Hello all - great forum you have here!
I'm having a bit of an Evoque dilemma, and I thought you might be able to give me some advice/help me with some questions. Loved the Evoque from launch, but wasn't really in a position to buy one. Recently, though, despite living in London (zone 2), I'm thinking it wouldn't be such a crazy idea. I work from home, so it would be an occasional-jaunt/weekend getaway car (not for bank-robbing, honest) and I could get an on-street parking permit (there are some expensive cars around here, so I wouldn't worry so much about it being a target out in the open).
What gives me pause is the fact that my better-half and I
could be moving abroad later in the year. It's definitely not for certain to happen, but if it did, I'd have to sell the Evoque. Having hemorrhaged cash a few years back when I last owned/sold a car privately, I'm a bit wary of that situation. But, the Evoque seems like it's holding its value well, thanks to scarcity/newness/appeal/etc.
My thinking is this: pick up a second-hand Evoque now, enjoy it, and - if we do end up moving - be reasonably assured of a decent resale value not-too-far down the line. Obviously they're only going to get less-rare, but if we suddenly up-sticks in late 2013, the situation shouldn't - I'm guessing - have changed too considerably.
And so, the questions:
1) Since I don't need the practicality of the 5-door, and I prefer the looks of the Coupe, that's the one I'd go for. They seem scarcer, however; would I be putting an undue limit on resale potential?
2) I've been reading around on comments about diesel vs. petrol, and how diesel engines aren't keen on short journeys. That would probably be at least part of my routine, given where we live, so should I be limiting my search to petrol? Real-world fuel economy seems to be mixed among petrol Evoque owners.
3) While I know the Pure comes with plenty of kit, my guess would be that Dynamic (or Prestige) would hold its value better. Certainly more so than a Pure with extras thrown at it. I'm also thinking auto rather than manual, since London traffic can be a chore on your clutch-foot. Again, sensible thinking?
4) Is my logic on resale flawed? I know I'm obviously going to lose
some money (not least on paying for fuel/tax/insurance/etc.) but we're already stumping up for tube/taxis/trains. I know from reading the forum that some people here have sold Evoques - what sort of hit did you take?
Sorry, I've written a lot (and asked a lot of questions!) but I've been lurking for the past few weeks trying to figure out if this is a pipe-dream situation or one I should pursue. The freedom of being able to jump in a car and go away for the weekend (and not deal with awful trains) would be great, as would the knowledge that depreciation was as conservative as you could realistically hope for. Any advice?
Chris