Would this be madness

traco

We're a two car family, have an 07 ML 320 CDI from new that I reckon we'll be buried in as I'd have to give it away. Not that bothered about it apart from the tax as its paid for and minded like a small child so better the devil you know etc.

Problem - I do a bit of mileage, office is 100km round trip daily, throw in Cork, Galway, Belfast and UK spins also and it can ratchet up. I currently have a tired 97 Passst TDi estate (110) brought in from the UK. I had originaly planed to sell it after a year or so but instead put well ove 100k miles on it. She starts grand and will pass the NCT but she is getting tired and tatty and as I could be doing big miles again I want to change in the coming months. Finding I'm using teh ML now for the longer spins for comfort and peace of mind.

So heres the issue, 18k or so for 2010 / 2011 Passat/Superb estate 170 bhp from the UK keep it for 12 months, rinse and repeat or go the silly route with a 730d pre 08 see linky below for example. 10k buys a lot of tax and diesel

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-730d-facelift-model/5777611

Toyotafanboi

730, much nicer place to be if you're doing big miles and as you say, 10k left in the bank for tax/ servicing etc. its almost a no brainer.

scwazrh

Wait till you get a few repair bills for a high mileage expensive motor.Its not buying them thats hard its running it.What would be the advantage of having that 7 series over your ML?

MadYaker

Would there be much of a difference in running costs? Both roughly the same age 6 cyl diesels. As you said yourself, better the devil you know.

Toyotafanboi

the OP says its a 2 car household and by his wording i think he wants rid of the clapped out 97 passat not the 07 ML.

traco

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

730, much nicer place to be if you're doing big miles and as you say, 10k left in the bank for tax/ servicing etc. its almost a no brainer.

Thats the way I'm leaning also.

scwazrh wrote: »

Wait till you get a few repair bills for a high mileage expensive motor.Its not buying them thats hard its running it.What would be the advantage of having that 7 series over your ML?

7 would be more refined, marginally better on juice but thats a moot point if looking at these type of cars anyway.

I've had a few BMWs. 318i Conv, 520i, 328i, M3 so I'm aware of the cost of running such cars. All them were main dealer serviced for oil changes and routine, all speciality work done by trusted indys with OEM parts bought from the UK.

Plus I just like the 7 as an uber panzer wagon and I'm getting old and want to indulge myself. Last year I was considering an 01 CL500/600.

The biggest fear would be getting bored of it and not being able to shift it

Supergurrier

Jesus an ML, sell sell

homingbird

You always here people say bill will be high on a expensive car but that is not true if car is looked after well eg. oil changed often & your not a boy racer it will not give you any trouble . Stay away from main dealer as they will see you coming & say if you can afford the car you can afford the bill ( ripoff ). Inde garage will look after you just as good.

traco

Supergurrier wrote: »

Jesus an ML, sell sell

Can't sell it - worthless so have to keep it till it rots

Here's a cost sheet on the two options as I'm bored, screen shot below and link to teh excel file if anyone wishes to improve it or find any mistakes. If you are messing with it you only need to change the blue figures.

Cost per KM driven which in my opinion is the only number that matters and shows the true cost of driving the car. Tax is a major factor along with tyres and fuel. However its costing 8c more per km to drive a car that was worth 2-3 times more (100k vs 35/45k depending on spec)

[IMG]http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/<a class=outboundlink data-outboundlink=http://www.boards.ie/out?f=47&url=aHR0cCUzQSUyRiUyRnMxNDEucGhvdG9idWNrZXQuY29tJTJGdXNlciUyRjIwMDE1MjBpJTJGbWVkaWElMkZXZWJTaGFyZSUyRkRpZXNlbENvc3RDb21wYXJpc29uXzJMdnMzTF96cHMwZWYyZDY5Mi5qcGcuaHRtbA==&h=bd12f href=http://s141.photobucket.com/user/2001520i/media/WebShare/DieselCostComparison_2Lvs3L_zps0ef2d692.jpg.html target=_blank >[/img]
Link to file:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32111526/OwnershipCostComparison.xlsx

traco

I just went back into the spreadsheet and if you put in 38k for a new Passat the costs per km over 3 years are the same for both cars, assuming 20% depreciation per annum. That could be open to discussion on yera one though.

scwazrh

I would still be very concerned about a luxury car with 150k mileage .the engine would probably be fine but would the electronics throughout be ok? I've often though about buying a 5-6 year old range rover but I would be terrified that within a few wks of having one the repair bills would kick in.A mate of mine just sold his 08discovery as it needed a 3000 euro electronics repair..

Casati

scwazrh wrote: »

I would still be very concerned about a luxury car with 150k mileage .the engine would probably be fine but would the electronics throughout be ok? I've often though about buying a 5-6 year old range rover but I would be terrified that within a few wks of having one the repair bills would kick in.A mate of mine just sold his 08discovery as it needed a 3000 euro electronics repair..

You need to budget some element of repairs for both cars really, your service costs look like they would only cover general servicing based on 35km p.a. I would have expected the Beemer would have higher insurance cost possibly

traco

Luxobarge would be serviced by an indy, no point in keeping it in the dealer network. Given the high mileage at purchase and teh addition high miles being added the dealer stamp wouldn't be worth the premium.

I'm 40 so insurance is no different for me in the real terms, think the CL quote was less than €100 more than the current Passat.

Of course the other factor thats not considered that makes the boring TDI the smart choice is that if you were to buy right and sell after say 12 months, rinse and repeat you may be able to minimize the depreciation factor and keep running a 2/3 year old car.

It would be a case of commiting to change every 10-14 months. Maybe that route and a classic for fun would be a smarter cost effective route.