ProperCharlie

Just been doing some sums and am coming to the conclusion that with the ever more draconian emissions/tax laws, running the STi as a company car won't be financially viable for much longer.

What I intend to do is get a decent commercial vehicle (ie 4*4) and run that as a company car instead - thereby having a taxable benefit fixed @ £500, as opposed to £9,100 for the scoob.

Anyone got any advice as to comfortable 4*4s that can motor a bit? Must be available with no seats and windows in the back to qualify, so an X5 is out of the question...

Johnny50

How does the Landrover Freelander compare ??
I'm sure you can get a V6, and defintely without windows/seats..
But not sure if you can get them together..

Does that make sense ? Ie..not sure if you can get the V6 without windows/seats.

I'm hard work sometimes

ProperCharlie

I get your drift Johnny - I would be happy enough with an oil burner provided it had a bit of grunt. Don't really like the freelander though - bit of a noddy car IMO. I'm 6'3" and my head was banging on the ceiling.

SirFozzalot

A guy at my work has got one of these:



Mitsubishi L200 'Animal' or 'Warrior'. Website here


May not be that quick but IMO they look great! (for a truck!)

p.s. quite pricey though and quite plasticcy....just like a scoob

Johnny50

ah...forgot about them.

And if you need covered space..buy a truckman top for it !

ProperCharlie

Hmm, I see that the L200 can be dealer "modded" to liberate another 28 hp too. I would hardly know the scoob had gone...

Avi

What you really need



http://www.bauer-millett.com/html/user/stock4x4NEW.htm

Stevie

I'm with Avi on this one!!

ProperCharlie

That red thing:

0 - 60mph in 5.8 secs. 140mph. Choice of colours.
Only £31k

I bet it has air con as well

Reffro

To qualify for the £500 taxable benefit the vehicle has to have a payload in excess of 1000kg, and, this is important bit, be justified by the job you are doing.

Aside from Transit sized vans you are not going to get a vehicle with a one-tonne payload, except with one of the 'Lifestyle' pickups. No convential 4x4 has a 1000kg payload. And then there is the job requirement to sort out. No desk driver unless they are incredibly inventive (tells porkies), will get round that bit. Allied to the fact the treasury have been looking closely at this segment over the last year, and may take action to close the current loophole.

Assuming you are wanting to go down this route, you'll be wanting to look at the Mitsubishi L200 as above and the Nissan Pickup Navarra. The others (Ford Ranger, Mazda B-series, Isuzu TF etc) aren't worth much of a look in as they are even cruder and slower than the above, and even the L200 and Navarra are pretty rough. To handle the payload they have stiff rear leaf springs, steer like buses and ride like vans.

I've been fairly blunt with the above, but aside from the money, there's nothing to recommend about going down this route. But this is just my opinion, not everyone has to agree with me.....

ProperCharlie

Cheers reffro; i didn't realise the requirement for 1 tonne payload. The job requirement thing is relatively easy for me due to working in construction type sector. can always say I might need to deliver tools to site etc.

I realise these vehicles aren't the last word in comfort or performance. i did burrow one of our people's ford ranger, and it didn't seem *too* bad.

It's just the idea of losing about £400/month off my pay packet for ever more does not really appeal. Last year it wasn't that much of an issue, but now I have

a) bigger mortgage
b) baby on the way
c) need to convert room in the house to accomodate b)
d) need to replace the wife's mini to a more suitable motor for her and item b)

so i need to look a bit more closely at my outgoings. Don't suppose I'll be buying any more vinatge bordeaux in the near future either. Glass of Cheval Blanc '85 anyone?

in most ways but in others if I have to get rid of the scoob.

[Edited by ProperCharlie - 8/13/2003 2:48:43 PM]

Reffro

The bits that will apply to you, when running a company 'van' instead of the STI are contained in the following links.

http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pdfs/emp2001/ir136.htm

http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/cars..._vans_info.htm

Have a look at these two pages but they basically confirm what I was saying. One thing they do point out is the affect on the payload of adding a hardtop over the load area of the pickup. That is very important, as when you are looking for a vehicle, you'll notice that the double-cab pickups mostly just scrape into the over 1000kg payload bracket by about 5-15kg in many cases. Loosing 45kg to a hard top means the pickup is then classified as a car again, and you're looking at full whack tax again.

FASTER MIKE!!

subaru pick up

i'll get my coat

mike

douglasb

Subaru pick-up?

That'll be one of these, then Subaru pick-up

Doug

paulmon

I've just bought a nissan navara and it's a top car. I also had a hard cover fitted

The reason I bough the Nissan is because the engine in the Mitsi is about 3 million years old whereas the Nissan is a fairly new engine with about 140BHP which is more than enough.

Stay away from the special editions like the Nissan Navara Outlaw because they have a few extras on that increase kerb weight and decrease payload to less than 1000KG.

P

[Edited by paulmon - 8/14/2003 9:40:26 AM]

MarkCSC

could always try the holden pick up

story here