€31,000 to spend on new car

CyberGhost

corkandproud wrote: »

Does the title of this thread not explain the scenario...

NEW CAR.

Oh yea, NOW I noticed it, haha.

Gregor Samsa

man utd 07/08 wrote: »

maybe you have more money than brains because why the fu*k would you be asking people what to spend 31k on??????????????/

maybe buy what YOU want

If you read the thread, you'd see that the OP has repeatly stated that it's a company car he's getting. And what's wrong with looking for a bit of advice to supplement his own ideas?

I'd be tempted by the new Mazda 6 if I was in your position...

Zonda999

I have to plug the octavia L&K.A friend of mine has just bought one and is collecting it on saturday.I know the garage and have already seen the car.Its an estate model with the all new 1.8TSI engine.Is a lovely car.Black Leather and suede, 17" diamond cut polished alloys, Xenon headlamps... The only thing it doesnt have is sat nav.Also that new engine is brilliant-160bhp turbocharged.Its so quiet and quick.Overall.a great car discreet and elegant, a less obvious choice

mvpr

I like the sound of that Octavia. Would go for the diesel myself though, especially if I was doing 100k kms/year.

Another option (which might not be to everyone's taste) is the Ford Focus 1.8 Flexifuel estate. It will cost you about €24k, but you can add in leather, upgraded wheels, ICE etc. Would be a nice car. And it shares its running gear with the Volvo. Then again, if its not your money, you might prefer the Volvo badge.

An alternative to the Fiat mentioned above would be the Alfa 147 with the same 150bhp 1.9 Multijet Diesel. Still a beautiful looking car.

I envy your position! Best of luck with the purchase...

Zonda999

That octavia with a diesel engine would be a bargain after july-I think the new system will knock a few grand off the price. So if an ambiente model costs about 24500 now it would be under 23k- Great value. Also there's a fantastic new superb coming

http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/stillatthewheel/archive/2007/11/01/new-skoda-superb-so-what-s-it-like-to-drive.aspx

Launched in march so going to be here just in time for the new vrt system.No 1.9tdi i believe- New common rail 2.0tdi only,Aparently 3 versions of 120, 140 and 170 bhp

Wossack

1.8 civic, or an mx-5

think the vRS is just outta budget :P

ninty9er

Have you decided OP??

corkandproud

Down to the final two:

VW Passat 1.4 Highline
or
Ford Mondeo 2.0 Zetec Estate

Both similar in terms of size and equipment level.

I'm liking the Passat as it's a step up from my comfortline. The Mondeo appeal is in the 146bhp engine and the novelty of a different car.

groupb

How can you compare a passat to the mighty mondeo? The vw has won zilch awards and is given a lukewarm report by most of the motoring mags.Its relability is also questionable (I know , I had the missfortune to have a 07 (2.0tdi sportline) as a company car for a while). On the other hand the mondeo has wiped the floor with every car that its come up against including the 3 series.

E92

groupb wrote: »

How can you compare a passat to the mighty mondeo? The vw has won zilch awards and is given a lukewarm report by most of the motoring mags.Its relability is also questionable (I know , I had the missfortune to have a 07 (2.0tdi sportline) as a company car for a while). On the other hand the mondeo has wiped the floor with every car that its come up against including the 3 series.

In the Mazda6 thread, someone who said his old man is an AA technician mentioned the Mk4 Mondeos "reliability" or rather the lack of it, so I don't know if that's any better than the Passat!(I know the Passat is a heap in terms of reliability btw)

HashSlinging

What about a SEAT Altea 2.0 TDI DSG 140 BHP

Comes in at 31000

coolbeans

My mother has a 2002 version, 2.0 high tech turbo diesel that's just hit 100,000 miles. This was one of the first cars in the country as it was newly launched back then. What's gone wrong? Well, apart from a blown interior light bulb absolutely nothing. Check out the new Mazda6. It's super stylish and despite some inaccurate reports shares no parts with the new or old Mondeo. It's also built at the Hofu plant in Japan. You can't beat a Japanese car that's actually built in Japan. I'd go for diesel but that's up to you.
Check out the top gear or JD Power reliability surveys. They'll back up all my points. Good luck.

Biro

groupb wrote: »

How can you compare a passat to the mighty mondeo? The vw has won zilch awards and is given a lukewarm report by most of the motoring mags.Its relability is also questionable (I know , I had the missfortune to have a 07 (2.0tdi sportline) as a company car for a while). On the other hand the mondeo has wiped the floor with every car that its come up against including the 3 series.

Actually most of the motoring mags give the Passat an excellent report, lagging behind the Mondeo mainly in handling only. And the "mighty" mondeo uses the Passat as the benchmark really. That said, the new Mondeo is better car alright, but that doesn't make the Passat a bad one. Reliability issues are there though, same as anything else in the VW camp at the moment, namely electrics based.
I would go for the Mondeo given the 2 choices the OP has at the minute, mostly because of the engine and steering feel.

E92

For reliability, the Mazda6 is hard to beat. The Avensis and Accord are due to be replaced shortly, so there's little point in getting them, and Toyota are going on a massive cost cutting programme, so future Toyotas won't be as good as they used to be(and the present Avensis isn't as good as older Carinas either).

HashSlinging

Didnt fiat win car of the year in 1996 - 97 or something.. They were a mighty cars also. No long term problems with them.


http://metropoleparis.com/1997/71201248/yearcar.html

Wossack

E92 wrote: »

In the Mazda6 thread, someone who said his old man is an AA technician mentioned the Mk4 Mondeos "reliability" or rather the lack of it, so I don't know if that's any better than the Passat!(I know the Passat is a heap in terms of reliability btw)

compelling and conclusive evidence alright

GAFF

corkandproud wrote: »

I must say the Octavia L&K is of interest, I'd love to see one on the road but they're special order.

http://ws.skoda-auto.com/download//eng/catalogue/LaurinKlement_ENG_0906.pdf

One of the lads bought one of these last week, and he's in cork. Btw theres pics here, http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia-ii/l-k-comfort-1-8-tfsi-questions/92864/5/
you may need to login to see them

GAFF

Wossack wrote: »

1.8 civic, or an mx-5

think the vRS is just outta budget :P

I dunno about that, after July the petrol is supposed to be coming down by 800 Euro and the diesel by nearly 3kEuro.

Mr Magnolia

Ford Mondeo Zetec 1.8tdci 125bhp 6 speed.

Go to a different dealer.

pburns

Mazda 6 diesel Executive SE - and get them to put nicer wheels on it - 17'' or 18''. Not out til as least late Feb though... (See:http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=843866)

Autocar tested the 6 (base 1.8 model) this week and put it ahead of Passat but just behind the Mondeo - even though they said it was a better drivers' car than the Ford. Given the British mags' slightly anti-Jap bias and the zeal with which they have praised the Ford that's a moral victory as far as I'm concerned. The Mazda will be rarer than the Ford and possibly more reliable (if that guys AA uncle is to be believed!)

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

Ford Mondeo Zetec 1.8tdci 125bhp 6 speed.

Go to a different dealer.

Is that not one of Ford's older-school diesels or has it been upgraded to match the refinement of 1.6 and 2.0 TDCIs? That engine would pull better in the Focus. The Irish obsession with big-car-small-engine / impress-the-neighbours must be broken!

E92

pburns wrote: »

Mazda 6 diesel Executive SE - and get them to put nicer wheels on it - 17'' or 18''. Not out til as least late Feb though... (See:http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=843866)

Autocar tested the 6 (base 1.8 model) this week and put it ahead of Passat but just behind the Mondeo - even though they said it was a better drivers' car than the Ford. Given the British mags' slightly anti-Jap bias and the zeal with which they have praised the Ford that's a moral victory as far as I'm concerned. The Mazda will be rarer than the Ford and possibly more reliable (if that guys AA uncle is to be believed!)



Is that not one of Ford's older-school diesels or has it been upgraded to match the refinement of 1.6 and 2.0 TDCIs? That engine would pull better in the Focus. The Irish obsession with big-car-small-engine / impress-the-neighbours must be broken!

The reason they put it behind the Mondeo is because they said the Mondeo is a more refined car, and they also said they wouldn't say the 6 was a better car until such time as they did a back to back test with both cars.

I don't think you can go wrong with either, both have gotten great reviews from the press.

As for the Mondeo, under the new VRT system, the 2.0 TDCi is in the 24% VRT band, compared to the 1.8 TDCi's 20% band, so they certainly aren't going to get rid of it, and it has 123 bhp(a 99 bhp version is available in LX trim) which is similar enough to most of the lower powered 2.0 diesels out there!

youtheman

I have a 2.0L petrol Accord and am due to change it in Sept. The 2.2L Diesel Accord has a very low CO2 figure, so it goes from 30% VRT to 24% VRT. So it should drop from around 39K to 34K (here's wishing).

This should be a funny year for cars sales. I'd expect a mad dash for people to buy the 'gas guzzlers' before July, then another surge after July for those waiting for the diesels and low CO2 cars to drop in price.

Might be like when they increased the first time buyers grant from 2K to 5K, the prices miracoulsy went up and the buyer didn't gain anything in the end. Wonder if the dealers will pass on the savings to us poor slobs.

mickdw

To be honest it is between avensis, passat, mondeo, mazda 6.
Mzda 6 will date like the previous one did.
Mondeo will devalue alot.
Avensis is a heap of tin.... Just open the bootlid, you wont need to drive it after that!!
Need a little extra for a decent passat though. Comfortline diesel is more than that and the ones without the chrome are bad looking. Petrol?

Zonda999

The petrols are decent in the passat.Its just got 2 new engines.The 1.4TSI and the 1.8TSI.122bhp and 160bhp respectively.Both are very refined as far as i know and that 1.8 is very rapid indeed.There both brand new engines as well so they should'nt be too heavy on petrol

groupb

Biro wrote: »

Actually most of the motoring mags give the Passat an excellent report, lagging behind the Mondeo mainly in handling only. And the "mighty" mondeo uses the Passat as the benchmark really. That said, the new Mondeo is better car alright, but that doesn't make the Passat a bad one. Reliability issues are there though, same as anything else in the VW camp at the moment, namely electrics based.
I would go for the Mondeo given the 2 choices the OP has at the minute, mostly because of the engine and steering feel.

I'm speaking from personal experience and in my opinion the last mondeo was a far superior car to the current passat , never mind the new one. And before you ask my last company car ( which I had no choice) was a 07 2.0tdi passat sportline with all the bells and whistles which was preceeded by a mondeo (03 zetec) . The mk3 mondeo was the car that VW benchmarked the passat against and (in my opinion) failed. The passat defines the words "skin deep" . Superficially its a great car but as a place to spend time it comes nowhere near a mondeo.

groupb

Biro wrote: »

Actually most of the motoring mags give the Passat an excellent report, lagging behind the Mondeo mainly in handling only. And the "mighty" mondeo uses the Passat as the benchmark really. That said, the new Mondeo is better car alright, but that doesn't make the Passat a bad one. Reliability issues are there though, same as anything else in the VW camp at the moment, namely electrics based.
I would go for the Mondeo given the 2 choices the OP has at the minute, mostly because of the engine and steering feel.

I'm speaking from personal experience and in my opinion the last mondeo was a far superior car to the current passat , never mind the new one. And before you ask my last company car ( which I had no choice) was a 07 2.0tdi passat sportline with all the bells and whistles which was preceeded by a mondeo (03 zetec) . The mk3 mondeo was the car that VW benchmarked the passat against and (in my opinion) failed. The passat defines the words "skin deep" . Superficially its a great car but as a place to spend time it comes nowhere near a mondeo. By the way do fords not come with RAC assistance? Why call the AA?

Biro

groupb wrote: »

I'm speaking from personal experience and in my opinion the last mondeo was a far superior car to the current passat , never mind the new one. And before you ask my last company car ( which I had no choice) was a 07 2.0tdi passat sportline with all the bells and whistles which was preceeded by a mondeo (03 zetec) . The mk3 mondeo was the car that VW benchmarked the passat against and (in my opinion) failed. The passat defines the words "skin deep" . Superficially its a great car but as a place to spend time it comes nowhere near a mondeo.

I sense a strong personal preference towards the Ford that nothing will change, not even a vastly superior VW! Fair enough, each to their own.

vengeance52

i had a mondeo, loved the car. thought it was a great drive, so id prefer it over the rest.

mickdw

E92 wrote: »

For reliability, the Mazda6 is hard to beat. The Avensis and Accord are due to be replaced shortly, so there's little point in getting them, and Toyota are going on a massive cost cutting programme, so future Toyotas won't be as good as they used to be(and the present Avensis isn't as good as older Carinas either).

Glad to see someone else not a great fan of avensis. I hate them. The landcruiser has a far superior dash etc. poor plastics as usual. Doors feel light, boot lid feels like paper.

E92

mickdw wrote: »

Glad to see someone else not a great fan of avensis. I hate them. The landcruiser has a far superior dash etc. poor plastics as usual. Doors feel light, boot lid feels like paper.

On the contrary the current one is a great car, though not as reliable as the "Best Built Cars in the World" claim(actually today the parents one needed an AA callout even though it is only 3 years old, it was only a flat battery though, so hardly the end of the world) would have you believe. It feels like an Audi inside, it feels very well put together IMO.

My reasoning against getting a new one is that it is due to be replaced soon, and it is pointless getting a brand new car when there is a replacement on the way quite soon, no matter how good it is.

And from what I've read, the new one isn't going to be great(because of the cost cutting I mentioned previously), I've seen disguised photos of it and I am not impressed.

Biro

mickdw wrote: »

Glad to see someone else not a great fan of avensis. I hate them. The landcruiser has a far superior dash etc. poor plastics as usual. Doors feel light, boot lid feels like paper.

I'd nearly think the opposite. The Avensis, while a bit dull, is a fairly complete car. The Landcruiser is mechanically strong, but way behind the times. Very agricultural engine, old fashioned interior, and I feel generally a poor way to spend €64k on the LWB passenger version. I reckon you'd be better paid get the SWB commercial AND an Avensis for the same money!

groupb

Biro wrote: »

I sense a strong personal preference towards the Ford that nothing will change, not even a vastly superior VW! Fair enough, each to their own.

Could'nt agree more with the each to their own bit , but suggesting that a passat is superior to a mondeo does seem to go against the opinion of the majority of the motoring press. I was also speaking from personal experience of both cars. But yes you're right I would have a strong bias towards fords as they have never let me down and are superb to drive. Just out of curiosity , in what way is a passat vastly superior to a mondeo?

corkandproud

Just put in an order for a Mondea Ghia, 2.0 Petrol, with Bluetooth, sunblinds, met paint and the power start. All came in at €31k.

Only thing is they're only available as factory orders so here's to the 13 week wait!

Henry Ford III

Good call. The best car in it's class.

Biro

groupb wrote: »

Could'nt agree more with the each to their own bit , but suggesting that a passat is superior to a mondeo does seem to go against the opinion of the majority of the motoring press.

I wasn't suggesting that a Passat is superior to a Mondeo. I felt that you were more or less giving the impression that a Passat is pure muck and a Mondeo is motoring perfection, and I was countering with my opinion that maybe a Mondeo is better than a Passat, but not by much. In fairness, these days everything in that class is fairly competent.

groupb wrote: »

Just out of curiosity , in what way is a passat vastly superior to a mondeo?

My comment was "...strong personal preference towards the Ford that nothing will change, not even a vastly superior VW!", which was a hypothetical. As in, if a VW did come along that was vastly superior, you'd have a hard time admitting it!

burke_emmet

What about a volvo s40 se lux 1.8f with the 50% vrt discount , spec'd to the hilt

corkandproud

burke_emmet wrote: »

What about a volvo s40 se lux 1.8f with the 50% vrt discount , spec'd to the hilt

too small

Plug

unkel wrote: »

You're easily pleased

If you want a change for the same lease money, maybe try the new Mondeo...

Lovely cars they are.
OP why not get a golf GTI? Pocket rocket.

E92

corkandproud wrote: »

Just put in an order for a Mondea Ghia, 2.0 Petrol, with Bluetooth, sunblinds, met paint and the power start. All came in at €31k.

Only thing is they're only available as factory orders so here's to the 13 week wait!

The VRT goes down on these believe it or not in July, even though it's a 2.0 petrol, from 30% to 28%. Though in the case of a standard Ghia the saving is about a grand or so, according to the VRT calculator, so it's hardly catastrophic, and any saving on list price will in all probability be negated by the lower trade in you get by waiting, and may even be more depending on what car it is.

Only sting in the tail is it will cost just €10 a year more on road tax then!

E92

Plug wrote: »

Lovely cars they are.
OP why not get a golf GTI? Pocket rocket.

OP has already decided that he is going to get a Mondeo. I thought the OP had €31k to play with? A new 2.0 Ghia costs €33,515.

corkandproud

E92 wrote: »

OP has already decided that he is going to get a Mondeo. I thought the OP had €31k to play with? A new 2.0 Ghia costs €33,515.

OP got a good deal!!!

groupb

Biro wrote: »

I wasn't suggesting that a Passat is superior to a Mondeo. I felt that you were more or less giving the impression that a Passat is pure muck and a Mondeo is motoring perfection, and I was countering with my opinion that maybe a Mondeo is better than a Passat, but not by much. In fairness, these days everything in that class is fairly competent.


My comment was "...strong personal preference towards the Ford that nothing will change, not even a vastly superior VW!", which was a hypothetical. As in, if a VW did come along that was vastly superior, you'd have a hard time admitting it!

You're right , it was hypothetical - Truce?

galwaytt

OP - true, the Mondeo is v.nice. 2.0 Tdci would be better than the petrol, imho..........

But, and in case someone has said in the 5 pages so far and I've missed it - are you not going to get hammered in BIK for buying that this side of July?

Even the worst accountant in the world should see that it'd save 'the company' money by waiting 'til then. That and a Tdci being better in 2yrs time 'for the company' by having a much better residual?

The icing on the cake being that you could either buy the same car for less, then, or more car for the same money......... win-win, it seems to me.......

No?

corkandproud

galwaytt wrote: »

OP - true, the Mondeo is v.nice. 2.0 Tdci would be better than the petrol, imho..........

But, and in case someone has said in the 5 pages so far and I've missed it - are you not going to get hammered in BIK for buying that this side of July?

Even the worst accountant in the world should see that it'd save 'the company' money by waiting 'til then. That and a Tdci being better in 2yrs time 'for the company' by having a much better residual?

The icing on the cake being that you could either buy the same car for less, then, or more car for the same money......... win-win, it seems to me.......

No?

Car must be bought now.
No Change in BIK rules announced.
Fleet manager prefers petrol (so does my wife).

GERMAN ROCKS

my first choice would be passat but since you wouldnt get a second one this would be my choice
2nd peug 407- brilliant diesel engine
3rd volvo s40
4th renault laguna

Biro

groupb wrote: »

You're right , it was hypothetical - Truce?

Sound!

Green Hornet

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

my first choice would be passat but since you wouldnt get a second one this would be my choice
2nd peug 407- brilliant diesel engine
3rd volvo s40
4th renault laguna

Peugot and Renault are poor buys! Apparently they have great aftersales service....enough said. French cars are DIRT. Rubbish electrics. Rubbish trade ins.

The Volvo are nice cars but have poor residuals. Doesn't matter I guess if its a company car though.

German or Japanese are the best.

colm_mcm

Biro wrote: »

I'd nearly think the opposite. The Avensis, while a bit dull, is a fairly complete car. The Landcruiser is mechanically strong, but way behind the times. Very agricultural engine, old fashioned interior, and I feel generally a poor way to spend €64k on the LWB passenger version. I reckon you'd be better paid get the SWB commercial AND an Avensis for the same money!

You won't get much of a LWB Cruiser for €64k.
8 seat and Auto is the only real way to buy a Pass Cruiser (70k ex delivery etc)
Add:
metallic €600
and towbar,€400
Leather pack €3280
and you'll have what 90% of Passenger Land Cruiser customers order.

Sam Kade

corkandproud wrote: »

In March, what should I be looking for?

I have a 06 Passat and love it, only I'd never by the same car twice.

Is the €31000 including the value of the Passat?

corkandproud

Sam Kade wrote: »

Is the €31000 including the value of the Passat?

No, €31k straight purchase.