Bakerman

Right, wife is due a company car change and new lease scheme means she can have a 1.9tdi A3 for no monthly charge (i.e. base car), put something like under £50 a month to get a better spec 2.0tdi A3 or put £200/month and get an S3.

Car will do 15k a year, only about 4k is private so the fuel cost difference is not really that significant. Tax is something like an extra £40 a month for the S3 but the killer is obviously after 36months we will have paid an extra £7200 for the S3 with nothing to show at the end other than memories. Anybody have the same situation and what did/will they do ?

Part of me says don't be soft and just take the free one (ok not exactly free) but the other side of me says get an S3 for £200/month with somebody else insuring it/running it/taxing it etc etc. I only drive the car to the shops some weekends and through Europe once a year, the wife doesn't drive a car hard but is quick enough when upto speed.

Looking at autotrader lots of low miles S3s which might suggest they are not all what they are cracked up to be ?? Current car is an Astra diesel which we get 50 odd mpg, will I feel suicidal only getting mid 20s ?

Thanks

MattW

I have an S3, after 4 Scoobies and an Evo with a small foray into diesel dom with a BMW 330d. I actually love it, lovely balance between performance/mpg/comfort/toys etc. Does 99% thatan Sti can do at 70% of the running cost and in 150% comfort if you get my drift.

Initially I went all sensible to buy a 2.0tdi 170 Sline but loved the S3 and I'm a petrol head at heart. Outlay was initially much higher but projected residuals are very good, and I get to enjoy it.

Had the car a year now, and normally change every 10 months, this one may actually stay for a few years

PS - I get 30+ on a run.

The Chief

Been looking at depth at leasing, and to me it looks good from a finacial point of view.

Ok look at it this way.

You buy an S3 yourself for 30k or therabouts with some extra toys - say you finance that over 4 years it would be over 730 quid a month. after 4 years although they have great residules i suspect that car would only be worth say 15-16k (estimate) Ok the car is then yours but you have paid over 35k on a car which if you sold it would only get 15k for.

Admittedley you could use that as a nice part ex but you are then financing another 15-16k which equates to another 20k on another 4 years at say 350 quid a month.

So then over 8 years you've laid out nearly 52k where as with the lease you would have laid out just short of 20k (over the same period) which says it all really and you get a new one every 24-36 months plus your maintanance stays low because it is a relatively a new car plus tax is paid for.

I might be slightly out with my figures but you get my drift.

MattW

8 years is 96 months, 20k / 96 is just over £200 pm. Your figures are way out surely?

looking at Lingscars.com, they don't specify the S3 but a similar priced A5 2.7 is £500 pm on a 3+35 term.

Petem95

I'd just go for an A3 s-line 140 or 170 TDi and maybe get it remapped.

I've got a 140 TDi and the massive torque makes it a great car to drive, and I'm averaging 50mpg. Remapped they're supposed to be significantly quicker, and mpg apparently doesnt suffer much either (about to find out anyway ).

The thing to do would be to test-drive both really. I'd be surprised if you felt the S3 was worth the extra outlay and running costs over the 140/170 TDi s-line in your position, but you never know.

The Chief

[quote=MattW;7633034]8 years is 96 months, 20k / 96 is just over £200 pm. Your figures are way out surely?
quote]


They're bang on mate

The Chief

Some great deals on S3's like 330quid a month + vat for 24 months!!!!!

Audi S3 car leasing in the UK from contracthireandleasing.com

stilover

To be honest, I've been thinking the same.

If the new Focus RS isn't 4WD, then I was thinking of an Audi S3. But I've also thought about maybe getting a A3 2.0TDI (170) S-Line.

Pricing them up on the Audi site it was coming out at

S3 with options = £32k approx
A3 2.0 TDI S-Line with options £25,650 approx.

I quite like the idea of 45+ mpg for a few years. Might test drive them to see if I could really live with a Diesel.

MattW

The 330 is + vat for 24 months and includes a 6* deposit with 23 payments. So £390 (round figs) a month plus deposit of 2340 = £11310 per 2 years.

Your 8 year layout of 52k to buy stacks up against 45k for leasing. Granted in the time you have bought and owned 2 cars you could have 4 leased ones, but by buying you'll still own a 4 year old S3 at the end which is going to be worth more than 7k (52-45k).

Leasing is good as it is lower payments, however nothing for free in this life.

The Chief

I know where your coming from Matt but ask yourself isn't buying a car just dead money as well? if you can buy outright and afford to change every couple of years then great but from a finacial point of view it stacks up plus when your car starts to get old i.e. more than 3 year old then as you know servicing and maintanance bills start stacking up.

I've been burnt big time with my bloody scoob - but lets face it if we all had our sensible heads on we'd be happy driving around in 1.0 litre Corsa's

The Chief

In an ideal world you'd buy a car and run it into the ground in fact thats what my old fella did bought a 6 month old Merc S500 and i swear it must be worth 4-5k tops, Ok its been paid off a long time ago but he wishes he had have leased as he'd probably be running round the latest shape S class as opposed to a 10 year old one.

Bakerman

Thanks chaps but lightly used S3s (don't know the specs) are buyable at low to mid 20s so I think a four year old being worth 15-16 is unrealistic but that is irrelevant in my situation.

I would always buy a diesel if it was a private car and defo not a 30k petrol (got used to 50+mpg but 30+ on a run sounds fine) and after all most of the time you can only go as fast as the car infront but just the like idea that somebody else pays for running a fast car. Problem we (she) has is obviously throwing £7k at something that aint going to be hers, I suspect she will just take the TD and I will understand that, the current TD she has makes for a very lazy but still swift enough mode of transport, I suspect the 170bhp TD A3 can be made to hustle along quite nicely.

Downside is climate on the base model is over a £1k !

Another downside is the perceived risk of theft/hassle from having a desirable car, it won't be garaged as it is a company car and I already use the garage. Sad state of affairs ................

Interesting decisions ahead.

ps. as for living with a diesel, only stopping for fuel every 500miles and only missing out on a fast top end motor is easy to live with ! The midrange is probably more suitable to normal driving with the derv, we drive through France twice every year in one go (approx 900miles overnight) and we need to stop more than the car does !

MattW

The beauty about it is monthly payments where money is not tied up. However my wife's car is just over 3 years old, done 30k, just like a lease would and it is due a service. This will be it's second (Golf diesel) and the figure from a main dealer is £190. In the time we have had it I've put 6 tyres on it (4 front, 2 rears) - bloody roundabouts :rolleyes.

I was thinking hard about changing it but can't see the point at the moment.

i've been burnt terribly with Subaru, but then they push this MY change with facelifts every 2 years. Human nature dictates you want the latest, and Subaru changing it so often doesn't help residuals. Hence why I'm strictly going for low depreciators now.

The Chief

Changing the subject slighly i think the new S3 is a fantastic car it does everything out of the crate Goes, grips like hell, is practical and well built and with some RS4 Alloys they look great, You can now remap these and get 310bhp+


Great cars - i want one

MattW

i think that is back on topic isn't it

richs2891

Go for the S3 every time, drove a 170 TDi quatrro and spec wise ended up costing very simlair money to an S3. And dont do enough milleage to justify a diesel
I dont regret buying the S3 one bit, its better on fuel than my old Scooby (happy on the 95 ron stuff as well !), £100 less a year for me to insure, and longer service intervals. Oh and £205 road tax a year.
Will be going for the GIAC 330BHP remap once its run it !

Richard

MattW

The insurance on mine is £320 never got close to that in an impreza

richs2891

mmm I've been done on my insurance I have to pay £55 a year more than you !!

Richard