Best company cars...

[bpsorrel]

Leading on from an idea I just got over at the C63 thread, what would you guys say was the best company car you ever had?

For me, it was a new Granada Ghia at the Ford dealer I worked at in the 80s. Next best was a Lancia Beta coupe when I worked for Lancia....

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Always opted out, and so it has to be a C32 AMG for me, as my employer makes a contribution.

 

[Peter DLM]

M3 Evo cab, this was in '97. I was in a good place then.

 

[crockers]

Mine is the current car I drive - I bought it from them (at a nice discount) when I left......

 

[Alfie]

My first CLK. I walked into the dealer, ordered it with the spec I wanted and then my employer paid for it, along with all the tax, maintenenace, fuel and insurance. This was in the days when having a company car was a great benefit.

My next company car will also be a fully funded one. Its being ordered this coming week

 

[gaz_l]

Many years ago, I managed to snare the keys to my Technical Director's E12 525 BMW when he upgraded to a 730. It was about 5 years old, but still a good catch considering I was what, 23/24 at the time? Envy of my mates..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[renault12ts]

Haven't had one since 1992. I don't know about best but I had the following:

Fiat Mirafiori 1984
Vauxhall Cavalier 1985
Alfa 33 1986
Citroen BX 1987
Ford XR3i 1988
Ford Sierra 1989
Ford Sierra 1991

 

[artyman]

Never had the luxury of a company car

 

[JLR1969]

New XR3i when I was 19 in 1989. Sound really chavy now but at the time all my mates were really jealous.

No such thing as company car tax in the good old days.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I was at the tail end of the company car scheme but as a 24 year old I had a red three door Golf GTi Mk2 8v. Wonderful fun to drive, until I got nicked and banned for doing over 100 mph (the last time!), but for two problems - the car firm (whom we owned) delivered it with a huge dent in one side so I sent it back after being in a fizz of excitement and when they re-delivered it it seemed very rough and slow - only three HT leads were connected to the cylinders and those loosely.

I stopped having company cars when I returned my Fiat Coupe and was told the shallow indentation in the boot where you had to press to close it was not fair wear and tear. So I took cash and my car buying went off the scale of idiocy.

 

[219]

When I used to do a lot of work for Audi , they used to give me Passat GL5's to tow the 'load lugger' full of equipment around the country - those were pretty good .

I was also at times given an LT28 van with a lovely six cylinder PETROL engine - best van by far I've ever driven , but had to stop at just about every filling station !

Best vehicle I was ever provided with was an Audi 200 Turbo Quattro - this was for towing a trailer loaded with a bare galvanised bodyshell on a tour round the northern UK dealerships .

The Fire Brigade Landy I had for about a year was fun too .

 

[bpsorrel]

Haven't had one since 1992. I don't know about best but I had the following:

Fiat Mirafiori 1984
Vauxhall Cavalier 1985
Alfa 33 1986
Citroen BX 1987
Ford XR3i 1988
Ford Sierra 1989
Ford Sierra 1991

Snap, well a few anyway! I had the Fiat and the Alfa 33 and Sierras!!!
And oddly, at roughly the same time! Spooky eh!

 

[bpsorrel]

New XR3i when I was 19 in 1989. Sound really chavy now but at the time all my mates were really jealous.

No such thing as company car tax in the good old days.

yes, those days of a car just being a nice free perk were nice eh! All my company cars until the last couple of years before I left to start my own business were effectively freebies - either before the tax came in or counted as pool cars. Interestingly, one of my clients gets round the tax by loaning the managers the cash, they buy the car of thier choice and the company pays them enough allowance to cover the loan. Does this make sense?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

yes, those days of a car just being a nice free perk were nice eh! All my company cars until the last couple of years before I left to start my own business were effectively freebies - either before the tax came in or counted as pool cars. Interestingly, one of my clients gets round the tax by loaning the managers the cash, they buy the car of thier choice and the company pays them enough allowance to cover the loan. Does this make sense?

Does make sense, I had a similar scheme for years.

Have no choice currently but an allowance and fuel paid per mile, running a W220 on this basis.

Company cars were all bins!

 

[renault12ts]

New XR3i when I was 19 in 1989. Sound really chavy now but at the time all my mates were really jealous.

No such thing as company car tax in the good old days.

There was...just no where near what it is to-day.

 

[Darrell]

I went to work for Richardson Roofing out in Staines in June 1988 aged 21 and the leadwork supervisor brought my brand new Escort van to the site. I got a new one every 2 years up until they stopped making them and then went onto Transits.

I had a serious amount of scrap in the back of them!!

 

[Mactech]

This was my company car in 1991. I was 'forced' to put 30,000 road miles on the car during the year. It took a Celica GT4 'Carlos Sainz' in 1992 to rehabilitate myself to 'normal' road cars after that

 

[JOB-BLACK-RAT]

3ltr diesel BMW 5 SERIES TOURING

 

[JLR1969]

There was...just no where near what it is to-day.

At 19 I probably never realised or cared, happy days. Ignorance is indeed bliss!

 

[219]

3ltr diesel BMW 5 SERIES TOURING

Yes , but with a few 'extras'