Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance

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Mon 28 Mar 2011 22:03
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Hi Everyone,

I've currently got a company car ('59 Audi A3 Sportback) that I'm giving back this Friday to move onto a car allowance scheme mainly for better business mileage rates. Temporarily I will be driving our '52 1.6 Focus but that will shortly have to go to my Wife as we have a baby on the way in June and will need a second car.

My Wife and I both really like the Lexus RX series - great spec, nice cabin to spend time in, not much road noise but quite a high cost of entry and heavy on petrol. I have a nagging feeling that saving money at the moment (Or at least not borrowing as much) may be the most prudent course of action given all that's going on in the world. This has led me to look at other cheaper options. I have seen some very reasonable, low-mileage BMW 3 series (318/325) - circa £5k that I though might also be a good call. I'd also have to get a 3rd party warranty with one of these as I wouldn't fancy BMW level repair bills if something major happened.

Criteria are that it has to be automatic and good for a reasonablt long cruise and low cabin noise is a big bonus. I will be driving about 60-70 miles per day to and from the office.

It would be great to get people's input here and hear any other suggestions, I had though about a Passat but after reading about DSG gearbox problems I have been rather put-off.

Thanks,

Dan

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Mon 28 Mar 2011 22:30
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - Boulder2k9

Hi Dan

Is space going to be an issue with the baby coming on the way etc?Is the budget around 5k yes? Im going to presume it is and give you one suggestion that might fit your criteria until I know budget and space requirements etc

1. Volvo S60 D5 Auto- really nice car had one about 3 months ago on a 2004 reg,lovely cabin fantastic seats and a excellent engine and gearbox combination.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201051375836490/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/price-to/6000/transmission/automatic/fuel-type/diesel/model/s60/make/volvo/page/1/postcode/sw1a0aa/radius/1501?logcode=p

Bit more money but haggle and it could be within budget. Low mileage example too.

Let me know what the budget is etc

Cheers

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Mon 28 Mar 2011 23:05
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Hi there, thanks for replying so soon. Space-wise really the bigger the better hence why we looked at the Lexus RX, at a minimum I'd like no smaller than a 3 series saloon.

Budget well that's a bit more tricky - I can take a loan/finance that would be covered by the allowance from work - anything upto about £15k but there's a part of me that would rather think a little more with the head than the heart so to speak! If I were to stick to circa £5k it would leave a lot more breathing room financially every month. Better than spending too much and then regretting it when the novelty's worn off and the finance is wearing in...

After looking around a bit and seeing low mileage 325i's, Honda Accord's, Toyota Avensis etc I think there could be a good compromise to be found. I've seen an '02 325i with full BMW service history and 58,000 on the clock for just under £5k which with a warranty applied to it could be good fun as well as good for the commute.

Equally we've seen a really nice '53 Lexus RX300 for just under £9k - the fuel consumption concerns me somewhat though.

Too many choices!!

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Mon 28 Mar 2011 23:35
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

I also see the X-Type Jag's coming in at very reasonable money although not sure how they stack up on the reliability front.

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Mon 28 Mar 2011 23:55
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

and quite a nice Mazda6 (Old shape)

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20111038177...p

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Tue 29 Mar 2011 01:10
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - Boulder2k9

To be honest it's difficult from my experience to find a unreliable straight six BMW engined car. How about this

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201111382173123/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/price-to/6000/transmission/automatic/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/body-type/saloon/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/model/3_series/make/bmw/radius/1500/page/3/postcode/sw1a0aa?logcode=p

Some haggling could get that car for around 4.4k and that car will live forever. Again being an auto and a straight six though it will enjoy the occasional drop of fuel...

If you want a 325 but have a baby on the way why not look at an estate?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201110381873621/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/price-to/6000/body-type/estate/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/transmission/automatic/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/model/3_series/make/bmw/radius/1500/postcode/sw1a0aa/page/1?logcode=p

Good luck!

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Tue 29 Mar 2011 08:29
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - gordonbennet
You'll be covering quite a few miles, and liquid gold isn't going to get any cheaper, use the power any decent engined petrol car produces will see some serious fuel usage if you get larger engined.

Consider Diesel and also consider a previously converted LPG fuelled car, a good number of RX's have been converted which tells me they have a drink problem.

Before deciding on a make, have a look see what the independent workshop situation is like nearby, if you find a gem that could lead you to a specific car make or model.
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Tue 29 Mar 2011 10:15
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Tell me about it with the state of fuel, it worries me that any wobbles in the Middle East at the moment and we could be paying £2/litre by the end of the week.

Yes the RX definitely have a taste for fuel alright - averages just under 30mpg from information on the Lexus owners club - maybe half that in traffic.

There's definitely something about going for a 6-pot BMW - I've never owned one before but so many people say it's something you've got to at some point. I'd buy a warranty, a friend of mine used warranty direct for just under £500 per year, he did his research and says that the level of cover offered is pretty good.

The Mazda is damn good value for money though and being Mondeo based should be very reliable.

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Tue 29 Mar 2011 10:51
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Hi 159man, would you go with an RAC/AA etc inspection on these or just trust the general condition/test drive performance and handling of the car? I'm just really cautious of inheriting someone else's problem and something that may have been involved in a serious accident once upon a time.

Thanks,
Dan

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Tue 29 Mar 2011 17:49
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - Boulder2k9

I'm sure that many people on this forum will agree when I say that BMW's straight six petrol engines have a exceptional record for smoothness and reliability. I would personally go for a RAC/AA inspection on the car just for the piece of mind, some of these models will have been abused. If the car has been involved in any accident it should somewhere in the history of the car that you get when buying it, if theres not service history or few documents don't go near it. A inspection will also be able to tell you if it has had an accident almost straight away.

On another note with the price of fuel the way it is now be sure that you can live with low to mid 20's around town and around 30mpg on a long run, the auto box will also harm fuel consumption considerably.

Other than that a 325i should give you years of reliable yet fun driving.

Best of luck

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Wed 30 Mar 2011 15:54
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - Pezzer

I did exactly that a couple of years ago and i bought an 02 325 Touring. On balance it has been a great buy. But as said above make sure you can live with 25-30 mpg. I had a turbo diesel before but decided that I didnt want to take the risk with a modernish turbo diesel due to the risk of mis fueling and failures to the hp injection system, BMW swirl flaps etc.

On the e46 BMW the suspension bushes and lower control arms are a known weakness and i have just had to replace them but apart from that have had no issues. Just regular service items eg oil/filter/tyres.

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Wed 30 Mar 2011 18:11
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Thanks Pezzer, I'm going to have a look at one tomorrow night so I'll post up with my findings!

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Wed 30 Mar 2011 18:27
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - Pezzer

some find the offset driving position can be a problem, make sure you are comfortable/happy with it.

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Wed 30 Mar 2011 23:27
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

Yes same goes for the peugeot 206 which just has a plain odd driving position but I used to have one of those about 5-6 years ago and was ok with that so fingers crossed!

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Fri 1 Apr 2011 21:42
Lexus, BMW - Coming out of a company car to an allowance - mwahahaha

OK well I had a very good test drive of the 325i. Car was in very good condition inside and out, cosmetically the worst I could find was a pin dent on the offside front wheel arch. One minor gripe was that there was no cd-player or changer in the boot but from googling I should be able to have a changer fitted in the boot for a few hundred quid. Plenty of room in the back and isofix points which is a bonus (Can't believe our 2002 Ford Focus hasn't got those!)

Mechanically the gearbox performed well, smooth changes up and down including when I put my foot down suddenly - it kicked down and went off as expected. No shudders or rattles through the wheel either. It pulled ever so slightly to the left (Very very small amount) which is my only mechanical gripe and I do mean slightly - does anyone think this could be cause for concern?

The straight six is a lovely engine - very smooth, refined and sounded a treat!

Doing some sums with insurance etc now and looking at comparibles on the Autotrader/Pistonheads etc. Will probably also do an RAC vehicle data check just to be on the safe side.

Cheers,
Dan

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