Also, are there any limits on how far you can drive it in those three years?

yes, and the cost per mile over is punitive. You’ll find that, I think, it’s annual mileage that affects monthly cost most. 20k pa will easily lob £150-200 onto whatever lease deal is showing on screen (which always look like bargain because they’ll be a 9/12 month down, +48 etc; so ignore those.)

as for owning the car afterwards, I haven’t checked. Some lease companies want them back and won’t sell. Some will.

maybe in three years, I can get the Taycan. :o)

Take the Smart # 1 Brabus mentioned above. You can pick up a one year old model with around 10k on the clock for around £27k. What would the total price of buying one outright on a salary sacrifice scheme be?

I view any money spent on a car as money down the drain, that is rather not spend. If I’m going to have car, then I’d like a nice one please. Even if I have to burst into tears every time I see Nige pull alongside me in his Taycan.

The Smart Brabus is a pre-registered sat-in-a-UK port-somewhere car so is being offered at a good discount. The Lease is around £420 on a 1+36 contract. No, I won’t own it. My employer will pay the lease and insurance, apply all discounts and I end up with a net deduction of around £215 plus insurance (which I also pay before tax, etc) but will be around £35 pm.

split between mrs dd and me, that’s not much more than £100 per month each to have a nice, but admittedly way less erection inducing than a Porsche, car.

the last car we owned ended up costing us a fortune in timing belts etc (scheduled) just to try and sell the **** thing.

this car will be fully covered for the 3 years we “have” it. The only thing we’ll have to pay for is one maintenance and maybe some new shoes. I imagine with the (less luxurious, less prestigious) acceleration, and mrs dd’s heavy foot, we’ll probably get through a set of those.

all £ on cars is throwing it away. I’ve “owned” cars for years. They’re a pain in the arse.

I think you’d rather an ICE @sharkbait. Unless you’ve checked what Porsche will do if your Taycan battery fails in twenty years time?

So what’s the going rate per month on salary sacrifice these days – seems £400 plus on ours at work

I’m not sure what you mean? Salary sacrifice will be a % off whatever the lease price is. Mrs dd’s last employer used Octopus to run the scheme as it was hundreds of cars. It was handy in that insurance, maintenance, tyres etc was included in one monthly fee. My present employer is doing a straight 1 + 36 and administering it for employees through HR/accountant (we’re an SME so not that many cars to administer). The savings are quite a bit better without outsourcing it to a 3rd party provider.

i agree with molgrips. £30-40k for 120 miles is a bit rubbish.

Oh well, employer has ordered the Smart #1 Brabus today on a 3 year salary sacrifice thing. Delivery 2-3 weeks. Didn’t get the colour I wanted, but **** it, it’ll be fun.

Brabus looks a beast but with no upgraded suspension over the base model I’m not sure I could trust myself.

you’d imagine it was me and not Mrs dd that plumped for the Brabus. We test drove the Premium and that was fine for me. Someone didn’t like the white trim inside! Ffs.

I won’t be driving the Brabus anywhere near as intended. The 4WD will be nice. But it’s not really set up as a performance car, is it?

I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the Smart #1

@roverpig

Our PS2 was whipped back off us by wife’s redundancy (salary sacrifice car) so we’re hunting around. Test drove a Smart#1 at the weekend and it’s the first car I’ve actually really liked since saying byebye to the PS. My employer has said they’ll do me a ss on an electric so we’re hovering on pushing the button on a Brabus.

I think the software will take some getting used to. Android auto was pretty easy on the PS. But with wireless CarPlay, I’m not massively bothered. Voice recognition was really good and responsive. No lag at all.

Lack of boot space will take some getting used to. But overall, it felt really nice inside.

it’s a good chuckle.

it’s **** hilarious.

One of the ironies of history is that of course it was the Tories (signed by Hurd and Maude) that put their names to the Maastricht treaty that launched that process.

Yup. I also think, that a generation down the line, it’ll be a reformed Tory party that’ll take the UK back in.

Rice, the traitorous ****. And Grealish, the slightly less traitorous ****. You couldn’t make it up. ?

Impossible not to feel nerves before a game against Utd. No matter what the form says.

That was disappointingly easy.

The atmosphere (only going on the radio sound) seemed terrible. It felt like they gave up after the first one went in, let alone 2 or 3. United were beaten by half time and seemed to accept that.

Inexplicable substitutions. Ten Hag has no visible plan. No style. No starting 11. Old Trafford’s a shithole. Empty seats everywhere for the last fifteen minutes.

It’s **** brilliant. :D

Why is Archery such a thing in S Korea?

When is the Canoe Cross on? That is one event I’ve been waiting for.

I do not get the boxing. That’s the second bout I’ve seen where the competitor that looked like she was doing all the fighting, lost.

her great great great great Grandfather?

I’ve been to the year 2024. And his great great great granddaughter is pretty fine.

I also got the feeling the Dems (and possibly Biden) were waiting for Trump to be set in as the GOP nominee before he stepped down.

Although, that would require a belief that the GOP would actually nominate someone other than Trump. And I don’t think that would have been an option. So maybe I’m guilty of retrospectively agreeing with the narrative.

Nevertheless, I think Harris is best placed to beat Trump (now! not a year or two ago). She nor nobody else will change the MAGA base, but I think she’ll get a chunk of the needed Dem vote mobilised.

LeDrop x 2

Apparently to improve blood flow

Roight

I could Google this, but what’s with the holes in the back of the socks? :scratch:

England are having all kinds of fun and games down the right. Foden, Saka & Walker are taking the mick.

EDIT: also, is there something about Pickford’s arm length? He couldn’t reach the crossbar for the header against it…

Love to see the cheating French bastards exit a tournament. They’ve been horrible to watch. Mbappé has been shit. They can **** off.

Anyway, if you’d like to set your iPlayer settings to location NI, you can watch 15 Limerick men playing 15 Cork men in the All Ireland Championship semi final. The winners will go on to play 15 men from Clare in the final.

And they’re all amateurs.

It’s quite fast, mind.

Fair dues to Harriet Harman. 73 and I don’t think she’s been to sleep since I first saw her on C4 last night. ?

The hubris 😂

World Beaters!

If Slovakia see this out, I’m not sure anyone is prepared for the level of booing we’re going to hear.

EDIT: they’ll win it now. 😂

I’m not blaming the ref for England being behind but I can see why the Turkish coach attacked him.

It’s not been a physical game, but I think the players he’s carded probably deserved their cards, in isolation.

That’s a cracking goal.

4 yellows now. Jaysus.

That shot by Trippier 😂 🏉

What’s with the big flags on huge poles? I’d be royally annoyed if I were at the rear and wazzocks with Watford fc flags were obscuring the tiny singing figure.

I dunno. I think it’s just a thing this year.

And some of you honestly thought Trump would be going to prison.

Citation needed.

I’m watching Keane. And I’m kinda enjoying it.

Why are most motorway junctions signposted at 1 mile, then ½ mile, but near Bristol as you approach the M32 on M4 westbound, it’s signposted at 2/3 mile?

They’ve just explained on the radio how Denmark finished above Slovenia. Toight 😂

1-0, 1-1, 0-0

Through as group winners. Jaysus lads. 😂

I like that Hungary brought on a prop forward to play up front near the end.

Are Australia playing?

Why, yes, yes they are. It’s like how they get an entry into Eurovision. 😂

Didn’t catch the earlier two games today, but AUSFRA is a refreshing change from that turgid shite last night.

What a terrible game of football.