Reply to: Doing long miles every day

[northernladuk]

You can't drive a segway on the roads and pavements of the UK. Its a shame really as the X2 is as much fun as a quad bike on rough terrain.

How about one of these babies then...

BBC News - Driving an electric 'bubble' car designed to avoid crashing

[ChimpMaster]

Have been checking out some leases, and the thing that strikes me is that Personal lease costs are about 20% higher than Business lease prices (including VAT).

So I was thinking, what's stopping me from leasing a car under the business name, but paying for it personally, i.e. not running it through the books? I'd be using the company as a "shell" to obtain the cheaper price, but not actually taking any money from the company itself. So there is no BIK, right?

If I take out a business lease, purely to obtain the cheaper rates, but pay for it personally, then does HMRC need to be notified?

[eek]

Now there is an understatement! You forget they maybe cheap to buy and run but they are also bloody rubbish for doing 100's of miles a day in. THere has to be a balance on the actual work the car has to do. If not you might as well suggest we all get a Segway.

You can't drive a segway on the roads and pavements of the UK. Its a shame really as the X2 is as much fun as a quad bike on rough terrain.

[northernladuk]

If this is out of the question then maybe a Smart Car will be the answer to your prayers! Cheap to buy, cheap to run...they may not look amazing but they wont hurt your wallet like your 2.5l!

Now there is an understatement! You forget they maybe cheap to buy and run but they are also bloody rubbish for doing 100's of miles a day in. THere has to be a balance on the actual work the car has to do. If not you might as well suggest we all get a Segway.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I'm guessing you've already thought about commuting on the train, so why is this not an option?

I currently drive 45 mins to an hour to get to work but will be moving in a couple of weeks, the commute will then be up to 2 hours depending the QEII bridge and the M25!! So I'll be hopping on the train and joining the crowds at London Bridge!!

I did a 'trial week' and actually found the journey a great help in winding down after a particularly stressful day at the office!

I guess if your destination varies daily this will not be as easy but it may be worth a 'trial week'!!

If this is out of the question then maybe a Smart Car will be the answer to your prayers! Cheap to buy, cheap to run...they may not look amazing but they wont hurt your wallet like your 2.5l!

You will soon be eating your words. I did a 2 hour commute (each way) to south Yorkshire from Stockport every day. At the start it was nice as I used the time to relax in FC, watch some movies on the ipad etc. But after 3 months I just wanted to get home and see family. Luckily now moved to a place 25 mins drive away which in relative terms feels like heaven.......

[PinkPoshRat]

Buy an ambulance.

They are tax exempt. You can have a snooze in the back. They will have been serviced well. They're cheap. People get out of your way. People give way to you. They have great blue lights and lots of different sounding horns.

[MikeNguyen]

Public transport no option?

I'm guessing you've already thought about commuting on the train, so why is this not an option?

I currently drive 45 mins to an hour to get to work but will be moving in a couple of weeks, the commute will then be up to 2 hours depending the QEII bridge and the M25!! So I'll be hopping on the train and joining the crowds at London Bridge!!

I did a 'trial week' and actually found the journey a great help in winding down after a particularly stressful day at the office!

I guess if your destination varies daily this will not be as easy but it may be worth a 'trial week'!!

If this is out of the question then maybe a Smart Car will be the answer to your prayers! Cheap to buy, cheap to run...they may not look amazing but they wont hurt your wallet like your 2.5l!

[Fred Bloggs]

Well if you saw topGear last night then perhaps that would help answer the question.

Snag is, the fuel consumtion of the 9 year old V12 Mercedes on Top Gear will ruin you if you do more than 20 miles a day travel.

[kermitt]

Well if you saw topGear last night then perhaps that would help answer the question.

[beaker]

So did we get to which new cars provide the best value on a lease? Or is a second hard luxury car still better value? I've recently sold my BMW 325i which loved a drink but boy was it nice to drive...

[kermitt]

Did you buy an older model of the 540?

Yes mate E39 model, fantastic car for the money BMW through everything at its development marking the beginning of it being the class leader for executive saloons though can be had for a very little if you don't mind high mileage.

Like the newer ones too but prefer the sport, trouble is the majority of the 530d currently on the market are ex-lease or company cars with spaceship mileage but they still go for a premium because they are superb.

Plan to wait a couple more years and pick up a tidy 535d M Sport when prices are not so inflated.

I agree with the Van idea though, a VW caddy can be had for very little and can be expensed through Ltd Co because its a commercial vehicle. They are rapid with a remap too!!

[geoff from contracta IOM]

Buy a really comfortable van !! use it only for business purposes and it will cost you next to nothing

[Ken Dodd]

Lease!

Hey all. I'm doing a lot of mileage every week, 500 miles or so, which at the moment I can expense (< 2 years etc.). However, it's costing me a far whack as I have a 2.5L petrol car.

I'm looking at getting a diesel as most of the driving is constant motorway/A-roads. Thing is, I've no idea which car to get, except that I want something decent and it's got to be comfortable for long drives. I would say top spending limit is circa £30k.

I may in fact have to lease the car, so again if you can provide any tips on this it would be appreciated - especially if there's a tax efficient way of using my Ltd Co. for it.

So to summarise:-
1) Which car?
2) Is it worthwhile to lease through the Ltd?

Lease, but lease privately.

Secondly, as has been recommended, get an Audi.

I am on my third A6.

[northernladuk]

Well it does now.

It's very encouraging to find I'm not alone in driving a not expensive car. Have a 7 year old focus but we're thinking about something bigger as it's a bit of a squash with two little ones on the back and a boot full of luggage.

Sorry Greg, we are all talking about our second cars we use just for commuting to clients site. We all have two seater convertibles or high end Beemer's and Mercs for weekend use. We assumed you were the same

[ChimpMaster]

<snip>

So in the end opted for an immaculate and fully loaded 540i M Sport V8 petrol with very low mileage, full sound system and a spare set of alloys with new winter tyres, new tyres brakes, FBSH etc all for £7k.

Now I can run this for a few years and cos its a petrol it should be more reliable than a turbocharged oil burner and subsequently less expensive to run overall. Yes it only does 20 mpg but it sounds fantastic and wont bankrupt me when something goes wrong. By the way I do 400 miles a week and it costs about £90 for a tank.

If you buy a new car for £30k then frankly IMO you are a mug because you will lose a third of its value in 6 months which would have bought you a perfectly reasonable executive saloon.

Did you buy an older model of the 540? I like the newer shape but it'll cost around £15k-£20k for a fully loaded model.

As for the £30k I totally agree about the aspects of running it down in value. I don't have a mortgage and have sufficient savings, but even then it would only make sense to buy a luxury £30k+ car if I wasn't going to be piling on the mileage in such a heavy way.