Who said that running a GL is expensive!

[NewMB]

£468/month is NOT expensive for a GL. I guess you are already factoring in the VAT?

I am currently looking to replace the wife's A class and the best so far is £335 over 3 years in a 3 + 35 deal for the company for a A170 including Xenon lights, APS 50 Nav, auto, heated seats, Parctronic and a few other packages/options.

 

[raymont]

£468/month is NOT expensive for a GL. I guess you are already factoring in the VAT?

I am currently looking to replace the wife's A class and the best so far is £335 over 3 years in a 3 + 35 deal for the company for a A170 including Xenon lights, APS 50 Nav, auto, heated seats, Parctronic and a few other packages/options.

MB are offering A170 for around £220pm on the MB UK site Offers. This will probably for a std model without extras.

If you look at the list price of your extras you'll probably find that you are paying nearly the full price for these over the period. I.e. they are being depreciated by almost 100% over three years.

 

[Rory]

If you look at the list price of your extras you'll probably find that you are paying nearly the full price for these over the period. I.e. they are being depreciated by almost 100% over three years.

That's often true. Loading a car like a Merc with options on a lease deal really isn't value for money. MB do a special "business" version of E Class, with auto, leather and COMAND in the standard price, for exactly that reason.

 

[Mudster]

Very true, if you are contract hiring (which I do) avoid cost options like the plague. Go for business spec with an all inclusive price.

We did this on the Saabs with the anniversary model, this basically added every option in the book free in an attempt to shift pre facelift stock...end result - fully loaded car for the cost of poverty spec.

If you do want lots of options then you're better looking for ex demo or upto 12 months old and find something vat qualifying.

 

[timwood2000]

I think that is a great deal for the GL. I bought my R when it was a year old (at a substantial saving on new), and I still reckon it's costing me almost £1k a month in depreciation!

 

[Rory]

If you do want lots of options then you're better looking for ex demo or upto 12 months old and find something vat qualifying.

..or something like a Lexus, where pretty well everything is standard.

 

[peterg1965]

Is there anything stopping you from buying the car at the end of the 2 years?
i.e. Cost to date circa £12k - car value £30k - Total £42k...

Would they allow you to do that?

Or have I missed something?

I could ask to buy it from MB finance at less than the Guaranteed Value but that is not likely. I assume the car would be disposed of via auction and is not likely to fetch anywhere near the £33100 GMFV. At that stage running costs would become much higher (tyres/brakes etc) and I would wear the deprecaition. It is more likely that I would buy another new car on a similar deal, or I may consider buying a three year old E class estate or similar.

£468/month is NOT expensive for a GL. I guess you are already factoring in the VAT?

I don't even consider the VAT. I was a private purchaser fortunate enough to buy VAT free, as the car had a dsiabled adaption fitted.

 

[st4]

Peter, once you are done with the car hand it back to MB and ascertain whether they will

a) try and retail it for less , then buy back if the £ is right and bag 1 yrs AUC warranty
b) find out if they;ll auction it, they;ll be coy re which auction house but hang about down a few local ones and snap it back up at auction.
c) they may sell it to an Indie, in that case stalk the car on autotrader and buy back for less than the GMFV.