imo i would go for the vrs or the octavia 1.6tdi estate, if your position i choose the estate

It seems you're quite set on the Mazda

It is a good car, even better than the mk 1. I've only driven the 1.6D and it drove very well, I was just a little underwhelmed by the performance but it was very new and I drive in a petrol fashion.

The 2.2D (150/185) seems to be a popular choice in the new 3, the chaps seem very happy about the engine and the sport is fully loaded for equipment.

Another vote for the cheap option and rest for a weekend toy. Just get a comfortable workhorse

The Octavia has been ruled out as there aren't any available. Likewise with the 1.6D TS2 Mazda 3 with nav. Next cheapest on the list is the 2.2D 185PS Mazda 3, but if thats not available I'm not sure what I'll do!

Tom,

Personally I'd go for one of the cheapest options and use the money I save to buy myself a toy for the weekend.

Can't see the point spending extra when it's a company car, it's just money down the drain, OK I know you're goung to be spending a lot of time in it but I'd rather have a Westfield or something similar in the garage to play with.

Good luck with whichever you choose.

Hewey

Oh please don't mention getting a second car for the weekend :eek:

Have a read of Tom's many car buying threads

If it were me Tom, i would just get the Cheapest biggest car for the least money avalible.

Then when the girlfriends car needs upgrading you can then look for a " fun " runaround for you both

Do you actually need a company vehicle to do your job, or is it just for commuting and do you have to pay for your own private usage fuel (does that include to and from work?)

I have never had a company car myself, but i know a few people who are much better off financially getting a mileage allowance than they would be with a company car, you could then use the money saved to speed up sorting your financial situation out.

There is a cash allowance which works out at £170 per month net, but the vehicle has to be less than 3 years old and have under 70k miles. Bearing in mind I'm a big lad craving comfort, I can't think of anything you can buy, maintain and insure for £170/month!!

Based on availability of everything on the list, I now have an alluminium silver (more of a grey) Mazda 3 2.2D Sport (185PS) on order for delivery next Friday. Otherwise ANYTHING else on the list is a factory order...

Spec is amazing, sat nav, Bose sound system, heated seats, dual zone, half leather, rear sensors etc etc, and aluminium silver looks stunning.

Here's hoping everything goes through ok.

Aimee has decided she's buying a Yeti for a family car, but in reality I can see us ending up with a Roomster or C3 Picasso.

So who wants to buy a 306?

:woot: fine choice young man. That is indeed a very nice colour, probably my favourite too.

Sounds good Tom

Steve

A few pics I dug up off the interweb

Not bad at all, Tom, I quite like it

Looks very nice Tom,

Got enough buttons on the steering wheel :eek:

So Tom, How does it feel to know that you have this car for 3 years

Looks good. One of them has turned up here at work. Not mega keen on the bottle-nose dolphin front end, but I suppose that's pedestrian safety regs for you

Steve

You really are irritated by the new regs aren't you Steve!! :P

I do know what you mean though, and I didn't like the new '6 when it came out either, but now its really grown on me, and I think the 3 looks great - really striking and different, and a slightly unusual colour too!

Looks very nice Tom,

Got enough buttons on the steering wheel :eek:

Yes! Everything from phone, cruise, climate control, stereo etc. You can control so much its rediculous!!

So Tom, How does it feel to know that you have this car for 3 years

Quite looking forward to a bit of stability

Yes, to be honest

I just think pedestrians should try harder to jump out of the way, so we can return to pretty cars again

Steve

Since the cause of 5/6 (official Police statistics) of car-pedestrian collisions is "pedestrian entered roadway without looking"...

There is a cash allowance which works out at £170 per month net, but the vehicle has to be less than 3 years old and have under 70k miles. Bearing in mind I'm a big lad craving comfort, I can't think of anything you can buy, maintain and insure for £170/month!!

Exactly. That's a very low amount.

What would they have given you if you'd have taken their car?

Considering that your car scheme seems to let you have a car of about 17 grand , a cash alternative of £250 a month is pretty damn poor.

Even when you take into account the amount of tax you'll pay on it , you are clearly going to be far better off with the company vehicle.

Yep

Mazda 3 2.2D 185PS has an RRP of £19900, and I'm making a £33/month contribution, so yes I'd have been mad to turn it down.

That seems incredibly cheap. That with the allowance route?

Its a lease car. I opted out of the £170pm cash allowance and am contributing £33pm for a fully maintained car. I also get a £410pa rebate on insurance costs. Company car tax is about £55pm, so all in all a very cheap car. All in excluding fuel its effectively costing me about £270pm.

Can somebody explain how this works to me, as from what i can make out is this:

£170 = is the cash allowance you could of had per month if you owned a suitable car,

+ £270 = your monthly contribution, that equates to:

= £440 per month (or £5,280 PA) that the car is costing you.

Now i am obviously wrong on the above as i fail to see how it can cost over £5K to run your own car per year :confused:

I read it as "I could have had £170 cash, or I can have a car for £88, making a difference in take-home of £260 a month".

I could of had £170 cash (actually £2800pa gross).

However, I took a car (and ordered now so I know exact figures), so

£39 contribution + £170 lost allowance + £47 company car tax + £9 insurance (insurance is £520 so less £410 rebate divided monthly) = effective cost to me of £265 per month.

Pretty damn good imho.