Right my company car goes back in March and im shopping for a replacement.

The company car was a Audi A3 FSI Sport. not bad but now way to small for my needs. Im opting out of the car scheme and taking cash. i will keep the fuel card though :-). The scooby will be used for my opt out company car as it is a 2003 model with 14k on the clock !!. it owes me some mileage .

I now need a new car to replace the scooby as the weekend car for the family.

requirements
3 kids, in car seats.
Must be circa 2 tonnes for pulling rallye car, boat. caravan (not at the same time). i dont have access to a transit for this purpose anymore.
Would prefer a 4x4 but would consider a large saloon.
ohh and has to be petrol, NO oil burners.
and has to be easy to drive for the wife during the week.

Budget is 25k-30k.

Im toying between a 2004 Cayenne s V8 and a 2005 xc90 T6. around the same price you get more kit with the xc90 but im tempted by the cayenne.

X5 is out due to limited boot space. Not overly keen on land rovers due to reliability.

any alternatives ?.

and before the green brigade start this car will always have 5 people inside it will travel around 5k miles a year, will not be used on a school run (the kids walk or bike). and we live in the sticks.

so quite frankly its environmental impact will be less than a campaigners hippy 2cv that covers 20k miles a year.

 

The new Hyundai Santa Fe looks nice - IMO.

Not sure if it's got the badge you're after though.

Top of the range model does come with a lot of kit though, and is under your budget I think.

 

im not after a new car as im concerend about depreciation in this sector.

the Sante FE only ways in at 1760KG which is less than my trailer and car so not ideal, not illegal but I would prefer something closer to 2000KG

 

VW Toerag V8 is worth a look - They depreciate like rocks off a cliff so can be bought cheaply - I prefer them to the Cayenne.
XC90 a nice option but only experienced the diesel.

Other than that there's the Audi Allroad 2.7T, the Merc E320 or a nice BMW 545i.

 

Why not diesel? They are well suited to these type of vehicles. these type of cars are THIRSTY.

Personally, I'd go the Volvo route, far better image, cheaper to run, insure etc. I think they are designed with kids in mind as well so have all the attachments, practical aspects etc. In other words they are tool, not a marketing gimmick.

 

Petrol Diesel scenario.

its complicated. Petrol = 35p a litre Diesel = 90p a litre. Company private fuel card is petrol ONLY it is a 40% BIK liability I will pay on petrol.

The Petrols are way cheaper to buy and run in most cases so the fuel econmy doesnt really come into it. if it does they are ripe for a LPG conversion.

Im swaying towards the volvo for the family image, but do feel the cayenne is a bargain at the moment and will hold its value better.

 

Just had a quick peep on autotrader and the cheapest high mileage xc90s are £16/£17k for 3.5 year old ones. I would have thought they'd survive the depreciation better than the porsche. The market for XC90's tends to be families who 'need' that type of vehicle. the typical cayenne market are people that 'want' rather than need them so in times of financial belt-tightening they'll sell them off cheap, the XC90 owners will carry on buying theirs as they are family cars, not status symbols hence a less fickle market.

 

yes my mind is saying xc90 my heart is saying cayenne.

always wanted a porsche maybe i should waiti till i retire and get a 911, allthough they will probably be electric by then.

 

On depreciation, my in laws recently got a new X5 3.0D.

They were very keen on the 4.8iS but were advised (by the BMW dealer) that "no one wants petrol SUVs so they are very hard to sell"

So if the BMW dealer is willing to lose out on a fair bit then there must be something in it!

Worth bearing in mind.

 

yep the petrols are very hard to sell, so they are ideal to buy used as you can get them much chepaer than the equivalent diesel if you haggle.

ive managed to get 7k of the asking price for a cayenne and 3k of the asking price of a xc90 without trying that hard.

 

oh there is a exception to the rule and that is the x5 and the disco. in good condition a V8 will still fetch more than the diesel as they are fairly rare.

they must be mad to of a bought a brand new x5 considering the new model is due soon with the 3.5D

 

That's on order.
This is just to keep them going until then

 

Matt's in-laws are loaded, didn't you know?

 

And ///\00/\\\ is pleased to announce his engagment to Torpid Cipher.

They will be married in a private ceremony held at Brands Hatch racing track.

Both look forward to their future together and are both ecstatic to have found such a like minded soul mate.

 

except he said he didnt want one due to the **** poor boot size, and anyway the 4wd system on that thing is a fookin joke.

 

just been offered a 2005 (54 plate) cayenne s v8 for 24k, very tempted

 

I dont blame you either, sounds tasty even though I dont like SUV drivers but seeing as yours is justified go for it!

You only live once

 

pbee - Ignore the head and go for it - As long as the mileage isn't silly that sounds like a bargain.

And the Cayenne is the only way to get a Porker V8 (since the 928).

 

Pbee - PM Answered too.

Go for it Mines is a turbo though & can fcukin shift

 

just to finish this thread, the cayenne for 24k had hideous options, 4 tone brown interior and no sat-nav.

Ive just picked up a 55 plate xc90 with 8k miles, nice spec for 25k. couple of stone chips need sorting so should pick it up in a week or so.

 

Good price. Well Done