short term 'nearly new' car leasing

[GrasB]

It does a load of stuff for me and doesn't cost anything like OTH (above) suggests.

And is an more stylish, underpowered (if you're looking at a petrol since the VXR was killed off) & less practical box van... oh yeah & is has the most comical blind spot ever

I'll be thinking of you paying mega bucks and sitting in the traffic jams whilst I'm out on my bike.

Mega bucks?.. that would be the Porsche Panamera, once matches spec for spec the base model is about 60% higher than the BMW & the S Hybrid-E ( is almost twice the price of the 5 GT!

OTH, this isn't a long term proposition, it's a way to get a month or two 'test drive'. £17/day for a car of that class is outstanding.

 

[fossyant]

If you are knockingbthe mles up then the lease is an option. As you say, you can chop and change.

The only thing, the 5 GT is an ugly bus. But you dont have to look at it when inside.

 

[GrasB]

The only thing, the 5 GT is an ugly bus. But you dont have to look at it when inside.

Yeah, it's not the best looker from the outside, but the look or feel of the interior is first class. Also, the with M Sport aerodynamic kit & dressed in Frozen Bronze metallic it does have monumental road presence.

 

[vernon]

And advertises that the driver is likely to be an egocentric condescending tool.

 

[fossyant]

Yeah, it's not the best looker from the outside, but the look or feel of the interior is first class. Also, the with M Sport aerodynamic kit & dressed in Frozen Bronze metallic it does have monumental road presence.

I hope you have gone diesel, our you'll need a mobile fuel tanker to follow you. A mate had a 4.0 X5 and the fuel was fill the car or pay the mortgage. They have an economical golf now.

 

[vernon]

You say that as though it might be a bad thing to be.

Merely an observation.

 

[GrasB]

I hope you have gone diesel, our you'll need a mobile fuel tanker to follow you. A mate had a 4.0 X5 and the fuel was fill the car or pay the mortgage. They have an economical golf now.

<< option B - a long distance motorway cruise may see you get into the mid-30s... if you're lucky. Back road driving will see low-20s to high-teens.

Diesel is out as local use will be small miles, it's one of the reasons the Alfa went as the engine has been letting me know it's not overly happy (consuming lots of oil, lots of coking up on the inlet side valves, etc). This is I6 3.0L turbo petrol engine, not the V8 4.4l, linked to a 8 speed auto box, in theory even with xDrive it drinks about 20% less fuel per mile than the X5 4.0. So far the 5er has averaged about 32mpg in comfort mode which has been a mixture of back road driving & town driving, but local driving actually about 35-40% of the miles the car does. It's got a 1450 mile round trip starting Weds which is going to be the acid test, we'll see what it does on a long haul in EcoPRO & how well it copes with high altitude.

And advertises that the driver is likely to be an egocentric condescending tool.

I think this says more about your pre-conceptions than the owners of these vehicles.

 

[vernon]

I think this says more about your pre-conceptions than the owners of these vehicles.

I've never met one that I've liked or that has undermined my observation..

'jus saying

 

[KneesUp]

So box vans for you then... sorry but I like my cruisers to be a little more luxurious.

This is replacing an Alfa 159 SW so should be much more space inside.

Everything has more room than a 159 SW! I nearly bought a 156 SW until I noticed that the boot on the saloon was bigger if you didn't fold the seats. Admittedly this was in my 20yr cycling haitus so things might have been different if I'd needed to get a bike in it.

I used to love cars, but then the recession happened and I learned I love the journey, not the ride. (I know, that phrase would have annoyed me 5 years ago too) I now have a tatty looking MPV, but it has comfy seats, climate control, cruise control and a big sunroof. It can also take all of the family and bikes inside, does 50mpg on a run (35mpg around town) and has never broken down. It cost me a tenth of the price of my Alfa.

I hope you enjoy your car, but I increasingly find myself utterly bewildered by why people keep buying them (and I say that as someone with about a decade's worth of CAR magazine stored in the spare room)

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I used to love cars, but then the recession happened and I learned I love the journey, not the ride. (I know, that phrase would have annoyed me 5 years ago too) I now have a tatty looking MPV, but it has comfy seats, climate control, cruise control and a big sunroof. It can also take all of the family and bikes inside, does 50mpg on a run (35mpg around town) and has never broken down. It cost me a tenth of the price of my Alfa.

Ah - a reformed character I see. Welcome back KU

 

[KneesUp]

Ah - a reformed character I see. Welcome back KU

KU?

 

[GrasB]

What is the physiological need for people to try & convince me I shouldn't buy something I want & can afford?... I'm buying a petrol 4 door GT or estate/tourer. There is no debate about that, nothing else will fit the bill, the question is which one.

 

[KneesUp]

What is the physiological need for people to try & convince me I shouldn't buy something I want & can afford?... I'm buying a petrol 4 door GT or estate/tourer. There is no debate about that, nothing else will fit the bill, the question is which one.

It's an interesting question. I don't think I was trying to convince you, but maybe I was on some level. I think perhaps it's a little like the religious - I'm actually much happier in my old MPV than I was in my nearly new Alfa, and I would never have realised if my circumstances hadn't changed so I had no choice other than cheaper cars - so in a sense perhaps I'm trying to tell you 'the good news' - spend less money on cars and more money on going places in them, or more time doing fun stuff like going on holiday. I no longer care if someone dents my car at Tesco, or am concerned that if the clutch goes it's going to be almost as painfully expensive as the cambelt change (I had the 2.4JTD 156 - the engine didn't really fit, so any job took ages and cost a fortune) and if the pedal scratches the trim it doesn't matter, because the whole car cost me less than the bikes owned by many people on here and if I get any more than scrap value for it when I sell it, it will be a bonus.

It's absolutely something I would not have wanted to hear when I was paying a few hundred quid a month for the Alfa (half cash/half finance) but I honestly wish now that instead of my Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce (to give it it's full title) I'd bought a Doblo or something from the Fiat dealer next door, and then two bikes to put in the back (and kept a few thousand pounds for holidays)

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

What is the physiological need for people to try & convince me I shouldn't buy something I want & can afford?... I'm buying a petrol 4 door GT or estate/tourer. There is no debate about that, nothing else will fit the bill, the question is which one.

FWIW Go for it kid and enjoy!

 

[GrasB]

It's an interesting question. I don't think I was trying to convince you, but maybe I was on some level. I think perhaps it's a little like the religious - I'm actually much happier in my old MPV than I was in my nearly new Alfa, and I would never have realised if my circumstances hadn't changed so I had no choice other than cheaper cars - so in a sense perhaps I'm trying to tell you 'the good news' - spend less money on cars and more money on going places in them, or more time doing fun stuff like going on holiday.

The thing is we're in the top 7% of the UK for household income, we're childless by choice & we own our house outright, okay quite a modest house compared to others with our income but that's how we want it... It kind of makes the rest of what you said irrelevant.