[Closed] 35k miles lease a car or get something to run into the ground?

I do exactly this. Bought a 2013 V40 D3 in 2018 with 22k miles. Now on 80k and hope to run it for two more years.
Don’t forget to claim MAR if using your own car.

A lease (PCH) with a 35k annual mileage allowance will be very expensive.

If it’s allowance only and no option of a company car, used is defo the way to go. I’d be looking for something economical with very comfy seats, quiet cabin and radar cruise control.

Just check the policy. We can take cash but car must be <5 years old and I think <100k miles in order to claim it. Obviously varies per company but check the small print as they say.

If you have an allowance and you're visiting sites, dont be surprised if the company stipulates it must be under a certain age, under a certain mileage, a certain body style, certain number of seats etc. I doubt leasing is feasable due to the value of a 100k car at 3 years old, but you might not be able to run something old like that civic.

For what it's worth, I'd probably get something in the class above (size wise) if I was doing that sort of milage

I have asked about if there are any restrictions on car type/age/mileage etc. It's a small company and one of the directors rides a motorbike so hoping that there's no restrictions if I arrive in something that looks 'ok'.

Have also asked about AMAP payments (is that the same as MAR?)

At that kind of mileage You may well find and electric pays off, even a second-hand Model S Tesla. Get your calculator out.

AMAP is not the same as MAR.
MAR is tax relief on the gap between AMAP and what the company actually pays you. It makes a big difference if doing a lot of business miles in you own car. Does require self assessment tax form, but really only takes an hour or two a year and saves a lot.

https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/vehicles-you-use-for-work

Ermmmm, a second hand Model S is like £32k upwards?

Am i missing something? I had considered an electric car, but a lease on an e-niro is about £650/month (a lot too much). To get to and from the office is about 220 miles round trip (not every day)

Lease or HP, minimum deposit, 5k miles a year, 5 years. Voluntary termination after 2.5 years.

You only get to do this once though 😭

A lease (PCH) with a 35k annual mileage allowance will be very expensive.

This.

Also remember with a lease, you are stuck with the lease for the full term, getting out early is difficult and expensive.

What happens if the new job doesn't work out? You'll be stuck paying several hundred a month for the car.

Make sure you understand what's different between a lease and PCP if you go that way.

I used to do around 30,000 a year and I had a company Golf (one of the last 1.9tdi mark 5s, slow but economical). If you are doing 300 miles a day regularly then upsize to Mondeo/Passat size but if it's 100/day with a weekly long run a Golf/Civic/Focus size should be capable and a lot less hard on fuel, tyres etc. Just don't get one with stupid big wheels and low pro tyres. That will suck very quickly. Don't get me wrong the bigger car will suck up the miles better but it'll cost you hard cash so there's a balancing act.

Every car I've had since has been bigger than a Golf but that's mainly because I do more long trips than my wife and we need (benefit from) one bigger car for holidays and biking. I also do less miles overall now but more big fully loaded trips.

The company we use at at work for airport runs use Skoda Superbs. They do 100k+/year serviced every 6 weeks. They retire them at 3-400k. Apparently, they very rarely have any problems beyond serviceable items. Around 90% of the milage is on motorways.

Not sure it is relevent but was interesting to me

with the above said, I just whacked 3 year lease, smallish (£2k) deposit, diesel into leaseloco and a class mercs are coming our really cheap - £305 inc vat for 35k/year. I'd be highly tempted by something like that - for comparison a base golf is £470

If you are still thinking about a civic I did 60,000 fault free miles in a 2015 estate with the 1.6d engine. It was 0 trouble. I think it ate some tires in that time.

It did 60mpg on a long run and a bit less round town.

I have looked at a lease and could get something reasonable, but as pointed out above am a little reticent to sign up to a large monthly outgoing just in case something doesn't work out.

A class mercs do seem reasonable at the moment. I currently do a lot less miles but have an A3 saloon and that's fine for long runs and better economy than my previous insignia estate.

20k+ commuting annually - is it cheaper to move house?

Not sure it would be cheaper to move as it'd be further south so house prices would go up (ignoring the kids/wife aspect 🙂 )

Off the radar but Mercedes E200 cdi bluemotion might possibly be an option.
Surprisingly economical fot a luxo barge. Mid 50s apparently is acheivable, i am looking at estates just now and they appear to be cheap
600 miles a week is 12hrs sitting so you will need comfort, cruise, air con etc

I did this 20 years ago. Bought a VW Vento 1.9 TDI (55mpg over 100k miles). Commuted 33k per annum for 10 years. Vastly cheaper than any other option. I kept a book of all the expenditure, including capital repayment assuming zero value at three years. Car had 25k when I bought it and 145k when it was very sadly written off economically by a lorry reversing into it when parked. After that I went to a company provided lease because our company paid the excess mileage at the lease end (hugely subsidizing high mileage).

Buy a reasonable, UNFASHIONABLE but economical and reliable car with a bank loan at low APR (two years old so some warranty for immediate issues). You are buying transport NOT lifestyle. Drive economically - there is a huge difference between an average of 60 and and average of 75 mph! Keep a tally of your costs including tyres and servicing. That kind of driving really is not stressing the vehicle at all. Skoda Superb above would be a good choice. Or a VW jetta (My Vento was 4K cheaper than the same Golf and a better car!)

Ten years of commuting and I eventually moved. I'd driven 300k miles. That was enough driving for a lifetime. I spent about 1/12 of my time in a car.

Lease a car at £300pcm (plus deposit) and it's close to £13k over 3 yrs
Buy a 2yr old Civic @ £12k, still has 3 yrs warranty and after 3 yrs it may well be worth £3k..so total cost is £9k.
If it's simply an appliance, use the car allowance to buy and run a 2nd hand car and save £4k over the 3 years.

That's basically my current thinking. I'd like something new but makes more sense to have a car that is mine and is effectively being paid for/off by the allowance.

I suddenly find myself looking at mpg figures quite carefully, and am struggling to look past a 1.6 diesel which seem to get circa 60+mpg on long runs so should be fairly economical.

Sample here https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202001186300007

Nobody wants them, everyone in the UK wants a Golf or a bigger saloon car (airport shuttles). Dealers know this. Offer £2K under and see what they say. Small saloon cars in the UK are very undesirable. I did just this for my Vento - I told them they wouldn't sell it to anyone else, but knew it was exactly what I needed. They'd had it three months, it was never going to sell. Tell them you know they won't sell it, so here is your offer.

Forget new and forget leasing. This is a purely economic decision. Your allowance is funding a motorized season ticket.

I currently have an A3 saloon so am used to a small saloon and agree they aren't the most desirable, bit it's fine for its intended purpose of getting me about. I hadn't considered a Jetta but will do now!

Off the radar but Mercedes E200 cdi bluemotion might possibly be an option.

I would say that is the default vehicle for this kind of mileage rather than 'off radar'.

It is the car of choice for long distance chauffeur, airport transfer, private hire and taxi throughout Europe, with dozens of them available at 3yr 100k miles, and a fair few at 3yr 250+k miles.

if I was spending 3 hours a day in a car (pretty much 20% of my waking life), I'd probably splash out on something I wanted, rather than just getting the cheapest thing I could. an extra £100/month works out at under £2/hour

Can you not stick with the A3? You say you want better mpg, but at least you won't have the capital outlay staying with it. That car allowance, once it has been taxed, will have to cover funding a replacement vehicle, plenty of fuel, servicing and tyres.

I'd get a comfortable, unfashionable, economical car of the vintage you suggest, but I'd look after it rather than running it into the ground.

Can you not stick with the A3?

Precisely what I was about to ask.

if I was spending 3 hours a day in a car (pretty much 20% of my waking life), I’d probably splash out on something I wanted, rather than just getting the cheapest thing I could.

Also, this.

There's a school of thought which says that cars are merely tools to get you from A to B. Presumably these people also view houses as something to keep the rain off and consider things like wallpaper and artwork to be a wasteful extravagance. Look at that poser with his fancy-schmancy "carpets."

If you're doing 30k/pa that's, what, two hours a day every working day assuming an average of 60mph for ease of maths, 4 hours per day at an average of 30. Why would you not want something that's a nice place to be?

Another comfortable / unfashionable car to consider is a toyota avensis (saloon is way cheaper to buy thean estate). I have put 110k on mine in last 3.5 years with only tyres and discs.

I’d probably splash out on something I wanted

Trouble is with that amount of mileage and related costs (fuel, 2(?) services pa, wear & tear consumables) paying extra will negate any benefit of a pay rise on changing jobs.

Any thoughts, or indeed suggestions

Honestly, I wouldn't take the job. Or, if it really is a fantastic job then I'd look to move closer within a few months.

What TIRed said.

Mine has been fantastic for the last 12 years. Boot is huge (i'm not sure on the size of the newer model in the advert). The extra weight on the back and stiffer shell makes it criuse on the motorway better than an equivelent golf. Closer to a Passat than a Golf in that regard and better than an equivilent Golf on the twisty roads. My MK5 with PD TDi was equal in fuel economy to a newer Commonrail TDi Golf MK6 despite the extra, 110 KG in weight. I think that is because it has a lower body height therefore more aerodynamic, so in real world driving I would expect it to be more ecomonical that an equivilent golf.

People just leave you alone on the motorway as it is non descript, I would have another quite happily. Mine was our main family car for 8 years as well.

I’d probably splash out on something I wanted

Think like the herd and you’ll pay like the herd. Most cars are of an acceptable quality as to be nice places to sit. This is not the 1970’s!

And the less you pay for travel, the more you have to spend on your nice house/bike/hobby/mortgage on an appreciating asset (Cougar). I would not accept a £2/hr pay cut just to sit in a slightly more expensive car, spend the extra on other things.

I spent my hours commuting listening to audiobooks. That’s a lot easier now than it used to be. The audio system is more important than the alloy wheels. Your travel time is dictated by traffic volume, not your driving.

I didn’t say, but we also owned a Golf at the same time. The Vento boot was a cavern. I used to put the buggy in lengthways with a travel cot next to it. It was our family car at the same time with a baby and a three yo. And everybody just ignores you.

The Vento boot was a cavern...put the buggy in lengthways with a travel cot next to it....And everybody just ignores you.

This. The Mk 5 jetta boot is slightly larger than a B6 Passat estate and 98% as practical but a bigger saloon won't help you there.

Can you not stick with the A3?

This is my current company car so will be going if I switch jobs

Honestly, I wouldn’t take the job. Or, if it really is a fantastic job then I’d look to move closer within a few months.

Before changing to my current job I worked somewhere that was 1.75-2hrs drive in the other direction. My current job involves a 2hr door to door commute into London a few days a week (admittedly by train) so a couple of days a week doesn't worry me. Nature of my industry (construction).

Really something economical, safe and comfy is all I really need. Would love something fun/cool/luxury but doubt it will make much difference when sat on the motorway for a couple of hours in the rain/contraflow/middle lane 🙂 DAB radio and podcasts are what I tend to listen to so as long as it has those (or an aux in so I can connect my phone) and a comfortable seat, then that's probably about the limit of my essentials.

If you can find something suitable on a lease / PCP that on budget, it's not a bad idea - understand not taking on a commitment like that so early into a new job of course.

If you do yeah, in theory as someone said you could stiff the Lease company by signing up to a low mileage, long term deal and then VTing it at half term, it's a grey area, a lot of places expect some customers to play the system at bit and VT with a few thousand miles over, but if you give back a a C Class with 90k miles after 2.5 years you signed up for at 5k miles a year, they could more than justifiably claim that it wasn't because of a change in circumstances but fraud and make you liable for the mileage penalty... 72.5k miles at 8p a mile, that's about £6k isn't it?

Personally I'd buy the best example of an unfashionable car you can afford, in the great tradition of STW I'd recommend a Seat Exeo because I used to have one. I took mine from 23k miles to 98k miles without a single fault. It would do 45mpg with roof bars/bike carriers on - 50mpg if you were careful and took them off. It's a bit of a mongrel with VW making it for nearly 10 years as an Audi and then a Seat so the later Seats were their 3rd revision of the design and had no faults to speak of. Too old for the London ULEZ and they use the infamous dieselgate engines, but for all the NOx they chuck out, they at least do it reliably.

2 years ago I bought a 3 year old Yeti with 13k on the clock for £12k. Gives me around 55mpg on my 15k a year for work. It's just gone through 43k total this week, if I do this for another 2 yrs then I will be happy. Gets about 32mpg when towing the caravan as well. Worked out well for me going down this route rather than a company vehicle, mind you we don't even have a policy as there are only three of us in the business.
Fits all my work stuff no probs, can fit the towbar carrier or roof rack for the bikes. All the seats in the can be removed, turns into a mini van space.

You could also consider any of the current Volvos (not the V40) if you're doing a lot of motorway miles.

I use the Pilot Assist self-steering thing on my V60 for about 98% of my drive to work. A-roads and motorways all well handled by the computer.

I don't trust it further than I can throw it but in terms of the difference it makes to a long journey it's mind-blowing. Your capacity is free to look a long way down the road and in traffic jams it'll pootle along with hands and feet off the controls.

Anyone else struggle with the reality that we live in a world where people have to drive 20,000 miles a year to go to work?

Honestly, I wouldn’t take the job. Or, if it really is a fantastic job then I’d look to move closer within a few months.

I missed that this was the commute. I would concur. That's like 40 miles each way. Two words, second word "that."

Anyone else struggle with the reality that we live in a world where people have to drive 20,000 miles a year to go to work?

I rather expect that for a lot of people this may change in the near future.

But yeah, it's the nature of the beast sometimes. When I was younger I've had jobs where I've had to commute from East Lancashire to the wrong side of Warrington or the centre of Manchester, it was 2-3 hours of my life every day assuming there hadn't been a smash somewhere (and, y'know, M6). It was hell. But I wasn't earning enough to move closer to work and tech jobs are thin on the ground in a slowly dying old cotton mill town. It was either sucking it up or embarking on a career asking people whether they'd like fries with that.

Fortunately I'm in a position now where so long as I've got a phone and an Internet connection I could work from the surface of the moon for the difference it makes. I used to have to go into the office as I was mentoring apprentices and my job had a large practical component. I changed roles maybe 18 months ago and both of those factors have been removed so I work from home now, and if I do have to go into the office for something it's like 10 minutes' drive away.

I do not miss the long commute, not at all. When driving South now I often find myself thinking "wow, I used to do this every day, I must have been mad." The only way I'd entertain that notion ever again is if it was viable by train and even then it'd have to be a bloody good job. A little while ago I got headhunted by the CEO of a large (1,600 staff) well-known company that I probably shouldn't name, but over in Leeds. I reckoned I'd basically have to double my salary in order to pay for the extra hours, cover transport costs and still make it worth my while. He said that wasn't out of the question. I politely declined anyway in the end (though it's a nice bargaining chip to have in my back pocket...)

It's not ideal, but also not economical to just up sticks and move close to work every time you move jobs, particularly with a family in tow.

I missed that this was the commute. I would concur. That’s like 40 miles each way. Two words, second word “that.”

It's actually 100 miles each way 2 days a week. Not sure that makes a huge distance but at least it's not every day

Christ on a pogo stick. How long's that take at rush hour?

Only you can say whether it's acceptable / sustainable to you, but I wouldn't. What are you going in for, something essential or because that's just what's expected?

My commute used to be exactly 60 miles each way. The vast majority being dual carriageway and motorway. Base commuting mileage was 600/week, but I'd often have to go to another site - 78 miles away. I used to go in very early (6AM) when the kids were tiny, then late (9AM) after dropping them off at school when older. It would take 75 minutes, each way, with the shortest trip home (ahem) 52 minutes and the longest trip there 6.5hrs (fatal fog accident on the M40 led to closure).

The downside was always leaving the office late and driving home knowing it would take 75 minutes to get home. I now hate driving btw!

But a well-chosen, economical but unfashionable car can be cost-effective. My capital, running and fuel costs were covered by the monthly allowance.