Crew Cabs- Do they work as every day cars

BnA

I was thinking about getting a crew cab as a company car in January.

The reason I am thinking of a crew cab instead of a saloon is for tax reasons. We would be able to claim the VAT back on it and I wouldn't pay much BIK as it is a commercial.

The reason I would look at a Crew Cab instead of a Van or a Jeep is obviously for the back seats. With 3 kids, I have to have back seats. It wouldn't be the main family car (my wife has that) but I would still need to be able to drop and collect the kids a few days a week.

Does anyone here use one as an every day car.

How practical are they....?

I did about 20k miles this year and it will probably be closer to 30k next year.

Also, which is the best one.

I'm leaning towards the Ford Ranger Thunder at the moment as it seems to be very good value. I haven't driven one yet though. The other good value one out there is the Isuzu D-Max but this got some terrible reviews.

The Hilux would seem to be the best of them, but it is a few grand more expensive.

Thanks in Advance for all opinions.

Anan1

If you didn't care about safety, comfort, handling or performance and were only doing limited mileage then a crew cab might just do the job. At 30k miles pa, I wouldn't even consider it.

quattro777

Not forgetting resale value and very poor fuel consuption.
In a word, no.

ChristyCent

They're seriously that bad!??

congo_90

Transit crew cab is prolly the safest of the lot. Wouldn't say comfortable on any scale as i'd be lieing. a lot. Think 96 escort with larger boot but same handling and performance

FearDark

Was in the back of a Nissan crew cab once, honestly the worst thing Ive ever been in, twas like sitting on a park bench in a trailler being towed by a tractor.

R.O.R

My Ford dealer was affected by the floods a couple of weeks ago. I asked if all the staff were heading home in Rangers so they could get to work the following day - his response was that he'd rather swim than drive one of those god awful things! When that's the opinion of a Ford dealer, it's says a lot about the vehicle.

I'd also check whether a Crew Cab qualify's for 5% commercial BIK. Bit of a grey area that I've never managed to get to the bottom of. As far as I'm concerned, since the VRT changes in 2003, they are passenger vehicles as far as BIK is classified.

Berty

I have driven a fair few crew cabs in my time as site jeeps.

They are mules, donkeys whatever you want to call them. They are NOT for carting around your family on the cheap.

You will regret every minute of it from parking to the extra €4-€6 it costs to have it washed.

However, if you must then a Nissan Pathfinder.

keefg

BnA wrote: »

The reason I am thinking of a crew cab instead of a saloon is for tax reasons.


The reason I would look at a Crew Cab instead of a Van or a Jeep is obviously for the back seats. With 3 kids, I have to have back seats. It wouldn't be the main family car (my wife has that) but I would still need to be able to drop and collect the kids a few days a week.

Another thing to be careful about here. I was thinking of getting a crew cab and asked the guys in the 4x4 forum for advice, if it's taxed as a commercial vehicle and you are doing the school run in it then you could get in trouble if stopped by the gardai.

golfman

I don't see what all the fuss is about.

I got an 06 Nissan Navara with the hard top from the auctions at a very good price. I cart all the lads around to the golf on the weekend and everyone finds it very comfortable. The older versions look a bit raw but the d40 IMO is as good as you're going to get. It has everything any other car has apart from handling (Climate control, cruise control, steerwheel radio controls, 6 CD autochanger, electric windows, elsctric mirrors).

The only problem I have with it is when I'm in town trying to park, its a nightmare, especially in multi storey car parks. (and another little problem I'm about to start a thread about)

In summary, loads of boot space, loads of space for everyone inside, comfortable, loads of extras included but hard to park and boring to drive!

Traumadoc

What about Suvs converted to crew cabs, like landcruiser 100s

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Landcruiser-100/4.2TD-Cr/200926194409092/advert?channel=CARS

galwaytt

...and another thing: you'll have to insure it for Social Domestic & Pleasure use, on top of Commercial, as well.

Technically, it'll have to be taxed as a private vehicle, @ €900 p.a./whatever, and, here's the kicker, as I know someone currently in this very pickle:..........in a resident's permit parking area (lots of towns), you won't get a parking permit for it, as it's not a Car. (mad, I know).

Apart from that, they're a cart to drive, but I do appreciate their handiness, and if mileage was small, I'd have no issue. With 30k p.a., you'll be looking for a Chiropracter as well.

pburns

I have a Navara (which is one of the better pick-ups on-road) and a car.

I do about 5k a year in the Nissan. NO WAY would I use it for 20k miles per year or use it to cart around my family. As Anan1 said - safety, comfort, handling and performance are sub-par for everyday driving. Plus you can virtually see the fuel guage dropping as you drive along. I use mine off-road, as a back-up if someone else has the car or for carrying loads.

To the gentleman who said otherwise - you must be VERY undemanding. No amount of extras can counteract the laws of physics.

corkthai

i have an l200 and do about 20k a year.. find it not too bad. not as comfy as a car but it does the job for me.
has 5 seats, room in the back for a lot of stuff, and when i feel i need to go greenlaning can do that too

fuel consumption is 10+ litres per 100 km. not good but not the worst.

i dont have any problems parking it really, yes its long but you get used to it...
id go for the hilux if i could find a good value one if i was you though.

golfman

pburns wrote: »

I have a Navara (which is one of the better pick-ups on-road) and a car.

I do about 5k a year in the Nissan. NO WAY would I use it for 20k miles per year or use it to cart around my family. As Anan1 said - safety, comfort, handling and performance are sub-par for everyday driving. Plus you can virtually see the fuel guage dropping as you drive along. I use mine off-road, as a back-up if someone else has the car or for carrying loads.

To the gentleman who said otherwise - you must be VERY undemanding. No amount of extras can counteract the laws of physics.

Sorry just to clarify something, I guess I never read the OP's post that well. I bought my Navara as I wanted a commercial so I could cover it with a vehicle wrap advertising my company and the obvious tax advantages that go with having a commercial. I didn't want to give up my back seats so a crew cab was the only way to go. There's no way on earth I would pick a crew cab over an everyday car if I had no use for such a big vehicle. I'm just saying that as it goes, the Navara D40 isn't that bad.....

Cheeble

Had mine for years. Up to 35k miles per year, driven to Italy & back in it on family holiday with two MTBs, a travel cot and mattress, four weeks worth of clothes for the missus (we were gone two weeks). Drove it to Scotland and back full of wet gear then hosed out the back. Insurance no problem, ferries no problem, never washed it, it's never even coughed badly.

Why would you buy anything else?

Cheeble-eers

galwaytt

galwaytt wrote: »

...and another thing: you'll have to insure it for Social Domestic & Pleasure use, on top of Commercial, as well.

Technically, it'll have to be taxed as a private vehicle, @ €900 p.a./whatever, and, here's the kicker, as I know someone currently in this very pickle:.

Where as this new wave of thinking come from that cars cannot be taxed commercially and driven privately. For a start every farmer in the country is taxing commercially and using privately. I could count more than 40 people of the top of my head that I know with car vans and commercial 4x4/crew cabs which are used for private use half the time they are on the road and they are all taxed commercially and I did it myself a while back as well.

You will also not be able to doe or nct it if its taxed privately, as a commercial (which it is) cannot be nct'd and a privately taxed vehicle will not be allowed to do the doe

R.O.R

^^^

Just because people do it all the time, doesn't mean it's not against the law.

R.O.R

R.O.R wrote: »

^^^

Just because people do it all the time, doesn't mean it's not against the law.

Is it against the law though? I have heard of one or two people trying to tax car vans privately to avoid the doe and they were told they had to tax them commercially.

If thats the case tractors should be taxed privately as farm work is not necessarily commercial.

R.O.R

Annalise Shapely Chrysalis wrote: »

Is it against the law though? I have heard of one or two people trying to tax car vans privately to avoid the doe and they were told they had to tax them commercially.

If thats the case tractors should be taxed privately as farm work is not necessarily commercial.

I'm lead to believe it is, but can't link to any specific legislation. This is from a couple of conversation with people involved either in selling commercial vehicles or running large fleets of commercial vehicles.

If a vehicle is taxed commercially then it should only be used for comercial purposes. If it's used for private use, then it should be taxed privatley. It does seem that a lot of the tax offices aren't aware of this either, which doesn't help when you are trying to tax a commercial privately.

Next time you see a van with the name of the worlds no.1 fizzy soft drink on the side, check what class it's taxed under.

Long Onion

you can tax a commercial vehicle commercially and drive it for private use and there is no problem with it. What you can't do is try to write off VAT on a private vehicle by claiming that it is used for commercial purposes - perhaps this is where the misinformation is coming from.

Pkiernan

BnA wrote: »

I was thinking about getting a crew cab as a company car in January.

The reason I am thinking of a crew cab instead of a saloon is for tax reasons. We would be able to claim the VAT back on it and I wouldn't pay much BIK as it is a commercial.

The reason I would look at a Crew Cab instead of a Van or a Jeep is obviously for the back seats. With 3 kids, I have to have back seats. It wouldn't be the main family car (my wife has that) but I would still need to be able to drop and collect the kids a few days a week.

Does anyone here use one as an every day car.

How practical are they....?

I did about 20k miles this year and it will probably be closer to 30k next year.

Also, which is the best one.

I'm leaning towards the Ford Ranger Thunder at the moment as it seems to be very good value. I haven't driven one yet though. The other good value one out there is the Isuzu D-Max but this got some terrible reviews.

The Hilux would seem to be the best of them, but it is a few grand more expensive.

Thanks in Advance for all opinions.

The majority of respondants to the OP's question seem to be focussed on a provate individual taxing a commercial.

The OP states that it will be a COMPANY car, and that he is subject to Benefit in Kind tax; therefore the tax issue is not relevant.

I would go for the Hilux with leather and Auto tranny. Ultra reliable, and no bother to exceed 30 mpg combined.

The 4wd and increased ground clearance makes driving on our rubbish roads more pleasant. (Personally I would not get the side steps, as they reduce ground clearance, but this may not be an issue as I am off road a lot on sites etc.)

It will not be as comfortable to drive as a car, but there is plenty of room in the back for kids, and if you throw a canopy over the pickup bed you will have a ton of room back there for your belongings.

It will also be a bit noisier to drive than a car, but I would not have an issue with this personally. Test drive one and see.

It would also be worth seeing if you can rent one for a week, and seeing how you and your family like it.

Rapidude

Dont go for a hilux if you want to put anybody sitting in the back. D-Max or Navara.

Navara is more stylish but D-Max is most comfortable out of all pickups this side of a maloo!

BnA

golfman wrote: »

Sorry just to clarify something, I guess I never read the OP's post that well. I bought my Navara as I wanted a commercial so I could cover it with a vehicle wrap advertising my company and the obvious tax advantages that go with having a commercial. I didn't want to give up my back seats so a crew cab was the only way to go. There's no way on earth I would pick a crew cab over an everyday car if I had no use for such a big vehicle. I'm just saying that as it goes, the Navara D40 isn't that bad.....

golfman

You read my origional post perfectly well. The reason I am thinking of a crewcab is the very same as yourself. So I could get a commercial which would be logo'ed up and so I could also keep my back seats.

I am not hugely worried about how comfortable (or not) the back seats are. 98% of the time I am in it, I'll be on my own. All family trips we take, we use my wifes car. I would just get a straight commercial small van except about once a week, it would turn out very awkard for me to not to have back seats when I have to collect or drop the kids somewhere and my wife is gone in her own car.

Anyway, most of the replys here seem to kind of confirm my fears. If I was only going in and out to work every day, I would probably give it more consideration, but because of the ammount of miles I am doing I think I'll forget about it.

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated.

debbie123

keefg wrote: »

Another thing to be careful about here. I was thinking of getting a crew cab and asked the guys in the 4x4 forum for advice, if it's taxed as a commercial vehicle and you are doing the school run in it then you could get in trouble if stopped by the gardai.

parents have 2.5 diesel mitsubishi l200 deceiving from outside look big inside narrow and pokey nightmare with kids as back passengers car seats last no battle noisy clumsy and impossible to park only in a 30 acre field wouldn advise not much perks to them t.b.h