What cars have big power but low tax?

bear1

Zascar wrote: »

Possibly, but it would have to be seriously good value. Paying €1500 a year for tax is seriously painful!!

Any suggestions? I'd also want to have fuel efficiency in mind - I could not justify something that only did 20mpg. I'm not looking for 400bhp - just something reasonably powerful but with some luxury and comfort.

You are in diesel land then or at a stretch a Lexus hybrid.
If it were me, I'd be thinking of the ones I posted above.
Btw, what about that LPG'd Merc?

MetzgerMeister

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

I'm not 100% certain of the tax on this but they did come down to €750 on the new system at some stage from €1494 on the old system. This would be a good purchases IMO but from what the ad says I think it's a Jap import...

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/09-bmw-335i-lci-msport-automatic/14570354

Zascar wrote: »

Possibly, but it would have to be seriously good value. Paying €1500 a year for tax is seriously painful!!

Any suggestions? I'd also want to have fuel efficiency in mind - I could not justify something that only did 20mpg. I'm not looking for 400bhp - just something reasonably powerful but with some luxury and comfort.

That 335i will do 60mpg....if you (literally) push it

mloc123

So...

A big power car, that is cheap to tax, returns good MPG and is less than 15k to buy? Not asking for much.

MetzgerMeister

mloc123 wrote: »

So...

A big power car, that is cheap to tax, returns good MPG and is less than 20k to buy? Not asking for much.

FYP

MarkN

bear1 wrote: »

Going down that route would give you:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-r32/14707438

Jesus those MKIV R32s were very special when they came out. There's a 2003 near me that's just parked up on a driveway. They're so sparse inside now when you compare to a current Golf.

tossy

MarkN wrote: »

Jesus those MKIV R32s were very special when they came out. There's a 2003 near me that's just parked up on a driveway. They're so sparse inside now when you compare to a current Golf.

They are still pretty special, one of the few modern (future) classic VW's and possibly the best engine VW have ever made. The problem is , as with all older cars people judge them by modern standards and bench marks but in 2003 a 3 dr V6 hot hatch with 250bhp, 4WD and a DSG option was a special as it got, most hot hatches at the time were still around 180BHP.

Veloce

I reckon you'd be going down the Golf GTI, Skoda Octavia VRS or Seat Leon R route based on price, tax and economy.

They are not very inspiring or interesting cars though (IMO).

Idbatterim

Possibly, but it would have to be seriously good value. Paying €1500 a year for tax is seriously painful!!

If people were made write out a cheque for depreciation and loan interest, Id say they'd feel the same about those more substantial costs...

Elemonator

Blue Motion engines have a fair bit of welly in them for their size. Low tax also.

PaulK_CCI

I am pretty sure the car that I had a test drive in a couple of weeks ago would be dismissed on the basis of being too bland or possibly still not available under 20k because it was introduced only last year, but I thought I'd just toss it up here because I was actually quite surprised at the amount of power it had in such a big and comfortable car: the Skoda Octavia 1.0 Tsi. A One litre car, so the tax in Ireland should be very low. It's quite comfortable, has enough power, a six speed gearbox and reasonably good fuel consumption and available as combi too, so plenty of space. I was quite surprised as to what they managed to squeeze out of such a small engine.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/95904/new-skoda-octavia-10-tsi-2016-review

mloc123

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

I am pretty sure the car that I had a test drive in a couple of weeks ago would be dismissed on the basis of being too bland or possibly still not available under 20k because it was introduced only last year, but I thought I'd just toss it up here because I was actually quite surprised at the amount of power it had in such a big and comfortable car: the Skoda Octavia 1.0 Tsi. A One litre car, so the tax in Ireland should be very low. It's quite comfortable, has enough power, a six speed gearbox and reasonably good fuel consumption and available as combi too, so plenty of space. I was quite surprised as to what they managed to squeeze out of such a small engine.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/skoda/octavia/95904/new-skoda-octavia-10-tsi-2016-review

A 1l TSI.. with 110bhp? I guess it meets one of the requirements, cheap tax

punisher5112

mloc123 wrote: »

A 1l TSI.. with 110bhp? I guess it meets one of the requirements, cheap tax

She is a bheast though.

110 PS will be a huge increase to the boyz choice of golf 90ps.

bazz26

Jesus weeps.

Zascar

Looking again at the A5 - is there much of a difference between the 2.7 and the 3.0? I still can't understand this tax thing I thought in 2008 it got cheaper but loads are over 1k. I think 2010 it goes down a bit..

bear1

If this thread ends with the op buying a 1 litre octavia I'm quitting the forum.

bear1

Zascar wrote: »

Looking again at the A5 - is there much of a difference between the 2.7 and the 3.0? I still can't understand this tax thing I thought in 2008 it got cheaper but loads are over 1k. I think 2010 it goes down a bit..

The co2 rates didn't go well for some cars as well. Notably high petrol engines.
Difference between the 2.7 and 3.0 is about 40bhp.

mickdw

Zascar wrote: »

Looking again at the A5 - is there much of a difference between the 2.7 and the 3.0? I still can't understand this tax thing I thought in 2008 it got cheaper but loads are over 1k. I think 2010 it goes down a bit..

Going away from the tax, the 2.7 is front wheel drive while the 3.0 is quattro.
2.7 is to be avoided imo

bazz26

Motor tax is not automatically cheaper for all diesel cars from 2008 onwards. Motor tax is based on the car's Co2 figure, some of the early diesel cars especially those over 2.0 litre had high co2 figures meaning they fell into high motor tax brackets.

Regarding the A5, the newer 3.0 litre engine is more refined, more powerful, more fuel efficient and has lower co2 figures than the 2.7 litre engine it replaced. This resulted in falling into a lower motor tax bracket than the 2.7 litre.

punisher5112

bear1 wrote: »

If this thread ends with the op buying a 1 litre octavia I'm quitting the forum.

If it was the single seater ford ecoboost then I would say good fun car but obviously not be suitable as a daily for most.

XsApollo

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/audi/a6/used-2011-audi-a6-3-0-tdi-245-qua-dublin-fpa-2455457397670965508

That would be nice.
Comfort and powerful enough

Gumbo

Zascar wrote: »

Looking again at the A5 - is there much of a difference between the 2.7 and the 3.0? I still can't understand this tax thing I thought in 2008 it got cheaper but loads are over 1k. I think 2010 it goes down a bit..

Audi were late to the table with lower CO2 rates.

Zascar

Ok that's good to know. I do like the A5 coupe's but i think it's 2010 before the tax comes down. The 330d is lovely - but they are like hens teeth. I could look at importing from the UK. Maybe I need to think about upping my budget - I'd say 25k would get a lot more - maybe I need to save for a while longer or get a bigger/longer loan!

bear1

Zascar wrote: »

Ok that's good to know. I do like the A5 coupe's but i think it's 2010 before the tax comes down. The 330d is lovely - but they are like hens teeth. I could look at importing from the UK. Maybe I need to think about upping my budget - I'd say 25k would get a lot more - maybe I need to save for a while longer or get a bigger/longer loan!

You won't need to save more money:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201702052016472?sort=price-asc&price-to=15000&model=3%20SERIES&make=BMW&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&maximum-seats=4&postcode=e95ab&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&radius=1500&year-from=2008&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201611230020794?sort=price-asc&price-to=15000&model=3%20SERIES&make=BMW&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&maximum-seats=4&postcode=e95ab&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&radius=1500&year-from=2008&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2

Zascar

They are very nice. The first one is pretty much perfect. Grey with black leather. The mpg that thing does is amazing considering the performance. In a perfect world I'd like something with lower mileage, is it risky buying a car with 100,000 miles or more? I guess as long as its been well taken care of there should not be too many problems.

bear1

I'd rather buy a car at that age which has higher mileage than lower as it would tell me it wasn't just driving short distances which isn't good for a diesel.
As long as it's straight and true with the service history I wouldn't care.
Check out how much you could have that landed with the VRT calculator and it will give you a hint if it's worth it or not.

bazz26

What about a 635d?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201612210751819?onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&model=6%20SERIES&radius=1501&price-to=15000&advertising-location=at_cars&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&make=BMW&maximum-seats=4&postcode=e95ab&sort=price-asc&year-from=2008&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2

Zascar

bazz26 wrote: »

What about a 635d?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201612210751819?onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&model=6%20SERIES&radius=1501&price-to=15000&advertising-location=at_cars&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&make=BMW&maximum-seats=4&postcode=e95ab&sort=price-asc&year-from=2008&fuel-type=Diesel&page=2

Link doesn't work?

bear1 wrote: »

I'd rather buy a car at that age which has higher mileage than lower as it would tell me it wasn't just driving short distances which isn't good for a diesel.
As long as it's straight and true with the service history I wouldn't care.
Check out how much you could have that landed with the VRT calculator and it will give you a hint if it's worth it or not.

Fair enough. It's a good point though as i don't do a lot of mileage - is it that much of a problem?

ironclaw

You'd be mad to buy a 330D over a 335D. Chalk and cheese. The 335D is as sporty to 120km/h+ as an M5 with buckets of torque. Granted though, very hard to find a good example here in Ireland and I did try myself for many months.

Zascar

I would definitely consider it, but a quick look tells me they are a few k more expensive, and not as good mpg. S

I would deffo buy in the U and bring it in, as you say its hard to find them here. I think if I took my time and bought well you would not lose much money if I had to sell it on in a few years.

bazz26

Direct link to the dealer's site:
http://www.fmmotors.co.uk/used-cars/bmw-6-series-3-0-635d-sport-auto-2dr-wembley-201612210751819?at_source=autotrader&at_medium=desktop&at_campaign=website-visit&_ga=1.81830942.90861081.1429264047

Gumbo

Zascar wrote: »

I would definitely consider it, but a quick look tells me they are a few k more expensive, and not as good mpg. S

I would deffo buy in the U and bring it in, as you say its hard to find them here. I think if I took my time and bought well you would not lose much money if I had to sell it on in a few years.

My 535d was more economical than my 525d and 530d!

Zascar

ironclaw wrote: »

You'd be mad to buy a 330D over a 335D. Chalk and cheese. The 335D is as sporty to 120km/h+ as an M5 with buckets of torque. Granted though, very hard to find a good example here in Ireland and I did try myself for many months.

What do you think of this one? https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-335d-2008-tax-nct-fsh-/14506083 - This looks almost perfect for me - I'd be very tempted.

bazz26

Just so you know the seller is a dealer and has about 15 other cars for sale, according to the motor tax website he has that 335d since December.

Appears to have plenty of service history so ring the dealers who stamped the book just to get an idea how reliable the car has been over the years.

Zascar

Good idea thanks. I texted him he said he's been driving it himself. Will get it checked though. I was not planning on buying this soon but I'm very tempted.

One last question - I don't do a lot mileage, and I'm worried about running into problems buying a diesel. I'm reading conflicting opinions - some say unless you are doing long journeys on the motorway a few times a week you are going to have issues with the dpf. My commute is 30 minutes in traffic - but I often take my motorbike. I usually drive 160km round trip to wexford and back every 2-3 weeks - and then the normal out and about stuff. Is this OK or am I asking for problems?

bazz26

Constant short journeys can be troublesome for diesels but if you're doing a decent trip regularly then it should help alot. Also remember that a DPF is a wear and tear item so has a certain life expectancy. The other option is if or when it starts giving trouble have it removed and the car remapped.

ironclaw

Zascar wrote: »

What do you think of this one? https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-335d-2008-tax-nct-fsh-/14506083 - This looks almost perfect for me - I'd be very tempted.

Crazy money for a 9 year old car if you ask me. Not saying its not worth it, just my car is a year older, with the same horsepower, and was half the price. Granted my tax is high (Assuming that car is post-2008 CO2 tax) but I'll get 7-ish years of tax for your single purchase. Only missing extra on mine is heated seats which I will admit, are a bonus.

If your thinking of spending 14kEUR, I'd be looking to the north and UK. You'll get the same if not higher spec, better service with change.

LG1234

ironclaw wrote: »

Crazy money for a 9 year old car if you ask me. Not saying its not worth it, just my car is a year older, with the same horsepower, and was half the price. Granted my tax is high (Assuming that car is post-2008 CO2 tax) but I'll get 7-ish years of tax for your single purchase. Only missing extra on mine is heated seats which I will admit, are a bonus.

If your thinking of spending 14kEUR, I'd be looking to the north and UK. You'll get the same if not higher spec, better service with change.

Are you driving a 330d to? If so you did well if you got it for half the price if that one even if it had the more expensive tax

The linked one has really high spec and is cheaper than the other 335d's on carzone.

I bet you wouldn't import one for much cheaper. They're about 8k sterling in the UK and around 4k in VRT from what I can see

Zascar

Its a good point but it really kills me to spend €1500 on tax every year. I've had a look and they are a few k cheaper but definitely not half price. Sever 2007 versions for 9-10k. Pre 2008 would be much harder to sell. I think 13k for that one is a pretty good price - imagine what it was new. These will go forever if looked after. Ideally I'd prefer something with lower mileage but that has 2 owners and fbmwsh. I will definitely be looking in the UK but what I see on autotrader right now does not look that much more appealing than the one linked above.