Is This Wise?

[dovidola]

Dear Folks - I've had my GS300SE (2005) for a while, and have been very happy with it. I've agreed to part-ex it at a Main Dealer for a GS450hSE-L (June 2010 model with all the extras and 32k miles) with a £17K balance to pay. Am I being rash? Will I notice a big difference (apart from the hole in my bank balance)? I'd appreciate your thoughts as current owners...

[steve2006]

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

I would think the biggest difference will be fuel consumption given you are moving from petrol to hybrid and the "official" figures for the latest GS petrol and hybrid models is around 20 MPG so if this is the case in reality you should be saving from the start with fuel costs plus I think reduced road tax.

The 450H also has the CVT gearbox as opposed to the 6 speed auto in the 300, having driven one I quite like the system once you get used to pulling out at junctions with no engine noise,but it is personal preference in the end.

You also have the remainder of the warranty with the option to extend this coupled with I assume a FLSH.

Dealer prices are always at the top end but if you feel happy with the deal go ahead.

[wendle]

Hi, I expect you have already taken the 450h out for a long test drive so you would already be aware of the difference in the cars performance, and although, as I remember the GS300 gear change was very smooth and nearly unnoticeable the CVT on the 450h is seamless.

My yearly average m.p.g is 30, but I only travel about 500 miles a year on motorway or roads faster than 40 mph, 90% of my driving is 5/10 mile trips.

As Steve has mentioned your road tax will be cheaper £200

There is no congestion charge if you drive through London, as you haven’t put your location on your profile this may or may not affect you, although I expect in the future this charge may spread to other cities witch may or may not charge hybrid cars.

Depending on how long you intend to keep the car I would defiantly consider extending the warranty, you are already a owner of a 7 year old car with X amount of miles on it , so you are in a good position to decide weather to take out a extended warranty or not depending on you experiences. I no £1000 a year is a lot of money, but these cars cost a fortune if anything goes wrong, not to say you will have any problems, I suppose it just depends on your luck.

[coneybiller]

Not to put a poo bar on what you just said there wendle, but I recently went to London and through the congestion charge zone, I thought I would look it up just in case when I got home and to my horror I found that our beloved 450h's are no longer on the list! Electric cars and cars with 0 emissions only ie. CT200h or the Nissan leaf!

10 English pounds to you and me I'm afraid

Cheers

Ben

[wicked677]

Have never quite understood the congestion charge, to reduce traffic but yet "electric cars" are free to jam the streets? Emissions or no emissions it's a money making machine.

As for a newer GS, the benefits have been pointed out above and they are decent. Just depends if you want to part with more cash. The newer model is out soon and you might want to look at that. A bit BMWy though...

[wendle]

Not to put a poo bar on what you just said there wendle, but I recently went to London and through the congestion charge zone, I thought I would look it up just in case when I got home and to my horror I found that our beloved 450h's are no longer on the list! Electric cars and cars with 0 emissions only ie. CT200h or the Nissan leaf!

10 English pounds to you and me I'm afraid

Cheers

Ben

O well thanks for that information, the last time I enquired you had to register your car and pay £10, they must have changed it, I will have to check that out.

[dovidola]

Thanks for all your helpful info folks. Picked the car up at the weekend and gave it a bit of a workout. The extra power blows all other considerations away!

[WoodcotePark]

A different perspective on your note.

From where I stand, you've spent £17k to jump from a 7 year old car to a more sophisticated two year old.

In the grand plan of car ownership, picking up a 40 grand 2010 car for roughly £25k has got to be a good deal. According to my calculator, you're looking at less than £3k a year depreciation over the next five years.

Yes it'll cost a grand or two more than your seven year old car, but you'll have all the pleasure of running a much younger car.

According to Tom T Hall, when a man gets older and wiser, he goes for "Older Whiskey, Faster Horses, and Younger Women."

But WE know it's much less hassle to just have younger 'n faster "Horses."

[dovidola]

Quite so - my thinking entirely. There seems to be some Higher Rule of Economics at work here; car ownership has consistently cost me around £3k in depreciation per anum for as long as I can remember, irrespective of model. Bloody good value too!