Mrs Scooters new compay car - options what to get?

[Justin Case]

Is the Skoda Fabia big enough? Friends of ours have a newish diesel estate (not sure which model) which will take four adults comfortably and the boot seems pretty spacious too. It is probably really a roomier and cheaper Audi A1, so perhaps it would be worth visiting your local Skoda place with tape measure in hand

[londonm]

I'd get a Lada Niva, importing in to the UK again with a guy in Kent.

[Lacquer Peel]

Great thread.

 

Peugeot Pars.

[Ghosty]

I think the Clubman is too small - the countryman is a decent size - what is 'crossover'?

Qashqai, Juke, Ford Kuga, Kia Sportage etc. 

 

'crossover' basically means 'really tall medium to large hatchback/family car'.

 

Countrymans aren't bad - still a Mini after all, there's also the Paceman if you don't need 5 doors but do need the space.

Yeti?

 

Skoda Rapid Spaceback?

[garbaldy]

I don't think that petrols are permitted - shes a rep for university academic publishing sales for Pearson so 30k a year I reckon - all the company cars appear to be oil burners

 

That could well change as there is a big push to raise costs for diesels to push everyone back to less polluting petrol's.

[steve_earwig]

That could well change as there is a big push to raise costs for diesels to push everyone back to less polluting petrol's.

 

But that's not the spec right now, so it's an elephant.

 

Still reckon you should try them out, I doubt if all German cars are both soul-crushingly dull and have "invade Poland in the most discomfort possible" upholstery and suspension. Something Japanese too, if you aren't going to have to pay to repair it every time the dash fills up with warning lights.

 

I like the Pug Pars idea, I'd have one tomorrow but I don't think they come as estates.

[Barry Cade]

Skoda Yeti Monte Carlo 4x4 170BHP comes in at a whiff under 25k list.

[DS20]

Skoda Rapid and a set of winter tyres.

[Barry Cade]

[twosmoke300]

Got all exited them when someone said that cars were fitted with a ford 1600 d . Then I realised it wasn't the ford cast lump but a terrible ford / pug grenade

[alf892]

That could well change as there is a big push to increase tax for diesels as loads have people have started to drive them. This is supported by some 'new' research that has been around for a good 20 years

EFA

[Angrydicky]

Any pictures of the 244 Scoots?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Any pictures of the 244 Scoots?

Wasn't it an 'Ebay Tat' star about a year ago? Maybe my imagination.

[DVee8]

Nissan Pulsar

Don't know if  there is an estate.

[scooters]

yes, indeed and thanks for all the sugestions it's very helpful.

remember this is a company lease car - therefore he criteria for selection is very different from personal purchasing - were I going to buy a new car these days then a petrol engined long warranty Korean option would be the depressingly most sensible way to go.

 

I hate common rail diesel engines probably because i have had the joy of fixing rather a lot of them and I suspect the law will change soon on emissions as it has got us in deep water with the EU. I really dont care that much about servicing costs etc, its not our problem. Whatever we choose we will have to live with for 3 years.

[steve_earwig]

I presume that also applies to when it goes wrong (as nearly all moderns seem to do with boring regularity) 'cos it'll be within the warranty period.

 

How about one of those new Jeep things, Compass is it? Go on, add it to the list, it'd be a larf.

[scooters]

indeed - if it breaks it isnt our problem other than the hassel

 

personally I think they are all hugely inferior in terms of reliability and running costs when compared to my 244, however, they do have some benefits including fuel economy on long distance trips with the family, a boot for the dog and they are all a lot quieter than the old Volvo!

 

In terms of comfort they all lose out to the CX

 

However, as I don;t want either of my main chod trashed by the missus on business trips the company car is going to be important and also takes a lot of the strain off the 244 which won;t have to be the main family motor any more and can actually be pampered a bit.

 

So far I think we might be looking at a 4x4 version of either a Mini Countryman or a Yeti - with either the 1.6 or 2.0 diesel engines - the Yeti seems more practical with a larger boot but I guess it will come down to Mrs Scooters preference. She does have very long legs and is 5'11 so this is usually the make or break for any car!

 

I'm also advising her to look at traditional estate cars - Octavia and Honda Civic Tourer as well as Gowf Estate. 

 

We do spend some time in light off road conditions - forestry tracks, muddy lanes, farm yards, parking at rubgy club etc and we have been stuck in 2wd cars (XM/T5 but the 244 never seems to suffer from this, on top of this winter driving between Hexham and Edinburgh/G.asgow can be fun - late on Friday night we drove from Edinburgh to Hexham down the A68, south of Carter Bar the road conditions got a bit hairy with snow and ice on the road the wee A1 struggling through valiantly - the annoying thing was having to drop speed due to traction, I never had this issue with the scoobys or the 840 AWD.  Whislt there is no desire or justification for a truck, a light 4x4 opition is very useful.

 

So we will wait and see what the options are but my hunch is we'll probably end up with a Yeti, they seem excellent value for money, have models priced for her bracket and in 1.6d form cost £60 per month in benefit tax. The 2.0tdi 4x4, this rises to £80

 

The Quashqai is a very nice car, I had a go in one and was pretty impressed, however, 4x4 option is very expensive and even the cooking spec models are nearly out of her reach. Again, the size of the Yeti boot is an issue - 

 

I will ask Mr Skizzer who has been tootling around in a Yeti for a while now.

 

@earwig - the Jeeps engine and emissions rules them out as a company car option for her, you're looking at almost double the monthly benefit tax compared to a 1.6d

[steve_earwig]

Gah, I forget about all that fangled emissions company car tax bollocks, dayum. I can't say I was serious though.

 

They don't have the Countryman here but I parked the Toyoyo next to one of them Yetis, Now, I consider it to be rather cramped inside with only room for a single dog with the seats up (and btw it leaves some rather nasty looking sharp edges with them down), but it dwarfed the Yeti..So, if you do go test drive one, take the dog.

[Cavcraft]

Mk3 Astra automatic. Comes in at a whiff under £199.99.

[scooters]

the Skoda Yeti seems more practical but benefit tax wise, the model of Yeti we would likely go for is £22 per month more out of her take home pay than the Mini...

 

- so many different variables -

 

I don't think the Fiat 500L/XL is a goer - it gets expensive when you start demanding 1.6D and the body roll comments concern me as the Boy in particular gets car sick - it's my fault - when he was a young un we had a Daimler Double Six and then a number of XMs and a CX - the wee bugger is used to the finest suspension!

 

interestingly he felt pretty sick in the back of the Audi A1 on the A68 on Friday - he's also been sick in the old Picasso but never sick in the old XJ6, the CX, the 244 or the XM in that road.

 

hard suspension is an issue on some of the roads up here as they are in such crap condition. The A1 especially sends every flppin inperfection into your spine and on the Roman Road can be very nauseous over the bling summits.

 

Basically any of these bloody cars is going to be a compromise somewhere - 

 

it also goes contra to my DNA being a shitter - it's bad enough having to drive in a new Audi - I feel infected and have noticed a bumb getting larger in the middle of my forehead as the large cock forces its way out everytime I get behind the wheel of the horrible thing! Driving a mutated lump of marketing like a Mini Countryman will probably have a similar effect. 

 

Thank Christ I have a proper car to return to! 3 cheers for pre ford Volvo and their splendid 244 DL!

[steve_earwig]

Oh, oddly enough I have an aunt with a similar problem, my uncle used to run Zephyr Zodiacs & Execs (staff discount as he used to destroy Fords for a living, lucky man), he's tried her in lots of cars (even a Roller) but she just didn't get on with them. They had CX's for a few years (I remember her driving us down to the seaside in a C-matic, oddly she seemed to spend all her time changing gear) and now days they run XM's (but there's a Mk4 Zephyr Zodiac in his shed). I think the plan is to run the XMs forever as they've never found anything else good enough.

[Asimo]

Toyota Auris Hybrid.

 

ticks all the boxes for the accountant except slightly over £20k.

 

I have heard good things about these from here and there. Dull, but in an interesting way and practical enough unless you need roomster / yeti like space in which case Skoda it is.

[Lacquer Peel]

Proton Gen-2 ecoLogic.

[scooters]

Toyota Auris Hybrid.

 

ticks all the boxes for the accountant except slightly over £20k.

 

I have heard good things about these from here and there. Dull, but in an interesting way and practical enough unless you need roomster / yeti like space in which case Skoda it is.

Yes, Unfortunately the dog means we need a boot. Even with a big car we will need a roof box on big trips.

[alf892]

So she actually gets a choice as opposed to which colour Golf/Astra/Focus do you want?

 

Most seem to restrict choice to a list so they can max the discount they get

[ChinaTom]

Isn't there an opt-out opportunity, better salary, nicer P11D form and freedom to spend half the budget on an ex-demo Dacia / nearly new Octavia?

 

Company cars can really screw up take-home - especially if you start ticking options. 

[scooters]

Isn't there an opt-out opportunity, better salary, nicer P11D form and freedom to spend half the budget on an ex-demo Dacia / nearly new Octavia?

 

Company cars can really screw up take-home - especially if you start ticking options. 

 

sadly not -unfortunately in the Sales dept its a car - I understand the reasons for it, its a business critical tool and the company wants to retain responsibility for ensuring the sales folk are mobile.

 

I wil ask the question - then we can take the cash and she can use the XM!

 

speaking of which, I need to go to Edinburgh tomorrow as a family memeber is on his last legs. I was so depressed at the prospect of taking the Audi A1 I got off my arse today and fixed the XM - so no horrible audi suspension on the shitty road surface on the A68 for me!

[scooters]

So she actually gets a choice as opposed to which colour Golf/Astra/Focus do you want?

 

Most seem to restrict choice to a list so they can max the discount they get

 

we'll see what happens - most of them appear to have Golfs/Audi A1s or A3s/BMW1s 

The Golf estate is JUST about big enough for us 

it's supplied through LEX auto lease rather than the company fleet so we'lls ee what is what but we may well end up with a Golf Estate, which wouldn't be too depressing I suppose

[Alusilber]

If the Golf Estate is still on the pokey side for you, there's also the Golf SV now, which has replaced the Fat Golf Golf Plus, but is a bit more van like, at least half way to a Touran, appearance wise at least.

[Craig the Princess]

 

 

So far I think we might be looking at a 4x4 version of either a Mini Countryman or a Yeti - with either the 1.6 or 2.0 diesel engines - the Yeti seems more practical with a larger boot but I guess it will come down to Mrs Scooters preference. She does have very long legs and is 5'11 so this is usually the make or break for any car!

 

 

Make sure you both have a good drive on the Countryman, my friend was made up when he got one as a company car but any drive over 30 minutes was giving his knee pain. He chopped it in for a Merc C class as a replacement.