Posted by merwyn
Hello all
I have two vehicle options and will certainly appreciate your input. I do not know a lot about cars from a cost and technical perspective. In both cases, fuel will be covered by the company.
My profile: Junior management working in the Middle East for a global company. In sales which requires driving about 50 kilometres a day.
1. Purchase option of a company owned Opel Omega 2003 that I currently drive
Pros:
• 3.2 litres of pure adrenalin
• Performs like new due to a recently overhauled engine and a new exhaust system.
• Looks great with new headlights, bumpers and grill (paid for by insurance after a recent accident).
• Suits my profile better
Cons:
• A limited car allowance will be provided which means that registration, insurance and especially maintenance will be on my account
• The car is about 5 years old, hence accident insurance cover (required by law) will be less comprehensive than that offered for new cars
2. A new Toyota Corolla 2008 model (the Middle East version is quite different - better airconditioner, etc) provided by the company
Pros:
• Registration, insurance and maintenance on company account.
• The car is brand new
Cons:
• A downgrade to a 1.8 litre engine
• Does not suit my profile very well (no, I’m not a snob)
Thanks in advance
Posted by carkitter
Can't believe I'm saying this but go for the Corolla. Good car, 100kw engine, ultra reliable. Normally I'd go for the 3.2L Opel, but it's best to get rid of it after a successful overhaul. Re-built engines don't last as long as a new one...
Posted by batesie
i'd normally say "better the devil you know than the devil you dont". but i'd go for the new one
Posted by carkitter
Actually, I'm trying to decide between two cars too...
1997 Honda Prelude 2.2L DOHC VTEC
2001 Ford Mondeo Zetec Liftback
Which ever car I buy is destined for suspension modifications so ignore the fact that one is a sports car and one is a family car
The Prelude has THAT engine and also a sunroof which I love but the styling is hardly innovative. The Mondeo is less sporting and less powerful but I just love its looks and the interior quality and the space afforded by the liftback for my bike. Both cars are priced about the same.
What do you guys think?
Posted by *Jojo*
@car - I like the Honda Prelude dude ! Ford is BEST known for it's - SUVs (that is . . . at my end) . . . How about the Honda S2000 or some OLD - Acuras
Posted by JK
Get a Audi 2.0T!
Posted by OffLineR
@merwyn
this is a realy tough choice.
IMO if you intend to drive more than 3 years you should go for the Corolla other wise pure adrenalin talks =)
Posted by jcwhite_uk
How many Km has the Omega done? If it has done over 150,000km then hand it back and take the corolla
Posted by max_wedge
@carkitter, out of the Honda and the Mondeo - Honda all the way
Much more exciting vehicle. I ride too, so I relate to your desire for boot space for the bike - but as I'm about to ditch my old bluebird station wagon for my puegeot 405 that I'm finally getting registered, I'm going to miss the station wagon for the same reason as you, but I'll love my Peugeot more than I'll miss the space!!
@merwyn, go the toyota - they aren't as powerful as the opel, but they are rally bred; don't underestimate the fun you can have in a toyota corolla.
Especially if you can soup up the motor a little - the toyota is so light you don't have to do much tweaking to get back the same power to weight ratio as the opel, but twice the handling (ie: twice the fun).
Posted by arien617
If you can get past having something not as fun, get the Corolla.
It's a Toyota, so it's reliable and built well.
It's safe.
It's new.
It looks good.
Should be cheaper to run because of the engine capacity.
A bit of work/tweaks on it should make it better.
Or you could use higher octane fuels for better performance.
Go for the Corolla.
Posted by carkitter
@JoJo
Yeah, I'm a die hard Honda fan so the Prelude is ideal for me; mechanically the S2000 is the business but the styling just doesn't work IMO and besides, it's still to expensive for me. Acuras are unavailable here in NZ.
@Max
I used to have a '94 Integra DOHC VTEC and the hatchback came in very handy - though I'm not really a S/W fan, a 5 door liftback is as far as I'll move away from my ideal of a 2 door coupe. Those intersecting lines in the Mondeo's 'Edge' styling is a visual treat, and with many ex-company lease cars turning up as the victims of savage new-car depreciation, the Mondeo is a bargain ATM.
@JK
I'd love an Audi but I can't afford one new enough that I can avoid MASSIVE repair bills. Wish I could afford an A4 MTM/S5/S6/S8/R8... but not anytime soon.
Posted by Rookwise
Am actually looking at new cars myself to replace my 2002 SEAT Leon.
Have been looking at:
Peugeot 207 GTI (£14,000)
Renault Twingo GT 100 (£9,600)
SEAT Ibiza Cupra (£16,000)
Mazda 3 (£????)
Posted by jcwhite_uk
@rookwise
That is quite a wide price range.
What are you looking for in a car?
Posted by Rookwise
Something a bit nippy but smaller than my Leon as I don't really need a bigger car anymore.
Am leaning towards the new 2007 Renault Twingo GT 100. It has a 1.2 turbocharged engine with 100bhp which is more than my Leon 1.4 16v which has 75bhp.
I can't stand BMW's, Citroens, Volvo's.
Vauxhall's I quite like but a Vectra or Astra VXR is quite out of my price range.
Also the new SEAT Leon Cupra but with the spec I want it would come to £23,000 which is way too much
Posted by Ridahz
Like i said in PM Andy...
Some wicked 525's beemers rollin' cheap these days leaving plenty of change...
Now there real cars
Posted by Rookwise
Really don't like BMW's mate. Have experienced lot of problems with them in the past. Also repairs/servicing cost too much + I got a few points on my licence so smaller engine cars are a must for another 3 years atm
Posted by Ridahz
Ahh so thats the reason... Thought about the Suzuki Swift 55plate?
Nice cheap cars
Posted by jcwhite_uk
On 2007-10-18 02:23:16, Rookwise wrote:
Vauxhall's I quite like but a Vectra or Astra VXR is quite out of my price range.
Have you thought about a Corsa VXR? £16000, 192bhp and it has all the mod cons like air-con etc.
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Life[ This Message was edited by: jcwhite_uk on 2007-10-18 08:59 ]
Posted by carkitter
I second the Suzuki Swift option. Rally-bred technology!
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[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2007-10-19 21:14 ]
Posted by arien617
It's a love or hate thing (with the current gen car), but I think the Type-R is a great car!
Old gen R's go for like £11k approved used.
[ This Message was edited by: arien617 on 2007-10-19 22:41 ]
Posted by jcwhite_uk
On 2007-10-19 23:37:33, arien617 wrote:
It's a love or hate thing (with the current gen car), but I think the Type-R is a great car!
Old gen R's go for like £11k approved used.
[ This Message was edited by: arien617 on 2007-10-19 22:41 ]
You can get 4 year old one from honda dealers for less than 10K now.
Posted by amnesia
toyota all the way. qataris know toyotas