Buying! Advice on New Daily Driver Needed

[CamBiscuit]

A guy I know was workshop manager of Chateau Moteur in Adelaide for a while and was disgusted by the amount of issues the current crop of Mercs seem to have.

Vote 1 - Beemer

[Andrew B]

Vote -1 for Merc also. Wiring problems .....

[hmd]

John,

I am no tax adviser but it's seem to me what you are saying doesn't compute.

If you need/want a new car then sure go ahead and take a novated lease so at least you can enjoy some of your tax money. But if you don't want/need a new car why would you? in the end you will have to pay for part of it out of your income.

BMW = Bring More Worries

[Fishcop]

Hung, you're probably right...

[OBRUT]

its hard to go past the practicality of the 964 speedster...

stow the little forcier and the hump and you're golden.

[reedminor]

Was thinking exactly the same thing Ryan.

I once saw a Lotus Elan with a baby seat mounted between the two front seats... very cool.

I had an old work colleague who reckoned BMW stood for Badly Made Wreck. I have no direct ownership experience, but always laugh when I hear it.

[Terminator]

M Spec 325i would be nice, with low k's that would stretch the budget.

I bought a 5 year old M Spec 540 Beemer (70,000k) over 12 months ago instead of a new Commodore (saved money and having more fun) awesome car and no hassles so far

[Fishcop]

Clyde, definitely thought of that, but I understand the car has to be pretty new/low kms to meet lease conditions.

[OBRUT]

Clyde, definitely thought of that, but I understand the car has to be pretty new/low kms to meet lease conditions.

john - depends on the lease co. my old 2.2E (now marcus' car OJ911) was on a novated lease. they just play around with the rates, residual etc

[Fishcop]

john - depends on the lease co. my old 2.2E (now marcus' car OJ911) was on a novated lease. they just play around with the rates, residual etc

Nup, can't do it with my show's arrangement...

[alexwebster]

FWIW - I work for VW/Audi, so happy to pull some strings if you want me to

I have had 2 x A4's, one was the B8 2.0T Sedan, and the new on is the B8 2.7 Tdi. The diesel is a much nicer car to drive. 400 Nm of torque. The 2.0T had heaps of torque steer when you booted it. You get almost none from the diesel, weird but true! 8 speed auto is a dream. I would get an extended Allianz warranty on it, which takes it to 6 years warranty.

Nice options are, roof, B & O stereo (the new does not have it and no where near as good), Sline (gives you lower suspension, sporty seats etc). Does rider harder in the sline though, so the kid may not sleep as well!!!

The A4 Wagon i reckon is the pick, I love them!

VW Passat is a great car too. Also add the Q5, you can get into a small 4WD again, hard thing is getting them, they have sold out of all Aussie stock for the rest of the year. Tiguan also great car, not too big. But if you have to stay with a sedan, A4 or Passat R36 are both great.

[IXXI72]

A4 Wagon for me - but like you John - I can't get the missus to see the good in them .

[John S]

Alex, is the Allianz warranty an extension of the full manufacturer's warranty?

John, to me the best looking wagon is the A4. Would have liked it to be a bit wider across the rear seat to fit two child seats plus 1 adult. Couldn't afford the quattro version. So one of these in white will have to do

[Jeff Eelkema]

John

If you want a practical compact family hatch, A VW GTi is a great compromise. Easy parking and all the other good bits of smallish cars but a fantastic thing to drive. Driven sedately, you would hardly know it was a performance vehicle, ride quality is surprising and doesn't jar over our average roads.

How much room do you really need?

Cheers

[Fishcop]

Alex, thanks very much for the advice - If I do go with Audi/VW I'll give you a bell.

John, that Passat is very sweet... 5k wheels I suspect

Jeff, I'm a big fan of the Golf and haven't ruled it out. My wife actually really likes the Jetta which I understand is really a Golf with a boot, so there could be a compromise there (VW should do a R32 Jetta!)

Diesel is really coming up on the radar as a serious consideration. After a lot of years with diesel work vehicles and vessels, I'm not adverse. Paired up to a dsg box and they really make sense.

Okay, time to put this out there... I'm really liking the new Citroen C5 in 2.7DTI (I guess it's my froggy genes ) And if you've ever ridden in a hydro-pneumatic suspended car, you'll know how pleasant they are. Featutres are on a par with the German triumvirate, but at least 20% cheaper... I suspect I'd notice the residual a lot more than with a hun vehicle though.