SparksCW Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Basically, next year I can buy myself a L200 Raging Bull to use for work. I love trucks and used to have a Warrior which I loved to bits! It's far more practical for work and general life too if I'm honest! It'd be a company vehicle so I won't (personally) have to pay for the truck, running costs or for the most part, fuel. Now, the condition is that I'd probably need to sell my Nissan as I can't really have two big flashy vehicles... I love my Nissan but it's a pure luxury used only for fun, when I can actually afford to run it! The sensible side says go for it, I'd dramatically reduce my personal overheads and would free up the nissan money for a house deposit as I'm saving for a house... but the fun side says I don't want to sell my Nissan This is probably the wrong place to ask this question as you're all biased (including me ) but what would you HONESTLY do in this situation? Free nice vehicle with no running costs, albeit not a sports car.... or stick with a crappy Fiat "Postman Pat" Doblo and keep the Nissan which I sometimes struggle to run and barely use, but love to bits? I'm trying to bear in mind that it's my intentions to get a 370Z in a year or two, so I would be coming back if I did decide to go down the other route, and I guess it'd potentially give me a year or two of low out goings to save for the 370! And if business picks up then it'd be no problem at all. The reason behind having to chose is a bit complicated, I work for my dads company which I will be taking over in a few years time, however I've just launched a Home Technology side by myself which offers smart home automation, audio visual distribution and lighting control etc so i'm pretty much running my own side of the business, hence having to make some sacrifices. If I do this early-mid next year then I would end up with a nice house deposit, low outgoings and a nice truck... but no Z for a year or two things "might" change nearer the time and I wouldn't be looking to sell until nearer the time, but trying to get my ducks in a row now if that makes sense!! Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 L200 is a great truck mate, I prefer the Toyota Hi-Lux Invincible myself though It's a hard one but an L200 would be good and you can always get back into a zed as prices fall I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sounds like you either NEED to get rid of the Zed ..... If you need to, then get rid of it. If not, then don't. Not sure what the L200 has to do with it (other than IT'S ACE... SO JUST GET IT) Or have I missed something in the explanation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky370z Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 with the prices of Zeds going as they are, you could easily get back into Zedding very cheap in a couple of years time. i would say that having your own bricks and mortar are a very high priority. i know what you mean about owning it but not being able to run it!! mine have been on the drive for ages, whilst i do my own house up. its a really tough decision, but i know what i would do if i needed the money!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Well said Sparky.... I agree. Love my Zed but at the end of the day *holds breath and waits for flames* ... "It is only a car" Sounds like what you should REALLY do is sell the Zed AND keep the Pat-mobile... Hard decision but probably the right one. OR.... if you are not going to get much for the Zed. Wrap it up, cancel insurance, get it SORN. and drive the Pat-mobile daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwantone Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house I totally aggree that this is the correct priority. You can't do much without a house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You missed off 'buy some beer'! Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparksCW Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house I totally aggree that this is the correct priority. You can't do much without a house. I do quite resent paying £600 a month in rent that I'll never see any value from again! I'm glad I got some balanced realistic responses, I would hope that after a year or two I'd be in a position to buy a 370z when they're down to the sub-£15k mark. I could just drive the PAT mobile but the companies in a position to afford the L200 so I'd kinda like something nice, and a big bonus would be 5 seats again as at the minute I only have 2 in the van and the car! But yes you're all right it makes more sense to get the house sorted, as after all, a car is just a car! Just hard to convince myself that already sold my off road bike and the road bike is currently on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 You missed off 'buy some beer'! Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house Good point, make sure it's none of that cheap nasty stuff either We all have to make compromises but as said the Zed is only metal and it can be replaced some time later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Not sure why you would sell the Zed then have the L200? Trying to save cash...? Sell the Zed, buy the house, use the Pat-mobile. Use the cash saved on fuel for the L200 to buy a Zed in 6 months time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Dont be a slave to a car, sell it and be better off. IMO You are not alone, I am selling up very soon. Sad to see her go, but in this climate needs must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Well with house prices falling, I dont see much point in buying a house. I put my old house on the market last September, and it dropped in value by 12% by the time I managed to sell it in March this year. Looking at the prices of houses in that street now, they are all another 12% lower. Thats 25% drop in value in 12 months. Sure, over the long term they will go back up, but in the mean time, you are paying interest on a mortgage for something which is depreciating in value, and still have all the expenses should things like roof need replacing or boiler packs up. I was actually looking at L200`s yesterday because ive always fancied one and was wondering what they would be like as a 2nd vehicle. First problem I saw was that they are classed as a commerical vehicle, so you have to get different insurance. I was quoted more than the zed costs me to insure (£750) as I cant use my 18 years ncb on 2 cars. Another thing I noticed was a lot of owners say the L200 is expensive to maintain and is known for mechanical problems. It also does the same mpg as the zed does. (26mpg). Most owners reckoned the nissan navara was a much better vehicle. Regardless of which car / van / truck it is, if your getting a company car and free fuel then its a no brainer. Ive had company cars in the past and they are excellent. No worries about where you are going to park, having expensive services or mechanical problems. Its all a big weight off the mind. If its a free car, you could afford to keep your zed for weekend fun until you need to sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sell the Zed, get the truck, buy the house I totally aggree that this is the correct priority. You can't do much without a house. Rubbish, you can sleep in a truck but you can't drive a house Work out what's more important and go from there. If it's the Zed, keep the Zed. If it's the truck, get the truck. If it's the house, buy the house. Well with house prices falling, I dont see much point in buying a house. I put my old house on the market last September, and it dropped in value by 12% by the time I managed to sell it in March this year. Looking at the prices of houses in that street now, they are all another 12% lower. Thats 25% drop in value in 12 months. Sure, over the long term they will go back up, but in the mean time, you are paying interest on a mortgage for something which is depreciating in value, and still have all the expenses should things like roof need replacing or boiler packs up. All good points and all true, but unless you're planning on selling in the next 5 years it's also a bit irrelevant. Your house could be worth £3.50 whilst you're paying a £200,000 mortgage on it, but if you're not selling it doesn't matter how much it's worth and it'll be worth £250,000 in 5 years' time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparksCW Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Not sure why you would sell the Zed then have the L200? Trying to save cash...? Sell the Zed, buy the house, use the Pat-mobile. Use the cash saved on fuel for the L200 to buy a Zed in 6 months time. The L200 will be paid for by the company, so I won't personally pay for it. I personally own the zed though so selling that would then free up some money for me. I could technically keep the nissan but then I'd still have the overheads, the worry and the lack of use, I spent most of my time in my van as it's more practical and obviously for work so the L200 will get a lot more use than the nissan. Plus I'm not really doing well enough to be Mr Flash 2 nice cars at the minute. More and more I think about it it makes sense, just spent the past hour having major issues as I didn't realise that the insurance and tax ran out today! Just spent £1000 I don't have! great. I know house prices are low which is good for buying, I don't intend to move out for a few years and would intend on buying a "doer upper" as I'm in the trade.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 It's a no brainer mate, sell the Zed and use the L200 then buy another Zed when u can 'Don't fall in love with metal' my old man always tells me. Shame he doesn't practice what he preaces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 All good points and all true, but unless you're planning on selling in the next 5 years it's also a bit irrelevant. Your house could be worth £3.50 whilst you're paying a £200,000 mortgage on it, but if you're not selling it doesn't matter how much it's worth and it'll be worth £250,000 in 5 years' time. All depends on the area I guess. I worked out when I sold my house, factoring in the amount it had increased in value over the 10 years I owned it, that I would have made more money by just keeping the money in the bank. and would intend on buying a "doer upper" as I'm in the trade.. Good luck with finding one. Everyone seems to want "doer upper" houses these days, so the price of them costs you nearly as much as one which has already been done up. For example, the house I sold in March, I spent 30k restoring. Everything was done. Even spent over £1000 in the hallway alone. Triple garage built, landscaped gardens, every room redone, new flooring, new kitchen, bathroom, double glazing, you name it, it was all done. All in neutral colours so people could move straight in. It sold for EXACTLY the same price as an identical house 3 doors away sold for a few weeks before which needed TOTAL renovation, had no garage and the garden was a tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparksCW Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Well it looks like I will probably go down this route of selling the zed next year and getting the company vehicle. On the plus side, I *may* be able to justify keeping my road bike now, provided I actually start riding it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ultimately you can have fun driving most vehicles, even a small truck/ute/utility vehicle (whatever you want to call it). Even a little go kart like a Swift or a Micra can be fun, although obviously they don't have the torque or hp. Do what is right for you, sounds like you already know, you're just thinking out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackosr Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Thinl most people have covered your arguemant for you, but thought I'd give you some insite to the L200. I had one as a company car a few years back, 53 plate one. Loved it, loved driving it, even though it wasn't very quick off the line, but it cruised well. Also, very practical, especially if you had a decent box on the back. Great fun on the odd snow day and muddy green lane too!! Down sides, the engine blew up, or rather a con rod broke and made a nice hole in the side of the engine! This also happened to my bosses one! Fortunately they were both covered under warenty. The turbo on mine was also a little tempermental and the one strapped to the new engine was noticably better. Servicing costs a bomb, especially at Mitzy, up to £700 for a major!! Still, I know this is a company vehicle and you don't have to pay for any of this, but my company decided to get rid of them as they cost too much to run and maintain and after their warranty period would cost an arm and a leg to repair! I'd like to think the new ones are better and more reliable. I do know our director has had two Navaras in the past 8 years and nothing major has gone wrong with those, the second one was basiaclly a new upgrade!! Navara v L200 v HiLux??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I work for my dads company which I will be taking over in a few years time To me, that says you should stick with the Postie van... Keep as much cash in the company as possible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparksCW Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Thinl most people have covered your arguemant for you, but thought I'd give you some insite to the L200. I had one as a company car a few years back, 53 plate one. Loved it, loved driving it, even though it wasn't very quick off the line, but it cruised well. Also, very practical, especially if you had a decent box on the back. Great fun on the odd snow day and muddy green lane too!! Down sides, the engine blew up, or rather a con rod broke and made a nice hole in the side of the engine! This also happened to my bosses one! Fortunately they were both covered under warenty. The turbo on mine was also a little tempermental and the one strapped to the new engine was noticably better. Servicing costs a bomb, especially at Mitzy, up to £700 for a major!! Still, I know this is a company vehicle and you don't have to pay for any of this, but my company decided to get rid of them as they cost too much to run and maintain and after their warranty period would cost an arm and a leg to repair! I'd like to think the new ones are better and more reliable. I do know our director has had two Navaras in the past 8 years and nothing major has gone wrong with those, the second one was basiaclly a new upgrade!! Navara v L200 v HiLux??? I had an 03 Warrior too! Loved it to bits, the heavy snow in the south was the best few days ever (albeit very bad for business lol) I must admit the fun in the snow was probably some of the best fun driving in a vehicle that I've ever had. And I do agree slightly, it cost £700 for new cambelt tensioner and pulleys etc but other than that had no issues at all and I sold it for more than I paid for it a year later . To be fair my dad has just bought a 2011 Dodge Ram so the Mitsubishi will be much cheaper in comparison! I don't like the Navara, the Hilux's are nice but very expensive especially to get all the extras to match the L200's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackosr Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Loving the visor, and the lights on the roll bar, looks great. Unfortunately I had a 4 Life, so not quite a fancy, but black over sil ver was a good look. Did the Warrior have rear diff lock, the Animal's apparently didn't. Dodge Ram, awsome! But that doesn't do many to the gallon!! Like wise in the snow, my route to work was blocked, so a 5 mile diversion through the snow and green lanes was good fun! Did almost get stuck in a bog once too, eventually rocked it out only to find I had a puncture, interesting changing that in a muddy lane! Have seen a Vid of the Hilux having handling issues on You Tube, not know if it's fixed, but up on two wheels looks a little interesting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I had a l200 and thought they were awesome work horses, did me very proud when down on the south coast. Seems a long time ago now My One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfman Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 L200's are awesome work horses, my dad has one and it's never skipped a beat. although he did have a few issues with his old one lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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