Help needed on Company Car please!

john_white

bigjl wrote: »

You really don't understand the socio economic benefits of purchasing big ticket items like cars that are made in the UK?

Even more so wheb the majority of the cost is being bourne by somebody else

I am not unwell in any way.

However i do have significant sympathy for somebody with such a narrow viewpoint.

Buying UK produced vehicles includes Lotus, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini and Caterham.

Before you even get to Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Vauxhall. Sadly Ford only make engines at Dagenham and that may end soon.

I haven't touched on vans etc as my knowledge is limited.

Though Police cars and Ambulances are for the most part produced/converted in the UK, even if some of the base vehicles and Ambulance chassis are not.

And i put my money where my mouth is for most of my Ambulance career by driving the LDV Convoy vehicles even though it meant more lifting, that position was in no way related to the 3.5 Rover V8 with carbs atall, no, definately not.

Yes, i have bought French cars, German cars, Japanese cars.

But i started off with an Austin A40 mk2 Farina, Black over Red. Went to a Brown Allegro. Then went a bit boy racer for a few years.

But i am now back in the fold with a Jaguar XJL.

I would never argue that it has the grip of a Quattro A8L or the technology of an S Class or 7 series.

But you know what it does have.

Character.

And you can't put a price on that.

My next car will hopefully be another one of the same.

What has any of this got to do with the OP's question about the hit they will take on the company car?

bigjl

Are you being deliberately childish?

It was an additional comment to consider getting one of the many well built and engineered vehicles built in the UK.

What is your problem with buying British then?

Seems to be a lot of people on this site who think buying British should be illegal?

OP is not going to have to worry about servicing costs or depreciation so why not support the UK economy

I had a choice of BMW, Audi and Mercedes recently but went for a Jaguar.

Partly due to the cars looks and the fact the deal was decent, but the deal closer was supporting the UK manufacturers.

The same thinking as this is why there was the frankly criminal under investment in the countries car industry.

Iceweasel

bigjl wrote: »

As per my last post.

If you don't understand why supporting the economy and jobs in your own country is important then i can't really help you.

One thing i admire about the French and Germans is they are extremely loyal to their own car makers.

We should all consider buying from out country of origin if we can do so.

And above i never even touched on Aston Martin!

I did wonder if that was the kind of thing you were getting at.

Buy from our country of origin?

Have you stopped to think that there are only 4 British owned car manufacturers left.

Made in Britain
Car models to consider if you want to buy British

British owned

Bristol Cars Ltd

Morgan Motor Company Ltd

Caterham Cars Ltd

Mclaren Automotive

#5 - TVR - do they still exist?

Made in Britain

The following companies build cars in Britain, but are not UK owned.

Mini – built in Cowley, Oxford, but owned by BMW in Germany.

Honda build the Civic, CRV and Jazz(from autumn 2009) in Swindon.

Toyota build the Auris and Avensis in Derbyshire.

Nissan build the Micra, Qashqai, Note and Leaf in Sunderland.

Lotus in Norfolk are Malaysian owned.

Aston Martin in Gaydon, Warwickshire are owned by two Kuwaiti companies – Investment Dar and Adeem Investments.

Bentley Motors in Crewe, owned by Volkswagen.

Rolls Royce, built in Goodwood, owned by BMW.

Jaguar/Land Rover – built in the West Midlands and Liverpool but owned by Tata Motor Company of India.

MG Motors at Longbridge, Birmingham – owned by SAIC of China.

Vauxhall Motors are part of General Motors and build Astras at Ellesmere Port and the Vivaro van in Luton

Ford stopped passenger car production in the UK in 2002 and Transit production in Southampton in July 2013 but continues to manufacture engines in Bridgend and Dagenham and transmissions in Halewood.

Reliant no longer build cars – the Robin was transferred to a company called B&N Plastics in Suffolk, but although they supply parts, no Robins are being manufactured at the moment.

I used to see LandRover as a good example of British engineering - but alas no more - it has been passed through the hands of the Quandts, sold to Ford, then sold again to Ratan Tata and his pals. I have sold my Landrover and will never buy another.

I don't wish to make this discussion a political one - but Britain lost the plot years ago with selling off the family silver in all sorts of fields of activity.

Furthermore manufacturers likeToyota and Nissan et al are only in the UK in order that the vehicles are 'European' - they will flit off to anywhere in the EU where the labour is cheaper and concessions are better at any time.

Iceweasel

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

The french were gutted when Rover went down.

Conversation I had years ago with a French Engineer, in a sister company, who had been forced to buy a component off us, by head office rather than one off our competitor.

Said in an Hello ello commody accent "We would not have chosen to buy a solenoid in the UK, and would rather have used Sagem instead, and are surprise at the efforts you are making on the quality" :T

Anyway, won't German Buyers of BMW's be surprised to find the engine comes from Birmingham ? :rotfl:

Not at all surprised I would think.

My BMW has an engine built in Steyr. :beer:

But we are all Europeans now - aren't we?

bigjl

Iceweasel wrote: »

I did wonder if that was the kind of thing you were getting at.

Buy from our country of origin?

Have you stopped to think that there are only 4 British owned car manufacturers left.

Made in Britain
Car models to consider if you want to buy British

British owned

Bristol Cars Ltd

Morgan Motor Company Ltd

Caterham Cars Ltd

Mclaren Automotive

#5 - TVR - do they still exist?

Made in Britain

The following companies build cars in Britain, but are not UK owned.

Mini – built in Cowley, Oxford, but owned by BMW in Germany.

Honda build the Civic, CRV and Jazz(from autumn 2009) in Swindon.

Toyota build the Auris and Avensis in Derbyshire.

Nissan build the Micra, Qashqai, Note and Leaf in Sunderland.

Lotus in Norfolk are Malaysian owned.

Aston Martin in Gaydon, Warwickshire are owned by two Kuwaiti companies – Investment Dar and Adeem Investments.

Bentley Motors in Crewe, owned by Volkswagen.

Rolls Royce, built in Goodwood, owned by BMW.

Jaguar/Land Rover – built in the West Midlands and Liverpool but owned by Tata Motor Company of India.

MG Motors at Longbridge, Birmingham – owned by SAIC of China.

Vauxhall Motors are part of General Motors and build Astras at Ellesmere Port and the Vivaro van in Luton

Ford stopped passenger car production in the UK in 2002 and Transit production in Southampton in July 2013 but continues to manufacture engines in Bridgend and Dagenham and transmissions in Halewood.

Reliant no longer build cars – the Robin was transferred to a company called B&N Plastics in Suffolk, but although they supply parts, no Robins are being manufactured at the moment.

I used to see LandRover as a good example of British engineering - but alas no more - it has been passed through the hands of the Quandts, sold to Ford, then sold again to Ratan Tata and his pals. I have sold my Landrover and will never buy another.

I don't wish to make this discussion a political one - but Britain lost the plot years ago with selling off the family silver in all sorts of fields of activity.

Furthermore manufacturers likeToyota and Nissan et al are only in the UK in order that the vehicles are 'European' - they will flit off to anywhere in the EU where the labour is cheaper and concessions are better at any time.

Your point is valid in that several of the companies are owned by foreign companies

But unless they sack every single member of staff and bring in their own workers from whichever country the company is from you point is moot

The jobs are created in the UK, the workers pay tax in the UK and live in the UK

Now unless I am very much mistaken that means the UK economy benefits and UK workers are employed

Where the workers originally come from I have no concern for

If you work and contribute to the UK economy then I consider you a British worker

I await your next point