DSG or Manual ?

[itavaltalainen]

Same here, I'd take DSG again.... there was a bit of a hike in company car tax (good 3k over my previous Golf estate that had same list price as my GTD) but hey, didn't fancy doing 20 hours a week mostly around M25 in a manual.

Next car will be another auto, most likely a Mazda 6 though (going to a place where BIK only depends on list price, not CO2).

[fredgroves]

Ps Mine is a company car and the tax aint that bad. If anyone can privately lease or buy, insure and maintain a brand new Golf GTi DSG for less than £200 a month let me know!

Guess it depends on your car scheme.... when its a cash alternative and you are paying for lease + (company) insurance + BIK.... trust me, its not £200! (and cheaper to take the cash and DIY)

[itavaltalainen]

BIK for my company car is around 9k a year, still works out at less than 200 a month for company car tax.

Not sure how you end up paying more than 200 for a DSG GTD Fred? Even if you took say 7k cash as car allowance and then have to deal with lease, road tax, insurance, maintenance, tyres etc I assume you still get 45p a mile (HMRC limit where you don't have to pay tax) for driving on company business... that would still not be an awful lot more than a manual?

My manual was cheaper but not going back.... 

[mcmaddy]

Not all schemes are the same and as a company car user if you are being paid 45p a mile you'll need to pay the difference between that and the advisory fuel rate.

[mustard]

When I you worked for the Government, they paid 45p for the first 10k and then 23p after that, considering I was doing 24k a year was not a good deal.

[fredgroves]

Not sure how you end up paying more than 200 for a DSG GTD Fred? that would still not be an awful lot more than a manual?

Well, its one CO2 tax bracket higher for GTD DSG and its what, £1100 more for DSG. That's got to be 50 quid a month easily, probably more. I can't remember the figure I worked out.

Doesn't matter now, I kicked the company car thing in the bin last time anyway.

And...my company pay 11p per mile for people with a car allowance - whether its your car or theirs.

Remember HMRC limits are limits, they aren't commandments...

And yes, technically if you are receiving more than the HMRC rate as mileage expenses, its taxable income. Talking to my various friends and family though, an awful lot of employers seem to overlook this. Some even seem to overlook BIK altogether!

[itavaltalainen]

With mine it varies, if you use your private car you get lots, i.e. 45p a mile but can only do that if you travel less than 10k pa on business.
On a company car they pay all incl fuel but charge me 11p per private mile (or 13 when I use the pool car due as it’s over 2l).

Think taxwise DSG works out around 30£ a month more for me. Doing 30k-45k on company business a year around the SE it was worth it for me, just for stop and go on M25 it is worth it (just turn ACC on).
Up near where you live I imagine roads are a lot clearer
Think the most it will cost you in tax atm is £300 a month if you pay 40% tax on the car. Still a lot less than what it’d cost you privately (as much as I loathe giving it to the tax man who will hand it to the incompetent Tories and NI numpties).

I wouldn’t go back to a manual as my daily car as long as I can get a decent auto box. Though even as a fun car I like my DSG GTD, probably faster than a manual too.
If I really wanted to save tax I’d go for a fast medium van with fixed BIK  or 1.5dci Dacia with low list price and negligable BIK

[p3asa]

This is my first auto after years of manuals.
Must have taken me about 6 months to get used to it.
Anyone that says you just put it into D and drive hasn't driven one long term.
It caught me out so many times when I first got it.
Joining the motorway from slip roads especially. I'd see a gap, press the accelerator and get nothing until the gears went from 6th to 3rd which seemed like an eternity. Roundabouts were also another test 

Thankfully though Ive got to grips with it.