Ex-Fleet Barges - 100k in 3 years?
Discussion
Looking at 3/4 year old 5 series/A6/E-Class etc. They look like good value at £10-12k for 3 year old examples with circa 100k on the clock.
Does anyone know who typically buys and runs these things and if they're likely to be better looked after than stuff further down the food chain? I like the idea of a 1 owner car that's just cruised the motorways for 20-odd k every year for a few years... They've obviously all been company cars of some description.
Anything to watch for with this sort of purchase? Any particular recommendations? Just looking at the lower end of the specs which are most plentiful, i.e. 4-pot diesels and not many extras.
Cheers
Does anyone know who typically buys and runs these things and if they're likely to be better looked after than stuff further down the food chain? I like the idea of a 1 owner car that's just cruised the motorways for 20-odd k every year for a few years... They've obviously all been company cars of some description.
Anything to watch for with this sort of purchase? Any particular recommendations? Just looking at the lower end of the specs which are most plentiful, i.e. 4-pot diesels and not many extras.
Cheers
Exec airport transport or just someone who does serious mileage.
I would rather 100k in three years than lower and older as a rule, probably likely to have service records so should have had at least some oil changes on schedule.
I think age is more important than mileage a lot of the time, both second to how its been treated and maintained.
Will most likely be still like a new car in a lot of cases, the one you want is from a company driver, with no kids who got it serviced, didnt smoke and just drove up and down motorways fairly gently, potentially could still feel very new.
I would rather 100k in three years than lower and older as a rule, probably likely to have service records so should have had at least some oil changes on schedule.
I think age is more important than mileage a lot of the time, both second to how its been treated and maintained.
Will most likely be still like a new car in a lot of cases, the one you want is from a company driver, with no kids who got it serviced, didnt smoke and just drove up and down motorways fairly gently, potentially could still feel very new.
We have had loads.
My wife is in the corporate world, field based with a national role and has an “executive” car as part of her package
Delivered new ... only her and me drove it
Last one was a 320d .. before that a C220d
Three years, fully maintained 90 or 120 thousand mile contract
Serviced on the button, no expense spared, all at main dealers
Fuel card for premium fuel .. no supermarket fuel
Ours cruised up and down the motorway Mon-Fri and did the family thing at the weekend
Apart from some stone chips and the odd scuff it looked ( and felt ) like new when it was collected
My wife is in the corporate world, field based with a national role and has an “executive” car as part of her package
Delivered new ... only her and me drove it
Last one was a 320d .. before that a C220d
Three years, fully maintained 90 or 120 thousand mile contract
Serviced on the button, no expense spared, all at main dealers
Fuel card for premium fuel .. no supermarket fuel
Ours cruised up and down the motorway Mon-Fri and did the family thing at the weekend
Apart from some stone chips and the odd scuff it looked ( and felt ) like new when it was collected
Edited by Earthdweller on Friday 8th November 13:31
I run an A6 as a company car coming up for 4 years old in six months currently on 46k miles and now doesn't get used much as I get the train the chunk of the mileage was done on the motorway.
I expect to be offered it at less than £11k from the lease company when it's near the end of term.
I'm thinking of buying it as I know it's been looked after.
There are loads of A6, 5 series E class etc looked after cars in our company which will go to auction at the end of the lease
I expect to be offered it at less than £11k from the lease company when it's near the end of term.
I'm thinking of buying it as I know it's been looked after.
There are loads of A6, 5 series E class etc looked after cars in our company which will go to auction at the end of the lease
Edited by myvision on Friday 8th November 14:14
Most will be 4 pot diesels with “standard” specs
Users pay through the nose for extras in tax
We would always look at the list and work out which was the most tax efficient
The difference in Tax between a 320d efficient dynamics and a 330d can be very significant
If you are sitting on a motorway in a “work tool” then it matters not whether it has 190bhp or 260bhp
Users pay through the nose for extras in tax
We would always look at the list and work out which was the most tax efficient
The difference in Tax between a 320d efficient dynamics and a 330d can be very significant
If you are sitting on a motorway in a “work tool” then it matters not whether it has 190bhp or 260bhp
In the past I've bought one year old ex company cars with 30-40k for the wife, who was doing 2k a year. You get it dirt cheap, still with 2 years manufacturers warrantee on it, and in 3 years she's turned it into 4 year old car with 35-45k miles, so an average miles car. And you get a decent price at sale time.
A mate who worked as a sales rep did about 50k miles a year until he retired. He reckoned on average he did about 4 hours and 200 miles per day in the car. Given that many people on average annual mileage commute an hour each way in heavy traffic in terms of engine hours his car only did about twice as much, despite his much higher mileage. He probably did fewer gear changes.
Despite them being leased, he looked after his cars, and when they went back just before 3 years old and 150k they felt like they'd done less than half of that. They were only pretty average cars, Mondeos, Insignias, Astras etc. rather than anything "Premium"
As they'd not had their first MOT, he reckoned most of his cars got clocked after he gave them back before they were sold. As chance had it, one turned up at the used car dealers at the end of his road about 6 months after he'd got rid of it with about 100000 fewer miles on the clock than when he last saw it!!
Despite them being leased, he looked after his cars, and when they went back just before 3 years old and 150k they felt like they'd done less than half of that. They were only pretty average cars, Mondeos, Insignias, Astras etc. rather than anything "Premium"
As they'd not had their first MOT, he reckoned most of his cars got clocked after he gave them back before they were sold. As chance had it, one turned up at the used car dealers at the end of his road about 6 months after he'd got rid of it with about 100000 fewer miles on the clock than when he last saw it!!
Lazadude said:
Where were you finding them? Sounds of interest for a 3 year old E class for 10kish.
They pop up on Auto Trader now and again. 2016, 140k, just over 10K: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...A lot depends on the lease company and the person who has had them...
Chap I work with handed his A3 back with 130k in the clock after four years and it wasn't really looked after. He drove it with minimal mechanical sympathy on the basis that we pay can a £10 per month damage waiver which means that company car users are not liable for any charges when the car goes back.
My company cars were always looked after pretty well - although visiting construction sites meant that they did collect a few marks etc from less than careful van drivers.
With regards to servicing, the lease company we use (and the one prior to that) try to do the bare minimum possible. Tyres have to be shagged before they'll replace them and they argue the toss about work required. My vRS needed be brake pads at it's last service and they did all they could not to pay and then pay less.
Chap I work with handed his A3 back with 130k in the clock after four years and it wasn't really looked after. He drove it with minimal mechanical sympathy on the basis that we pay can a £10 per month damage waiver which means that company car users are not liable for any charges when the car goes back.
My company cars were always looked after pretty well - although visiting construction sites meant that they did collect a few marks etc from less than careful van drivers.
With regards to servicing, the lease company we use (and the one prior to that) try to do the bare minimum possible. Tyres have to be shagged before they'll replace them and they argue the toss about work required. My vRS needed be brake pads at it's last service and they did all they could not to pay and then pay less.
It is surprising how new some of them look in the photos, maybe a lot have had a bumper re-spray or something to get rid of the stone chips?
I agree with the point about hours used versus total miles on rep cars though, are there any particular 'type' of fleet cars to seek out or avoid? Look for one from a big company? Management car? I was hoping that something costing 30k plus new would be less likely to have been ragged to death by the junior rep?
The thing that appeals is that I could run one of these for 2 or 3 years and still get a fair chunk of it back, whereas if I bought an ex-fleet Mondeo it would very quickly become worthless and then feel obliged to keep it forever like I have with my current Focus.
I agree with the point about hours used versus total miles on rep cars though, are there any particular 'type' of fleet cars to seek out or avoid? Look for one from a big company? Management car? I was hoping that something costing 30k plus new would be less likely to have been ragged to death by the junior rep?
The thing that appeals is that I could run one of these for 2 or 3 years and still get a fair chunk of it back, whereas if I bought an ex-fleet Mondeo it would very quickly become worthless and then feel obliged to keep it forever like I have with my current Focus.
A1VDY said:
Always, always without fail give the drivers seat a good scrub on these big mileage cars. These will have had a driver sitting in that seat for hours on end and crotch leakage (peni, vag, bot) will have definately been on the cards at some point...
That happen often with you?A1VDY said:
Always, always without fail give the drivers seat a good scrub on these big mileage cars. These will have had a driver sitting in that seat for hours on end and crotch leakage (peni, vag, bot) will have definately been on the cards at some point...
WTF?! I guess you’re speaking from personal opinion. I’m 100% sure I’ve never suffered from ‘crotch leakage’ whilst driving.
Whilst it wasn't on 100k I bought a 3 year old 3.0 A6 Avant with 71k on the clock. I figured that it had probably mainly sat on the motorway for most of its life. People thought that the car was brand new and I still have it at 131k as I cannot bring myself to change such a good but now low value car. The only expense apart from consumables has been the A/C compressor which went about six weeks ago. I would definitely do similar again.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff