gizze Posted April 17, 2010 Report Share Posted April 17, 2010 All the time I have a car, I stash money into a regular saver account to cover the eventual replacement. Beats borrowing money at mega interest from someone else. Ian That sounds like a good way of doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 OK, maybe I am a bit ambitious regards five year prices; in five years, most new cars will probably be hybrids of some kind, and many plug in versions. I guess this makes it even more important that I get the right car at the right price. I've priced up the 3l TDI Le Mans from the current brochure. At list prices, it would work out at £41k. Any guesses what discount someone would have got? And what's a reasonable residual at just under three years old? Hard to argue for more than 50% IMO, so would the dealer really have bought it in a more than £20k? I don't mind them making a profit, but it looks like they're trying for close to £4k profit. We're also now looking at A8s of similar age/mileage and they are cheaper despite the extra features. However, lower performance with the same engine and higher CO2. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 The A8 sounds like a smart move, if I didn't need an estate I would take the A8 over the A6 and the 7 series over the 5 series everytime, so much more car for your money. To be honest the 3.0tdi is not exactly going to set the world alight in the A6 or the A8, so I would rather have the waft factor and complete luxury of the 8. I have the 3.2 V6 A6 and it is adequate, I do keep thinking I wish I could swap for the 3.0T and remap it, but then it isn't that sort of car, so I know once the novelty had worn off I would not actually like it any more than my current car, because a nimble sports car it aint. When I had my 535d it was mapped to 350bhp and 700nm and was pretty rapid for such a big estate, but I also had a 730d sport to use and although that was sluggish in comparison, I actually preferred the 7 series. In fact the 730d sport is probably the best car I have driven full stop, 38mpg on a run, 32mpg round town, extremely nimble for its size, and you can drive from Norwich to Glasgow and back to Norwich again in a day and not really know you have been in the car at all. The 5 series as good as it is just isn't quite the same as that, it never feels as compact as a sporty car really needs to be and it never feels like a big luxury barge either, so I was always looking for the next car. If I had bought a 730d myself or an A8 then I would probably still be in them now. My old man only keeps his cars 12 months and his 730d is now over 3 years old, and he is considering keeping it now for ever, he likes it that much, and that is after years of E class Mercs and one S. He would get £20k for his 730d with only 40k miles on it and really what would he replace that with?? It was after all a £63,000 car and still fells it, it is only feeling he should change that is making him consider it, but like he said, if he was to go out with a blank cheque he would just buy the same car again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 IKWYM about the A8. We've had this one for ten years, and it's still a delight to drive. You do pass a lot of parking spaces until you find one that it will fit into, but once you're somewhere that the "waft factor" can come into play, they eat the miles effortlessly. Regards 5 series and 7 series, I had a fair few 5s, including a mighty 540i with a six speed manual box; enough torque to pull your bloody leg off! My business partner also used to run 750iLs and these were "somewhat rapid". I favour the A8 over the 7 series as you can get the quattro 4wd, which is good for more than just snow. It comes down to three main choices - 1) Trade in the A8 and get something like the A6 quattro we like. Cons: The S Line is a harder than we're used to, and the dealer is also after top dollar. 2) Go for a 3yo A8. Lots of car for the money, and while it seems a boring option, the current A8 is very different to our 1996 one. 3) Get something like a Fiat 500 for local stuff and daughter to learn to drive in (and eventually take to uni), keep running the A8 for another six months of so, and then decide what to replace it with. BTW, I like the Jaguar XF, but despite sitting in one, my wife still thinks they are a bit "leather pension book holder". Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Assuming we can get close on price, what extras if it worth trying to get thrown in? Up-to-date Nav DVD? (I haven't checked age of current one) It has AMI, but I'm not sure which cables are with it. Are the cables for Nano 4G and iPhone expensive? Will it definitely be able to handle MP3 CDs? I saw mention of a firmware upgrade being required. Anything else I should get as part of the deal rather than having to pay for afterwards? Thanks Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto1954 Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 (edited) i had a 2007 A6 3.0tdi quattro le-mans avant auto brand new in fact its for sale on pistonheads it cost after i massively speced it up £44,000 its done 6000 miles its ibis white i sold it because of the ride quality (ROCK HARD) i am on my 2nd A8 now and would never downgrade ever again to an A6..sorry also the 2007 3.0tdi auto avants are 226 g/kg = £425 tax disc !!! 1 gram over the threshold... buy another A8 get a 3.0tdi have it remapped by sharkperformance mine is amazing now and £245 tax......dont give the government all your hard earned money and loose all the comfort Edited April 19, 2010 by roberto1954 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 also the 2007 3.0tdi auto avants are 226 g/kg = £425 tax disc !!! 1 gram over the threshold... Is it?!! I never even looked at co2 output on any of them, that seems seriously high. I was looking at the new 535i touring which is the turbo straight six petrol, and that is only 190g/km. Their 5 litre V8 twin turbo is only 240g/km and the 740d which is again a twin turbo is 180g/km. Audi really need to get these figures down a bit, it is going to put a lot of people off and definitely company car drivers. I know my mate cancelled his 3.0tdi quattro avant LeMans due to the the company car tax and ordered a 2.7tdi multi instead, and to be honest I thought it was just due to price and that was a bit of an excuse, but it makes sense now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto1954 Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 DVLA Vehicle Licensing Online | Home use this site,click on vehicle enquiry and follow the link with the reg number of any car AUDI have lowered the c02 now but its too late for some older cars they have this for life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Is it?!! I never even looked at co2 output on any of them, that seems seriously high. I was looking at the new 535i touring which is the turbo straight six petrol, and that is only 190g/km. Their 5 litre V8 twin turbo is only 240g/km and the 740d which is again a twin turbo is 180g/km. The new A8 V8 4.2 TDi has a CO2 of 190(ish)! So Audi can do it if they really want too. The 3.0 TDi in the A8 will be even less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_B Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Is it?!! I never even looked at co2 output on any of them, that seems seriously high. Yep, pumpe duese (or however they spell it) and 1st-gen DPF I think. New 240 PS 3.0 TDI is common rail and lower co2. New A8 cheats a bit with 8 speed auto... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 The A6 I'm looking at is 240ps and the dealer has it down as 187g/km of CO2. I'm also looking at A8 Quattros for about £20-£22k, but they all seem a lot slower with the same engines, and higher CO2. But maybe I need to do more research. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 I thought it was just due to price and that was a bit of an excuse, but it makes sense now. Yes, the company car tax bands are done by CO2, and they all tighten up again in 2012. For instance, a BMW 320d ED just manages to get 109g/km, so currently 13%. But after 2012, it goes up to 19%! This is why I was looking at a Prius (before discovering that I'm not allowed to go back to company car) as it's only 10% tax despite being a big car and having a 0-60 of <10s. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 DVLA Vehicle Licensing Online | Homeuse this site,click on vehicle enquiry and follow the link with the reg number of any car AUDI have lowered the c02 now but its too late for some older cars they have this for life Interesting. Reg lookup gives 223g/km, but looking up the model shows 189g/km. I guess the DVLA have it down as the earlier non-CR 233ps version. Both are CURRENTLY the same VED, but if the bands change again, then the DVLA details would need amending. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 This is why I was looking at a Prius (before discovering that I'm not allowed to go back to company car) as it's only 10% tax despite being a big car and having a 0-60 of <10s. Ian A Prius isn't big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 It's a D segment family car, so similar to a mondeo, and has more room in the back than an A6 and without a transmission tunnel. Pretty roomy inside and very smooth to drive. As the BMW 320d ED is more expensive, and as it's a higher percentage BIK, it would cost over twice as much for a company car driver to get behind the wheel of the BMW. OK, the BMW is much faster, but there is no auto option, and it doesn't have as many toys as the Prius. We won't be going for a hybrid this time around, but in three years there should be loads more options and hopefully plugin versions. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 I guess the DVLA have it down as the earlier non-CR 233ps version. Ian As the 240 ps 3l diesel is lower CO2 and has much more torque, how do I see if a vehicle has this engine? Was there a cut off date? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetmind Posted April 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 buy another A8 get a 3.0tdi have it remapped by sharkperformance mine is amazing now and £245 tax...... That sounds like a jolly tempting approach, but my wife isn't too keen on another A8. I really need to get her sat in a new one to realise that things have changed since 1996! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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