Running a banger cost effective?
Discussion
_Hoppers said:
gazza285 said:
What he said. Or perhaps an electric bike if you dont like getting to work all hot and sweaty.
Cycling is really efficient, 5 times or so more than walking, so its actually less effort unless you are going for it, more effort than sitting in a car but if you just amble, whilst making decent progress, say 12 to 15 mph, on a well maintained, good quality bike (not a £99 half tonne of pig iron Argos contraption on flat tyres) you should arrive no sweatier than when you left, after all, you generally have a nice cool breeze going over you.
I've done it for the last 7 or so years. It's fine if you buy a fairly reliable model and don't try to turn it into a concourse winner like many on here do.
Fix the minimum, use an independent, don't service it, aim to spend no more than £500 a year (ie the cost to replace it).
I've held sheds for 2-3 years at a time doing this and then sell it to a scrap yard.
You could split it and sell the parts individually to probably make up for the cost but that takes time and effort.
Fix the minimum, use an independent, don't service it, aim to spend no more than £500 a year (ie the cost to replace it).
I've held sheds for 2-3 years at a time doing this and then sell it to a scrap yard.
You could split it and sell the parts individually to probably make up for the cost but that takes time and effort.
My banger, 03 fiesta, nearly 2 years.
Car - £150
Clutch £70
Servicing - £60
Window Runners - £40
ive done other bits, cd player, half leather seats, 17" alloys & new tyres, total outlay for the full thing over 2 years is £590, include insurance and tax it goes up to £1510 total.
I spent more than that on just servicing my previous car over 2 years.
pro's, I leave it where I want, nobody gives it a second look, I don't care where I park it and if it ever got hit it wouldn't devastate me.
Cons - really hard not to like the little thing, I'm going to replace a door due to a previous bad repair, but part of me wants to spend a day polishing it up and swapping other parts to make it look better, it just chugs along and when the engine does die i would consider just swapping the engine out, it wouldnt take long or cost much
Car - £150
Clutch £70
Servicing - £60
Window Runners - £40
ive done other bits, cd player, half leather seats, 17" alloys & new tyres, total outlay for the full thing over 2 years is £590, include insurance and tax it goes up to £1510 total.
I spent more than that on just servicing my previous car over 2 years.
pro's, I leave it where I want, nobody gives it a second look, I don't care where I park it and if it ever got hit it wouldn't devastate me.
Cons - really hard not to like the little thing, I'm going to replace a door due to a previous bad repair, but part of me wants to spend a day polishing it up and swapping other parts to make it look better, it just chugs along and when the engine does die i would consider just swapping the engine out, it wouldnt take long or cost much
I recently picked up a "lovely" 1999 Daewoo Nubira with 35,000 miles for just £500 recently.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
1,000 miles in and it still feels spot on...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
1,000 miles in and it still feels spot on...
d when I do any exercise, depends on the individual I guess?Joey Deacon said:
_Hoppers said:
Joey Deacon said:
sweaty, or freezing cold and soaking wet
An electric bike, extra layer of clothing and some waterproofs would sort that out.Joey Deacon said:
murphyaj said:
I hate to be one of those annoying people who comes on a motoring forum and tells you not to drive, but this really is the answer. 6 miles might sound like a lot to someone who doesn't cycle much, but trust me after a few weeks it'll feel like nothing. If it's 6 miles through town you'll quickly find yourself wondering why on earth most people drive when it actually takes longer. Electric bikes are indeed a viable option too.
If you really, *REALLY* cannot bring yourself to cycle then yes, everyone else is right, a £500 shed is perfectly viable.
Maybe he doesn't want to get to work all sweaty, or freezing cold and soaking wet from rain in the winter? Maybe he doesn't want to risk getting killed or seriously injured by somebody who was more interested in replying to their facebook/tinder message than watching where they are going in their SUV?If you really, *REALLY* cannot bring yourself to cycle then yes, everyone else is right, a £500 shed is perfectly viable.
You will get as hot and sweaty as you want when cycling. Cycling at a moderate pace on the flat (~10 mph) is no more effort than walking. I can cycle for 20+ miles without getting sweaty if I just go at a moderate pace.
But fine, if someone doesn't want to then take the car. I'm just saying it's the most cost effective solution, which seems to be the OPs concern. I'm not forcing anyone here, just giving my opinion.
singlecoil said:
Indeed. My commute is only three miles, but if I didn't have the option of a car I would walk it before I would risk riding a bike.
Statistically, per mile travelled, you have a higher chance of being killed as a pedestrian than a cyclist.Interestingly there is a higher chance of injury as a cyclist, but a lower chance of death. That might be because cyclists can have minor accidents by simply falling off, rather than being hit by a car, but that's just conjecture on my part. Bear in mind that when statistics show cycling as causing more injuries than walking, that includes injuries of all severity levels, right down to cuts, sprains and bruises.
Edited by murphyaj on Tuesday 10th September 14:47
Edited by murphyaj on Tuesday 10th September 14:50
I endorse cycling to work.
I also endorse cheap cars. We inherited a low mileage 56 Fiesta 1.4 a couple of years ago. My wife uses it daily for driving about to various work locations. It has been fantastic. I've done a handful of jobs on it, but nothing major other than rear wheel bearings.
I also endorse cheap cars. We inherited a low mileage 56 Fiesta 1.4 a couple of years ago. My wife uses it daily for driving about to various work locations. It has been fantastic. I've done a handful of jobs on it, but nothing major other than rear wheel bearings.
Petrolsmasher said:
Ive just had an epiphany, the wife is happy for me to get a banger for work but not happy with me getting a mx5 as a daily as we are planning on babymaking.
Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
If you're planing a family it's probably best not to get a bike for the risk of smashing your nuts on the crossbar when you get taken out by an SUV.Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
murphyaj said:
singlecoil said:
Indeed. My commute is only three miles, but if I didn't have the option of a car I would walk it before I would risk riding a bike.
Statistically, per mile travelled, you have a higher chance of being killed as a pedestrian than a cyclist...Petrolsmasher said:
Ive just had an epiphany, the wife is happy for me to get a banger for work but not happy with me getting a mx5 as a daily as we are planning on babymaking.
Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
Not sure if you're being serious, but I don't see why this wouldn't be viable. When my child came along I had a 2 seater alongside the wife's sensible hatchback, it worked just fine. A child seat will fit in an mx5 for when it's just the two of you, and I don't think a mk1 has a passenger airbag (which would make a child seat a no-no). You'd need to bust your £500 budget to get a good one, but you only live once.Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
The mx5 is every inch as good to drive as you have heard, so you won't regret it (just check for rust!).
MC Bodge said:
singlecoil said:
I'll take your word for what the statistics say, but will make up my own mind as to which is the most dangerous in my particular circumstances.
Humans are notoriously poor at understanding statistics 
HTH.
_Hoppers said:
Petrolsmasher said:
Ive just had an epiphany, the wife is happy for me to get a banger for work but not happy with me getting a mx5 as a daily as we are planning on babymaking.
Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
If you're planing a family it's probably best not to get a bike for the risk of smashing your nuts on the crossbar when you get taken out by an SUV.Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
May not be cost effective as you will obviously need to tax, insure and service the car.
That's not to say it's not worth it though. I bought a new car back in 2006 (Megane 225) which to me was really special and expensive. It was also orange and I was commuting into London and due to move out so didn't want to be parking it at the train station. As a result I bought an old Renault 5 for £600 which served me well until someone rear ended it and I bought a Clio for the same money which lasted me a while.
I've ended up with four cars, one of which is now the daily car and the other three I'm stupidly precious about.
So in short it's financially unnecessary but if you want to keep your main car mint and out of harms way, it does make sense.
That's not to say it's not worth it though. I bought a new car back in 2006 (Megane 225) which to me was really special and expensive. It was also orange and I was commuting into London and due to move out so didn't want to be parking it at the train station. As a result I bought an old Renault 5 for £600 which served me well until someone rear ended it and I bought a Clio for the same money which lasted me a while.
I've ended up with four cars, one of which is now the daily car and the other three I'm stupidly precious about.
So in short it's financially unnecessary but if you want to keep your main car mint and out of harms way, it does make sense.
Look out on your local FaceBook Buy Sell or Swap. You will often find a local car being sold by the relatives of some old duffer who has stopped driving.
Just buy the best car you can find for your budget. And don't be choosy with makes or models.
It's surprising what turns up. Usually something beige or Korean with an absurdly low mileage.
Petrols are usually better prospects than diesels if you are spending less than £1000.
My weapon of choice would be a K11 Micra, but finding one that's not rotten might be a challenge these days.
C1/107/Aygo are ridiculously cheap to run, but feel cheap and nasty. Better than a moped or bicycle, though.
Just buy the best car you can find for your budget. And don't be choosy with makes or models.
It's surprising what turns up. Usually something beige or Korean with an absurdly low mileage.
Petrols are usually better prospects than diesels if you are spending less than £1000.
My weapon of choice would be a K11 Micra, but finding one that's not rotten might be a challenge these days.
C1/107/Aygo are ridiculously cheap to run, but feel cheap and nasty. Better than a moped or bicycle, though.
Petrolsmasher said:
Ive just had an epiphany, the wife is happy for me to get a banger for work but not happy with me getting a mx5 as a daily as we are planning on babymaking.
Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
Well, even if you start now and hit the jackpot on the first attempt that still gives you until summer next year to enjoy the MX5 ;-)Is this the perfect time to get a mx1 mk5 as my work commuter haha.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff