Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - Company car loss and replacement - hettybear
My company has changed car policy and I need to return the Freelander I have been driving. I will have a small cash payment but not enough to buy a car outright. I'm wondering whether to take a gamble and buy a cheap car at auction,or to go for one of the finance offers on a new one. I do around 28000 miles a year around half being business. I will only be getting statutory mileage for this. I have looked at a used Freelander from the dealer, a new Audi TT and a new Beetle Cabriolet. Would love to stay with a Freelander but trying to work out if would be better mileage wise and personal mileage to have something cheaper on fuel such as the Beetle. The car needs 4 seats and needs to be fun or unusual, does anyone have any ideas or experience of the best pence per mile? I live in a rural area so also needs to be something that will survive poor road conditions in winter in the way to the main roads.
Thanks in advance!
Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - Company car loss and replacement - Happy Blue!

So, you live in a rural area and want a car totally unsuitable for it?

If you are driving 28,000 miles pa you need a high economy diesel, comfortable and able to cope with rural roads. Oh and it needs to be reliable. Sounds like a job for a quasi 4x4. Kia Sportage? Skids Yeti? Not anything you have mentioned. If you want unusual why not a diesel engined Subaru Forester? Don't be afraid of second hand for a good make.

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - Company car loss and replacement - Falkirk Bairn

You have a company car - so you will be taxed on the BIK - result is you will increase your Take Home Pay when the co car goes back. Look at your Notice of Coding to see what charge was made and multiply that figure by 0.2 or 0.4 to see how much tax you will not now have to pay!

Bad news - no monthly payment from your company to buy a car on an lease agreement or HP.

14,000 company miles = 10K @ 45p = £4,500 + 4K @ 25p = £1,000 = £5,500 TAX FREE

- call it £450 per month

Take off cost of business fuel @ 30mpg = 40 gallons = £250/mth for business fuel or £500 for all your fuel (Private and business). Add to this tax, tyres, Insurance, repairs etc etc

28K per year is a high mileage so lease costs will be high - a friend ran a fleet of car doing the 25K per year. He gave up buying new cars on a 3 year HP as they were worth little after70K+Miles. He bought low mileage ex rental cars (10K Miles) and kept them until 50K and still worth some money when he sold them with say 6 mths manufacturers warranty left.

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - Company car loss and replacement - Falkirk Bairn

New YETI models announced!

Bargains in the range of "old models" - maybe there is a deal to be done!

Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet - Company car loss and replacement - Bobbin Threadbare

Don't buy a TT to travel 28k miles p.a. in. Your spine and backside will not thank you!