We have liftoff

[Vertigo1]

Woohoo, the bosses finally signed off on the new car and told me to "get it ordered then!"

Full spec:

A3 3-door 2.0TDI 170 S-Line
Brilliant Black
DVD Satnav Plus
BOSE sound system
Light & rain sensor pack
Interior lighting pack
3-spoke wheel with audio controls
Auto-dimming & folding door mirrors
Electric lumbar support
Front centre armrest
Luggage pack
Reversible boot mat
Non-smoking pack

I'm rather happy atm. Only problem is I won't get it for three months

 

[TDI-line]

That's a nice company car.

 

[wilko]

Cool man wish my boss would let me have a company car like that... or just a company car, that would be nice!

 

[Eeef]

company cars aren't all they're cracked up to be unless you do mega mileage.

 

[benw123]

That's a fantastic spec, especially with the sat nav. If you could add Xenons and cruise control it'd be perfect for me!

 

[Vertigo1]

company cars aren't all they're cracked up to be unless you do mega mileage.

Depends on the car. If you choose one which is relatively tax-efficient then it can work.

My current 2.0TDI costs me a grand total of about £100 a month in tax for which I get a brand new £20k+ car with everything paid for, including servicing, consumables, tax and insurance. All I pay is the tax and fuel for my own mileage.

If the company gave me the money they spend on the car then I'd have to pay income tax on it but would save the £100 P11D tax. Even so, if I were to run the same car myself, once I've taken depreciation, servicing, consumables, road tax and insurance into account there's not going to be much in it.

If, OTOH, you want a less tax-efficient (P11D tax that is) car, such as the 2.0T or even 3.2 then you're going to be better off taking the cash as the tax will kill you.

Personally my main reasons for staying with the company car are that no cash alternative is on offer anyway plus even if it were the gf would never let me spend my own money on something that expensive and would start doing the "buy a Seat instead, it's exactly the same" routine

 

[Vertigo1]

That's a fantastic spec, especially with the sat nav. If you could add Xenons and cruise control it'd be perfect for me!

Think I'm going to squeeze Phantom Black into there instead of the basic Brilliant Black. Whilst I think the solid black looks stunning when totally clean, I'm concerned about it showing up minor scratches and swirl marks too much as time goes on. Current car is Ebony black so I presume Phantom is very similar if not the same paint under a different name.

As for Xenons and cruise, I don't do enough night time driving to warrant Xenons. Yes I know they're far superior to normal Halogens but for what they cost I'd rather have other options, and indeed have done. Even if the boss turned round and said you can spend another 600 quid (yeah right!), I'd go for the sunroof before Xenons. My current car has cruise (it's an SE so came as standard) but tbh I hardly ever use it. The only time it's genuinely useful is for sticking to 40mph or 50mph roadworks on motorways. In general driving there's just too much other traffic around to be able to stick cruise on and forget it. Given that in the past three years I've hardly used it I didn't see the point of adding it as an option this time.

My company is quite small and so doesn't have a set car policy. Basically every time renewal comes up it's down to the individual to haggle with the bosses for the next car. As with all haggling, you go in stupidly high and anticipate working downwards until they say yes. The above spec was basically my initial "stupid" spec and they said yes!!! :w00t

 

[benw123]

Fair points - I like the way you can justify the options you want. Shows you've thought about it. If your bosses think you've specced your car on a whim then email your superiors a link to this thread! LOL

 

[Vertigo1]

Trust me I spent ages getting it right, including several test drives to make sure I got the right gearbox and engine

 

[Amchlolor]

company cars aren't all they're cracked up to be unless you do mega mileage.

Really ?
My car costs me about £150 a month in tax.
That's the car and all the fuel.
All my mileage is personal.
I do zero business mileage.
The car sits outside the office all day.

The only way I would benefit from opting out is by buying a cheap pile of *****.

If I want decent/new cars,it's a no-brainer.