Company Car Alternative
Discussion
I have the option to get out of the company car scheme and take the cash. The problem is that I do 30K motorway miles a year. My current car is a BMW 325CI and has been completely reliable (I am still on my second set of tyres and original brake pads).
What I'm thinking is would it be cheaper to stay in the scheme (my current car costs me including tax, etc about £8K/year, but includes insurance, tax and servicing, etc). Or opt out and buy a low mileage Boxster for £25K, run it for 3 years (so 100K+ miles) and then chop it in. Servicing would costs about £3500 (£300 x 10) + a set of tyres (assuming nothing blows up), car tax and insurance about £2500 and depreciation about £10K (complete guess). So total costs would be about £16K compared with £24K. A saving of £8K excluding any tax relief I get for Business Miles.
On paper this seems like a no-brainer, however would a Boxster provide reliable transport if I was using it everyday and more importantly is it comfortable enough to spend 2 hours in every day.
Finally should go for a 2.5 or 2.7, Tip or manual.
Please note this is not a fun/track car (I have a 964 C2 for that
) this is just to get me to work and back.
Your thoughts please.
Many thanks Andy
What I'm thinking is would it be cheaper to stay in the scheme (my current car costs me including tax, etc about £8K/year, but includes insurance, tax and servicing, etc). Or opt out and buy a low mileage Boxster for £25K, run it for 3 years (so 100K+ miles) and then chop it in. Servicing would costs about £3500 (£300 x 10) + a set of tyres (assuming nothing blows up), car tax and insurance about £2500 and depreciation about £10K (complete guess). So total costs would be about £16K compared with £24K. A saving of £8K excluding any tax relief I get for Business Miles.
On paper this seems like a no-brainer, however would a Boxster provide reliable transport if I was using it everyday and more importantly is it comfortable enough to spend 2 hours in every day.
Finally should go for a 2.5 or 2.7, Tip or manual.
Please note this is not a fun/track car (I have a 964 C2 for that
) this is just to get me to work and back. Your thoughts please.
Many thanks Andy
30k pa means all weathers, including heavy rain and snow/ice. BMW is a nicely cacooned environment, with lots of trick traction aids.
YOu really need a facelift Boxster with the glass rear screen, and probably PSM (stability control) to use over your sort of mileage. Rear tyres last about 10k for most owners (but may get 18k with motorway driving. Boxster is much more focussed car, and a lot noiseier too (engine, exhaust, soft top) which is great for short runs and second car use, but think hard about taking one on for your purposes.
Might be better buying a 1 or 2 year old Mondeo, or Saab 9-3 and using the extra money to fund an older Boxster as a weekend car.
YOu really need a facelift Boxster with the glass rear screen, and probably PSM (stability control) to use over your sort of mileage. Rear tyres last about 10k for most owners (but may get 18k with motorway driving. Boxster is much more focussed car, and a lot noiseier too (engine, exhaust, soft top) which is great for short runs and second car use, but think hard about taking one on for your purposes.
Might be better buying a 1 or 2 year old Mondeo, or Saab 9-3 and using the extra money to fund an older Boxster as a weekend car.
The Boxster is absolutely fine for regular use and long distances, just make sure you have PSM for tired winter nights.
Looking at you numbers I would say £300 a service is probably too low realistically, and I'm not sure you'd get 15k for 100,000 mile Boxster at the end.
For the kind of mileage you're talking about a Mondeo diesel or whatever will save you a heck of a lot of money on fuel.
Looking at you numbers I would say £300 a service is probably too low realistically, and I'm not sure you'd get 15k for 100,000 mile Boxster at the end.
For the kind of mileage you're talking about a Mondeo diesel or whatever will save you a heck of a lot of money on fuel.
As someone who used to commute 57 miles each way(mostly motorway)in my Boxster, I soon decided to buy a BMW 330 Ci for this use.
30K miles is a LOT of miles and it will be very wearing to you as a driver if you use the Boxster. The Boxster is very capable and will do the miles no problem, but it is not a motorway cruiser by definition. As soon as I started using the 330 for my journeys, my tiredness instantly went away.
It's not about whether the car can take it, so much as whether YOU can take it. The 330 is quieter, more comfortable, relaxing, and ... yep, it isn't exciting, but then I have the Boxster for the weekends for that!
Sorry, but my advice is the Beemer
30K miles is a LOT of miles and it will be very wearing to you as a driver if you use the Boxster. The Boxster is very capable and will do the miles no problem, but it is not a motorway cruiser by definition. As soon as I started using the 330 for my journeys, my tiredness instantly went away.
It's not about whether the car can take it, so much as whether YOU can take it. The 330 is quieter, more comfortable, relaxing, and ... yep, it isn't exciting, but then I have the Boxster for the weekends for that!
Sorry, but my advice is the Beemer
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