Which Contract Hire Car?

Okay folks, here’s my dilemma!

I’m looking into Contract Hire as opposed to buying new, you see it works out better for me to go on contract hire with insurance and a maintenance/service package than to say purchase second hand and insure/service etc over three years and then say maybe purchase the vehicle at market value upon contract expiry?

So folks I’m quite stuck on what to choose, everything that’s listed below is what’s within reach for a while in relation to advance payments. I would like your views on the vehicles, pros/cons, if any of you own the vehicles, how are these in terms of handling, ride, fuel economy, build quality, reliability etc. So without further ado, here’s the list:

Honda Civic 1.4i DSI SE (82 bhp, 5dr, Petrol, Manual)
VW Golf 1.4 TSI Match (122 bhp, 5dr, Petrol, Manual)
Volvo S40 2.0D S (136 bhp, 4dr, Diesel, Manual)
Also possibly, rather unlikely:
Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDi SE HFT (138 bhp, 4dr, Diesel, Manual)

I’m looking at test drives hopefully sometime this week and early next week before I choose. I forgot to mention, please express your views on what you would pick from the list and why!

Now this will be my first contract hire and I was wondering what things I should be weary of on the contract, such as condition of vehicle upon return/expiry of contract, my position if there was a write off (touch wood), would I need GAP insurance? The service/maintenance package, will it cover things such major services including timing belt changes, oil, brake discs/pads etc?

So when I turn up at the dealers, how can I negotiate a better deal, the package price seems to be very good but is there a way to say haggle and get free extras, such as Rear Parking Aid, Cruise Control, Keyless Drive? Is it worth having leather? Are the extra’s prices negotiable if I can’t get them free?

On a side note, is Keyless Entry/Drive worth considering or is it another complexity for things that might go wrong? Your views on this feature, please.

Do you think I could get a better deal, say if a family member took out another vehicle on contract hire from the same dealer at the same time? If so, how would I go about getting the best from a deal as such as this?

Finally, if I wanted to purchase the vehicle upon contract expiry, would there be an option to do this from this type of car hire contract? If so, do you have any idea on how the value would be calculated? For example, could it be approximate market value plus a margin?

I ask so much so that I am better equipped when I visit the dealers, I thank every one of you for taking the time to read this and post your comments, views and foresight of anything I might have missed out or forgotten altogether.

:help: :confused:

Thanks Again!

Wow loads of q's there!

First off take the 1.4 civic off the list! either go for the 1.8 or the 2.2 diesel, seriously the 1.4 is woefully underpowered! The rest of the list is ok, although you've got several different sized cars there, probabily better if you decide sorta size car you want first etc.

Id say there wud be no benefit if another family member got a car at the same time tbh.

Thirdly go to Motorpoint | UK's No1 Car Supermarket | New and Nearly New Cars | BMW | AUDI | FORD | VW a very good website with some ridiculous prices, and im pretty sure they do PCP.

You will have to crunch some numbers if you want to determine how cost effective it will be as there are a lot of factors to consider. Purchase cost, loans (if any), maintenance, depreciation etc and these will vary with the mileage you do.

You may be able to wangle a discount if you take more than one car, although this can depend on which car you want, how many the dealer has in stock, how desperately they want to shift them. If you are not fussed about which car you have then you can get some real bargains by taking the car the dealers want to get rid of!

As for haggling, why not? Doesn’t hurt to try.

IIRC maintenance packages cover all service intervals including belts etc, you can get some that also include tyres (can be handy if you have a FWD and a heavy right foot) you should be able to get full details on what’s covered before you buy.

Usually with contract hire you are given a guaranteed future value for the car. At the end of the contract, this is the value they will buy the car back from you for (assuming it’s in suitable condition) or you can pay to keep the car after the contract.

From the list above, the Honda Accord is probably the best all rounder but I would have the S40 or Golf depending on how big a car you want. S40 will be better on fuel, TSI might be a laugh to drive. Take the test drive and see which you can live with.

Take a look at Car leasing & contract hire special offers provided by ContractHireAndLeasing.com

Definition of Contact Purchase and Hire Purchase see here: Car leasing guide

are you VAT registered?

If not, contract hire aint for you :) you need a PCP with maintenance.

1. Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDi SE HFT (138 bhp, 4dr, Diesel, Manual)
=2 VW Golf 1.4 TSI Match (122 bhp, 5dr, Petrol, Manual)
=2 Volvo S40 2.0D S (136 bhp, 4dr, Diesel, Manual)
3. Honda Civic 1.4i DSI SE (82 bhp, 5dr, Petrol, Manual)

I'd pick the accord too - more power with good mpg. Good drive too - so i'm told.

Is the Accord the latest version or old shape?
If it's the old shape the deal has to be simply amazing. It's still the car I'd choose but be mega picky about price.

The Civic 1.4 I drive regularily (another 150miles yesterday in fact). It is much faster than the weight and 82bhp suggest. However it really needs to be worked (a pleasure) to achieve it. The engine lacks a little character and torque (the old Corolla 1.4 had more of both) but is a good overall package and should be great value.
As suggested the bigger petrol and diesel are better because they achieve the same with a great deal more ease and relaxation. The 1.4 is definitely more economical though! :)