I'm thinking about changing my current car, a 12 plate FL octy 2 vrs petrol Estate on the basis that I'm way exceeding the pcp contract mileage. I use it for both personal and business averaging around 25k miles per year. It's been sharked from day 1, and had an H&R RARB fitted, so it goes and corners in the way it really ought to have done from the factory. Since the finance still has a year to go, then changing to another VAG product would be the simplest route, but my options are:

1. Keep the car, take the hit in a year when the contract expires.

Pros: I really enjoy driving it.

Cons: financial sting in the tail. Fuel economy.

2. Trade for new octy 3 vrs diesel.

Pros: straightforward finance rollover. Shark map gives similar numbers to current car though probably quicker in real world. It's a "new" car. Fuel economy.

Cons: cost to change, monthly cost would be significantly higher. Diesel noise/experience. Handling not as good unless similar ARB options.

3. Golf R.

Pros: fast without needing any tweaking. Tweaking will make it silly fast! No other mods needed (for me). Vw finance rollover.

Cons : price. Economy. No estate for carrying bikes. Insurance.

4. BMW 330d

Pros: driving it. Economy.

Cons : badge. Cost to change, no deposit . Cost to maintain.

5. Some other VAG product that I haven't really thought of. S3, but why over the above? Leon? S4?

Thoughts anyone?

With the Remap you have possibly Voided the Manufacturers Warranty on the Engine, and that will apply when the vehicle is sold on after you return it, & if it is sold as an Approved Used Car, the new owner if they had engine problems can be left with a Void Warranty,

are you not liable to be surcharged if that is discovered by the Finance Company that own the car?

 

george

With the Remap you have possibly Voided the Manufacturers Warranty on the Engine, and that will apply when the vehicle is sold on after you return it, & if it is sold as an Approved Used Car, the new owner if they had engine problems can be left with a Void Warranty,

are you not liable to be surcharged if that is discovered by the Finance Company that own the car?

 

george

If it's a '12' plate there is probably only a few months left on the original warranty anyhow and I'd imagine he would return the vehicle to stock before trading in so unlikely to be an issue tbh. It's also likely to have an approved used warranty applied by the dealer thereby giving some protection to the new buyer I suppose.

I'm thinking about changing my current car, a 12 plate FL octy 2 vrs petrol Estate on the basis that I'm way exceeding the pcp contract mileage. I use it for both personal and business averaging around 25k miles per year. It's been sharked from day 1, and had an H&R RARB fitted, so it goes and corners in the way it really ought to have done from the factory. Since the finance still has a year to go, then changing to another VAG product would be the simplest route, but my options are:

1. Keep the car, take the hit in a year when the contract expires.

Pros: I really enjoy driving it.

Cons: financial sting in the tail. Fuel economy.

2. Trade for new octy 3 vrs diesel.

Pros: straightforward finance rollover. Shark map gives similar numbers to current car though probably quicker in real world. It's a "new" car. Fuel economy.

Cons: cost to change, monthly cost would be significantly higher. Diesel noise/experience. Handling not as good unless similar ARB options.

3. Golf R.

Pros: fast without needing any tweaking. Tweaking will make it silly fast! No other mods needed (for me). Vw finance rollover.

Cons : price. Economy. No estate for carrying bikes. Insurance.

4. BMW 330d

Pros: driving it. Economy.

Cons : badge. Cost to change, no deposit . Cost to maintain.

5. Some other VAG product that I haven't really thought of. S3, but why over the above? Leon? S4?

Thoughts anyone?

1- if you keep the car VAG finance will potentially let you re-finance he balloon at the end so you can keep paying monthly if you don't fancy paying the whole lump sum in one hit. The excess mileage is only a factor if you hand the car back and walk away.

2- worth getting a quote form the dealer and doing the sums on fuel cost as may be cheaper than you think, but do you really want a diseasel?

3- Golf R will be much more expensive on PCP, only cheap really on a lease. If you have done mega miles then he dealer will hammer you with a low trade in price which may leave you with little deposit or even negative equity. If you can sell the car and pay off he outstanding finance then starting again with a cheap Golf R deal could be the way to go although again bear in mind fuel economy. Also with your mileage a lease may actually prove much more expensive than some of the £200/month deals advertised. Golf R estate due to be released next year by the way.

4- 330d would give ideal mix of driving thrills and economy at your mileage. Are you looking new or used. Used BMW finance APR can be very steep. You say no deposit so I presume you've already established that your car is worth less or equal to its settlement figure? If not it's worth asking bmw for a trade-in value. You might be surprised.

5- I wouldn't bother with an S3 over a golf R. The R looks nicer in the outside imho and is essentially the same car underneath. The R is also vastly cheaper (if you go for a lease deal). Leon might be worth a look.

Hope that helps!

With the Remap you have possibly Voided the Manufacturers Warranty on the Engine, and that will apply when the vehicle is sold on after you return it, & if it is sold as an Approved Used Car, the new owner if they had engine problems can be left with a Void Warranty,

are you not liable to be surcharged if that is discovered by the Finance Company that own the car?

george

It would be returned to std map. The new buyers warranty is based upon the contract with the dealer selling it. If they know it has been remapped previously they can still choose to warrant as a used car, and I'm pretty certain that's what they would do. Dealers only use the remap as an excuse not to underwrite repair bills, it would never get in the way of a sale. Plus remapping would only affect the parts directly affected, so it's simply the case the whole engine is now not covered. You might not get much joy for a blown turbo or broken pistons / crank / drive train, but this is VAG. They all use common parts to the highest common design denominator. A thoughtful mapper such as shark know this, so the output is within the design envelope of comparable factory enhanced models.

Thanks Tom, I've probably ruled the golf R out. I'm having a rethink, 3.0 tdi A6. I spend so much time on the motorway, I really want a nice big cruiser with a great sound system and comfy seats. Quick as my octy is I just get frustrated on criss country A roads, as there is no such thing as too much torque. Maybe the answer is to chill out and waft along. I'd still get it remapped if it's worth doing that engine, as the benefits easily outweigh and cons for me anyway.

Edited 5 November, 201411 yr by stever750

Dealers do not pay out on Warranties the Underwriter & Policy-Warranty provider does,

& buyers of used cars have been having Warranties rejected because after testing there had been a remap on the ECU.

 

There are a few 1.4TSI Fabia vRS buyers that rejected cars because the Warranty Provider rejected the Warranty claim.

But anyway, thats a different kind of car and engines that have issues.

Nothing major,

the Invoices are only from £3,500 - £4,500 for the Replacement Base Engine, and the swap over at Skoda Dealerships.

 

Something many Used Car buyers require the Warranty to cover.

Dealers are not in the habit of checking ECU's or returning to Factory Settings even when Skoda Approved Used Cars.

& when a Warranty is knocked back it is a bit of a problem.

Hence the car being returned to the selling dealer.

Edited 5 November, 201411 yr by goneoffSKi

Facelift A6 has 272 hp in mid-range DSG spec and only £130 a year to tax (155mph + 5.5 s 0-60 + mid 40's mpg).

 

Big discounts too (22%) make them cheaper on PCP than you might think. Just go easy with the options list.

330d is quick as standard but just check out the tuning potential

Staying in the VW fold, the options I've narrowed down are

 

A6 3.0TDi

Pros: Big, fast, fab for cruising long miles in, Audi badge

Cons: £££££££, Audi badge No Shark map for the latest engines (if it's even needed)

 

VW Passat 2.0 BiTDi

Pros: Fast without any mods, Nice place to sit, stereo upgrade

Cons: It's just a Passat, handling like a barge (despite MQB underpinnings), stupid price for a fast diesel, not a sporty model despite the R-Line b011ocks and 15mm lowered option which fools no one other than Mr Rep.

 

Octavia III

Pros: Nicer inside (just) than the one I've got, Shark map for the 190PS engine, size (to carry lots of nice bikes), cheap, Hatch version of vRS as big as estate.

Cons: No stereo upgrades, bit plain inside, bit plain outside, just a bit plain, and the handling is hardly laugh a minute despite the go faster badge.

 

The petrol vRS might be more interesting if petrol prices continue to fall, especially if APR's nuts claims of >300bhp are to be believed from a generic remap. I remain to be convinced it's real. Outside of VAG anytihng is (im)possible depends on how they view the outstanding 12 months finance. 

1- if you keep the car VAG finance will potentially let you re-finance he balloon at the end so you can keep paying monthly if you don't fancy paying the whole lump sum in one hit. The excess mileage is only a factor if you hand the car back and walk away.

2- worth getting a quote form the dealer and doing the sums on fuel cost as may be cheaper than you think, but do you really want a diseasel?

3- Golf R will be much more expensive on PCP, only cheap really on a lease. If you have done mega miles then he dealer will hammer you with a low trade in price which may leave you with little deposit or even negative equity. If you can sell the car and pay off he outstanding finance then starting again with a cheap Golf R deal could be the way to go although again bear in mind fuel economy. Also with your mileage a lease may actually prove much more expensive than some of the £200/month deals advertised. Golf R estate due to be released next year by the way.

4- 330d would give ideal mix of driving thrills and economy at your mileage. Are you looking new or used. Used BMW finance APR can be very steep. You say no deposit so I presume you've already established that your car is worth less or equal to its settlement figure? If not it's worth asking bmw for a trade-in value. You might be surprised.

5- I wouldn't bother with an S3 over a golf R. The R looks nicer in the outside imho and is essentially the same car underneath. The R is also vastly cheaper (if you go for a lease deal). Leon might be worth a look.

Hope that helps!

Why would the golf be so much more on a pcp? I haven't checked with any sales folk yet, but the more I read the more the golf appeals. A bit of Ben Wardle magic and it would be one hell of a X country machine.

Why would the golf be so much more on a pcp? I haven't checked with any sales folk yet, but the more I read the more the golf appeals. A bit of Ben Wardle magic and it would be one hell of a X country machine.

I went with the Golf R on a lease deal. There have been a couple of campaigns where the GFV's were ridiculously high resulting in low monthly payments. These were

not translated when doing PCP's as I think dealers were reluctant to discount.

As far as what car you want, you really need to decide wha the main purpose of the car is going to be.

For me I was downsizing, I needed a smaller car as most of my driving is within the city or within a 30 mile radius. The R is absolutely perfect for this.

Coming from a vRS then the S4, I can honestly say the handing of the R has been a revelation. This car turns in so sharp & flat it is just astounding. Coupled with the AWD and 300bhp, it is a pretty potent package. However, you need to ask yourself can you afford tolose the boot space? Passenger room is great, as good as my previous cars, but you do lose a big chunk of boot. Not a problem for me

Small boot, but absolutely fantastic car

I don't need a big car, kids grown up etc, just me and my wife. I'm not even after a 5 Dr, 3 is perfect. Rear seats fold down, so can fit bike in the back for race days. I'm about to move to Pembrokeshire, and with my "commute" being to North Yorks or either Manchester or Birmingham airport, there's going to be a lot more crossing mid Wales. I'm going to need a bit more overtaking punch than the octy, as it's a long old twisty route.

Why would the golf be so much more on a pcp? I haven't checked with any sales folk yet, but the more I read the more the golf appeals. A bit of Ben Wardle magic and it would be one hell of a X country machine.

Not sure how the lease companies were doing it and still turning a profit but the deals were a lot cheaper than PCP and also cheaper than paying cash as the lease fees over the term were likely to be way less then any depreciation,

I know of a chap who has got a new Golf R on a lease deal for £1080 down then £180/month over 2 years. Try getting near that with a PCP! :-)

Unfortunately the days of those deals now seem to be over but there are still some good offers around.

My octy is £273 pm, I'm expecting to double that.

My octy is £273 pm, I'm expecting to double that.

I'm sure you could get a Golf R on a lease for around what you are paying now.

Doubling to near £550/month shouldn't be remotely required. My M135i costs nowhere near that (with virtually no deposit down). :-)

Worth speaking to some dealers and playing with the online finance quote tools.

How much do you owe on the Octy compared to what it's worth? Any idea how much (if any) cash you will be wanting to put into the deal?

Ive not yet spoken to the skoda dealer yet about the value of my car against a new one, and haven't checked yet what left on finance but it's going be around £4-5k. The fgv was £4500 ish so the car is probably worth around £6-7k trade in value. 2 years old, 57k miles. That means I've got around 2k worth of deposit against the new car, whatever that might be. Depends on how desperate the sales person is to make the sale, I suspect golf R doesn't require any discount to shift it.

The problem with a lease deal is the mileage sensitivity. I'm doing around 25k a year.

Edited 18 November, 201411 yr by stever750

This.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows/volkswagen-reveals-hot-296bhp-golf-r-estate

Ive not yet spoken to the skoda dealer yet about the value of my car against a new one, and haven't checked yet what left on finance but it's going be around £4-5k. The fgv was £4500 ish so the car is probably worth around £6-7k trade in value. 2 years old, 57k miles. That means I've got around 2k worth of deposit against the new car, whatever that might be. Depends on how desperate the sales person is to make the sale, I suspect golf R doesn't require any discount to shift it.

The problem with a lease deal is the mileage sensitivity. I'm doing around 25k a year.

Should be able to get £3k off a Golf R :-)

This.

 

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows/volkswagen-reveals-hot-296bhp-golf-r-estate

Definitely feeling the love for the R estate!

I'm going to do a comparison. New vrs diesel hatch, golf R and an A6 3.0 diesel. I'll probably chat about the leon 280 too the skoda dealer sells both, though I'm not a fan of its interior

This.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows/volkswagen-reveals-hot-296bhp-golf-r-estate

Nice, but no kids or dogs = no need for slightly compromised body stiffness and extra weight! 3 doors for me all the way.

Has the Audi S3 Sportback or S3 Saloon come into your considerations.?

Good deals can be had.

No Geoff not really. What can the S3 offer that the golf can't, other than more expensive running costs albeit offset by a marginally better resale value. In addition once I've plundered the options list the cost delta will be significant. A loaded S1 in this month's Car mag is over £33k. Bonkers. Great to see the fiesta trumped it too.

No Geoff not really.

Haha! Geoff-ski lol ;-)

No Geoff not really. What can the S3 offer that the golf can't, other than more expensive running costs albeit offset by a marginally better resale value. In addition once I've plundered the options list the cost delta will be significant. A loaded S1 in this month's Car mag is over £33k. Bonkers. Great to see the fiesta trumped it too.

S3 is nicer inside but apart from that I agree the Golf is the better buy - it's cheaper, looks better outside and apparently drives a little better :-)