Owning/running two cars - good or bad idea?
Discussion
I've run two cars for a few years, first a Suzuki Samurai which I barely ever used and now an MX5. Trust me two cars will never be cheaper - it's sod's law that one or the other will need some attention, sometimes both at once which has just happened to me and is really hammering my finances. I'm just hoping that both my cars will now be fine for a good while so I can recover my money! If you can stretch to running the MR2 and a take a gamble on cheap snotter as an everyday car then my advice is to make sure you stagger the MOTs and tax and insurance by six months or so to try and balance out the costs!
chris7676 said:
You might save a bit if:
* Use cheap cars for signifcant mileage
* Other car costs significantly more to run per mile (petrol, tyres, servicing, depreciation)
* Your insurace increase won't be much
MR2 shouldn't be that expensive for you to save a lot.
I did try to make some calculations based on my experience, and it seems that I'm neither saving nor spending more. But I do get more fun and convenience having more than one car.
^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^* Use cheap cars for signifcant mileage
* Other car costs significantly more to run per mile (petrol, tyres, servicing, depreciation)
* Your insurace increase won't be much
MR2 shouldn't be that expensive for you to save a lot.
I did try to make some calculations based on my experience, and it seems that I'm neither saving nor spending more. But I do get more fun and convenience having more than one car.
Sums up my situation nicely.
All 13,000 miles per year in my Monaro = £3391 (23mpg av.)
Tax £460 Insurance £451 MOT £45
TOTAL = £4347
OR,
10,000 miles in Toyota = £1304 (46mpg av.)
Tax £200 Insurance £295 MOT £45
and
3000 miles in Monaro = £782 (23mpg av.)
Tax £310 (SORN'd over winter) Insurance £451 MOT £45
TOTAL = £3432
£915 cheaper to run two cars, yipee!
I have not had less than 2 cars since 1984. just mine this does not include the wifes car. the easiest way to do it is have=ing the second car over 15 years old so you can insure it as a classic, they don't use no claims on classic policies. I have in the past owned 4 cars myself and got mirroed no claims, this is still expensive though.
right now I have a jag x type and a triumph vitesse. the vitesse is insured on the same policy as the wifes morris minor and cost £130 tax is free on both. my no claims is used on the jag. I will be adding a series land rover to the classic policy soon as well.
I fix all my cars myself, I would not like to have to pay someone to fix them as well.
right now I have a jag x type and a triumph vitesse. the vitesse is insured on the same policy as the wifes morris minor and cost £130 tax is free on both. my no claims is used on the jag. I will be adding a series land rover to the classic policy soon as well.
I fix all my cars myself, I would not like to have to pay someone to fix them as well.
300bhp/ton said:
Porkie said:
Thanks... I added another last week. My first ever yank car 
V8 naturally 
Should I ask what it is, or is it a secret? V8 naturally Someone pm'd me it off here when I was asking about Discoverys and if they are reliable if you leave them standing for months on end (car will only get used few times) Think you posted on thread actually?!?!?1
Its a 2002 Jeep Grand cherokee 4.7 limited... cost me all of £3500. only drove it around block so far but thought it was awesome. AMAZING condition
Amazing amount of car for the money. I paid almost as much for some brake pads a few months back... just cant believe what you can buy now everyone is scared on big engined gas guzzlers.
Want it to snow this weekend
vrsmxtb said:
I've run two cars for a few years, first a Suzuki Samurai which I barely ever used and now an MX5. Trust me two cars will never be cheaper - it's sod's law that one or the other will need some attention, sometimes both at once which has just happened to me and is really hammering my finances. I'm just hoping that both my cars will now be fine for a good while so I can recover my money! If you can stretch to running the MR2 and a take a gamble on cheap snotter as an everyday car then my advice is to make sure you stagger the MOTs and tax and insurance by six months or so to try and balance out the costs!
It does seem to happen more often then you'd expect that both are broken at the same time - I've actually had the scenario twice so far, first time was when the 306 ate the PAS belt and when I got home I found that the scoob had a flat tire the second when was when it failed its MOT on a PAS fluid leak (missed consequence of the belt incident) and the scoob had a couple of seized brake pistons and a mate of mine (and fellow PHer) who runs two cars has had both of his out of action on more than one occasion but the thing to remember is that you only have to repair one at a time.The thing is that running one "sensible" reliable car is always going to be cheaper than running a toy and a snotter but then you miss out on the toy which for me kind of defeats the purpose, its not that two cars are cheaper than one its that undert the right circumstances a toy and a snotter is cheaper than a toy on its own
Bad Sir Culation said:
Cheers folks. And what would the advice be regarding buying a small engined petrol motor vs a diesel? Sort of thing I'm looking at would be a MK3 Astra 1.7 TDS or a MK4 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec, that sort of thing. Astra is a bit bigger/more practical.
It kind of depends on the sort of mileage you do and what sort of mileage you do. If it's mainly motorway then diesel all the way. Round town a small engined petrol will do the better job.I've only been running 2 cars since March and agree with alot that's been said, also worth noting with the insurer OP is with, that they allowed the same NCB on my second car, but not protected. Look at things like limited mileage for both as well if its fairly predictable.
I've got a diesel as a runaround and get 50mph on mixed driving, so with 200 miles a week for school run alone (waits for the bad mothers driving/parking comments
) its much more economical.
I've got a diesel as a runaround and get 50mph on mixed driving, so with 200 miles a week for school run alone (waits for the bad mothers driving/parking comments
) its much more economical. Bad Sir Culation said:
Cheers folks. And what would the advice be regarding buying a small engined petrol motor vs a diesel? Sort of thing I'm looking at would be a MK3 Astra 1.7 TDS or a MK4 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec, that sort of thing. Astra is a bit bigger/more practical.
Both sound perfectly boring 
Porkie said:
Its cheapest car I have ever bought!!!!
Someone pm'd me it off here when I was asking about Discoverys and if they are reliable if you leave them standing for months on end (car will only get used few times) Think you posted on thread actually?!?!?1
Its a 2002 Jeep Grand cherokee 4.7 limited... cost me all of £3500. only drove it around block so far but thought it was awesome. AMAZING condition
Amazing amount of car for the money. I paid almost as much for some brake pads a few months back... just cant believe what you can buy now everyone is scared on big engined gas guzzlers.
Want it to snow this weekend
Someone pm'd me it off here when I was asking about Discoverys and if they are reliable if you leave them standing for months on end (car will only get used few times) Think you posted on thread actually?!?!?1
Its a 2002 Jeep Grand cherokee 4.7 limited... cost me all of £3500. only drove it around block so far but thought it was awesome. AMAZING condition
Amazing amount of car for the money. I paid almost as much for some brake pads a few months back... just cant believe what you can buy now everyone is scared on big engined gas guzzlers.
Want it to snow this weekend
I know the feeling
Well in all honesty, if we go on any long trips it is always in my car. Other half has a Punto 1.2 which sucks for anything long distance TBH. We do like to go on trips to London a couple of times a year, from Leeds, and we go all sorts of other places.
I think diesel > small petrol. Just concerned that a 500 quid effort might not make it to London
I think diesel > small petrol. Just concerned that a 500 quid effort might not make it to London
Bad Sir Culation said:
Well in all honesty, if we go on any long trips it is always in my car. Other half has a Punto 1.2 which sucks for anything long distance TBH. We do like to go on trips to London a couple of times a year, from Leeds, and we go all sorts of other places.
I think diesel > small petrol. Just concerned that a 500 quid effort might not make it to London
I dunno. I ran a £650 Pug 106 for several years and about 60k miles. Ok it needed a few bits, but was cheap motoring really. 110 miles a day for work.I think diesel > small petrol. Just concerned that a 500 quid effort might not make it to London
nottyash said:
An M3 as my weekend car
A Golf GTI turbo as my everyday run about
An MR2 Roadster as the Mrs everyday runabout (just replaced a Prelude)
Still cheaper than buying one brand new 20 grand car.
I seriously doubt that - in fact I doubt the M3 ALONE is cheaper than running a brand-new 20 grand car when you consider running costs and insurance (depending on what sort of M3 I suppose).A Golf GTI turbo as my everyday run about
An MR2 Roadster as the Mrs everyday runabout (just replaced a Prelude)
Still cheaper than buying one brand new 20 grand car.
You have three lots of insurance, three lots of tax, three lots of servicing, three cars corroding at the same rate even if they're not being used (exhausts and cats fail over time even if not being used) and so on...
The only situation I can see where running 2 cars (for one driver) makes sense is where you have a 'cherished' car which does terrible MPG - running a high-MPG daily driver will easily save you more money than a car like that will cost.
Problem is you have to leave the cherished car behind everyday and get into the crapbox - and that can be a bit of an ask...
Two cars is a good way to go.
Us
One car is Fuel and oil drinking toy.
The other is a diesel work horse.
With the runninng costs of a performance car, more and more people have gone down this route.
If I pop to the supermarket, I dont want to be checking the oil. Cranking it over to get pressure - waiting for the oil to get up to temp whlist it drinks half a fuel tanker. I want to get into something grey and inocuious that runs on fumes, I turn the key and off I go.
Us
One car is Fuel and oil drinking toy.
The other is a diesel work horse.
With the runninng costs of a performance car, more and more people have gone down this route.
If I pop to the supermarket, I dont want to be checking the oil. Cranking it over to get pressure - waiting for the oil to get up to temp whlist it drinks half a fuel tanker. I want to get into something grey and inocuious that runs on fumes, I turn the key and off I go.
We as a household run two vehicles, she uses the 335d and I run the T5 Transporter,
It works for us, we need it to but it isn't exactly cheap, however I try an work the T5 pulling in scrap, shifting cars with my trailer etc and this helps soften the blow of the daily costs.
For a second car to save you money it would really have to be next to free, come fully road legal for a year and do 50+ mpg, otherwise the initial outlay, insurance and running costs will soon eat into the savings you may make
If i were you, I'd sell the MR2 and buy something you can afford to run until you can get that V8
It works for us, we need it to but it isn't exactly cheap, however I try an work the T5 pulling in scrap, shifting cars with my trailer etc and this helps soften the blow of the daily costs.
For a second car to save you money it would really have to be next to free, come fully road legal for a year and do 50+ mpg, otherwise the initial outlay, insurance and running costs will soon eat into the savings you may make
If i were you, I'd sell the MR2 and buy something you can afford to run until you can get that V8
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