- Joined
- Sep 18, 2018
- Messages
- 615
- Points
- 136
It's coming up to that time again. The last 4 years have absolutely flown by!
Currently in a BMW 520d Lux with some options. I love it. Fast enough, relaxing to drive (I do 30k+ miles / year on business), lots of toys, decent audio system etc. I pay £50 / month towards the car, as I added some options like tow-bar and the Harmon-Kardon audio.
Ideally, I'd replace like for like, but the government war on diesel company cars has gone mad - the monthly tax bill for a replacement would be £410 / month.
Just to compound things, the £40k 'luxury car tax' means anything over £40k has £25/month added to lease rates. So even adding lumbar support to a 3-series isn't possible!
Anyway, to cut a long story short... my options based on current models.
Lexus ES300h. A proper replacement for my 5. Lots of kit, incl. CarPlay, electric adjusted, heated leather seats, privacy glass, Pioneer audio system. This would come in at £280 / month in tax.
BMW 330e MSport (forget the SE as it comes with plastic seats and the Sport doesn't get the latest iDrive system). Fairly basic spec - so no privacy glass, manual seat adjustment (but they're heated) and no lumbar support. This would be £160 / month in tax.
With the Lexus, I'd be £150 / month better off. With the BMW, I'd be £250 / month better off...
2 things come to mind - a 3 is a step down for me. I know I'm being a bit vain, but I always feel that, in my role, a 5-series type car is the expectation to demonstrate to customers that I'm a decision maker... a 3 can be a bit 'sales rep'.
The other is that I spend around half my working week in the car, so an extra £100 / month for something that better suits me - ie. lumbar support, electric seats, decent audio system, is worthwhile expenditure.
Additionally, I've never owned a Lexus (although our camper van is a Lexus in all but name - it has the RX300 engine and most of the interior bits come from the GS and LS).
I prefer the presence and exclusivity of the Lexus, too.
What would you do?
Currently in a BMW 520d Lux with some options. I love it. Fast enough, relaxing to drive (I do 30k+ miles / year on business), lots of toys, decent audio system etc. I pay £50 / month towards the car, as I added some options like tow-bar and the Harmon-Kardon audio.
Ideally, I'd replace like for like, but the government war on diesel company cars has gone mad - the monthly tax bill for a replacement would be £410 / month.
Just to compound things, the £40k 'luxury car tax' means anything over £40k has £25/month added to lease rates. So even adding lumbar support to a 3-series isn't possible!
Anyway, to cut a long story short... my options based on current models.
Lexus ES300h. A proper replacement for my 5. Lots of kit, incl. CarPlay, electric adjusted, heated leather seats, privacy glass, Pioneer audio system. This would come in at £280 / month in tax.
BMW 330e MSport (forget the SE as it comes with plastic seats and the Sport doesn't get the latest iDrive system). Fairly basic spec - so no privacy glass, manual seat adjustment (but they're heated) and no lumbar support. This would be £160 / month in tax.
With the Lexus, I'd be £150 / month better off. With the BMW, I'd be £250 / month better off...
2 things come to mind - a 3 is a step down for me. I know I'm being a bit vain, but I always feel that, in my role, a 5-series type car is the expectation to demonstrate to customers that I'm a decision maker... a 3 can be a bit 'sales rep'.
The other is that I spend around half my working week in the car, so an extra £100 / month for something that better suits me - ie. lumbar support, electric seats, decent audio system, is worthwhile expenditure.
Additionally, I've never owned a Lexus (although our camper van is a Lexus in all but name - it has the RX300 engine and most of the interior bits come from the GS and LS).
I prefer the presence and exclusivity of the Lexus, too.
What would you do?