Advice on new car
Discussion
Hi Everyone,
First time poster but I've read quite a few very helpful threads here over the years. I'd really like some advice on ideas for a new car...
The short story is that I currently have a company car ('59 Audi A3 Sportback 1.6TDI) The Government in their wisdom think that 12p per mile for business mileage is enough to run a car when Diesel costs 135p per litre.... So I asked about transferring onto a car allowance scheme (Higher mileage rate) and luckily there's a new starter soon that would like a company car so this is a possibility!
Now for what I've been looking at - my favourite car without a doubt is a TDV8 Range Rover but there's no way I could afford a decent one, the ones I could afford are complete dogs and would probably cost me the purchase price per year to keep on the road (Gotta love a Land Rover when it's out of warranty it's almost like it's got a self-destruct button...) So there's no way a Range Rover's a possibility but I'm thinking of alternatives in a very broad sense! I'd really like a 4WD car - for the elevated driving position and for use in the Winter, I've pushed my Audi off ice too many times in the past 2 years so 4WD would be great. Also I'd like something that we can throw all our ski's/boots/clothes in and drive to the alps for a skiing holiday every now and then. Another personal favourite is the GWagen but again not really reliable enough to drive every day (The ones I can afford anyway - I'm sure a 2 year old G55 will be just fine!)
I was driving back from Suffolk a few weeks ago and saw a Toyota Hilux Invincible (Double cab) on the motorway which looked quite nice. We all know the Top Gear film of them drowning/detonating/crashing one and so I think it's reliable and a workhorse but is it any good as a day to day "car"? I've had a look here and on Autotrader and they are reasonably priced for the Invincible model with leather/air con/cruise control etc so not too rough around the edges. I'm going to pop down to Toyota at the weekend and have a look but thought I'd ask here first to see if anyone has any input - am I mad? First thoughts are that it could be nigh on impossible to park especially in multi-story carparks where the concrete columns and odd layouts can make spaces a bit tight. Also I've priced up insurance and it does seem quite steep - I will seek out some specialist providers as I think it's too commercially orientated for the high street insurers.
Does anyone run a pickup on a daily basis as a car rather than a work vehicle? Any other cars I should consider? - Old shape 3L diesel Tourag's go for pretty good money these days but I was a bit concerned about the reliability as I don't hear great things about some older VW's especially the electrics. Pickup wise I've also looked at the L200's and Navara's but both again have reliability issues especially the Navara's and their engines.
Budget btw is around the £15k mark although ideally a bit less.
Thanks in advance!
Dan
First time poster but I've read quite a few very helpful threads here over the years. I'd really like some advice on ideas for a new car...
The short story is that I currently have a company car ('59 Audi A3 Sportback 1.6TDI) The Government in their wisdom think that 12p per mile for business mileage is enough to run a car when Diesel costs 135p per litre.... So I asked about transferring onto a car allowance scheme (Higher mileage rate) and luckily there's a new starter soon that would like a company car so this is a possibility!
Now for what I've been looking at - my favourite car without a doubt is a TDV8 Range Rover but there's no way I could afford a decent one, the ones I could afford are complete dogs and would probably cost me the purchase price per year to keep on the road (Gotta love a Land Rover when it's out of warranty it's almost like it's got a self-destruct button...) So there's no way a Range Rover's a possibility but I'm thinking of alternatives in a very broad sense! I'd really like a 4WD car - for the elevated driving position and for use in the Winter, I've pushed my Audi off ice too many times in the past 2 years so 4WD would be great. Also I'd like something that we can throw all our ski's/boots/clothes in and drive to the alps for a skiing holiday every now and then. Another personal favourite is the GWagen but again not really reliable enough to drive every day (The ones I can afford anyway - I'm sure a 2 year old G55 will be just fine!)
I was driving back from Suffolk a few weeks ago and saw a Toyota Hilux Invincible (Double cab) on the motorway which looked quite nice. We all know the Top Gear film of them drowning/detonating/crashing one and so I think it's reliable and a workhorse but is it any good as a day to day "car"? I've had a look here and on Autotrader and they are reasonably priced for the Invincible model with leather/air con/cruise control etc so not too rough around the edges. I'm going to pop down to Toyota at the weekend and have a look but thought I'd ask here first to see if anyone has any input - am I mad? First thoughts are that it could be nigh on impossible to park especially in multi-story carparks where the concrete columns and odd layouts can make spaces a bit tight. Also I've priced up insurance and it does seem quite steep - I will seek out some specialist providers as I think it's too commercially orientated for the high street insurers.
Does anyone run a pickup on a daily basis as a car rather than a work vehicle? Any other cars I should consider? - Old shape 3L diesel Tourag's go for pretty good money these days but I was a bit concerned about the reliability as I don't hear great things about some older VW's especially the electrics. Pickup wise I've also looked at the L200's and Navara's but both again have reliability issues especially the Navara's and their engines.
Budget btw is around the £15k mark although ideally a bit less.
Thanks in advance!
Dan
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