"Perhaps you can ask your overpaid/underworked employees to chip in? This would give them a better stake in the business, show them that advert at snap time and see what they think?"
What the actual **** has your random crappy comment got to do with anything?
The ‘estate tax’ on the 3 series is quite big
I'm seeing the same thing on older (F10/11) 5-series as well but only by about £500-1000 on a £10k budget. Availability will be the main thing I think, twice the amount of saloons to estates in the range I am looking at. I did look at W212 E220CDi Estates but they're bit minging and the interior is nowhere near as nice.
I don't know anything about company car tax now, but if you get stung massively for tax why not just buy privately?
I'm guessing even with the tax it works out cheaper than private or people wouldn't do it?
I didn’t make the comment without thought. I do find it crass and a touch insensitive sometimes when posters discuss the dilemma of spending huge amounts of money on a vehicle on a forum where some members are trying to get by with an old banger, there is an element of the “look at me”! I can just about tolerate the watch buyers as they’re buying a work of fine engineering that shouldn’t depreciate, I can appreciate the coffee grinders as they get something to drink.. However I can’t ignore the contradiction of this thread discussing the spending of vast sums of money on a car and the thread by the OP where his workers were forbidden from discussing their pay - “ Money is explicitly not to be discussed on site as it causes issues”.
I'm ignoring the discussing money on site comment because it's been done and has nothing to do with a thread about cars.
Buying a 4 year old diesel family saloon on finance is hardly a brag.
I'm sorry if some people haven't got as much money as they'd wish, but this forum isn't 'poverty track world' where there's a veto on spending money. I'm certainly not rolling in it by any means. Reasonably comfortable would probably be a fair assessment.
And there's no slavery going on on my sites, so give it a rest please. Just for the record, the car I posted is around the equivalent of 1.5-2 weeks current wage bill including bona fide sub contractors.
Back to cars, you've all put me off the Merc now anyway 🤣
"I don’t know anything about company car tax now, but if you get stung massively for tax why not just buy privately?
I’m guessing even with the tax it works out cheaper than private or people wouldn’t do it?"
Oh for sure. Any car purchase would be private. No benefits to putting a diesel car through the business at all
It has got me thinking though. Just watch out for my post in the pick up BIK thread 🤣
I wouldn't be put off by the bmw estate tax, you'll find it's better for residuals when you sell it. I sold my last bmw estate (privately) within a week at the same high price dealers were asking. You won't manage that with a saloon.
Yeah fair point ^^
Anyway....🤔
This could turn out to be a complete (erm, semi) U turn in my thinking....
That looks pretty conservative to me, visually.
I'll just chuck a couple of pics into the thread:
And I'll sneak this in cheekily:
That looks pretty conservative to me, visually.
Don't know if you've picked up on it, but it's the E-Tron S Quattro Vorsprung. 500bhp, 0-60 4.5s
Would buy through the business and (need to confirm with the accountant) can write down 18%/year - which I think has to reduce to 9% if used for personal use. Could write down 100% as AIA if it was brand new, so there are other vehicles to consider. Still, that would be £5k/year against corporation tax. 2% BIK and leccy charging costs to the business. It would be used for some business use when I don't need a van full of tools and I'm not getting ridiculously muddy.
That should get the BIK tax dodge frothers, erm frothing. But it's an EV, so it fine, eh? 😉
I’ll just chuck a couple of pics into the thread:
The CLS is nice, I like that
Not really wanting an Audi A5 saloon (though I am an Audi fan)
The Ioniq is next level fugly
E-Tron S Quattro Vorsprung. 500bhp, 0-60 4.5s
What's the 'whoosh' equvalent of "BBBBRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPPP"!!
I like that - not a fan of SUVs, but that's low enough to look like a 'slightly tall estate'..
I'd go for that if i were after a fast car, TBH..
DrP
It's a fast EV SUV - I still prefer my cars to be car shaped, i.e. not massive just because 'it's what consumers want'. In reality the car companies sell them because they have higher margins. Anyway, that's my tuppence.
Going back to the fast diesel estate theme, I've just put a deposit on a F10 BMW 535d. 309bhp, 0-60 in 5.5s.
Don’t know if you’ve picked up on it, but it’s the E-Tron S Quattro Vorsprung. 500bhp, 0-60 4.5s
I meant that it looks fairly conservative, aesthetically. Like a typical SUV. The CLS is a step above in terms of design quality I reckon. There's one near us* that I see occasionally, looks flippin amazing in real life - not least because they are really big and low.
* There's also one on my drive but it's an older model and an estate, which, much as I now love it, does not look as good as the saloon.
A much better looking Audi is the E-Tron GT:
A much better looking Audi is the E-Tron GT
Yeah, I like the GT, but would always wish it was an RS. Probably not the ideal vehicle for my customer to see me rock up on site in though
Same for the Taycan
Here you go!but that’s low enough to look like a ‘slightly tall estate’
Looks are deceiving - mainly because it has wheels with a diameter last seen on a stagecoach. They're 22", the car weighs 2655kg, and is bigger than many poor peoples' houses.
"Here you go!"
You clearly aren't interested in cars and are just in this thread to troll.
Be a good boy and kindly piss off somewhere else, thanks
Probably not the ideal vehicle for my customer to see me rock up on site in though
Are any of these?
molgrips
Free Member
Probably not the ideal vehicle for my customer to see me rock up on site in thoughAre any of these?
People are strange. I turned up on a a Saturday at a clients, using my personal car rather than a van (because I was going elsewhere after, wouldn’t want to invoke the wrath of the BIK pedants).
Someone copped the hump about me turning up in a Porsche, despite it being worth less than the van by a long way.
I thought they were joking when they moaned.
We lost the contract, I was pleased as they wanted everything out of hours, which is a pain in the arse.
ioniq 5 n if you want a fast, newish, (relatively) cheap, tax-efficient family conveyance. 650bhp, 60 in under 3.5 seconds, really fast charging (10-80% in 17 minutes) doesn't look too flashy at a customer site, isn't an SUV. Reviews are fairly positive.
The Ioniq 5N also has a simulated V8 engine sound that not only goes up through the gears when accelerating, but it also lets you go BRRMM BRMMM by pressing the accelerator when stationary.
If you want understated speed, there's always the Volvo EX30 twin motor which does 0-62 in 3.6s but still looks like a normal compact SUV.
"Are any of these?"
Nowt up with a BMW estate, or Merc saloon turning up. There were no issues when I bought a brand new Discovery a couple of years ago. The E-Tron is about as flash as I'd go - but in your words looks reasonably conservative. Points for turning up on a large scale solar farm in an EV too. Just feel an E-tron GT looks a bit too flashy for some reason. One of the other contractors drives a Mercedes GLE
"ioniq 5"
The interior and exterior leave me cold tbh
For people who haven’t read further up in the thread, this is what I put -
“
I didn’t make the comment without thought. I do find it crass and a touch insensitive sometimes when posters discuss the dilemma of spending huge amounts of money on a vehicle on a forum where some members are trying to get by with an old banger, there is an element of the “look at me”! I can just about tolerate the watch buyers as they’re buying a work of fine engineering that shouldn’t depreciate, I can appreciate the coffee grinders as they get something to drink.. However I can’t ignore the contradiction of this thread discussing the spending of vast sums of money on a car and the thread by the OP where his workers were forbidden from discussing their pay – “ Money is explicitly not to be discussed on site as it causes issues”.” The Little Tikes car suggestion was a little bit of fun, although it could be argued that it gives more fun per pound!
As for the accusations of trolling and the rudeness, I think it’s quite legitimate for me to comment on this thread. It’s a cycling forum first and foremost with very welcome diversions into all facets of life. You’re quite right, I’ve not much interest in high performance cars for the road (ICE or electric) there is no need, and no space on British roads for the speeds that they’re capable of. I know a defence is that you won’t use all that power or exceed the speed limits, if so then what’s the point of using so much of the earth’s finite resources just for ego? The temptation will be there and fantastically high speeds are only a toe twitch away, I see it every day where I live, madness. It’s a bit like E-bikers who “tweak” their bikes but then say that they don’t use the extra power, but you do don’t you? Occasionally I get the urge to unleash all the power in my 34 year old Land-Rover and when in my wife’s 11 year old Mokka I have to be very careful!
I’m a supporter of more 20mph limits, low traffic neighbourhoods and low impact travel, I think these aims align with cycling a lot better than the behemoth’s pictured above, Little Tikes car excepted!
wheelsonfire1
Full Member
For people who haven’t read further up in the thread, this is what I put –
“
I didn’t make the comment without thought. I do find it crass and a touch insensitive sometimes when posters discuss the dilemma of spending huge amounts of money on a vehicle on a forum where some members are trying to get by with an old banger, there is an element of the “look at me”! I can just about tolerate the watch buyers as they’re buying a work of fine engineering that shouldn’t depreciate, I can appreciate the coffee grinders as they get something to drink.. However I can’t ignore the contradiction of this thread discussing the spending of vast sums of money on a car and the thread by the OP where his workers were forbidden from discussing their pay – “ Money is explicitly not to be discussed on site as it causes issues”.” The Little Tikes car suggestion was a little bit of fun, although it could be argued that it gives more fun per pound!
As for the accusations of trolling and the rudeness, I think it’s quite legitimate for me to comment on this thread. It’s a cycling forum first and foremost with very welcome diversions into all facets of life. You’re quite right, I’ve not much interest in high performance cars for the road (ICE or electric) there is no need, and no space on British roads for the speeds that they’re capable of. I know a defence is that you won’t use all that power or exceed the speed limits, if so then what’s the point of using so much of the earth’s finite resources just for ego? The temptation will be there and fantastically high speeds are only a toe twitch away, I see it every day where I live, madness. It’s a bit like E-bikers who “tweak” their bikes but then say that they don’t use the extra power, but you do don’t you? Occasionally I get the urge to unleash all the power in my 34 year old Land-Rover and when in my wife’s 11 year old Mokka I have to be very careful!
I’m a supporter of more 20mph limits, low traffic neighbourhoods and low impact travel, I think these aims align with cycling a lot better than the behemoth’s pictured above, Little Tikes car excepted!
clearly this is the wrong thread for you, move along
As for the accusations of trolling and the rudeness
Apologies for being rude, but you did appear very much to be on the wind up. The rest of your first post, you had my reply to, not doing it again. It was boring then, it doesn't get any less so the second time around.
I know a defence is that you won’t use all that power
Oh, I definitely will
It’s a bit like E-bikers who “tweak” their bikes but then say that they don’t use the extra power, but you do don’t you?
There's no extra power, it's removing the speed limit. If I claimed to never use it, then what would be the point in de-restricting it? Of course I use it
Would you act like this to conversations in the workplace or in the pub the same way? I think it unlikely, so what makes you think this approach is acceptable here? Yours views have nothing to do with the actual conversation.
Yours views have nothing to do with the actual conversation
Are you new here?
And anyway, I disagree. This is a cycling forum and cyclists are entitled to point out that what the OP is asking for runs counter to a lot of the principles of cycling. Apart from that branch of cycling that has moved away from its roots to become all about uplifts and motors, obvs.
But here's the twist. I ride all sorts of bikes, including on the road and as such always look out for cyclists when driving - sit and wait for a good clear road ahead before overtaking, get the whole car on the other side of the road when passing where possible, extra cars at junctions etc.
I'm sure someone will be along to call bullshit 🙄
That 'behemoth' of an Audi actually has way more safety features than you'd probably find on a small ev. A plethora of cameras monitoring activity from the sides, at junctions with cyclists (as well as cars and pedestrians considered). It even alerts you if someone is approaching from behind when it thinks you might be opening a door. It even has thermal night vision cameras
Dangerous cars are dangerous in the hands of dicks
Dangerous cars are dangerous in the hands of dicks
Well not quite. Any car is dangerous in the hands of someone who can’t drive. There is an argument that more expensive faster cars are considerably safer than cheaper ones.
As to not being able to talk about expensive cars. Can we stop talking about bikes then ?
I haven’t purchased a bike since 2017 because quite frankly I now think they are stupidly expensive for anything half decent
Timely thread, I'm just off to test drive a Audi avant 3.0tdi Quattro.
the principles of cycling.
Lolz. I think you made this up in your head.
"Timely thread, I’m just off to test drive a Audi avant 3.0tdi Quattro."
Go for the Bitd if you can 😉
Picked this up on Saturday. It's very nice. Already done a drive down to Reading and back which is juts shy of 600 miles. Managed to get 47mpg out of it cruising along the motorway, dropped a bit though when I decided to "make progress". The Dacia got picked up today, I'll not really miss that car.
[img] 
[/img]
M cars may drive well, but they’re big, heavy lumps that are seriously compromised to allow for the packaging and comfort that a large saloon car requires. A proper sports car cuts these compromises very differently and drives better as a result.
Unless the owners opt for sports-pack suspension and 20” wheels with run-flats. The car may well have better handling, etc, but becomes harsh, unbelievably noisy, prone to banging and crashing over the slightest road imperfection, and utterly horrible to drive.
This is a cycling forum and cyclists are entitled to point out that what the OP is asking for runs counter to a lot of the principles of cycling.
Are you in the right place?
Another one making the shortlist amongst other things I've posted on here and in the EV thread (can anyone tell I'm indecisive?). This is a slightly cheaper option.
Not super fast, but quick enough (6s/300bhp) and a nice enough place to sit. The only thing that puts me off is the JLR 3l V6 diesel potential cranks snapping. That said, it's the same engine as my Disco (just a more powerful tune) and that's done nearly 140k. This car has only done 22.5k on an '18 plate
The Jags are lovely, and the closest thing I could think of to replacing (like-for-like) my old E350 Estate. Air on the back too which is really important. Not quite as big in the back though.
Theres a risk, a bit like the M-Sport Spec 5 series mentioned above, that they give away a little of what makes them good in chasing the looks and big wheels etc. I love a sporty car but for these kind of cars I definitely prefer the higher spec, 'comfort' or 'lux' versions - biggest engine, smaller wheels...
(As for the thread, interesting turn. Quite dissapointing really. I'm a keen cyclist and always have been. Keen on active travel. Ride to school with my boy. Try to do my best to look after the world.
None of that precludes me from wanting, and owning, a big fast diesel estate car - because thats the right thing for me, my budget and use case, or from my bikes sharing a garage with a 350horsepower sports car which is used sproadically though the drier months. The fact that some posters seem unable to divorce those things is a shame. )
My fast enough diesel estate put out some impressive performance figures yesterday - 69.1mpg for my drive home from work. It topped 71mpg at one point but then the roads got a bit stop-starty.
That Jag looks nice.
I'm on the lookout for an economical, low mileage estate but this caught my eye... seems reasonably priced, good spec : leccy seats (rare), 4wd, sunroof...
Rapid and economical?
I’d buy it if I wasn’t in the “my car is paid for therefore financing and upgrade feels very painful” camp.
Might remap my 320d as a cheap alternative.
I still haven't bought a car, but very close and down to two at the moment. Missed out on the Jag above
First one, will be a VERY unpopular choice and is at the extravagent end - a twist on the original idea of the M340D. X3 M40D - I like SUV's
Second one is more in line withe the original brief of a diesel estate and should be more widely accepted (not that I'm particularly bothered about that 😉 )
Saw a VW Arteon shooting brake R Line estate parked up the other day in a shade of grey.
Looked the nuts.
I've been to see this today. Not fast as such (2l tdi, 200bhp, 7.6s 0-60) but I do like the car
