Cheap to run car for £1500

[confused_buyer]

littlened said:

Nar, no way the way would ever drive a volvo. Old mans car she would say.

From someone who drives an Astra?!

[littlened]

confused_buyer said:

From someone who drives an Astra?!

To be fair, the astra doesn't look like an old mans car.

This is exactly the same as ours.

[confused_buyer]

littlened said:

To be fair, the astra doesn't look like an old mans car.

This is exactly the same as ours.

No, but it is a generic rep fleet/hire car - and a good one at that - not one you'd buy for image. Maybe it is just me but the word "Astra" and I still think of someone in a trilby poodling around in a Belmont at 14mpg in 5th. Maybe not unlike the Volvo (and the V40 doesn't look much like a 740 GL either).

Back to the subject in hand - if you like the ZS/ZT perhaps a diesel version would be worth considering. They're a lot cheaper to run/tax than the petrol versions and generally more reliable too.

[rb5er]

awooga said:

I think you're perhaps looking at the wrong figures. Ignore the tax to some degree and look at what you're losing in depreciation instead. It'll be a lot more than a few hundred quid in tax. Buy something reliable at the bottom end of the depreciation curve in good nick (mileage less important) like a honda accord, ford focus or similar and keep your fun car.

This. The astra will be pissing money away in depreciation at a much higher rate than a couple of hundred quid tax.

[jonsmart]

What about a zt-t cdti? Big, comfy, 170 p.a to tax and insurance is low!

[Sten J]

jonsmart said:

What about a zt-t cdti? Big, comfy, 170 p.a to tax and insurance is low!

To cover 3k miles a year? As the main criteria is running costs and given the low annaul mileage I'd just get a small car like a Fabia, Ibiza, Corsa even.

[jonsmart]

Ahh, didn't fully read the criteria! Mitsubishi space star?

[amstrange1]

littlened said:

and the car costs me about 33p a mile in fuel

Is the MG really that bad? At £1.45/litre I make 33p/mile the equivalent to just under 20mpg, even my 350Z does better than that!

[littlened]

amstrange1 said:

Is the MG really that bad? At £1.45/litre I make 33p/mile the equivalent to just under 20mpg, even my 350Z does better than that!

I'm getting around 150 mile to £50 at the minute. The biggest problem is its main journey is 1.5 mile, four times a day during the week.

It's not a bad car, and I have considered selling the TF, then getting the ZT remapped, alloys refurbished and generally make it into a car I want to look after.

I've considered selling both the MGs and getting one car wi a bit of power and that I can polish when I get time, that's also fun. A mk2 ZS 180 would fit the bill, but will it make me look like a boy racer? Probably.

[littlened]

confused_buyer said:

No, but it is a generic rep fleet/hire car - and a good one at that - not one you'd buy for image. Maybe it is just me but the word "Astra" and I still think of someone in a trilby poodling around in a Belmont at 14mpg in 5th. Maybe not unlike the Volvo (and the V40 doesn't look much like a 740 GL either).

Back to the subject in hand - if you like the ZS/ZT perhaps a diesel version would be worth considering. They're a lot cheaper to run/tax than the petrol versions and generally more reliable too.

I would love an s40 t5, but even selling Both MGs I wouldn't have enough money. Cheapest are 3.5k

[Mr2Mike]

littlened said:

I'm getting around 150 mile to £50 at the minute. The biggest problem is its main journey is 1.5 mile, four times a day during the week.

So 30 miles per week, plus whatever you do at the weekend? Unless you are regularly doing a couple of hundred miles at the weekend your fuel costs are going to be pretty much irrelevant with such a small distance.

[Truckosaurus]

If you want to save money on a 1.5mile journey, switch to Shanks' Pony.

[amstrange1]

Mr2Mike said:

littlened said:

I'm getting around 150 mile to £50 at the minute. The biggest problem is its main journey is 1.5 mile, four times a day during the week.

So 30 miles per week, plus whatever you do at the weekend? Unless you are regularly doing a couple of hundred miles at the weekend your fuel costs are going to be pretty much irrelevant with such a small distance.

And not only that, nothing apart from an EV is going to turn decent economy on those kind of short journeys.