It's going!

[@mark]

So my company has decided to mandate that I have a company car. Not a car allowance but an actual car.

So this means only one thing. My A7 has to go. Having run the car for 18 months, I can easily say it has been exceptional. In Quattro form it has coped with rain, snow and ice as well as wonderful dry twisty roads with ease.

It hasn't been without it's problems and I am still not convinced that the build quality is up there with BMW but it's certainly in the same league and as a family car, from a practicality perspective, it's been amazing.

So I am now just working out the cheapest way to get rid and shut down the PCP. Looks like a toss up between selling back to the dealer or going the We Buy Any Car route. Either way, because I am not even half way into the finance agreement, this is going to cost me.

Going to be a shame to see it go

[Johnb80]

Consider how much the payments are to get you to half way, may be cheaper than taking the hit from the other routes. I have done battle with VW Finance on similar issues, if you need any info PM me.

J

[@mark]

Consider how much the payments are to get you to half way, may be cheaper than taking the hit from the other routes. I have done battle with VW Finance on similar issues, if you need any info PM me.

J

Thanks

I'm only 18 months into 48 so still a good 12 months off being able to do a voluntary termination and just walk away. If I sat it out then the car would sit on my drive not getting used yet I would still need to tax and insure it. So that route (either now or in 12 months time) is by far the most expensive.

The maths suggests that all in, the company car would save me around £400 per month after I account for car payment, tyres, service, tax, insurance etc etc etc. So within a year, I can be back in the black

It really depends on what I can get for my car. In theory if I went down the private sale route, I could potentially make a profit (just) but I can see this being a difficult car to sell privately and to be honest, I haven't got the hours in the day to do that.

[zollaf]

can't you sell it to your company then have it back as a company car ? you know, because they have changed the goal posts which will leave you out of pocket.

[@mark]

can't you sell it to your company then have it back as a company car ? you know, because they have changed the goal posts which will leave you out of pocket.

If only.

It all very fixed and inflexible so the decision has been made, I am given a list of 10 cars and I "have" to choose one off the list with no options or variations from what is offered.

[zollaf]

oh dear, i hope the company you work for is worth it. i mean, what if those 10 cars were all french or italian, what then, or a ford ??

[@mark]

oh dear, i hope the company you work for is worth it. i mean, what if those 10 cars were all french or italian, what then, or a ford ??

Included on the list:

Prius!!!!!
Lexus CT200!!
Ford Focus
Ford Galaxy

But then we also have

A3 2.0TDI S Line Sportback - Not too shabby
Lots of BMWs

Right now it's looking like it's going to be a 520D. I really liked the A3 but it isn't big enough for the family so the plan is to get the 520 and then upgrade the wifes car to an A3 SportBack and we will still be about £350 per month better off :)

The only toys on the car I am going to loose over the A7 is the HUD

Can you see my trying to make a positive from a negative here

[Sam]

Is there anything in the we're-forcing-you-to-have-a-company-car document that says you must drive the car?

Get the Prius, give it to mrs @mark and let her feel a sense of environmental superiority while you keep and drive the A7 and redress the balance.

[@mark]

Is there anything in the we're-forcing-you-to-have-a-company-car document that says you must drive the car?

Get the Prius, give it to mrs @mark and let her feel a sense of environmental superiority while you keep and drive the A7 and redress the balance.

No! But!

The car comes with a fuel card tied to the car.

The expenses system is locked so I can no longer claim business mileage or fuel costs.

So I could do all those business miles in my own car but I would not get reimbursed for them. I don't think that's a sensible approach

[zollaf]

the prius it is then, just need to grow a big bushy beard and buy some hemp sandals and change your name to skylark.

[Sam]

[...]

I don't think that's a sensible approach

A7...sensible...pft, come on man!

[Gavin0478]

Give the A7 to your wife?

[@mark]

Give the A7 to your wife?

She's still on L plates. Might be a bit of a handful for her

On the plus side, I wonder if you are allowed to use park assist on your test :biglaugh:

[Gavin0478]

Flip it, if you did use park assist, and parked correctly what could they fail you on as to use it means you are in full control of the motor vehicle!

[Johnb80]

I would think not having hold of the steering wheel would be a starter.

Assuming park assist parks the car for you

J

[silo24]

Correct me if i'm wrong, however if they have previously given you a car allowance which you have in turn used to provide a car for business use, at the very least they have to give you either:

1) Sufficient notice to allow you to come to the end of any financial commitment regarding the car you are providing for business use or
2) Compensate you for the financial penalty you will incur due to the enforcement of the 'new' rules.

Seems extremely unreasonable to me and i'd be raising hell about it. You're personally going to be out of pocket to the tune of thousands.......

[@mark]

Correct me if i'm wrong, however if they have previously given you a car allowance which you have in turn used to provide a car for business use, at the very least they have to give you either:

1) Sufficient notice to allow you to come to the end of any financial commitment regarding the car you are providing for business use or
2) Compensate you for the financial penalty you will incur due to the enforcement of the 'new' rules.

Seems extremely unreasonable to me and i'd be raising hell about it. You're personally going to be out of pocket to the tune of thousands.......

They haven't previously given me a car allowance. I have only ever claimed the 45ppm/25ppm mileage rate but this has always worked out fine.

And yes I will be personally out of pocket by thousands however when you do the maths, I should be able to recover that loss in about 10 months based on the company car (when you take into account, lease payments, insurance, tyres, service etc etc etc) costing me around £400 per month less that what I am paying out now. I could defer but only for a few months which does not take me to a better place so the only question is if I take the hit now or later. I have decided that if we are going to do this, lets just get on with it and get it over and done with and within a year I will be £400 per month (take home) better off which is money I can either pocket or use to "upgrade" the wifes car

Yes I am pi$$ed off

Yes it's not fair

But there's sod all I can do about it right now except bend over and take it

[silo24]

They haven't previously given me a car allowance. I have only ever claimed the 45ppm/25ppm mileage rate but this has always worked out fine.

And yes I will be personally out of pocket by thousands however when you do the maths, I should be able to recover that loss in about 10 months based on the company car (when you take into account, lease payments, insurance, tyres, service etc etc etc) costing me around £400 per month less that what I am paying out now. I could defer but only for a few months which does not take me to a better place so the only question is if I take the hit now or later. I have decided that if we are going to do this, lets just get on with it and get it over and done with and within a year I will be £400 per month (take home) better off which is money I can either pocket or use to "upgrade" the wifes car

Yes I am pi$$ed off

Yes it's not fair

But there's sod all I can do about it right now except bend over and take it

Yeah, I can see the dilemma now....I assumed you had an allowance but if that's not the case then c'est la vie I guess.

[Kar Krazy]

I'd get my CV up to date and see what other jobs are out there. Get a few interviews, get a job offer, then take the offer letter in to show your boss / HR dept. If they make a counter offer to keep you, negotiate keeping your A7 into the deal. They soon stop acting so high and mighty when you remind them that no, they don't own you.

[@mark]

I'd get my CV up to date and see what other jobs are out there. Get a few interviews, get a job offer, then take the offer letter in to show your boss / HR dept. If they make a counter offer to keep you, negotiate keeping your A7 into the deal. They soon stop acting so high and mighty when you remind them that no, they don't own you.

Oh if only it was so simple.

My company actually spends a lot of time looking out for it's people but when it comes to policy then you have to remember that you are just one of 100,000 employees globally and as some of my colleagues found out (all with at least 10 years of service each) last month, if you don't like it, there's the door! They decided to try the "you can't afford for us to leave" route as a team. The company took their resignation letters then took their phones, laptops and ID cards off them, then had them escorted out of the building explaining that they would have their notice periods all paid in full but that they did not need to report into work any more.

So you see I do have a choice really. Follow the company policy or leave but with 14 years service and a 6 figure package in a global company who is doing rather well right now, the latter option would just be a daft thing to do.

[Kar Krazy]

A six figure package...

I've changed, my mind, take the BMW :-)

[Sam]

A six figure package...

£1000.01 per annum.

[Hex69]

A six figure package...

I've heard of the five finger shuffle, but the six figure package? :naughty:

[Johnb80]

So you see I do have a choice really. Follow the company policy or leave but with 14 years service and a 6 figure package in a global company who is doing rather well right now, the latter option would just be a daft thing to do.

In that case, quit whinging, keep the Audi as a plaything for weekends.

J

[willie ralston]

All I can do at the moment is just dream about on getting an A7 on my minimum wage.....!

[Johnb80]

All I can do at the moment is just dream about on getting an A7 on my minimum wage.....!
Make an offer on this one, win - win.

J

[Alex jb]

When I needed to get rid of a lease car in US, I sold the lease on via n imtermediary company. They did this with lease and hire purchase agreements.
It ended up costuming me no more than 2 months of payments.
I'm sue there is similar in Europe, worth a look?


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