Daily driver; how do you do it?
Discussion
jamoor said:
MikeM6 said:
DoubleD said:
ElectricSoup said:
Nissan Leaf. As near to free motoring as it's possible to get.
Do they not depreciate? Given it needs no fuel, does that actually make it close to shed money in real terms?
MikeM6 said:
DoubleD said:
ElectricSoup said:
Nissan Leaf. As near to free motoring as it's possible to get.
Do they not depreciate? Given it needs no fuel, does that actually make it close to shed money in real terms?
I couldn't have done the 24k miles I've done in it in a £500 shed for less. And no breakdown worries, or time off the road.
Edited by ElectricSoup on Monday 2nd December 09:57
When the weather is s
t, or I have stuff to carry, or I just want to get to work with minimum fuss, it's the 1998 Outback.
Auto, power everything, tall tyres, quick enough to keep up with peak hour traffic (not a big ask) - basic ultra-reliable waftmobile.
If the sun's out and I'm in the mood, I do the work commute in the 30 year old MR2 - sometimes every day for a week or two.
The difference is that I wash the MR2 if it's been driven in the rain, while the Subaru gets pressure-washed at work once every so often.
t, or I have stuff to carry, or I just want to get to work with minimum fuss, it's the 1998 Outback.Auto, power everything, tall tyres, quick enough to keep up with peak hour traffic (not a big ask) - basic ultra-reliable waftmobile.
If the sun's out and I'm in the mood, I do the work commute in the 30 year old MR2 - sometimes every day for a week or two.
The difference is that I wash the MR2 if it's been driven in the rain, while the Subaru gets pressure-washed at work once every so often.
Been all over the place with my daily driver over the years.
C63 = toy + company car. Then changed jobs
C63= Toy, + Bought a 320d M Sport manual coupe. Great car, hated the manual.. so i sold it
C63= Toy + E60 530d M Sport. Phenomenal daily driver for £4k, lovely place to be, frugal, powerful. had 130k miles on it and i realized after 12 months the money it saved me on fuel i actually spent on wear and tear to keep it on the road.
by this point i got fed up of a two car garage as financially it didnt work for me. Buy and old car and spend lots maintaining it, or have a nice car and just hammer miles on it. I decided to sell both cars, and buy one big 'sporty' diesel which would be the best of both worlds. Ended up with a nearly new Panamera 4S which i adored.
That lasted 6 months before i decided that it was too boring especially for what i paid for it.
So now.. my daily driver is a nearly new E63s. I do horrendous miles,and i will take an absolute hiding come resale time so the depriciation probably makes it a similar scenario to running two cars, but it is what it is! Beats two lots of tax, insurance, fuel, MOT, tyres etc.
Probably wont do the two car thing again.
C63 = toy + company car. Then changed jobs
C63= Toy, + Bought a 320d M Sport manual coupe. Great car, hated the manual.. so i sold it
C63= Toy + E60 530d M Sport. Phenomenal daily driver for £4k, lovely place to be, frugal, powerful. had 130k miles on it and i realized after 12 months the money it saved me on fuel i actually spent on wear and tear to keep it on the road.
by this point i got fed up of a two car garage as financially it didnt work for me. Buy and old car and spend lots maintaining it, or have a nice car and just hammer miles on it. I decided to sell both cars, and buy one big 'sporty' diesel which would be the best of both worlds. Ended up with a nearly new Panamera 4S which i adored.
That lasted 6 months before i decided that it was too boring especially for what i paid for it.
So now.. my daily driver is a nearly new E63s. I do horrendous miles,and i will take an absolute hiding come resale time so the depriciation probably makes it a similar scenario to running two cars, but it is what it is! Beats two lots of tax, insurance, fuel, MOT, tyres etc.
Probably wont do the two car thing again.
Tannedbaldhead said:
toon10 said:
BMW G30 540i xDrive.
Comfort - check
Luxury - check
Practicality - check (comfort, space, 4 doors)
Refined - check
Big boot - check
All weather ability - check
Pace - check (335bhp with similar torque from low down in the rev range)
Fun - check (as much as a quiet but fast capable big car can be)
Discrete - check (I can park this in places I would think twice about parking something more exotic)
If you gave me a "check" on could I get mountain bikes or the dogs in the back I'd have said your car is perfect. But hey, BMW do a lovely 5 Series Touring. Comfort - check
Luxury - check
Practicality - check (comfort, space, 4 doors)
Refined - check
Big boot - check
All weather ability - check
Pace - check (335bhp with similar torque from low down in the rev range)
Fun - check (as much as a quiet but fast capable big car can be)
Discrete - check (I can park this in places I would think twice about parking something more exotic)
Cheap lease deal for the daily now. Has to have a big boot, 5 doors and be comfortable.
I've run older cars that cost less to buy etc but just can't beat a really good deal on a brand new car. I never have to worry about it letting me down on a cold morning when I need to get to a meeting a hundred miles away, or worry about a new knock or warning light. An Octavia VRS on a really good deal has fit the bill perfectly for the past couple of years.
However...I've turned it on it's head a bit for my next lease. Circumstances have changed for the better and I didn't like the fact that I spend 80% of my time driving my daily, and only really 20% in the expensive second car, so I've ordered a PHEV Rangie sport on one of the recent great deals. I wanted something more special and refined/comfortable to do what's becoming ever increasing business mileage in.
I haven't done the expensive daily thing before, so may live to regret having 2 cars capable of throwing big bills my way, especially as consumables and servicing will be far more and the lease ties me to main dealers only. The comment above about always working on a cold morning might also not apply to a JLR product. We shall see...
I've run older cars that cost less to buy etc but just can't beat a really good deal on a brand new car. I never have to worry about it letting me down on a cold morning when I need to get to a meeting a hundred miles away, or worry about a new knock or warning light. An Octavia VRS on a really good deal has fit the bill perfectly for the past couple of years.
However...I've turned it on it's head a bit for my next lease. Circumstances have changed for the better and I didn't like the fact that I spend 80% of my time driving my daily, and only really 20% in the expensive second car, so I've ordered a PHEV Rangie sport on one of the recent great deals. I wanted something more special and refined/comfortable to do what's becoming ever increasing business mileage in.
I haven't done the expensive daily thing before, so may live to regret having 2 cars capable of throwing big bills my way, especially as consumables and servicing will be far more and the lease ties me to main dealers only. The comment above about always working on a cold morning might also not apply to a JLR product. We shall see...
As of saturday I am changing the way I do it.
My Evora will no longer be my dialy, its been hot in the station car park twice in 18 months and the hassle factor is pissing me off so for station duties and local runs I have just purchased this:
Surprisingly nice to drive and with a lofty 124bhp its actually more powerful than most 1.6 petrol cars from 2008!
Kia Pro ceed
My Evora will no longer be my dialy, its been hot in the station car park twice in 18 months and the hassle factor is pissing me off so for station duties and local runs I have just purchased this:
Surprisingly nice to drive and with a lofty 124bhp its actually more powerful than most 1.6 petrol cars from 2008!
Kia Pro ceed
sheepman said:
fiat Doblo van daily- 55mpg.
supercharged 370bhp civic type r for track days
^^ A variation of the above.supercharged 370bhp civic type r for track days
The shed is a Grande Punto 1.3Mjet, slightly fettled to bring up to 110hp from 75 and EGR delete to improve turbo response, other than this its all standard. Had for over 8 yrs, costs £30tax, £100ish to insure and does 55mpg(winter) and 60mpg(summer) consistently over 2.5K miles(onboard mpg resets after that). Does the 'station carpark' duty well, as a result it looks a bit tatty now as it has been in the wars for years, but mechanically well kept and will take me anywhere I need to go. Mostly it does 3miles each way to the train station and normal day to day chores, but its actually not uncomfortable on a long commute either (had a tumble dryer and a bmw 6 cylinder engine and box fit in the back on occasions).
Overall, the London commute takes the brunt of the travel funds, then the car park wars and the short drive just do not justify using anything more upmarket.
With the above said, the real reason I cannot justify to my self owning something more fun (Elise has been contemplated on more than one occasion) is because I can't have fun on the road without taking to many risks and just acceleration just doesn't do it for me anymore. I dont live near Snowdonia so empty driving roads are not on the menu either.
That's why I have a dedicated caged track car as my go to fun vehicle. Its road legal, but far too track focused now to be used on the road at the speeds it can carry and ofcourse far too dangerous for others if it went wrong. On track I can ring its neck to my content and lap quicker than most double duty cars other than genuine supercars then pootle home.
No comparison to any road driving once you start pulling 1G++ in cornering and braking on track imo and driver skill increases.
For me its a great compromise between cheap motoring and getting my adrenaline rush without much compromise or risk!
Edited by Humour on Tuesday 3rd December 12:47
blueg33 said:
As of saturday I am changing the way I do it.
My Evora will no longer be my dialy, its been hot in the station car park twice in 18 months and the hassle factor is pissing me off so for station duties and local runs I have just purchased this:
Surprisingly nice to drive and with a lofty 124bhp its actually more powerful than most 1.6 petrol cars from 2008!
Kia Pro ceed
I had a 140hp diesel one alongside our Mk5 Golf TDI. I really liked it.My Evora will no longer be my dialy, its been hot in the station car park twice in 18 months and the hassle factor is pissing me off so for station duties and local runs I have just purchased this:
Surprisingly nice to drive and with a lofty 124bhp its actually more powerful than most 1.6 petrol cars from 2008!
Kia Pro ceed
I opted out of my company car scheme this year because the BIK was starting to get a bit painful and my list is still heavily weighted towards diesels.
I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
Court_S said:
I opted out of my company car scheme this year because the BIK was starting to get a bit painful and my list is still heavily weighted towards diesels.
I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
I'd echo that. My M135i was my daily driver for 3 1/2 years and it worked perfectly as an all rounder. Well other than a couple of days when we had snow!I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
toon10 said:
Court_S said:
I opted out of my company car scheme this year because the BIK was starting to get a bit painful and my list is still heavily weighted towards diesels.
I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
I'd echo that. My M135i was my daily driver for 3 1/2 years and it worked perfectly as an all rounder. Well other than a couple of days when we had snow!I don’t have room for a toy / fun cat so have had to try and wrap it up in one. My M140i appears to do a pretty good job of covering all bases. It’s quick / fun enough when needed but it’s also pretty good at the very boring stuff. Plus the running costs don’t appear to be too horrendous. It’s also anonymous enough not to piss of colleagues and clients.
toon10 said:
I'd echo that. My M135i was my daily driver for 3 1/2 years and it worked perfectly as an all rounder. Well other than a couple of days when we had snow!
Traction at the moment varies from rubbish to comically poor 
On a more serious note, it's generally fine if you don't treat the accelerator like an on/off switch.
Court_S said:
toon10 said:
I'd echo that. My M135i was my daily driver for 3 1/2 years and it worked perfectly as an all rounder. Well other than a couple of days when we had snow!
Traction at the moment varies from rubbish to comically poor On a more serious note, it's generally fine if you don't treat the accelerator like an on/off switch.
I switched to a 540i xDrive and it's done nothing but rain since I bought it. Such a novelty as I can now just treat the throttle as an on/off switch. I've not managed to get the traction control light to come on at all, even the other day when it was frosty and I was slipping all over walking to the car on my driveway. The M135i was fine as long as you adjust how you feed in the throttle depending on conditions!Dailied all my cars, mainly due to insurance costs, until October last year; girlfriend with children and not yet licensed to drive, on a road I wasn't keen to park on left me with little choice but to buy a little runaround I didn't mind (so much) getting a little ding here and there.
Ideal chance for the S4 to take its place as my 'weekend, fun car'.
She was taking lessons with a view to passing by this summer and I suggested she should have my daily as her first car.. Which, tactically, left me with the decision to 'upgrade' the little £350 Mk1Fabia SDI to a Mk1 Fabia VRS.. Much more fun, more creature comforts and still a cheap to run, practical daily so as not to ruin the Audi.
As nice as it was to have two fun cars on the road, and as much as I originally justified it by one being a diesel.. It simply wasn't economical enough to make it worthwhile (it was lowered, and mapped - so I drove it accordingly).
Got rid of that in place of a 2005 2.0 TDCI Mondeo, and I think it's perfect for daily duties. It rides beautifully, eats up the miles, is practical and costs next to nothing (currently) to run/maintain.
Makes getting into the Audi so much more of an occasion, too.. Which I think is ultimately what you should feel, getting into your 'fun' car.
Ideal chance for the S4 to take its place as my 'weekend, fun car'.
She was taking lessons with a view to passing by this summer and I suggested she should have my daily as her first car.. Which, tactically, left me with the decision to 'upgrade' the little £350 Mk1Fabia SDI to a Mk1 Fabia VRS.. Much more fun, more creature comforts and still a cheap to run, practical daily so as not to ruin the Audi.
As nice as it was to have two fun cars on the road, and as much as I originally justified it by one being a diesel.. It simply wasn't economical enough to make it worthwhile (it was lowered, and mapped - so I drove it accordingly).
Got rid of that in place of a 2005 2.0 TDCI Mondeo, and I think it's perfect for daily duties. It rides beautifully, eats up the miles, is practical and costs next to nothing (currently) to run/maintain.
Makes getting into the Audi so much more of an occasion, too.. Which I think is ultimately what you should feel, getting into your 'fun' car.
This is highly individual. I know people who drive cars they don't enjoy driving as a daily and love the arrangement, because it's so cheap and frees up money for an interesting weekend car. Personally though I just couldn't do it; whilst I've always focused my money and time on a weekend car, my daily has to be something I like driving. Not fancy, not fast etc, but just something that responds the way I want a car to respond. Everyone has a minimum bar: for me it's rear wheel drive, reasonably low CofG, and up until two months ago, a manual gearbox.
My pairings over the years have been:
|| BMW E36 325i || Caterham and a Metro race car ||
|| BMW E46 330ci || Caterham and a Metro race car ||
|| BMW E36 328i sport coupé || Lotus Elise ||
|| BMW Z4 Coupé || Lotus Elise ||
|| BMW E90 320d SE || Lotus 2-Eleven ||
|| BMW E90 320d with Birds susp. || Formula Renault ||
|| BMW F10 530d M Sport || MGB GT V8 race car ||
My pairings over the years have been:
| Daily | Weekend |
|---|---|
| MR2 mk1 | Caterham |
|| BMW E36 325i || Caterham and a Metro race car ||
|| BMW E46 330ci || Caterham and a Metro race car ||
| Lotus Elise | Metro race car |
| Lotus Elise | Caterham race car |
|| BMW E36 328i sport coupé || Lotus Elise ||
|| BMW Z4 Coupé || Lotus Elise ||
|| BMW E90 320d SE || Lotus 2-Eleven ||
|| BMW E90 320d with Birds susp. || Formula Renault ||
|| BMW F10 530d M Sport || MGB GT V8 race car ||
Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 4th December 14:53
I've always daily'd my cars, nothing super rare/expensive but nice enough that I don't want to get them scratched in car parks etc - However, due to my age, running and insuring a shed alongside just isn't feasible. It'd be cheaper to just be willing to pay for any damages/excess wear and tear...
However, since buying a house with my girlfriend, she's put me on her insurance so I've been using her mighty 69BHP Vauxhall Adam for our shared commute a few days a week. It's literally half of the cost in petrol and she doesn't mind sticking it in a less than desirable car park so we're saving ~£10 per commute... It's nowhere near as powerful/comfortable as my car but if it's just sitting on the motorway/city centre for ~1hr I don't care!
I must admit, I am thankful that this new commute has coincided with the dark mornings/evenings as it means I'm rarely seen driving around in it. A 6ft 4 man driving a bright white Adam just doesn't sit right with me... My Dad used to drive my Mum's Adam S and used to give him stick for it, so God knows what I look like
However, since buying a house with my girlfriend, she's put me on her insurance so I've been using her mighty 69BHP Vauxhall Adam for our shared commute a few days a week. It's literally half of the cost in petrol and she doesn't mind sticking it in a less than desirable car park so we're saving ~£10 per commute... It's nowhere near as powerful/comfortable as my car but if it's just sitting on the motorway/city centre for ~1hr I don't care!
I must admit, I am thankful that this new commute has coincided with the dark mornings/evenings as it means I'm rarely seen driving around in it. A 6ft 4 man driving a bright white Adam just doesn't sit right with me... My Dad used to drive my Mum's Adam S and used to give him stick for it, so God knows what I look like
All my cars are daily in a way, but I choose which car to drive depending on weather, destination, practicality, etc. A8 is for: airport runs and parking, carrying passengers, Euro trips in winter, big shopping trips, bad weather. Abarth 124 is for everything else, however it's a bit uncomfortable, so depending on the destination, I may choose A8 over Abarth. Both achieve similar average mpgs.
When owning S8 and SLK55, both were used for commute to London, I took whichever was parked outside. SLK55 was much better on petrol, than S8.
When owning S8 and SLK55, both were used for commute to London, I took whichever was parked outside. SLK55 was much better on petrol, than S8.
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