Buying premium brands. is it worth it.

kluivert

Ok trying to clear this up for awhile now.

Buy a new Skoda 1.9TDi and sell in three years time, residuals 50%
£12680, after three years residual is £6340 = reduction in value = £6340


Buy a new Golf 1.9TDI and sell in three years time, residuals 60%
£17000, after three years residual is £10200 = reduction in value = £6800

Not much of a difference between the two. £560.

£560 after three years is the extra cost of having a premium brand. Thats £186 a year.

So is it better off to go for a premium brand car.

All the above figures have been taken from "What Car" Magazine.

MrPudding

Do they come with the same equipment and spec? Would you not get a lot more skoda for you money?

MrP

kluivert

Roughly yes.

Moonbeam

but volkswagens are soo much nicer to drive the skodas:)

colm_mcm

Is Volkswagen a premium brand now?

Isn't Skoda just a budget brand?

Seth Brundle

You may save €500 on the VW - what will the overall insurance difference be?

Also didn't the VAG chairman say that Skoda were probably the best of the VW/Audi/Skoda family?

kyote00

very interesting figures indeed.

Should servicing costs also be included ?

I assume that VW service costs more ....

lomb

cost of finance/ interest is also a factor, so u can add another few quid to the cost diffence. i doubt insurance will make alot of difference. the golf should be easier to sell than the skoda which is also a factor although skoda have a solid following these days.
i think its pretty much horses for courses, whether u want to drive a skoda or a vw the choice is yours. personally i dont think u save very much as a percentage running with the skoda option, and the looks and interior arent to my liking and neither is the heritage of the badge all of which makes a hugh difference when u are putting that kind of money on the line. on the other hand air con tends to be standard a big bonus, but not enough for me to be tempted..

lomb

kyote00 wrote:

I assume that VW service costs more ....

nope, per hour rates for garages are the same whether they service a mercedes or a skoda or a vw. the only difference is parts, and for routine stuff i dont think that will make any difference.

Seth Brundle

I presumed kyote meant VH hourly rates Vs Skoda rates

Squirrel

Personally I prefer the look of the Golf, and if I could afford it, and they're the same, I'd go for the Golf, same with anything, the one I prefer

lomb

kbannon wrote:

I presumed kyote meant VH hourly rates Vs Skoda rates

Ive seen belgard motors rates, they charge 90 an hour to service vw and a fiver more to service a mercedes, skoda might be 85 not enough of a difference me thinks to break the deal. id be more interested in the car, as another poster said the golf looks better, and 'costs' the same give or take.

bazz26

kluivert wrote:

Ok trying to clear this up for awhile now.

Buy a new Skoda 1.9TDi and sell in three years time, residuals 50%
£12680, after three years residual is £6340 = reduction in value = £6340


Buy a new Golf 1.9TDI and sell in three years time, residuals 60%
£17000, after three years residual is £10200 = reduction in value = £6800

Not much of a difference between the two. £560.

£560 after three years is the extra cost of having a premium brand. Thats £186 a year.

So is it better off to go for a premium brand car.

All the above figures have been taken from "What Car" Magazine.

I am not really a fan of VAG cars and definately don't buy into this thing that VW are a premium brand, sorry if I am biased here but that is me. Personnally I don't find the shape of Golf or the Octavia interesting, the interiors are nice enough but they both are too close in looks to the previous models for me.

If I had to choose between the two, after looking at your figures I would choose the Octavia. For the same price as the Golf you could probably enjoy a higher spec Octavia.

As for servicing costs, that is a bit like insurance, its a lottery - totally depends where you bring the car.

lomb

bazz26 wrote:

I am not really a fan of VAG cars and definately don't buy into this thing that VW are a premium brand, sorry if I am biased here but that is me. Personnally I don't find the shape of Golf or the Octavia interesting, the interiors are nice enough but they both are too close in looks to the previous models for me.

.

vws interiors are very classy in comparison to jap stuff, that and the solid thudding of the doors, the german connection, and the heritage of the badge gives it a premium character like it or not.
the fact they look the same to predessors is the whole point, thats the same as saying a new 911 looks the same to an 80s one, of course porsche could change the looks but they dont want to because thats what people want. the golf has been on the road for 32 years, and like it or not is a legand. resale values and waiting lists in the past would confirm this. true the skoda has a higher spec, but then u get nothing for nothing, if skoda thought they could get 5 grand more than a golf theyd try, but they have to price it below to sell it. its all supply and demand.

maidhc

bazz26 wrote:

I am not really a fan of VAG cars and definately don't buy into this thing that VW are a premium brand, sorry if I am biased here but that is me.

No VW isnt a premium brand. They do have a marginally better image than say Ford or Toyota, but they are not "premium". A fairer comparison would have been Audi and Skoda, where the skoda would be far cheaper to own.

A Golf 1.9 TDi Base is practically the same price as the Octavia Tdi Elegance. The Octavia is better equipped and bigger. The golf has a VW badge, and maybe will be worth slightly more come resale.

As for thudding doors... Ford doors thud as much as VW ones (whatever that proves...)

bazz26

lomb wrote:

vws interiors are very classy in comparison to jap stuff, that and the solid thudding of the doors, the german connection, and the heritage of the badge gives it a premium character like it or not.
the fact they look the same to predessors is the whole point, thats the same as saying a new 911 looks the same to an 80s one, of course porsche could change the looks but they dont want to because thats what people want. the golf has been on the road for 32 years, and like it or not is a legand. resale values and waiting lists in the past would confirm this. true the skoda has a higher spec, but then u get nothing for nothing, if skoda thought they could get 5 grand more than a golf theyd try, but they have to price it below to sell it. its all supply and demand.

I never said the Golf was a bad car I just don't think there is anything special about it to command the extra money. I'm not talking about GTis or R32s, I talking about the bog standard 1.4 average joe volume sellers here. It is a good car the same as many other makes out there. It has alot of grey plastic in the interior and blank pannels just like other similar cars. Yes the quality of plastic may be a bit better. I just don't see the facination with what I see as an average 1.4 family hatchback the same as the Focus, Corolla, Megane etc. I definately would not buy it because the door had a thudding sound.

Again I'm not into VAG cars so I just cannot understand the facination.

colm_mcm

lomb wrote:

, the german connection, and the heritage of the badge gives it a premium character like it or not.
.

the heritage of VW?

anyone remember where it all started?

lomb

i totally understand what u are saying, but i know for a fact the 1.4 golf 5 door is probably the cheapest car to own over 3 years, over 5 years, and over 7 years.
the fuel economy in real world driving is higher than jap cars for soem reason (probably because the engine is underpowered per liter of capacity and isnt stressed) but this makes zero difference to typical vw owners, who want economy.
the depreciation is best by far in class, just look at ros.ie, they value a 99 golf at nearly 6500 , and a similar primera 1999 at 1300 euro!
the practicality is amazing same as any hatch with folding seats.
the trim quality is very high.
the safety is high, with 5 star ncap, abs, traction control asr, curtain airbags no one else matches that. it also has heat insulated glass, so it doesnt fog up much inside. there are loads of clever details, where a toyota is a product of an industrial conglomerate unsure of itself a vw is a product of a company that knows its past and knows its future.
best of all it can be had for around 19 grand cash and it looks good. personally i cant see another option in this class but thats just me.

lomb

colm_mcm wrote:

the heritage of VW?

anyone remember where it all started?

hitler:D , but forgetting that lunatic there are very strong connections to porsche.

colm_mcm

i just remember volkswagen making reliable dull cars, then they found out how to make silicone dampened grab handles and expensive feeling plastic, and forgot how to make the cars reliable or good value

ds20prefecture

lomb wrote:

hitler:D , but forgetting that lunatic there are very strong connections to porsche.

Yes, the thieving bastard. Car engineer my arse. Ledwinka desinged the beetle, Porsche and his Nazi cronies stole it, annexed Czechoslovakia and produced the KDF.

IMHO anyone who pays more for a VW needs their head examined. The Skoda is better made, handles and rides better, and retains its value (here in ireland) every bit as well, if not better, than VW. My car has lost 50% of it's value over 5 years. Not 3.

I'm with Bazz though - they're both terminally dull cars.

kluivert

Your all forgetting the point.

1. OK Golf is not a premium brand but it is more expensive than the Octavia.

2. There was nothing mentioned the the servicing of the car, talking about the residuals ie the Value of the car after a lenght of time.

3. No one mentioned any other cars. Just gave opinions on the the two cars mentioned.

4. Skoda is not a budget brand by far, VW are over priced.

5. Audi is a premium brand, Would you buy the A3 over the Golf residual retention is the same on both cars @ 60%, so it the premium worth the buy.

6. Honda v Hyundai?