66 plate bargains

Is 300PS for £245/month good enough, with a VW badge?

The most frequent question we receive at AutoeBid is "what's the best new car deal I can get?" The answer is naturally, "it depends". The most important part when buying a car is getting something that suits your needs; space, comfort and practical - or 2 seats and no roof!

For most purposes everything points to a VW Golf. More on that later.

Beyond the 66 plate a few tax changes will influence behaviour. VED (the former tax disc) will increase for 17 plate cars, especially those with low CO2 banding. And the company car market is under the salary sacrifice spotlight, which will impact most employee schemes not already hit. These changes should bring forward sales for low CO2 cars especially those over £40,000 and make more consumers private buyers, avoiding salary sacrifice taxation.

The best deals we see at present are generically leasing deals, which company car drivers are used to. Leasing disguises the discounts offered as the finance company owns the car, charging the customer monthly rental payments. We expect the UK to adopt the same trend as the US, where leasing is increasingly popular with consumers due to the low monthly cost. In the UK, businesses have historically taken advantage of this by leasing cars, however, consumers are guided by dealers towards ownership.

So back to the Golf: A quick, 300PS, speed fix without spending too much makes the Golf R DSG estate with navigation look appealing, its 4x4 too. More power than the E36 BMW M3 and the practicality of a large boot. Just don't try going sideways with a dog in the back! £245 per month plus £2,205 initial payment for a 2 year leasing deal based on a 5k miles/yr. Prices include VAT.

If you wanted to buy this Golf list price is £34,450 and be worth £19,050 at 24 months old with 10k miles on the clock. Using the VW PCP finance calculator

For the more sensible a Passat 2.0 TDi 150PS Saloon in GT trim can be obtained for £190 per month on the same terms.

Call us on 020 3637 5660 to discuss the options

If looking to pay cash, buyers will find the best discounts are available for the larger engine BMWs and luxury variants such as BMW 6 series, Mercedes CLS etc... If you have a play on our site you will find access to some great pricing across most cars. Just don't ask for a discount on a Jaguar F-pace, everyone wants one!

Hop over to AutoeBid to price up the car you'd like to own and we'll help you navigate the process to get a great deal.