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Post by Tim on Jan 8, 2018 14:46:53 GMT
I've foolishly allowed myself to be identified as the office car guy and am getting tired of being asked for advice on stuff I'm really not interested in! Also, since I know I'm full of all sorts of weird prejudices I thought I'd open the latest query up to external help,
The CEO has asked for advice on the 3 following requirements although I did initially refuse to give him any advice:-
1. He is getting a holiday home built on a Scottish island and has identified the need (!) for a proper 4x4 to be on site for whenever he goes across. His wife has allowed him a budget of £4.5 - 5k and he immediately jumped to a Defender (needs to be a 110 apparently). I sent him the link to the £5.5k Landcruiser I posted about in the snow thread before Christmas and also questioned his sanity in wanting a Defender (sorry Mark  ).
2. He requires a £1,500 car for the youngest of his sons. Needs to be below 70BHP and 1.4 litres.
3. His company Merc E300 (the 2.2 litre diesel with hybrid tech) estate is now just over 3 years old, is on 80k miles and he is looking towards the change, which is officially in mid-Oct. He caught a case of 'the fever' when another colleague got himself an Audi A6 Avant Quattro the week before Christmas! He initially wanted a Lexus R450H but is wondering if he should take his car allowance and buy something cheaper and put the allowance towards putting his kids through uni. Although he has 3 sons of over 6 foot plus a large-ish dog he reckons the times he'll have all on board are now limited. Also, the majority of his driving is a 4 day a week commute along the motorway from Edinburgh to Dundee and back. I suggested that downsizing would probably only be worthwhile if he went for something that'll do 70mpg, I imagine that for ferrying the dog plus occasional carrying of sons he'd not want to go smaller than a C Class estate.
So, all help gratefully received.
He's also got a desire for an MGB GT and showed me a partially restored one that's coming up at a classic car auction nearby next month..... |
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Post by Alex on Jan 8, 2018 21:22:54 GMT
1. The Landcruiser is probably sensible if it’s going to be left for long periods and needs to start on the button every few months or even a Hilux if he’ll not need to carry passengers. His budget won’t get him a decent Defender (I think even Mark will admit as much).
2. Tell him to put that criteria onto Autotrader and search for any car, then choose the newest or lowest mileage within reasonable distance. Then make his son choose instead when he is inevitably appalled by how uncool a choice he’s made.
3. Take the allowance and buy the biggest engined most powerful old shed you can get for a reasonable price. Or just get an A6 Avant.
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Post by LandieMark on Jan 8, 2018 21:38:50 GMT
Decent Defender will be a struggle at that price point. You would get a usable Series III for that money. The 109 is unloved compared to the 88.
Saying that, there is a red 110 that has been converted to 200Tdi on eBay for £6,200 with a galvanised chassis.
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Post by Tim on Jan 9, 2018 10:25:43 GMT
His head has been turned onto the Defender because apparently a garage on the island bought a 10 year old one with an MOT fail rusted chassis for £500 off the National Trust (or Scottish Heritage/Tourist Board or someone) and all it needed was patched and it was then resold for £2k. Sadly that sound like an absolute one-off. I told him he'd be much cooler (!) in a velour interiored Land Cruiser because everybody has a Defender The old barge sounds great but I think he likes his tech, plus he's doing an easy 500 miles per week for commuting alone so the fuel costs would eat up the saving. He keeps pestering me about the M5 but given that I know how much he earns I think my asking price would be insurmoutable for him! The A6 is a good idea but clearly it's a non-starter because he is the CEO and someone lower down the ladder already has one |
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Post by LandieMark on Jan 9, 2018 10:28:05 GMT
Rotten ones are £3k at the moment.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 9, 2018 10:58:44 GMT
Assuming he's thinking of the Hebrides or perhaps Orkney/Shetland, I have an aunt who lives on the exposed north-western coast of Islay and what she tells me is that cars in the islands age prematurely due to excessive exposure to wet salty air blowing in off the Atlantic in the frequent gales (and matches with a 10yr Defender being an MoT fail for rust!).
After suffering rampant rust problems with her previous A4 Avant and Freelander 2, she now potters around in a Dacia Duster which she swears by, on the basis that it is pleasingly basic, sufficiently rugged and cheap enough to be disposable without problems.
So query whether an old Defender/LC is really the right choice for a holiday home car in the islands. I'd be tempted by a Jimny if it was just for pottering on a small island.
Surely he could buy the E300 cheaply from the leasing company and keep that as the best option? Presume it would run without major issues to at least 150k miles.
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Post by Tim on Jan 9, 2018 11:38:01 GMT
It's one of the southern parts of the Outer Hebrides.
I'm not sure if the car would be garaged but I did think about the rust issue. He says it needs to be able to tow a reasonable sized trailer, which would rule out something like a Jimny, plus it presumably needs to accomodate 3 kids and a large dog. He certainly said the size of a 110 Defender was part of the appeal.
He has expressed concern at the mileage on the E300 as it will be at 100k by the end of the lease.
I think he really wants something shiny and new.
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Post by Blarno on Jan 9, 2018 11:48:40 GMT
1: Shogun or Landcruiser
2: Aygo
3: Octavia Estate.
Job jobbed.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 9, 2018 12:03:20 GMT
Aygo ? ? ?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 13:22:23 GMT
For the teen?
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Post by Tim on Jan 9, 2018 13:28:01 GMT
Makes sense to me.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 9, 2018 14:15:25 GMT
Ha ha - I had them the wrong way round! |
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Post by LandieMark on Jan 9, 2018 14:15:28 GMT
Jimmys are great 4x4s, but they aren’t tow vehicles and they rot worse than the Defenders do!
The 4x4 system can be problematic due to it using steel vacuum pipes.
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Post by PG on Jan 9, 2018 17:20:05 GMT
1. Perhaps the most relevant question is what / who can maintain whatever 4x4 he want to leave on the Outer Hebrides? Then go with that. For ability to take abuse, tow and be left to fester for periods, a Toyota Hi-Lux or a Mitsubishi L200 are probably his best bets. But a quick look at AutoTrader shows not many in his price bracket.
2. Agree with the suggestion to see what is about locally in good condition that fits the bill.
3. Without knowing what the allowance is, you can't really tell if 500 miles a week is feasible financially.
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Post by Tim on Jan 9, 2018 17:24:28 GMT
Allowance is £500 per month I think and he currently pays for all his own fuel.
I don't know what economy he gets from the E300 but the journey is all motorway and most of it is fairly clear so he should be in the region of 50mpg I'd say?
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