Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: cruisetopoland on 09 February 2010, 16:15:33
-
Right, D-day has arrived and I need to look at what to do with the Omega as the main car in the household...
I do a fairly high mileage (8,000 since Nov) and the expenses are not covering the cost of running the Omega, so we are getting shorter and shorter of money.
After discussions with my employer, it is clear that it would be in their interests as well as mine to lease me something efficient and give me a fuel card, for me to pay any personal fuel myself-this is the most tax-efficient way.
My wife misses having a car, but would only do 40 miles or so a week socially, I do 1000 miles a month for work on narrow twisty lanes which the heavy auto Omega hates, we are short of money and time to keep the Omega fettled for this kind of heavy high mile use. I have put my heart and soul (plus the proceeds of selling my wife's car, every penny we owned, plus overdraft) into getting the Omega working 100% and am loathe to sell it, as all of this money, heartache and effort would have been pointless.
Options:
1/ Keep Omega as is-it owes me well over £3k but is making a heavy monthly expenses loss
2/ Spend £1000+, to gas Omega and keep claiming at break even until the money spent is recovered
3/ Keep Omega for my wife to use for local runs, plus our Poland trips, accept a cheap Yaris/C1/Smart just for work
4/ Lose Omega, accept Focus/Golf as a good cheap family car and hire an MPV for Poland in June, then fly after then
5/ Lose Omega, contribute £50pcm towards MPV or Skoda Superb Greenline lease, use this for Poland too
Anyone got any ideas or comments?
I work alongside accountants and their view is clear: ditch the Omega before anything else goes wrong, and accept a tax efficient company car which will cost me about £8 tax per week and relieve my of insurance, repairs, breakdown cover, running costs, maintenance, servicing, huge fuel costs and the road tax. Use the Omega money to pay off the overdraft and bank the rest carefully as a deposit on the next car should I ever need to buy again. Accept the fact that I have done 8,000 miles and this justifies the write-off costs of the repairs and parts, which would have been far higher on a new car in depreciation. Simples.
Thing is, a lot of me has gone into the Omega-not just ££
I hate all this and just wish my expenses were better and mpg higher.
-
given what you have paid towards the car, option 3.
I bought all the LPG gubbins needed, cost me £500 all in. I am lazy git, and its all still in my garage waiting to be fitted, i keep changing my mind as i do use the boot space.
What kind of costs are they predicting for you lease car?
-
given what you have paid towards the car, option 3.
I bought all the LPG gubbins needed, cost me £500 all in. I am lazy git, and its all still in my garage waiting to be fitted, i keep changing my mind as i do use the boot space.
What kind of costs are they predicting for you lease car?
Was thinking of toroidal in spare wheel well, but want to do a deal if that's what I decide :-/
Lease car-they mentioned a few avaiable, Smart, new C3, Focus or Megane, all fuel covered, in effect I would have to show "some payment" for private fuel to keep tax-man happy.
Put in £463 fuel last month...hilly area, twisty b-roads, lots of cold starts and stop/starts, plus the Omega struggles to do my job compared to my old hatchbacks due to size.
-
given what you have paid towards the car, option 3.
I bought all the LPG gubbins needed, cost me £500 all in. I am lazy git, and its all still in my garage waiting to be fitted, i keep changing my mind as i do use the boot space.
What kind of costs are they predicting for you lease car?
Was thinking of toroidal in spare wheel well, but want to do a deal if that's what I decide :-/
Lease car-they mentioned a few avaiable, Smart, new C3, Focus or Megane, all fuel covered, in effect I would have to show "some payment" for private fuel to keep tax-man happy.
Put in £463 fuel last month...hilly area, twisty b-roads, lots of cold starts and stop/starts, plus the Omega struggles to do my job compared to my old hatchbacks due to size.
Sounds like a good deal, so at the moment they don't give you fuel money. Can they not do that for you now with the Omega?
-
given what you have paid towards the car, option 3.
I bought all the LPG gubbins needed, cost me £500 all in. I am lazy git, and its all still in my garage waiting to be fitted, i keep changing my mind as i do use the boot space.
What kind of costs are they predicting for you lease car?
Was thinking of toroidal in spare wheel well, but want to do a deal if that's what I decide :-/
Lease car-they mentioned a few avaiable, Smart, new C3, Focus or Megane, all fuel covered, in effect I would have to show "some payment" for private fuel to keep tax-man happy.
Put in £463 fuel last month...hilly area, twisty b-roads, lots of cold starts and stop/starts, plus the Omega struggles to do my job compared to my old hatchbacks due to size.
Sounds like a good deal, so at the moment they don't give you fuel money. Can they not do that for you now with the Omega?
I get 40p/mile but only on out of town stuff, so when I get 15mpg cold on short in town runs, I can lose a gallon a day, every day..
-
Lease car does sound like a good option then, slow speed twisties are not the place for the Omega really, much better taking them at 80 :D
What kind of cost are you looking at for the monthly rental of the car?
-
Lease car does sound like a good option then, slow speed twisties are not the place for the Omega really, much better taking them at 80 :D
What kind of cost are you looking at for the monthly rental of the car?
Company would pay, but examples (plus vat, non-maintained, 10k mpa)
Mine will be slightly more due to higher mpa..
Smart Pulse £93pcm
New C3 VTR+ £129pcm
Focus TDCi £159pcm
Superb Greenline £199pcm
C5 HDi VTR+ £209pcm
-
Lease car does sound like a good option then, slow speed twisties are not the place for the Omega really, much better taking them at 80 :D
What kind of cost are you looking at for the monthly rental of the car?
Company would pay, but examples (plus vat, non-maintained, 10k mpa)
Mine will be slightly more due to higher mpa..
Smart Pulse £93pcm
New C3 VTR+ £129pcm
Focus TDCi £159pcm
Superb Greenline £199pcm
C5 HDi VTR+ £209pcm
Looks about the best, and if company is paying!
You mention non-maintained, you have to pay that? Guess on a brand new car, apart from standard services costs should be fairly cheap
-
Take the company car, but hang on to the Omega as you might not get very much for it anyway. Don't forget a lot of improvements you have put into the Omega weren't necessarily reactive repairs.
-
It does seem a shame to have to get rid of it but ultimately putting the family finances first is a must :(
Having a new car can give you that sense of realiabilty when you get up and don't have to worry about it starting or working out on a monday what you will be fixing/fettling on a saturday.
If you do get rid i hope it goes to a good home :y
-
Lease car does sound like a good option then, slow speed twisties are not the place for the Omega really, much better taking them at 80 :D
What kind of cost are you looking at for the monthly rental of the car?
Company would pay, but examples (plus vat, non-maintained, 10k mpa)
Mine will be slightly more due to higher mpa..
Smart Pulse £93pcm
New C3 VTR+ £129pcm
Focus TDCi £159pcm
Superb Greenline £199pcm
C5 HDi VTR+ £209pcm
Looks about the best, and if company is paying!
You mention non-maintained, you have to pay that? Guess on a brand new car, apart from standard services costs should be fairly cheap
Company would likely pay up £150pcm, deduct any higher off wages. They would maintain.
I like the Superb as you may have guessed from my eternal wittering about it, but ££???
-
Take the company car, but hang on to the Omega as you might not get very much for it anyway. Don't forget a lot of improvements you have put into the Omega weren't necessarily reactive repairs.
Well put-I have rebuilt it ;D
-
It does seem a shame to have to get rid of it but ultimately putting the family finances first is a must :(
Having a new car can give you that sense of realiabilty when you get up and don't have to worry about it starting or working out on a monday what you will be fixing/fettling on a saturday.
If you do get rid i hope it goes to a good home :y
Its now 100% reliable, but I do feel I have put it before the family :(
-
I would love to know how you can wangle so little tax....it would be useful for me to!
-
sorry mate but the omega has to go even if you keep it it will still need tax mot insurance etc
face facts it wont to your work job [not a hatch] so waste of time/ money converting it
sell the omega get the wife a small car if she needs it and go for option 5
-
keep the miggy , when its not used wont cost much..
a second car handy is always usefull.. :y
-
G, I think your economy problem is the cat that's on there now, I'm off next week so I'll re-weld your original one over the weekend and see about popping down and swopping it while your in the office ;)
-
I would love to know how you can wangle so little tax....it would be useful for me to!
Accountant says:
Choose a sub 110g/km car and both the company and user will benefit from a 100% allowance and 13% BIK....whatever that means...!!
I understand the govt has made a new deal to persuade fleets to go green.
(above was my understanding of it, with glazed expression)
-
keep the miggy , when its not used wont cost much..
a second car handy is always usefull.. :y
I must say, I am beginning to favour the small company car and my wife having the Omega-its taxed, MOTd and insured for the rest of the year...and I would be gutted to lose the money and effort :-/
-
I would love to know how you can wangle so little tax....it would be useful for me to!
Accountant says:
Choose a sub 110g/km car and both the company and user will benefit from a 100% allowance and 13% BIK....whatever that means...!!
I understand the govt has made a new deal to persuade fleets to go green.
(above was my understanding of it, with glazed expression)
You can bet the goal posts will move next year, and the one after that, so don't budget for the tax to remain where it is this year.
Government deal? They're normally more of a snare. :-X
Also driving experience and comfort of a 110g/km car will not match up to an Omega.
Kevin
-
G, I think your economy problem is the cat that's on there now, I'm off next week so I'll re-weld your original one over the weekend and see about popping down and swopping it while your in the office ;)
Hi Lee-that's a great idea and nice offer.
I'm getting very poor mpg while cold and can just crack 30 on a warm run, hypermiling it.
It used to do 29 all day, 33 on a run-not sure if it is the cold, the new tyres or whether there is an issue? There is a slight vibrate on tickover which you saw last time :-/
I wonder if the cat is breaking up-it was used and has now got me through 5,000 miles including the Poland trip.
-
G, I think your economy problem is the cat that's on there now, I'm off next week so I'll re-weld your original one over the weekend and see about popping down and swopping it while your in the office ;)
Hi Lee-that's a great idea and nice offer.
I'm getting very poor mpg while cold and can just crack 30 on a warm run, hypermiling it.
It used to do 29 all day, 33 on a run-not sure if it is the cold, the new tyres or whether there is an issue? There is a slight vibrate on tickover which you saw last time :-/
I wonder if the cat is breaking up-it was used and has now got me through 5,000 miles including the Poland trip.
To be fair that cat had about 400 miles running on a P0170 fuel trim issue followed by your 5K so it's probably not at it's most efficient anymore. I'll get the tin opener on it over the weekend ;)
-
I would say
3/ Keep Omega for my wife to use for local runs, plus our Poland trips, accept a cheap Yaris/C1/Smart just for work
for short journeys and the occasional good run my miggy costs me a tank of petrol a month just in and out to work and the shopping, I give it the occasional blow through by batting down the motorway to see my sister and its cheaper than my mates 1.6 astra on a similar style of driving (but he is a little heavy on the go pedal)
-
I would love to know how you can wangle so little tax....it would be useful for me to!
Accountant says:
Choose a sub 110g/km car and both the company and user will benefit from a 100% allowance and 13% BIK....whatever that means...!!
I understand the govt has made a new deal to persuade fleets to go green.
(above was my understanding of it, with glazed expression)
You can bet the goal posts will move next year, and the one after that, so don't budget for the tax to remain where it is this year.
Government deal? They're normally more of a snare. :-X
Also driving experience and comfort of a 110g/km car will not match up to an Omega.
Kevin
Worth a thought re changes... :y
For work, I'd actually prefer to drive some of the sub-110g cars than the Omega, like the DRIVe Volvos or the Audi A3 TDIe; being honest the Omega is heavy and clumsy in the tight lanes and town streets I work in, but very useful for fully loaded family trips or long distances :-/
Money is a priority for the family too :y
-
Worth a thought re changes... :y
For work, I'd actually prefer to drive some of the sub-110g cars than the Omega, like the DRIVe Volvos or the Audi A3 TDIe; being honest the Omega is heavy and clumsy in the tight lanes and town streets I work in, but very useful for fully loaded family trips or long distances :-/
Money is a priority for the family too :y
They even have a web site showing changes for the next couple of tax years. I'm sure they'll have thought of more when the time comes. >:(
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cars/rule-changes.htm
Kevin
-
Worth a thought re changes... :y
For work, I'd actually prefer to drive some of the sub-110g cars than the Omega, like the DRIVe Volvos or the Audi A3 TDIe; being honest the Omega is heavy and clumsy in the tight lanes and town streets I work in, but very useful for fully loaded family trips or long distances :-/
Money is a priority for the family too :y
They even have a web site showing changes for the next couple of tax years. I'm sure they'll have thought of more when the time comes. >:(
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/cars/rule-changes.htm
Kevin
Useful cheers :y
Shows best to keep sub 110g, will reduce to 99g in a few years, but 110g still tax effective.
I am going to look at a Mitsubishi I-MIEV electric car-80 mile range would be ok, can top up at office-wonder how practical this would be :-/
My history is of small cars and I still rate the 2CV as the best car ever so happy to forgo daily luxury to save money for using the Omega in my own time.
I'm slowly answering my own question-looks like 3: keep the Omega and choose a tax efficient cheap car for work :-?
-
Right, D-day has arrived and I need to look at what to do with the Omega as the main car in the household...
I do a fairly high mileage (8,000 since Nov) and the expenses are not covering the cost of running the Omega, so we are getting shorter and shorter of money.
After discussions with my employer, it is clear that it would be in their interests as well as mine to lease me something efficient and give me a fuel card, for me to pay any personal fuel myself-this is the most tax-efficient way.
My wife misses having a car, but would only do 40 miles or so a week socially, I do 1000 miles a month for work on narrow twisty lanes which the heavy auto Omega hates, we are short of money and time to keep the Omega fettled for this kind of heavy high mile use. I have put my heart and soul (plus the proceeds of selling my wife's car, every penny we owned, plus overdraft) into getting the Omega working 100% and am loathe to sell it, as all of this money, heartache and effort would have been pointless.
Options:
1/ Keep Omega as is-it owes me well over £3k but is making a heavy monthly expenses loss
2/ Spend £1000+, to gas Omega and keep claiming at break even until the money spent is recovered
3/ Keep Omega for my wife to use for local runs, plus our Poland trips, accept a cheap Yaris/C1/Smart just for work
4/ Lose Omega, accept Focus/Golf as a good cheap family car and hire an MPV for Poland in June, then fly after then
5/ Lose Omega, contribute £50pcm towards MPV or Skoda Superb Greenline lease, use this for Poland too
Anyone got any ideas or comments?
I work alongside accountants and their view is clear: ditch the Omega before anything else goes wrong, and accept a tax efficient company car which will cost me about £8 tax per week and relieve my of insurance, repairs, breakdown cover, running costs, maintenance, servicing, huge fuel costs and the road tax. Use the Omega money to pay off the overdraft and bank the rest carefully as a deposit on the next car should I ever need to buy again. Accept the fact that I have done 8,000 miles and this justifies the write-off costs of the repairs and parts, which would have been far higher on a new car in depreciation. Simples.
Thing is, a lot of me has gone into the Omega-not just ££
I hate all this and just wish my expenses were better and mpg higher.
Problem is that it has no value, like us, we have a 'spare Mig' because it is to good to sell for what we would get for it :( Always kept MOTed and Insured, currently in use as swmbo Car is off the road at the moment, spare car, great if you can..... :)
-
Cheers all :y
Will probably keep the Omega for my wife, weekends and Poland, then get very cheap lease car to attack the roads around here; a 99g/km car with 5 doors and aircon will be best-a new C3 Airdream or similar-need to do some more research. Would have liked a Superb, but this seems a better plan :y