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Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Skye on 01 December 2016, 17:33
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Hi,
Just about to order another car through NHS Fleet Solutions. I currently have a VW GTD Carbon grey, voice control, full beam assist, nav, parking and sunroof.
I have configured another GTD with the same options and for £10.00 more a month I can get a Mercedes 200 coupe sport (manual gear box). Parking, artico leather etc standard. Only extra privacy glass. No sunroof. Standard white paint.
The Golf has been great but I can't ignore the Mercedes.
What would you go for?
Thanks
By the way speccing the DSG makes the Golf ridiculously more expensive a month.
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Is the merc petrol or diesel?
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Hi,
Thanks for replying. The Merc is petrol. The diesel adds another £25.00 more than the GTD.
Thanks
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Hi,
Thanks for replying. The Merc is petrol. The diesel adds another £25.00 more than the GTD.
Thanks
I was just going to say that the 200 diesel uses a 1.6 Renault engine and is absolutely horrid, so if you enjoy driving your Gtd you'd be seriously disappointed with that engine as it's gutless
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I only see posh women over 50 driving mercs around here
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I went from a GTD to a new Mercedes C220 AMG line back in December 2014. What nightmare the Merc was in the dealership for 33 weeks with a suspension problem, eventually they replaced the car with a new vehicle. The replacement car was better but not without its problems, so when it was 3 months old I traded it for a new Golf Gti and after 12 months ownership I couldn't be any happier.....
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Thanks for the replies.
I can't help thinking the Merc is an old mans car but I also specced a diesel Jag xe r 180 manual for the same price. Options though are expensive and I can't get Arthur Daly or the Sweeny out of my head.
I specced a Golf gti and that's a tenner dearer with out a sunroof and the R is £50.00 a month dearer.
With the NHS Fleet Solutions insurance, servicing, tyres,parts and labour are all included. Whilst I would like a pearl black gti, I also find the c class coupe with the standard equipment value for money.
In the late 70's early 80's when I was "young" the car I wanted, apart from a Ferrari 308 gtb was the 1st edition gti in metallic green with (as I remember) the independent Silverstone performance package added. At least that's what I think it was.
Unfortunately days of getting one of the rear wheels to lift or hand brake turns have gone. Enough nostalgia. Can you persuade me to stay with Golfs.
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Go with the Merc ... different class to mundane VW ! Our lass is going with a GLA from NHS too 👊
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The merc is a bit meh in my book. I'm not saying that a golf is a supercar but mercs are just so middle aged woman to me.
Here's another way of looking at it, what's the difference in BIK?
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I wouldn't have either the Merc or the Jag with a manual box. It's just not right.
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Sounds to me like you really want to go for the Golf GTI (drivers car) but want the Merc as a status symbol/badge with a gutless engine.
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I also specced a diesel Jag xe r 180 manual for the same price. Options though are expensive and I can't get Arthur Daly or the Sweeny out of my head.
I really like the look of the XE, so when you mentioned it I finally got around to playing with the configurator.
I've got a fantastic looking and spec'ed car config'ed up but f*** me its £44K!
I could get a far better beamer than the Jag for that money.
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The question I'd be asking myself would be whether I wanted to spend another two or three years looking at an identical exterior and interior.
The GTD is the only car of the three that will provide any sense of driving fun in real world conditions.
The Merc (and a Jag) would be more acceptable if you mix in certain social circles or like to show off in traffic jams! And that's where their purose begins and ends.
It all depends on how you drive really. If you like a slug of torque booting you up the road and a very accomplished FWD chassis then the GTD is where it's at.
If you pootle around then any car is as good as any other.
Then again, have order books closed on GTD's yet?
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What's the NHS doing leasing GTDs, I thought they were short of money?
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It's not the NHS providing company leased cars,its a salary sacrifice scheme.I work for the NHS and could choose to lease a car this way but ultimately it's the employee who pays for it,not the employer.
The money for the lease is taken out at source before the taxman taxes your pay so it is tax efficient as no tax is paid on the lease.All you need to do is put fuel in,the lease company insures,taxes and maintains the car.Different lease companies offer this to large organisations including the NHS.A few of my mates at work use this scheme,it never really appealed to me.
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Basically the profit the NHS makes is supposed to go into patient care.
Anyway when I specced the GTD 2 1/2 years ago it was nearly £50.00 cheaper. I wouldn't have such a dilemma if through inflation it was a tenner or so more expensive, but it's nearer enough Mercedes c class coupe, Jaguar XE and BMW 4-Series SE auto.
I love the GTD but how has it got so expensive. However I did configure a Mini Clubman SD chilli pack. Sunroof, privacy glass and driver assistance etc. For the monthly price quoted I could get a BMW Auto M petrol coupe. Ridiculous!
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Lease prices are based on expected residuals taking into account the discounts the leasing companies get off the car's list price.
Hence the typical sleep type saloon cars are quite competitive to lease as the manufacturers good them out at massively discounted prices.
That's why some expensive sounding cars are around the same price or even less than more mundane cars.
Leasing is primarilarly (sp?) aimed at company car schemes where companies will want their junior execs turning up with cars that make them look successful and acceptable to their corporate bore compatriots and clients.
My company does a similar salary sacrifice scheme through Zenith and it's just under £400 a month for a bare bones GTD, fully insured, maintained etc.
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The changes in tax and Ni will effectively end salary sacrifice schemes unless you have the choice to pay for it nett salary wise.
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The changes in tax and Ni will effectively end salary sacrifice schemes unless you have the choice to pay for it nett salary wise.
Yes, the govt is gunning for these schemes.
My workplace also do one where you can get mobile phones, iPads, laptops etc too.
They're on borrowed time!
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I asked about the latest gov financial statement. I was told it was a few pounds due to my wage and tax benefit in kind??? And it would not effect the price of cars.
Also I looked how the cars are classed. They are apparently "crown" cars. I have no idea what all this means and hybrid cars are favourable but there was little in prices.
This for the NHS is very lucrative such as patients and staff paying for car parking spaces I can't see it ending. I pay around £15.00 a month (salary sacrifice) for the pleasure! to park at work.
Two years ago they had VW Golf R's for £399 basic and I would have jumped at the chance.
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The end of salary sacrifice for cars is quite simple to explain - at the moment you pay for your car out of your gross salary, saving you and your employer tax. This saving is why you do it.
Under the new regime, you don't.
Its actually more complex than that as you will still pay BIK as now but then an additional charge will be levied to top BIK up to the same money you'd have paid HMRC if you had taken cash instead. (I have zero faith in my payroll department getting that right...)
Whether this amount of extra money you have to find is big or small depends on how you've chosen your car. If you've chosen to drive a 4.5l v8 jag, it won't make any difference.
If you've chosen to drive a 1.0 Up! it will. You will effectively pay the same tax rate for the Up! as the Jag.
I suppose there are still some benefits to a company car after all of this, but I'm struggling to think of them.
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Do it on a nett scheme instead, at least that way your contribution offsets your bike at year end. We run both at my council but I can't see why anyone will want to remain on the gross scheme once the rules change.
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Hmmm if you did a net scheme would all of your lease payments be employee capital contribution?
I'm not sure if personal contributions to lease payments (which in the case of most of schemes is the employee actually paying the entire lease cost!) are capital contributions.
I was reading this:
http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/can-you-make-a-capital-contribution-on-a-leased-car
Having said that, i still find it galling that a car that i pay 100% of the costs for is considered a "company" vehicle and i'm paying BIK on it. The only benefit is/was the tax advantage of paying it from gross salary...
Essentially the only bit the company front are the initial payment deposit and the insurance (which actually I have to bloody pay too) and maybe covering the liability of the lease ending before 3 years (if they fire me!) i suppose!
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In the eyes of HMRC because the car is sourced and leased through your employer and not you it's a company car. That's what our scheme is like, technically a sub lease. On the net scheme all of your monthly contributions offset your bik as you aren't being taxed at source like a gross scheme. They are classed as a capital contribution the nett scheme. You do get taxed eventually buy not on full bik.
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So on a net scheme you pay income tax and NIC (on the money you are about to use on a lease payment) and then still pay some BIK?
That's REALLY unattractive!
Definitely more expensive than a private lease!
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Depends which way you look at it. Most work schemes include maintenance where as private ones don't or when then do is expensive. You only pay the offset amount as bik not the full amount so your tax code is affected less. I agree though a private lease is the route I would go instead of any work based scheme.
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I go crazy with a spreadsheet and compare total cost of ownership per annum, so lease company provided maintenance (and tyres) vs DIY are all in my projected figures along with a whole raft of other things.
There is no way that a net scheme would be worth touching IMHO.
In theory a large employers lease rates should be less than i can get by going out and doing it myself. Only they never actually are.
Just in the same way that my employer seems to pay many multiples more than I do for a single mobile phone contract.
It makes no sense, but that's my experience of their performance in terms of obtaining good prices on things. Its probably to do with the costs incurred in handling a large number of things on a contract and some sort of buggery with the accounting to spread the costs out (which of course they pay a premium for)
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I know certainly within local authority where I work the scheme is no where near as good as say the NHS scheme but we also have a co2 limit of 150. It seems a load of people are ordering these little 1.0 turbo petrol cars at the minute and they seem good value on our scheme.
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Yeah I have a 130g/km limit on my scheme :(
The low emission vehicles were always a good way to avoid BIK, so good that the taxman got jealous and now they aren't any better than driving a V8.
Which is nice.
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So I went back to NHS Fleet Solutions and again asked how the salary sacrifice scheme would be affected.
This is quite a business for the NHS bringing in considerable revenue. They also run the Home Electronics solutions and holidays.
I have now been told they are in negotiations with the "Government" departments and can't give any details. They hope the salary sacrifice scheme can continue.
I have decided to wait and see regarding an order.
They continue to list cars. The GTD can be specced with out carbon grey or night blue but with options such as, parking, sunroof, voice commands and high beam comes in at £398. If you just lease as a salary deduction £582.
Standard GTD in pearl black, no options 2 year lease and ready now £368 or£530.
A GTI pearl black and parking pack £419 or £592.
No GTE or R available yet.
Passat GTE Sloon Advance. Pearl black no options £387 or £751.
A very tempting offer is the BMW 330e M Sport pretty nicely specced with M Sport plus Pack, heated seats and Sunroof £386 or £751.
All the above are for 12000 miles a year and apart from one 3 year leases.
Unless the Fleet Solutions can do a deal they will be screwed apart from the hybrid cars. I am sure there are better options out there.
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If your car is set up and on your payroll before April next year you'll get protection from whatever the government does until April 2021. Quite how the NHS can negotiate something with the government not affect its scheme is being me. Why should they be exempt while other local government departments take the hit?
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Thanks for replying.
Unfortunately my lease contract expires the 8th May.
The NHS Fleet Solutions (according to its website) offers lease cars to other health trusts, local authorities and public sector workers.
It is run by Northumbria Health Care Trust and there must be incentives for other trusts, local authorities etc to sign up. I was told they were talking to the Government and as yet do not know how any of the budget what will happen or agreements can be made.
I agree that it would not be fair to single out NHS Fleet Solutions for special treatment but hypocritically it's how I my cars.
From the other posts here, it does not seem to be those in the higher tax brackets that are affected but those on lower wages. Those going for a VW UP will be penalised much more. Now that to me is not fair.
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I've already asked my fleet manager about the future as my new car may or may not come before April.
She tells me that if the car is not DELIVERED to me before 5th April 2017 then it is subject to the new regime.
Makes me think twice about ordering a Golf which might take 20 weeks!!! Russian roulette time.
NHS or not, there is no negotiating with the taxman, well not unless you are talking about corporation tax. PAYE for employees? Jog on kitty!
Time for a stock vehicle from a private lease for me. Been looking at beamers and minis today. BMW cars have very short lead times it seems and there is stock too, unlike VAG!
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You'll get a BMW within 8 weeks of ordering, none of this allocation malarkey either - you're in a queue the moment you place your order - BMW seem a car company willing to take your order and give you what you want, when you want it. No waiting 8.5 months for an R bullsh!t. I'd have a 1 series next time if they weren't so fugly.
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Yes, its a bit sad that VAG can't seem to compete with BMW for delivery times.
I wonder how many Audi (in particular) sales they loose to BMW over that one issue?