Company what car
Discussion
Right then, good day today as I have been offered promotion.
Payrise takes my salary upto my current salary + car allowance. I then have on top of that either £5k car allowance OR a company car.
Rough maths suggests a company car will effectively cost me £300 per month (including tax and loss of allowance) but then save me £150/month personal fuel.
So thinking of going down the company car route, now for the fun bit.
Guidance is, 'similar cost wise to a same level colleague' who has a Passat 2.0TDI Bluemotion Sport with sat nav.
Company says it needs to be a diesel
Aside from this my requirements are;
Practical - needs to carry dogs so either decent sized hatch or an estate.
Comfortable - Will be doing upto 30k PA.
Toys - Never really had a car with toys in, so would like something with the current bells and whistles.
Image - Not too important to really(currently rolling in a 53 plate astra) but don't want something which looks chav, would prefer something different to the norm.
Cost - Low tax bracket please, really needs to be sub 120g/km, ideally less than 99g/km.
Cars I like at the moment are;
Volvo V60, Astra Sports tourer, Citreon C5 (all good looking cars IMO).
Fun wise I will be keeping my MX-5 and my wife has a Mini Cooper S (we'll also be keeping my beloved ashtray lol) so I get my fix that way. That said though if I can get something fun to drive that is a bonus.
Suggestions???
Cheers.
Edit; Meant Citreon DS5 not C5, though I don't mind the C5 tbh.
Payrise takes my salary upto my current salary + car allowance. I then have on top of that either £5k car allowance OR a company car.
Rough maths suggests a company car will effectively cost me £300 per month (including tax and loss of allowance) but then save me £150/month personal fuel.
So thinking of going down the company car route, now for the fun bit.
Guidance is, 'similar cost wise to a same level colleague' who has a Passat 2.0TDI Bluemotion Sport with sat nav.
Company says it needs to be a diesel
Aside from this my requirements are;
Practical - needs to carry dogs so either decent sized hatch or an estate.
Comfortable - Will be doing upto 30k PA.
Toys - Never really had a car with toys in, so would like something with the current bells and whistles.
Image - Not too important to really(currently rolling in a 53 plate astra) but don't want something which looks chav, would prefer something different to the norm.
Cost - Low tax bracket please, really needs to be sub 120g/km, ideally less than 99g/km.
Cars I like at the moment are;
Volvo V60, Astra Sports tourer, Citreon C5 (all good looking cars IMO).
Fun wise I will be keeping my MX-5 and my wife has a Mini Cooper S (we'll also be keeping my beloved ashtray lol) so I get my fix that way. That said though if I can get something fun to drive that is a bonus.
Suggestions???
Cheers.
Edit; Meant Citreon DS5 not C5, though I don't mind the C5 tbh.
Edited by D1bram on Wednesday 7th December 20:19
D1bram said:
I'll check out the Alfa, remember being impressed by the drive of a 147 years ago.
I realise it will be dull, but I don't mind as it'll be costing me very little and hopefully be a pleasant place to sit.
A Volvo V60 D5 will not be boring, have enough toys to keep you smiley, be very comfy and surprisingly nimble when you have a mind to play, (good suspension/brakes mated to 205bhp and lots of torque). There are lots of variants, of course. Have a proper test drive. Nothing to lose..............and they seem to be invisible to BiB.I realise it will be dull, but I don't mind as it'll be costing me very little and hopefully be a pleasant place to sit.
Skodaku said:
A Volvo V60 D5 will not be boring, have enough toys to keep you smiley, be very comfy and surprisingly nimble when you have a mind to play, (good suspension/brakes mated to 205bhp and lots of torque). There are lots of variants, of course. Have a proper test drive. Nothing to lose..............and they seem to be invisible to BiB.
Sadly I think the D5 would be out of price range, and too much on tax. Would more likely be the DrivE version, which is a little underpowered I'd say.Bear in mind though my astra has a mighty 75bhp.
Unless you've seen some very good deals on D5's?
The astra sports tourer isn't so bad. I got one as my company car the other week. I had a succession of rentals while waiting for it. They are as follows:
Golf Match tdi: Lots of toys as standard (BT, DAB, cruise, ipod hookup, Sweeeeeet touch screen computer, parking sensors front and back, air con duct in glove box to make a fridge, kept finding new stuff all the time in it), comfy on long journeys so assume estate version is the same. Drove pretty damn well once I got used to front wheel drive again despite what people on here say. I would buy one if I could afford it, Haters gonna hate...
Zafira: Uncomfortable, drank fuel, silver plastic trim. No redeeming features.
Focus Titanium: Comfy, less toys as standard than the golf but the cruise control was nicer, drove a bit "playstation" if that makes any sense at all but it could corner quite well. s
t Sony radio with a stty UI that was damn near impossible to use.
Astra Estate: Much better put together than the zaf but not as good as the Golf, comfy, nice chunky indicator stalks, no dash computer (at least not in mine).
Golf Match tdi: Lots of toys as standard (BT, DAB, cruise, ipod hookup, Sweeeeeet touch screen computer, parking sensors front and back, air con duct in glove box to make a fridge, kept finding new stuff all the time in it), comfy on long journeys so assume estate version is the same. Drove pretty damn well once I got used to front wheel drive again despite what people on here say. I would buy one if I could afford it, Haters gonna hate...
Zafira: Uncomfortable, drank fuel, silver plastic trim. No redeeming features.
Focus Titanium: Comfy, less toys as standard than the golf but the cruise control was nicer, drove a bit "playstation" if that makes any sense at all but it could corner quite well. s
t Sony radio with a stty UI that was damn near impossible to use. Astra Estate: Much better put together than the zaf but not as good as the Golf, comfy, nice chunky indicator stalks, no dash computer (at least not in mine).
Here are a few "different" suggestions that fit your criteria;
Lancia Delta (I quite like the styling, it's reportedly comfy, and you can get a top of the range car with every option for the price of your friends Passat).
Seat Exeo ST - like an A4, but not an A4. Erm, okay it is just an old A4, but it looks nice and is unusual
Skoda Superb - big and comfy. Looks crap, but it's a saloon and hatchback at the same time!
Saab 9-3 Wagon (if you can find one...)
Lancia Delta (I quite like the styling, it's reportedly comfy, and you can get a top of the range car with every option for the price of your friends Passat).
Seat Exeo ST - like an A4, but not an A4. Erm, okay it is just an old A4, but it looks nice and is unusual
Skoda Superb - big and comfy. Looks crap, but it's a saloon and hatchback at the same time!
Saab 9-3 Wagon (if you can find one...)
Some good suggestions there thanks.
I did think skoda, but both the vrs and the superb (would really quite fancy a superb actually) seem to be quite high on the co2 ratings. Unless I went for the 1.6 superb, anyone have experience of one?
The delta sounds an interesting prospect, can't say I've even seen one.
Sadako, what version astra do you have? I do think they look good.
Bizarrely the passat seems to be the only vag 170 tdi falling into the 120g/km range otherwise I'd have considered a golf gtd.
I did think skoda, but both the vrs and the superb (would really quite fancy a superb actually) seem to be quite high on the co2 ratings. Unless I went for the 1.6 superb, anyone have experience of one?
The delta sounds an interesting prospect, can't say I've even seen one.
Sadako, what version astra do you have? I do think they look good.
Bizarrely the passat seems to be the only vag 170 tdi falling into the 120g/km range otherwise I'd have considered a golf gtd.
HenryRoyce said:
Another voter for the Skoda Superb. Mine eats the miles like a proper grown up executive car and I like its no nonsense image. Another car worth a look would be the Hyundai i40 Tourer.
Like the look of the i40 too, as said I'm not fussed about the image so will consider anything as long as I like it.The key is low CO2.
Have a mess around on www.comcar.co.uk and you'll realise why so many company cars are 320EDs! Keep an eye on the tax over the next few years too as it's going up. There's all sorts of cars coming out now though to help. Chap I know has got a very smart looking Volvo V60R with all the bells and whistles but it's only a 1.6 so good on the tax.
Have a mess around on www.comcar.co.uk and you'll realise why so many company cars are 320EDs! Keep an eye on the tax over the next few years too as it's going up. There's all sorts of cars coming out now though to help. Chap I know has got a very smart looking Volvo V60R with all the bells and whistles but it's only a 1.6 so good on the tax.
Good link that thanks.
Still not sure which way to go, I was thinking of going for a well specced insignia, as they are pretty competitive to lease. However the relatively high list price means a higher tax bill.
Also I didn't realise I would be in 40% tax territory, so any car is going to cost me significantly more than I thought
Finally, looking at forth coming tax changes I really need to look for 99g/km or less. With this in mind I am going to go have a look at an Astra 1.7CDTi 130 (99g/km) SE.
Can't believe the above car lists for £23k though! Imagine the secondhand vehicle availble for that? Crazy how expensive cars have become the last few years.
Still not sure which way to go, I was thinking of going for a well specced insignia, as they are pretty competitive to lease. However the relatively high list price means a higher tax bill.
Also I didn't realise I would be in 40% tax territory, so any car is going to cost me significantly more than I thought
Finally, looking at forth coming tax changes I really need to look for 99g/km or less. With this in mind I am going to go have a look at an Astra 1.7CDTi 130 (99g/km) SE.
Can't believe the above car lists for £23k though! Imagine the secondhand vehicle availble for that? Crazy how expensive cars have become the last few years.
Well funny you should say that....
I'm actually considering the Lexus CT200h.
They're pretty well priced considering they have most of the kit fitted as standard.
It would be around £30/month cheaper than the Astra I've mentioned, AND it fulfills my criteria of being something a little different.
company rule is diesel only, but just spoken to the MD and he is happy to consider a hybrid given they return similar mpg (and petrol is cheaper to buy!)
I'm actually considering the Lexus CT200h.
They're pretty well priced considering they have most of the kit fitted as standard.
It would be around £30/month cheaper than the Astra I've mentioned, AND it fulfills my criteria of being something a little different.
company rule is diesel only, but just spoken to the MD and he is happy to consider a hybrid given they return similar mpg (and petrol is cheaper to buy!)
BRMMA said:
Why are you keeping the Astra? seems like a waste of insurance, tax etc if you have a fun car and work are supplying an Astra equivalent
Wife will use it for running up and down to her horse, driving up the track with the car full of water containers, hay etc... It's also useful if we want to drive anywhere for a night out, leave it then return the next day to pick it up.
With our current multi-car policy it costs next to nothing to insure, tax is not much over £100 per year. It's just a useful old shed to have and we'd only get around £800 for it if we sold it so hardly worth dealing with the great unwashed to do so.
If anything, I might sell the MX-5 next year to go back to a bike but undecided on that as yet.
I've been offered the opportunity to have a low CO2 company car.
The choice was either uninspiring or expensive.
As I ride a bike when I can and am not bothered about having a new car, I'm taking the cash instead.
Ideally I'd have a used 3.0 n/a petrol estate that did 50mpg with 'road tax' of 100quid, but these don't seem to exist.
The choice was either uninspiring or expensive.
As I ride a bike when I can and am not bothered about having a new car, I'm taking the cash instead.
Ideally I'd have a used 3.0 n/a petrol estate that did 50mpg with 'road tax' of 100quid, but these don't seem to exist.
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 9th December 13:30
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