It might be worth dropping Fluffmeister a PM to see where he traded in his vRoomster

When did that happen?

What's he got now?

Sorry to Hi Jack.

Test driving the Golf this afternoon, be interesting to see the difference between the older 1.9TDi and the newer 1.6TDi, pretty much same power, supposedly a lot smoother ?

In the meantime, i have the following offers..

Roomster 1.9TDi SE with metallic paint, stock cars (so no roof rails, 16" alloys) coming through system but no longer speccable.. £10,015 OTR under scrappage

Roomster 1.9Tdi Scout - Candy White (happy with that) - stock car £11,573, or with front arm rest (i found this a pain ont he test drives!), 17" wheels and maxidot (slight annoyance during test drive !!).... £12,043.

Whilst i do like big wheels, i think the GF would wreck the 17s, so i'd probably plump for the std car of the two scout versions. I'd have liked fogs and 16s on the SE ideally, but at £1500 cheaper than the Scout its a good deal i think.

Golf with alloys, fogs, uprated CDRadio and 3 yr service pack works out at £18055 RRP !!, but after discount and scrappage its £13040. More initial outlay but after 3 years the Golf is worth around £7.5k (Whatcar quote 50% which is probably optimistic!!) whilst the Roomster is about 38% retained or circa £5.5k for a Scout. £5.5k loss on the Golf, £6k on the Scout. Golf is £35 road tax and 3 year servicing for £250 so running costs lower too.

All comes down to availability of a Golf (awaiting dealer), Golf test drive and balancing the extra toys n practicality of a Roomster against a probable better drive, better handling, better build and kudos of the Golf.

We'll see !!

Just like to say thanks again for the help here - whilst i might sound like i'm erring towards the financial security of the Golf i really do have a soft spot for the Roomster !!

Did the deal yesterday - In the end the Golf won me over.

Why?

Well the car is a class act, maybe not particularly cheap, but the whole look and feel of both the interior and exterior is excellent

engine refinement on the latest 1.6TDi 105 CR diesel is superb, road and wind noise none existent, handling great even on stock suspension

The car provides ample room for my needs with a good sized boot

Equipment levels on SE spec very good - air con, elec windows all round, remote locking, cruise control, 16" alloys, auto lights/wipers, front arm rest, computer, USB/iPod connection etc etc etc. I've added 17" wheel and sports suspension of course !

Dealers - despite their reputation and my previous experiences in the 90s i found my local VW dealer to be very welcoming, courteous and accomodating.

It only took the sales manager 2 minutes to match the car broker quote of 10% off and £2k scrappage (or 10% off and £3200 scrappage if i'd opted for the S spec)

Given virtually all dealers are harassing VW for extra allocations it was a pleasure not to fight for it - another large dealer i spoke too didn't have any cars til February.

£35 road tax, group 6 insurance and 3 years servicing for £250

OK its more money than a Roomster and it hasn't got the huge boot, but the lower running costs, latest technology, better ride/handling and overall refinement are big pluses.

Sadly the Skoda dealers turned me off the Roomster more than any aspect of the car itself. I really admire the Roomster, i love its looks and its a very sensible family car - the dealers need to sell it as such.

thanks for all your comments and input - really enjoyed browsing the forum.

When did that happen?

What's he got now?

Sorry to Hi Jack.

A while back, he now has another car