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Damn you Top Gear

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    Damn you Top Gear

    Lease is up on my 2005 BMW 760i (47k miles) in a couple of months - Was planning to hand it back (£15k residual on it) and pick it up at the auction house for ~5k. Looks like Top Gear's piece on buying older bigger cars may have increased the bids at the auctions.

    Still, now I may have to get that new shape 7 I looked at recently with ALL the toys - heads up display, nightvision camera, massage seats etc etc etc. Not sure if they can do it for my 400 quid-a-month limit though
    World's Best Martini

    #2
    The prices may rise off the back of that Top Gear piece but they will probably revert back to previous levels fairly quickly when people realise how much it costs to run one of these beasts.

    Comment


      #3
      I thought that too, especially when they realise the cost of fueling the v12s at sod-all-miles-per-gallon.

      Then I remembered one of the cars on my 'to own sometime soon' list is the VXR8 (6 litre V8 that struggles to break 20mpg) and everytime I check prices of those they're still mostly over £15k, despite Vauxhall selling the last batch at around £22k several years ago.

      So still plenty of people willing to live with thirsty cars if they have a tasty engine. Maybe they don't do lots of miles in them each week.
      Feist - 1234. One camera, one take, no editing. Superb. How they did it
      Feist - I Feel It All
      Feist - The Bad In Each Other (Later With Jools Holland)

      Comment


        #4
        A 6 litre V8 is no more costly to run than an Aygo if you just leave it in your garage every week.

        HTH

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by PAH View Post
          I thought that too, especially when they realise the cost of fueling the v12s at sod-all-miles-per-gallon.

          Then I remembered one of the cars on my 'to own sometime soon' list is the VXR8 (6 litre V8 that struggles to break 20mpg) and everytime I check prices of those they're still mostly over £15k, despite Vauxhall selling the last batch at around £22k several years ago.

          So still plenty of people willing to live with thirsty cars if they have a tasty engine. Maybe they don't do lots of miles in them each week.
          They're saving them for "the day" - think "Mad Max" coz it's gonna happen!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post
            A 6 litre V8 is no more costly to run than an Aygo if you just leave it in your garage every week.
            A fellow student of mine had a Jag Mk II. He used it purely to get between his old folks place and college. He may have used it more during the hols but it sat on the car park during term time. He reckoned it was cheaper than the train, particularly when he could get someone to share the fuel costs.

            Having run Land Rovers myself, the fuel costs aren't too bad if you just use them for leisure (and off-roading in low range makes a Land Rover pretty thirsty).
            Last edited by Sysman; 11 July 2011, 12:16.
            Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

            Comment


              #7
              Indeed, it's a thirsty beast, but it goes to the station, 2 miles away, most days. occasionally, it drives a long run. Mileage is about 28 mpg on the motorway (the previous V8 got 33, but that was a piddling little 4.5 litre). The benefit is that I get out, having travelled in extreme comfort, as refreshed as when I started. Plus the fact that I still grin whenever I get in, even for the station run.

              Had I been doing a 100 mile daily round trip, I'd think again. But I'm not. V12tastic.
              World's Best Martini

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by DimPrawn View Post
                A 6 litre V8 is no more costly to run than an Aygo if you just leave it in your garage every week. HTH

                I've tried the two car trick, having a cheap runaround for commuting, but got tired of paying out large (finance, depreciation, insurance) for something I hardly got to enjoy.

                I also hated being a Garage Jewellery Owning B'stard, for similar reasons why I avoid trophy birds who are unadventurous in bed. All show and no go.
                Feist - 1234. One camera, one take, no editing. Superb. How they did it
                Feist - I Feel It All
                Feist - The Bad In Each Other (Later With Jools Holland)

                Comment


                  #9
                  You could always go for an LPG conversion. On a 100 mile round trip commute it would pay for itself in less than a year at current fuel prices.
                  "Being nice costs nothing and sometimes gets you extra bacon" - Pondlife.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Problem with LPG is if too many start using it the govermin will increase the fuel tax.

                    Also don't fancy the added complexity, for reliability, or having extra servicing costs.

                    Besides, I'm sure the cost of petrol will fall now the global economy is tanking again.
                    Feist - 1234. One camera, one take, no editing. Superb. How they did it
                    Feist - I Feel It All
                    Feist - The Bad In Each Other (Later With Jools Holland)

                    Comment

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