technolog's tales of domestic bliss, DIY & other nonsense

[technolog]

Holiday Inn, Cardiff, booked for the Friday & Saturday.

Harrah"s booked for November.

My life is blessed

[duke3016]

or fecked

[technolog]

I lease my car. The lease is up on June 2nd. It"s my first lease agreement.

There"s no option to buy the car, so it"s definitely got to go back. I"m planning on making sure it gets an absolutely top notch valeting before it"s returned. Just because I"m very fastidious you understand. Definitely don"t believe any rumours you may hear that it"s because I"ve only washed it once during the 3-year lease

Has anyone much experience of leasing? Are there any does & don"ts for the return procedure. I"m expecting the company to get in touch with me to arrange a time to call and collect it - does that sound right? By the way, there"s a little bit of paintwork damage (just the very top layer of paint in a small, maybe 2cm² patch on the tailgate). Should I get that repaired? I"m assuming there"ll be some sort of assessment of it"s condition upon collection. How rigorous is this likely to be? Will I be presented with a bill for any defects or are they quite forgiving?

Also, I need to sort out a new lease. Anyone got any tips on ways to get the best deals; companies to try? My budget is upto £300pm inc VAT.

My current car is a Skoda Octavia Ambiente 1.9TDi. Very nice car, not one iota of trouble. I would happily have another. Should I be looking for a particular make/model of car or just go for the best deal? I"m thinking of perhaps going slightly smaller with a higher trim (more toys ).

Also, how many miles do you have to do per year to make a diesel financially worthwhile? I suspect my meagre 7k is nowhere near it. Mind you, I do like the long gaps between fill-ups that a diesel affords.

So many questions; so little time.

[technolog]

Tescos are doing Haagen Dazs at half price. B4stards!

[HaworthBantam]

... Mind you, I do like the long gaps between fill-ups that a diesel affords.

I know nothing of these long gaps you speak of...  

[SirPercival]

With only 7k miles a year you are better off with a petrol for sure. I could produce a Chipaccrual type spreadsheet to prove this to you but I can"t be @rsed ATM. I think the figure is generally around 15k+

If you have a copy of your lease agreement then it is worth a check for the damage clauses. My company used to have a £200 wear and tear allowance clause, in other words up to £200 of damage for reasonable wear and tear was not charged, anything above that was.

Interestingly I have just bought my company car (was leased through Lex and they gave me the option). When they gave me the price I tried to negotiate. They said it"s "sold as seen", no negotiation. I asked them how they could value it as no one had actually seen the car, it could be scratched to bits or pristine, they wouldn"t know. They said they used market values and what they would expect to get for it at auction. - ********. Luckily for me it was in pretty good condition and the price was reasonable so I went for it.

As far as your new car is concerned have you had a look at PCPs? I"ve heard of some great deals right now if your negotiate skills are up to it.

[Paulie_D]

My current car is a Skoda Octavia Ambiente 1.9TDi. Very nice car, not one iota of trouble. I would happily have another. Should I be looking for a particular make/model of car or just go for the best deal? I"m thinking of perhaps going slightly smaller with a higher trim (more toys ).

I know nothing about leasing but I definitely lean towards the VW (SKoda/Audi/VW) platforms. Of course, I"m biased as a confirmed Audi owner (now) but I"ve also never had a lick of trouble.

Skoda"s generally have a lot more kit for the money than their "big brothers" at VW/Audi even though, essentially they are the same car. (Same Chassis etc.)

Then again, I do hear nice things about the new Ford Focus.

For fuel, with the limited mileage, I"d go petrol too....the new cars get remarkable m.p.g. these days compared to just a few years ago.

[samuel_9]

just bought a new  peugeot tepee go have look at one

[technolog]

I just won the APAT Bunch of Fives PLO tourney. Perhaps I was a bit hasty taking a non-playing role at the Home Internationals

[duke3016]

I just won the APAT Bunch of Fives PLO tourney. Perhaps I was a bit hasty taking a non-playing role at the Home Internationals

luckbox

[SirPercival]

I just won the APAT Bunch of Fives PLO tourney. Perhaps I was a bit hasty taking a non-playing role at the Home Internationals

Nice one Jack. Proves beyond doubt that poker is a game of skill.  

[josharp01]

I"ve got a car with Renault Selections. Similar to a lease hire but at the end of the agreement you get the option to keep the car with a final payment or return it and start again with another brand new car. I know my local dealership had a lot of flexibility on the deals he could do too, I knocked £800 off the "standard" deposit and managed to get the monthlt payments down a bit....on a new Grand Scenic, not sure about the other models but there are some nice ones in their range!

Oh and WTG last night!

[technolog]

I just won the APAT Bunch of Fives PLO tourney. Perhaps I was a bit hasty taking a non-playing role at the Home Internationals

Nice one Jack. Proves beyond doubt that poker is a game of skill.  

I was rather good wasn"t I?

[technolog]

FFS buck yer ideas up man! No posts for 17 days. So much to say. So little time.

[technolog]

tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune!

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmi_qbUGCKo[/youtube]

Fortunately you have
Someone who relies on you
We started out as friends
But the thought of you just caves me in
The symptoms are so deep
It is much too late to turn away
We started out as friends

Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my baby
Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my lady

Time I"m sure will bring
Disappointments in so many things
It seems to be the way
When you"re gambling cards on love you play
I"d rather be in Hell with you baby
Than in cool Heaven
It seems to be the way

Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my baby
Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my lady

Birds never look into the sun
Before the day is gone
But oh the light shines brighter
On a peaceful day
Stranger blue leave us alone
We don"t want to deal with you
We"ll shed our stains showering
In the room that makes the rain

All alone with you
Makes the butterflies in me arise
Slowly we make love
And the Earth rotates
To our dictates
Slowly we make love

Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my baby
Sign your name
Across my heart
I want you to be my lady