!!)

I'm struggling to decide between sensible and not-sensible. Your thoughts are welcomed. I have to finance either way.

Sensible



Volkswagen Amarok Highline Pickup Truck
Pros: Via the company, tax deductible, no cost to myself personally.
Cons: company has caught up enough to pay me again, but getting a truck would be a bit of a push, may have to settle for a cheaper Nissan Navara, slightly grey area as i don't need a commercial vehicle, it's a commercial vehicle.

Not-Sensible



Audi S5!

Pros: V8, nicer, faster, it's a V8! I'm more used to higher end cars than trucks/vans
Cons: in my name so affects my personal credit rating etc, cost a lot more to run, I have a son, I see you can get a child seat in but a bit of a pain, I have another more sensible car as well though (Astra) so it's not a major issue.


The S5 would be far easier to buy as my personal credit is better than my business, it'll be a low deposit either way.

My intentions in 3-4 years time are to buy a V10 R8 so I will eventually run a truck and a car anyway, question is should I go truck now or should I enjoy the next few years in an S5 then move to the R8 when funds allow? by which time this would be almost finance free.

Also worth mentioning;

- i only do about 15,000-20,000 miles a year
- budget either way is up to £15k + VAT for truck or £15-20k for S5.

[silentbrown]

I can't help you choose between Captain Sensible and an S5. That's something only you can do.

However, there are other 'blended' options. An S4 Avant (either the V8 B7, or the supercharged B8) would tick the 'practical' box, and give you an very similar driving experience.

Or, there are still decent lease deals on Touareg 3.0 TDI R-Lines's. About £440/month over two years, incl VAT, etc.

Of course, if you're owning/running the car privately, then you can charge the company 45p/mile.

[drmark]

If the business is not quite where you want it to be yet I would stick with sensible for now. I know (too well) that life is short etc, but I have also learned that it sometimes pays to proceed with caution. Then you can buy a proper Audi

[va1o]

I recently got an S5 V8! It's a great car offering very decent performance and lots of kit. Not really an out and out sports machine though, more a quick GT cruiser. Extremely comfortable to drive and travel in. My realistic dream car is an R8 but I'm some years away from one of those being accessible, so I'm making do with this alongside a Golf GTD for daily duties

[Icehanger]

the V8 is calling.....
Do you need anything more than that?

[CaptainSensib1e]

silentbrown said:

I can't help you choose between Captain Sensible and an S5. That's something only you can do.

However, there are other 'blended' options. An S4 Avant (either the V8 B7, or the supercharged B8) would tick the 'practical' box, and give you an very similar driving experience.

Did someone call my name?

Funnily enough I run a B7 S4 avent and would agree it ticks a lot of boxes.

I can take my daughter to nursery, fill it with rubbish to take to the tip, and then go for a rag afterwards!