Company car choice ...
 

Being as you are all decerning Ducati owners ....

I'm relocating back to the UK, and get a Company Car ( not interested in opting out for a variety of reasons)

The list is

BMW 525d SE Touring, leather
BMW 535i SE Touring, leather
BMW 525d Sport saloon
Audi Avant 3.0 TDI ... high co2 emissions, but some 40 bhp more than the BMws, and more torque

I've had 2 X3 20i
1 x A4 ... that I hated
1 X 330i Coupe ... which I loved, but christ, it was noisy on a motorway
1X 523i ... hit an armco at 85 mph, and lived. Great space and comfort ....

Which one would you suggest , and why?

:o - wot, no smart car on the list?:puzzled:

:saint:

You got it in one !:devil:

Not the touring - noisier than the saloons!

Serious?

Driven a few BMW's didn't like any of them. I opted out and I'm on my second new Multisrada in three years. The left over just about covers the running and servicing costs (36,000+ miles a year uk and abroad) OK lets be honest I don't do cars:barfy:

Mike

GOTTA BE THE AUDI AS NOT A BMW................:lol:

By brother-in-law in exactly same situation as you.Gone for the 525D sport.Well happy.

The Beemer 5 series has the small problem that people point and laugh at it openly, it's that ugly.... Possibly a decent car but there are limits as to what you should be seen in.

I forgot about the looks.:(

Don't bother with that German rubbish get a Jaguar! :D

:burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn:

Isn't that American Rubbish?

[Edited on 18-5-2006 by Jasper]

Why worry what it looks like, it's a damn good car inside.

The touring versions are noisier due to the sounds rattling around inside the boot area - less soundproofing, bigger floor area, more reflected noise, etc, etc.

Don't worry about the badge snobs, they're only jealous! :lol:

Not the most reliable car in the world ......

I also looked at the A6 Quatro avant before buying a 530d sport touring. I found the BM far more envolving and because I buy my own car, much better residuals!!

I dont agree that the touring is any lounder than the saloon and its a great motorway workhorse returning over 40mpg.

I do however think that the rides provided by the runflats (19 inch) is poor and loud. but the worst piece of design must go to the i drive and despite going for the top spec prof system, sound quality is poor and crashes regularly. Im going in next week for the most recent software update (I think we are on CIP20).

They are all good cars, buy a touring if you need the space (and slightly better looks) I would however wath the spec on the BM, ive got almost £10K worth of "extra's" that I feel should have been standard. I found the Audi to be much better speced as standard.

Just been thru this excercise. Looked at BMW 320SE, Alfa 159, and Jaguar X type 2.2 Sport. All Diesel.

Jag won hands down in my humble opinion, quicker than the BMW, much more torque (400Nm), great build and handling. I dont like the BMW image, but thats a personal thing. Didn't bother with Audi as have had an A2, 80, Quattro and Coupe in the past so thought I would try something different.

One of the other guys here has had his Jag 3 years and it has never missed a beat or had any component failures. We also have a few SAAB 93s which continually have turbo problems and a new Passat which was delivered with about 5 faults like, the rear wash wipe didn't work.

[Edited on 18-5-2006 by 749er]

What utter rubbish ....

Jaguar has consistently beaten Mercedes, BMW & Audi in the reliability stakes for the last 7 years - look at the JDP surveys and the Top Gear feedback survey.

It cracks me up these people in their *****e mini panzers, always in the garage with this or that problem - Mercedes being the worst admittedly

They're ugly and they're not built in the UK. I'm happy that I'm keeping some British nationals in work in our rapidly declining manufacturing sector

I had an XJ8 (98 to 02) and now an XJR (02 & continuing) and the only fault - two bulbs and a wiper relay :D in 8 years.

Volvo :devil:

That's a Ford as well!

or Cadillac!!

I read a quote in a car magazine which was attributed to Mercedes,which said they were aiming for Toyota reliability.

Jags can only have got better than they were, say 6 years ago. the one on our fleet had a multitude of problems ... mainly electrical and gearbox .....

I have read that the 17 inch wheel is much better than the 18 incher, and don't touch the 19inch because it makes the ride horrible ....

the 330i I had was on 18 inch 245, and christ it was ahard ride .... really fun when you wanted to play, but not great for a 400 mile journey

Audi..like a few here I dont like BM's and I certainly dont like the look of the 5 series. The i-drive is a bunch of arse too if you ask me..(actually dont ask me coz i'm bit simple when it comes to technical stuff..!)

Nat

Im certainly not a BM fan, but as i do circa 38K pa and run my own car for tax reasons I tend to buy cars with my head not my heart.

Look at the depretiation for a 4 year old car with over 100k miles on the clock and you will understand why I run a BM. The depreciation on all cars is horrific but some are truely silly,

VOLVO V70 is my next car, but then I live in SWEDEN :P

just make sure that the one you choose has a little hook on the passenger grab rail for your suit jacket....oh..and a cup holder.....

Nicely put...my CLK's a lovely car but it deffo isnt a 'sports' car' and it just lacks soul.. I really want an alfa brera, but I know i'll get mullered on the resale after 3 years :(

Nothing quite like making assumptions , are there ...

I presume when you buy a helmet, you make sure it matches your bike, and has ****er written on it ?

:lol:

It's funny to watch all the Ducati owners (well, some of them are ;) ) start ****ging off others for owning BMWs ...

nope, my bike is orange, me helmets black/red & its got arai written on it......:smug:

[Edited on 19-5-2006 by uncle porry]

anyways...there`s no need to be nasty, i was only trying to help....i thought the hook & cup holder were important gadgets to have for you rep type whalla`s...i mean jeez, you aint gonna sell much laminate flooring turning up in a crumpled burtons jacket, and think of the expence if you spill your drink in the car.....not the damage to the dash, but the £11.95 you just paid for the wild bean cappuccino !......:D

I have a BMW, and I really hate it when someone pulls out into my lane. ****ers.

Which version of the Audi 3.0 tdi is it? Some of the sportline and quatro versions look very aggressive. The BMW's are all in my opinion spoiled by the runflat tyres. If you can run with the petrol bill on the 535 then that engine would be my choice. For looks the 525d sport.

The car on my current list is the Mercedes CLS 320d coupe. Probably not practical and current car (Jag Estate - no problems at all) doesn't get repalced until June 2007:(

It would be the quattro 3.0FSI ... can't really run to the silverline, or whatever they call it ...

Could just about get ( for paying a extra 10 GBP a month) a 530d .. just waiting to see ...
But that'll be straight out of the box and few extras

As I said , you are making assumptions ... what makes you think I am a rep?

I have been one, and am quite happy to have been ...

You obviously have a job on a much higher plane, pray put us out of our misery .......:rolleye:

Well the FSI is the petrol range so it will be a 3.2. i'd probably go for that one over a BMW. It does look like you are drawn to the BM's though and if you can put up with the run flat ride then it has to be a BM. If you could stretch a little further there is a sublime 535d which in M Sport trim looks fantastic :burn:

If its in the interests of the company, why dont they give you a reliant robin?

Surely its just about you getting to a place to conduct buisness?

If they did that for the others in the company think of the saving they could pass on to the customer...............:D

You're very touchy about this aren't you...?

Yeah, cos I don't have a really important job like Uncle Porry .....:D

[Edited on 19-5-2006 by the phantom pieman]