'New' car options

I'm sorry if I missed anybody, the multi-quote option is being weird and not quoting everybody I select so I've had to do a bit of copying and pasting.

fatbelly wrote: »

The 4k budget linked with a 2012 or younger car leads to something a bit less popular than a Golf, unless you are prepared to gamble with a high mileage one.

I'd be looking at something like a Fabia or a Ford Fusion; maybe a Hyundai i20 or Kia Rio.

Thanks will look at all those.

jimbo6977 wrote: »

Nissan Note?

Good idea, my last car was a Note and I loved it.

martinthebandit wrote: »

Buy a private number plate and keep the golf, job done.

Tried that, unfortunately my certificate of insurance states the cars actual age!

Deleted_User wrote: »

Peugeot 208 is a five seater, stylish and surprisingly roomier than you might think. Should be able to get a 4 or 5 year old one for your budget.
These are cheap to run and reliable.

Fab will check those out thank you.

loskie wrote: »

with that car allowance why are you setting a low budget?
I don't get a car allowance but do get 45ppm for work, dropping to 25ppm after 10,000 per annum.
So what do I do? Put £250 month into a savings account with a standing order. When time comes to buy a different car there's money there for it.
Luckily I don't have an age restriction on the car I use. Usually spend 4 to 6 k on an older low mileage/owner car and run it into the ground. Have bought brand new and leased but buying older works best for me. I treat it as a business tool rather than an emotional, status symbol.

Because I'm paying off credit card debt and we bought our first house less than 6 months ago and had to raise the deposit for that - thought buying was out of our reach! Prior to us moving we lived in a different area with a long commute and my fuel costs alone regularly exceeded £200 a month - my car allowance at that time was £300 a month before tax (went up this April) so there wasn't much spare to save. I forgot about having a deadline on changing car and was confident that the one I have would do me another 2-3 years at least. Going forward I'm planning to do exactly as you suggest and eventually I'll get on top of it all!

Scrapit wrote: »

Do you definetly have to change it? We have the same policy at my work but several of my colleagues flout it and continue to get paid.

I think so; they know that my current car doesn't meet the requirements (they made a temporary exception for me) so I suspect they'll check it. The car allowance was recently increased (to the £450) and there's explicit mention on the confirmation of needing to meet the age requirement by April. On the one hand I've got a personalised plate, on the other I'm not sure it's worth the risk.

parking_question_chap wrote: »

OP, has the company taken action on others, or warned people that have been close to the 10 years? I expect the reason for the rule is company image rather than vehicle reliability. If it were me I would keep the car clean at all times and hope you get away with it. Worst they will do would be give you a reminder, if you are even half good at your job they would not stop the payments each month.

Then perhaps ask for an advance on several months payment to allow you to get a newer vehicle rather than having the same issue in a few years.

Not that I know of however... I was offered a car allowance in 2018 which I declined (having VTed PCP and bought the Golf outright in 2017) because it would cost me money - at the time the age restriction was 8 years or younger too. They gave me 2 years leeway on the age of the car - it would've worked out fine except we bought a house and during the process I forgot about needing to change the car.

foxy-stoat wrote: »

Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.6 or 2.0 diesel would suit you - cheaper than normal Golf/Focus.

I'll have a look - but I was under the impression that Alfas are not the most reliable cars out there?

OhhEnnEmm wrote: »

VW Lupo 1.7 SDI Diesel

Cute but the newest of those cars will be the same age as my current Golf.