Am I mad?

Delta Kilo

Just looking for peoples advice on this.

I currently drive a 00 TDI golf with a full service history and 150k. I like the car but Im thinking of selling it for a few reasons.

In the past year I have had to replace a steering rack, battery and a whole lot of bushings. The clutch is going a bit soft on it and I think its on the way out. Basically I see it as a future money pit. Also the relatively high tax of €560 is beginning to get on my nerves.

What I was thinking of doing is selling it now while it is still worth something, maybe get around the 2k mark for it, and buy a van. Im not sure what type yet, maybe a Caddy but most likely something big like a transit or transporter or similar for the following reasons.

A van is really handy for something I am involved in, transporting gear around and occasionally sleeping in the back of it! So I would have quite a bit of use for it.

Lower tax - but what is the story here, I dont have a company or anything, it would pretty much be for private use. Was anything ever changed with the taxing of commercials in the end? While Im here, what is the story with insurance if it is mainly used for private use?

With the (hopefully) 2k Id get for the car and the bit I could add to it from savings, I could come up a few years and buy a van in good nick.

So am I mad or is it a plausible idea?

unkel

Would you really get €2k for your Golf?

On the van - no you can only tax it as a commercial if you use it exclusively for your business. And you don't have a business

If I were you I'd keep driving it until it is not economically repairable anymore and then get another banger cheap car

Delta Kilo

Delta Kilo wrote: »

.............most likely something big like a transit ..........I could come up a few years and buy a van in good nick.

So am I mad or is it a plausible idea?

You'll find it hard to get a Transit in good nick for small money that's 6 or 7 years old, I reckon you're mad. Transit will not return the mpg you see from the Golf and will be a heap of sh1t to drive in comparison. The extra fuel will gobble up the €300 ish you might save in tax if you get it taxed commercially.

Although, I can appreciate sleeping in a Golf must be awful, if I was you I'd buy an estate car.

hairyman

Had a similar problem myself a couple of years back,,,the simple solution is an MPV.

I bought a Hyundai Trajet 2.0 CRDI and removed the the rear seats,seat removal requires nothing more than pulling a few tabs.
Most full size MPV's have a good size load bay with the seats removed.
After that I Limo tinted all of the back windows and went for 70% tinting on the front passenger/driver and fly windows.

The car could fit a single mattress perfectly in the back,and with the heavy tinting allowed me to sleep in peace when needed,I also got myself a set front and back wind deflectors,these were ideal for overnight stays in the car during long stuffy summer nights as they allowed me to lower all of the windows by about 1" while giving the impression from the outside they they are closed .
Another tip is to run a tiger strap from the front drivers seatbelt mount to the passengers seat belt mount,simply throw a black sheet over the strap,this will give you privacy from anybody looking through the windscreen .


Take into account that my Trajet was an older generation MPV,most newer ones are using smaller capacity engines and also utilise fold flat seats.

Delta Kilo

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Fuel economy wouldnt worry me too much, its just the principal of motor tax i dont really like. Same goes for how it drives, the advantages of a van for me far outweigh the negtives of having a small car that is nicer to drive. Ive driven transits before and and its their simplicity that attracts me to them, coupled with the room in the back. For their size, they have the best wing mirrors on a van i think and are very maneuverable.

My total budget would be about 3500 assuming i sell the golf for about 1800-2000. Some more info on that, it has a new NCT, 4 new tires and a full service history and its a clean car.

A lad I know bought a van recently, had no bother taxing it as a commercial, that was in Kilkenny. He swears by it, he uses it for the same reasons I would be. It just seems like the logical choice.

The MPV sounds like something worth looking into alright, has the added bonus that i could put back in the seats and bring people about the place.

At the moment its still just a thought, but we will see what happens.

unkel

Delta Kilo wrote: »

A lad I know bought a van recently, had no bother taxing it as a commercial, that was in Kilkenny. He swears by it, he uses it for the same reasons I would be. It just seems like the logical choice.

It's even less bother not to tax the car at all

Until you get stopped at a checkpoint...

fonecrusher1

hairyman wrote: »

Had a similar problem myself a couple of years back,,,the simple solution is an MPV.

I bought a Hyundai Trajet 2.0 CRDI and removed the the rear seats,seat removal requires nothing more than pulling a few tabs.
Most full size MPV's have a good size load bay with the seats removed.
After that I Limo tinted all of the back windows and went for 70% tinting on the front passenger/driver and fly windows.

The car could fit a single mattress perfectly in the back,and with the heavy tinting allowed me to sleep in peace when needed,I also got myself a set front and back wind deflectors,these were ideal for overnight stays in the car during long stuffy summer nights as they allowed me to lower all of the windows by about 1" while giving the impression from the outside they they are closed .
Another tip is to run a tiger strap from the front drivers seatbelt mount to the passengers seat belt mount,simply throw a black sheet over the strap,this will give you privacy from anybody looking through the windscreen .


Take into account that my Trajet was an older generation MPV,most newer ones are using smaller capacity engines and also utilise fold flat seats.

I was doing the same sort of thing myself last year in my yota hilux surf. Oh man how i missed that 4x4 this summer.:(
I was able to head off down the coast with a surfboard in the back, a few beers for later & my laptop & stop wherever i wanted & if i took the notion, would stop in somewhere, often a particular campsite in clonakilty get a fire going & set up a comfy overnight snooze cabin in me truck. Happy days. Christ i can't imagine how bad it must be sleeping in the back of a little golf. I was easily able to get a decent nights kip in the surf & im 6ft2 & fat.

I miss that oul hilux surf. I had to get rid of it early this year due to a change in my financial circumstances.:rolleyes:

The Trajet sounds like an even better over-nighter.