New company car to choose ..... and pay for

[s2 giles]

Hi Folks

I have to order my new company car within the next month,the current one is a Honda Accord Type-R, the good news is i can contribute and have better cars... the choice is from:
BMW
Mini
Audi
Honda
Vauxhall
Volkswagen
Merc
Jaguar

here are some samples of suggested cars & their associated contributions by me, but i need help to choose:
Audi A4 conv 1.8T £354 PCM for me
Audi TT (girls car) 180 Hp £354
BMW Z4 2.2 £367
Mini Cooper'S' £137
Mini Cooper'S' convert £180
Honda Accord 2.4 Exec £172
Honda Accord 2.4 Type-S £135
Honda CRV Exec £196
Honda S2000 £268
Jag X-Type 2.5S £367
Astra 2.0T Sri £184
VW Golf GT FSi 2.0 £204
VW Passat 2.8 V6 £338

So what do you think ? i currently pay £175 PCM and didnt want to pay much more, but i'd value your opinion.
Please bear in mind my wife has an MX5 & I have an S2 in the garage for weekends, i could always sell that tho! god forbid

Thanks very much
Giles

[Shmern]

s2 giles said:

Audi A4 conv 1.8T £354 PCM for me Nope not for me Audi TT (girls car) 180 Hp £354 Your joking right BMW Z4 2.2 £367 Good car but lot more expensive than current car Mini Cooper'S' £137 Great fun car, definate option (no chance of the 210 Cooper S Works ?) Mini Cooper'S' convert £180 See Above, but Conv is a bit girly for me Honda Accord 2.4 Exec £172 Honda Accord 2.4 Type-S £135 Honda CRV Exec £196 All above not my type of car Honda S2000 £268 Fantastic car, my fav in your list along with Cooper S (or Works if you can get it) Jag X-Type 2.5S £367 Nice car, too dear Astra 2.0T Sri £184 Hmmm suppose to be a nice car, but not in same league as others IMHO VW Golf GT FSi 2.0 £204 VW Passat 2.8 V6 £338 Not a VW fan So what do you think ? i currently pay £175 PCM and didnt want to pay much more, but i'd value your opinion. Bearing in mind this comment the Cooper S(Fun, handling)or the S2000(Performance) Giles

[s2 giles]

Thanks very much

I'm on your wavelength too, the S2000 but its just alot of money when i already have 2 2seater convertibles.....mmmmmm

Mini - Cooper S, but cant have works. However i reckon Austec could Unichip it for me & give it 190-200 hp !! I just wouldnt tell the lease company

[Shmern]

s2 giles said:

Mini - Cooper S, but cant have works. However i reckon Austec could Unichip it for me & give it 190-200 hp !! I just wouldnt tell the lease company

Excellent

Have you driven one ?, I drove my mates on a track day, and was REALLY surprised how good it was. Excellent wee car, 1/2 the lease price of the S2000 !!!

If you don't need anymore room, I'd go for the Cooper S personally. Cheaper and great craic (as they say over here in Norn Iron)

Shmern

[FAT MATT]

Probably should air on the side of practicality and go for a 4 seater (tin roof?).
Does anyone else agree with me that the overal shape of the Z4 is reminicent of all our pride and joys?
A four seater but still convertible that ive personaly driven out of your bunch is the A4. Was conscidering getting rid of the S with a baby on the way and took a 2.4 Ltr for test. Very enjoyable drive with every comfort youd imagine. Think the 1.8 would be too small an engine though.
Wouldnt bother with the golf for a start as the gti badge is now just a badge!
Either way,
TEACH WIFE TO DRIVE S, SELL MX5 and KEEP THE S!

>> Edited by FAT MATT on Friday 10th September 08:05

[bugsy]

Have you considered opting out of the company car scheme because I have worked out that I save about 4k by doing so, yes I have to drive a Vauxhall on a daily basis basis but if it's a nice day I get to take the S3 on sales calls.
If you want the numbers come back to me

[kentishS2]

Sounds like you're OK for soft tops already, so perhaps a more spacious family car is a better option?

I personally run a VW Passat 145bhp TDi daily (and teh S on sunny days) and the VW is now just over 4 years old and higher mileage but it's still a cracking car and drives like it's almost new. Therefore, I do rate the VW and Audi cars.

That new Honda Accord is a good looking and keenly priced car which will save you money and I'll bet it will never ever let you down and remain a stylish reliable car for several years.

If space isn't an issue and you just want fun then and feel that you don't need another soft top then I'm with the crowd ....it has to be the Mini Cooper S.

[sotonS2]

Have to agree with the comments on the Cooper S. I drove a friend's the other day and was very, very impressed. She rips along at a fair old pace and sticks to the road like the proverbial dung to a blanket. Great fun.

The downside is practicality is not as great as other cars in your list though. Depends on your requirements, I 'spose.

[harry1972m]

Have you done your homework in regards to tax, i.e. CO2 emisions, I recently aquired a new company car and could have gone upto BMW325i Coupe however once I worked out the tax implications I decided to drop down to 318CI Sport and add some bells and whistles instead, this saved me approx £1500.00 per year in tax which in my mind is either a good holiday or money to spend keeping the TVR on the road.

Harry

[wedget]

Honda Type V, slow reliable and safe. total contrast to the TVR so will make you enjoy both in there own special way...

[V8Smith]

My wife had a Mini Cooper (not the S) and I must say I was very impressed with the car, handled superb, was very well built and lots of fun to drive! The reason its half the cost of others is due to the fact it holds its value very well, its a bargain, the Cooper S would be my choice. The S will be much faster which was my only gripe with our car, it could handle so much more power, drive one they are like go-carts!

Mike

[andyf007]

I must be the only bloke alive who thinks the Mini is one of the most girly cars ever then

I'd go with the Passat TDi 150, as it gives you the spacefamily car option in your stable and it's quicker than most petrol equivalents, especially after a trip to Austec.

Andy

[sotonS2]

andyf007 said:

I must be the only bloke alive who thinks the Mini is one of the most girly cars ever then

My mate's Cooper (actually its his wife's) is bright yellow and, agreed, whilst a scream to drive has a bit of girly image.

Bet you'd love driving it if your missus had one though

[s2 giles]

Thanks guys....my comments

Tax is not an issue as its a personal lease system & the tax is paid within the contribution system.

Cooper S - i think it'd have to be Black/Grey otherwise it looks girly - i've decided to test drive one & see.

The S2000 is my favourite, but £268 a month is alot when i have the S in the garage.

From the bigger cars, i'd go Accord 2.4 Type S at £135 i reckon. However i'm going to look at the VW Passat.

Diesel - it was against my religion until i saw the Austec Alfa 156 estate ! kicks the petrols butt

[s2 giles]

Update - Tomorrow i am test driving the following:

Honda Accord 2.4
Honda Accord 2.2 Diesel (may be able to chip it)
Honda Civic Type-R (not mentioned previously)

What do you think between Civic Type-R Vs Mini Coop S

Then I need to drive the mini & maybe Astra 2.T SRi

Cheers

[WildfireS3]

I've heard the civic needs to be really pushed. Power developed at high revs. Interior is quite spacious though.

[HarryW]

WildfireS3 said:

I've heard the civic needs to be really pushed. Power developed at high revs. Interior is quite spacious though.

......and more bland plastic than a plastic plastic-thing in bland plastic-ville.
Very capable though when revved very hard IMHE.

Harry

[kentishS2]

s2 giles said:

Thanks guys....my comments Tax is not an issue as its a personal lease system & the tax is paid within the contribution system. Cooper S - i think it'd have to be Black/Grey otherwise it looks girly - i've decided to test drive one & see. The S2000 is my favourite, but £268 a month is alot when i have the S in the garage. From the bigger cars, i'd go Accord 2.4 Type S at £135 i reckon. However i'm going to look at the VW Passat. Diesel - it was against my religion until i saw the Austec Alfa 156 estate ! kicks the petrols butt

The Alfa 156 2.5 JTD is an impressive diesel but the Alfa build quality is not up to that of the German and Japanese cars. Most of the larger main stream diesels can be chipped now and the 150bhp standard VW can be a real animal when chipped to 195+bhp with enormous torque!

[bugsy]

Yes, I was down at my local tuner and he was chipping up an MG estate car (Rover75) I said what the F**k are you bothering with that for, he then told me that the Beemer engine chips up to 190BHP for £500. End of conversation !!!!!

[sotonS2]

WildfireS3 said:

I've heard the civic needs to be really pushed. Power developed at high revs. Interior is quite spacious though.

Never driven the Type-R Civic but I had the Accord equivalent for day a while ago. There's no denying it's a novelty to feel a second surge of power coming in at about 6k and then have the engine rev upto about 9k (IIRC).

Thing is, as WildfireS3 points out, you have to just nail the pedal to the floor to get the most performance from it and the engine note doesn't get any more pleasant with increasing revs. Frankly, I found it too harsh and don't think I could have lived with it as a company car.

Horses for courses though. Might be right up your street.