Take the £$£$£ & get what YOU want, but buy something 6-12 months old. It'll have saved you a big chunk of initial depreciation, saves a few more £$£ in repayments to the finace co.
& think of getting the car from auction, less to worry about on a late model, 'cos warranty applies, still!
If the Alfa is what you want, click in Auction view, to our left & look for the Fiat/Alfa fleet sales - see how BIG the saving is to forecourt sticker price!!
Also. most the manufacterers www's will have company car sections, that offer extended test drives, without having to chase lots of local dealers, to arrange yourself.
You'll get a few weeks free motoring, if you go to them all!!
VB
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I tested two 320d sports. The first one had 2k on the clock and had to be thrashed to get anything interesting out of it. My wife took it to work and back, 150 mile round trip and stated that with the engine, the seats, the short armrest and the offset driving position, it was the most uncomfortable car she'd driven in recent memory. Mind you the second test was in a 7k model and the engine was a fantastic revelation, so you might want to have another shot. We both still thought the pedal and seating position cramped and uncomfortable. Not to mention the problems finding yours in a car park. I also thought the Honda engine very smooth but I tested the tourer and the road noise was wearing, and the interior didn't grab. I had a Vectra 2.2dti hire car earlier in the year. Smooth and ok but nothing special and the dash was a wall of unappealing hard black plastic. It shouldn't matter but after a while it flipping well does. If you're thinking of downgrading slightly I would suggest the new Octavia. I had the old one as a hire car for 2 weeks and it was solid, well built in and out and really good to drive with tdi engine, and if the new one is even better, as the reviews would have you believe, then it'll be a steal.
I liked the styling, handling and relative rarity of the 9-3; too small in the rear and the boot for my young family needs and the current diesel engine is decidedly lacklustre. However as from Sept the 9-3 is taking the new Vectra 1.9 diesels which on figures alone should be a very good thing. If it's out in December they're probably taking orders now.
If it wasn't for my space requirements I probably would have gone for the A3 2.0tdi DSG. Not as sharp on the edge as the 320 but overall felt a better package with much better interior build quality and comfort. I'd tried the tdi in the new golf and was really impressed, but the DSG just put a huge grin on my face. If CO2 and space weren't an issue a TT might also be worth a look. Though like the 3 series they seem to be suffering from a bit of overexposure.
I'm handing back my Sportwagon 2.4JTD at the end of the year. Lovely to look at, strong engine and sweet handling but the reliability and poor quality interior have really got me down and unsurprisingly Alfa has also been scratched from our leasing list, so whilst I know how appealing that GT might be and how they may have ironed out he bugs, your leasing company are probably doing you a favour. That's why I've put in so many miles in hire cars.
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B'mickus, I agree about the interior of the Honda and funnily enough I am waiting for a price/quote of the new 2WD TT Coupe - not sure where the kids will go ! However thanks for the prompt on the uprated 9-3 Td. My company has a 'preferred'supplier status with Saab (and others) and I have got a very good quote on the top spec 9-3 Vector Sport or Linear Sport.
Interestingly the Saab GB website still hasnt been updated to reflect this yet and I am still trying to work out the differences in the kit between the Vector S and Linear S.
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LoL......... the fleet people are no mugs. Its not on the list for a v good reason.
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cashorcar.com (or whatever it is) will compare a brand new car with the company car. But take the cash & buy a year-old car (or 3 year-old car if you can bear it...) and you'll be quids in.
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