High mileage driving but want a PH car
Discussion
Looking for some advice, I know there's going to be no "perfect" answer to this one but I'd be interested in other people's experiences as I can't be the only one with this dilemma but equally it's not exactly a common problem.
I love cars. Even crap cars. They fascinate me. Variety is the spice of life. A car is doing very, very well with me if I've had it a year without it being on the market.
I drive 25k to 30k miles a year, this is funded out of my own pocket, I have no mileage allowance, I have no company car. This is
expensive.
What I want for 25% of my daily commute is a car which has great responses, tons of feedback, plenty of power and which sounds glorious. What I need for the other 75% is an effortless motorway mile muncher. The closest I've come to combining these requirements were my wonderful Alpina B10 V8 running on LPG (got bored, sold it) and a fairly heavily modified Volvo 850 T5 estate (got bored, sold it).
After a few years of doing "boring commuter car" plus "fun weekend car" it doesn't really work for me. I drive too much during the week to just go out for a thrash at the weekend very often, I hate the commuter car more with every passing day and end up driving the weekend car way too much, plus I resent the two lots of insurance and road tax when I can only use one car so little. Also I don't have space for two cars without it being a complete ball-ache.
I've also done a bit of shedding, but that doesn't work for me either. My cars have to be "right" mechanically or it bugs the hell out of me. In my experience high mileage shedding usually ends up either really expensive due to maintenance costs or I end up with something which makes me want to kill myself (e.g. 1997 Astra 1.7 TD - economical: yes, cheap to keep on the road: yes, practical: yes, about as alluring as a bag of pus on wheels: yes). Also, I tend to get them all fixed up, then go out of my head with boredom, and sell them at an enormous loss because as we all know you don't get anything back for maintenance.
I've done the "buy a half decent car and keep it for a while" thing, but that doesn't work either. Pick something up with sensible mileage and I immediately kill the resale value by slamming enormous mileage on it, plus I'm quickly into the 100k+ miles maintenance zone, and had I mentioned the thing about not keeping a car for long?
So, currently I'm running around in a cheap lease car. Zero maintenance other than servicing and consumables. However at my price point getting something good to drive and interesting just isn't an option so I'm running an appliance. Financially it's working out nicely, but I'm dying inside a little more each day. Also it's a two year lease. Had I mentioned the thing about not keeping a car for long?
Proper big barge shedding but change it every 10k miles or so is about the only thing I've not tried I think, anyone do that? How does it work out?
I know there is no cheap answer to this, but there must be some way to drive interesting stuff without getting financially buggered? What would you do in my boat? Is there an option I've not thought of? Personal circumstances mean I can't change my mileage any time soon.
Total budget per month to cover car finance (if any), insurance, tax, maintenance and fuel is circa £700. I could pull together about four grand in cash by the time my lease is up, any extra car cost would be on finance so would come out of the monthly budget. Oh and one last thing, I'm 6' 3" tall and, let's be honest, fat. An MX-5 is not the answer, sorry guys.
I can't be the only one like this, so what do you do if you're in this situation?
I love cars. Even crap cars. They fascinate me. Variety is the spice of life. A car is doing very, very well with me if I've had it a year without it being on the market.
I drive 25k to 30k miles a year, this is funded out of my own pocket, I have no mileage allowance, I have no company car. This is
expensive.What I want for 25% of my daily commute is a car which has great responses, tons of feedback, plenty of power and which sounds glorious. What I need for the other 75% is an effortless motorway mile muncher. The closest I've come to combining these requirements were my wonderful Alpina B10 V8 running on LPG (got bored, sold it) and a fairly heavily modified Volvo 850 T5 estate (got bored, sold it).
After a few years of doing "boring commuter car" plus "fun weekend car" it doesn't really work for me. I drive too much during the week to just go out for a thrash at the weekend very often, I hate the commuter car more with every passing day and end up driving the weekend car way too much, plus I resent the two lots of insurance and road tax when I can only use one car so little. Also I don't have space for two cars without it being a complete ball-ache.
I've also done a bit of shedding, but that doesn't work for me either. My cars have to be "right" mechanically or it bugs the hell out of me. In my experience high mileage shedding usually ends up either really expensive due to maintenance costs or I end up with something which makes me want to kill myself (e.g. 1997 Astra 1.7 TD - economical: yes, cheap to keep on the road: yes, practical: yes, about as alluring as a bag of pus on wheels: yes). Also, I tend to get them all fixed up, then go out of my head with boredom, and sell them at an enormous loss because as we all know you don't get anything back for maintenance.
I've done the "buy a half decent car and keep it for a while" thing, but that doesn't work either. Pick something up with sensible mileage and I immediately kill the resale value by slamming enormous mileage on it, plus I'm quickly into the 100k+ miles maintenance zone, and had I mentioned the thing about not keeping a car for long?
So, currently I'm running around in a cheap lease car. Zero maintenance other than servicing and consumables. However at my price point getting something good to drive and interesting just isn't an option so I'm running an appliance. Financially it's working out nicely, but I'm dying inside a little more each day. Also it's a two year lease. Had I mentioned the thing about not keeping a car for long?
Proper big barge shedding but change it every 10k miles or so is about the only thing I've not tried I think, anyone do that? How does it work out?
I know there is no cheap answer to this, but there must be some way to drive interesting stuff without getting financially buggered? What would you do in my boat? Is there an option I've not thought of? Personal circumstances mean I can't change my mileage any time soon.
Total budget per month to cover car finance (if any), insurance, tax, maintenance and fuel is circa £700. I could pull together about four grand in cash by the time my lease is up, any extra car cost would be on finance so would come out of the monthly budget. Oh and one last thing, I'm 6' 3" tall and, let's be honest, fat. An MX-5 is not the answer, sorry guys.
I can't be the only one like this, so what do you do if you're in this situation?
Is your name John perchance? You sound like a guy I know from my time on the VOC forum....
Indeed a predicament, big sheds are doable but fuelling a V8 or a big 6 will be hard on your budget (unless you managed to get pre converted LPG each time) and you do need to be flexible towards a little bit of borkiness. I ran a LS400 for a year, did 20 or so on a run but it wouldn't be the sharpest driving tool by any stretch. Saabs are good value too, the arse seems to have fallen out of the value of Aeros and the like.
MK5 Golf GTI might be worth a look at a slightly higher price point. I've driven a few and they are good fun and should be upto piling a few miles quickly without too many bills.
Indeed a predicament, big sheds are doable but fuelling a V8 or a big 6 will be hard on your budget (unless you managed to get pre converted LPG each time) and you do need to be flexible towards a little bit of borkiness. I ran a LS400 for a year, did 20 or so on a run but it wouldn't be the sharpest driving tool by any stretch. Saabs are good value too, the arse seems to have fallen out of the value of Aeros and the like.
MK5 Golf GTI might be worth a look at a slightly higher price point. I've driven a few and they are good fun and should be upto piling a few miles quickly without too many bills.
...but there must be some way to drive interesting stuff without getting financially buggered?
Provided you know what you're doing...a more "practical" classic? Mercedes W123/124? BMW E30 325i? Hell, a Rover P6 or Volvo P1800?! Look after it and you won't lose too much/anything, it'll be slightly more interesting than a resale grey A4 2.0 TDi, and will cost buttons to run.
A "PH" car doesn't have to be a 500bhp, tyre-shredding M-car. As long as *you* enjoy it - be it a Mk3 Fiesta or an F430 - then it's a PH car and bks to what the internet says 
Provided you know what you're doing...a more "practical" classic? Mercedes W123/124? BMW E30 325i? Hell, a Rover P6 or Volvo P1800?! Look after it and you won't lose too much/anything, it'll be slightly more interesting than a resale grey A4 2.0 TDi, and will cost buttons to run.
A "PH" car doesn't have to be a 500bhp, tyre-shredding M-car. As long as *you* enjoy it - be it a Mk3 Fiesta or an F430 - then it's a PH car and b
ks to what the internet says Not that this will help much but have done 25-35k a year for the last 12 years, in that time had 7 911's as I also couldn't bear the dull every day car.
But finally after 300k in 911's I gave up and bought a 535d which lasted 8 weeks hateful thing neither sport nor barge, in the end bought a 730d m sport had it about 2.5 years done about 93k in it and am planning on keeping it another 2 years.
Fantastic car and is currently the 2nd longest I have ever kept a car.
My only advice is buy something that does the job
Phib
But finally after 300k in 911's I gave up and bought a 535d which lasted 8 weeks hateful thing neither sport nor barge, in the end bought a 730d m sport had it about 2.5 years done about 93k in it and am planning on keeping it another 2 years.
Fantastic car and is currently the 2nd longest I have ever kept a car.
My only advice is buy something that does the job
Phib
Jimbo. said:
...but there must be some way to drive interesting stuff without getting financially buggered?
Provided you know what you're doing...a more "practical" classic? Mercedes W123/124? BMW E30 325i? Hell, a Rover P6 or Volvo P1800?!
My E34 525i touring is good for this- different, retro looks which make me glance back at it every time I park it up, Pre-over complication electronics, a comparatively up-to-date engine which will do 30mpg on the motorway, a nice noise when you cane it, and a manual box and surprisingly good handling for driving enjoyment!Provided you know what you're doing...a more "practical" classic? Mercedes W123/124? BMW E30 325i? Hell, a Rover P6 or Volvo P1800?!
It comes with a decent interior too, much nicer than an E30.
Edited by HustleRussell on Saturday 4th August 20:28
Hah! Yeah v8will that's me, I'm still talking the same old bks :;):
Some interesting suggestions so far, hadn't really considered a "moden classic", but certainly sounds like a possibility.
As to what I define as a PH car I'd just say for me it drives well or is interesting, but preferably both. Vague? Hell yeah.
ks :;):Some interesting suggestions so far, hadn't really considered a "moden classic", but certainly sounds like a possibility.
As to what I define as a PH car I'd just say for me it drives well or is interesting, but preferably both. Vague? Hell yeah.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 4th August 20:13
charltjr said:
The closest I've come to combining these requirements were my wonderful Alpina B10 V8 running on LPG (got bored, sold it) and a fairly heavily modified Volvo 850 T5 estate (got bored, sold it).
What bored you?And what are your driving days like? Would a diesel mile muncher/interesting driver's car combo for more A road days be a better solution than commuter/weekend car?
Bill said:
What bored you?
And what are your driving days like? Would a diesel mile muncher/interesting driver's car combo for more A road days be a better solution than commuter/weekend car?
Good question, it was familiarity, simple as that. Objectively they were probably the best two cars I've ever owned, the B10 because of what it was and the T5 because of what it became and how much fun that process was. I now regret selling both of them, but at the time I talked myself into a "time for a change" mentality the same way I always do. I've tried to take a less financially suicidal approach to cars, but after 20 years of it I think I've got to admit I'm never going to change.And what are your driving days like? Would a diesel mile muncher/interesting driver's car combo for more A road days be a better solution than commuter/weekend car?
My driving days are a 15 minute country A road which is fun but it is a dangerous road with plenty of blind bends so a car which only entertains at high speeds doesn't cut it. Also you get a lot of dawdlers and there are only three places where you can safely overtake so a car which can pull off easy overtakes is useful. After that it's fifteen minutes of fast dual carriageway A road and twenty five minutes on the motorway. Luckily I rarely get stuck in slow/stationary traffic.
charltjr said:
Good question, it was familiarity, simple as that. Objectively they were probably the best two cars I've ever owned, the B10 because of what it was and the T5 because of what it became and how much fun that process was. I now regret selling both of them, but at the time I talked myself into a "time for a change" mentality the same way I always do. I've tried to take a less financially suicidal approach to cars, but after 20 years of it I think I've got to admit I'm never going to change.
My driving days are a 15 minute country A road which is fun but it is a dangerous road with plenty of blind bends so a car which only entertains at high speeds doesn't cut it. Also you get a lot of dawdlers and there are only three places where you can safely overtake so a car which can pull off easy overtakes is useful. After that it's fifteen minutes of fast dual carriageway A road and twenty five minutes on the motorway. Luckily I rarely get stuck in slow/stationary traffic.
Would a motorcycle entertain you for a while (as well as being practical enough for you ) ?My driving days are a 15 minute country A road which is fun but it is a dangerous road with plenty of blind bends so a car which only entertains at high speeds doesn't cut it. Also you get a lot of dawdlers and there are only three places where you can safely overtake so a car which can pull off easy overtakes is useful. After that it's fifteen minutes of fast dual carriageway A road and twenty five minutes on the motorway. Luckily I rarely get stuck in slow/stationary traffic.
fk knows then. Anything I can think of that has enough character to keep you interested has ruinous running costs 
Perhaps run two barges in parallel so you only put 15k on each in a year and don't ruin the resale with either high miles or fast turn over.
Or go the other way and take a low mile Chimaera
k knows then. Anything I can think of that has enough character to keep you interested has ruinous running costs Perhaps run two barges in parallel so you only put 15k on each in a year and don't ruin the resale with either high miles or fast turn over.Or go the other way and take a low mile Chimaera
VW Corrado VR6? 4k gets a real nice one, definitely not going to lose much through depreciation and pretty cheap to maintain. Very nice to drive for a FWD car.
I ran a Golf VR6 daily for 2 years doing about 45-50k in that and it certainly wasn't ruinous financially. Except for service items I only needed to replace a water pump and thermostat which cost under £200 at a VW specialist.
I ran a Golf VR6 daily for 2 years doing about 45-50k in that and it certainly wasn't ruinous financially. Except for service items I only needed to replace a water pump and thermostat which cost under £200 at a VW specialist.
Love the idea of a bike, but I'm pretty sure I'd end up dead. Also the mental image of me in leathers on a bike... I'm quite a big guy so it wouldn't be good. Maybe a Harley!
D3 is something I've considered very carefully, it might just work, probably more depreciation resistant than most but the high initial purchase cost makes it a bit marginal.
I am really wondering if going down a combo of the the smoker barge/modern classic route could be the answer, OK it's a risky proposition as bork will no doubt be present sooner or later, but if I can change my car every six months or so without taking a pounding on depreciation I can afford some maintenance bills and fuel. Also it means I'll never be bored and will do tons of car shopping......
D3 is something I've considered very carefully, it might just work, probably more depreciation resistant than most but the high initial purchase cost makes it a bit marginal.
I am really wondering if going down a combo of the the smoker barge/modern classic route could be the answer, OK it's a risky proposition as bork will no doubt be present sooner or later, but if I can change my car every six months or so without taking a pounding on depreciation I can afford some maintenance bills and fuel. Also it means I'll never be bored and will do tons of car shopping......
charltjr said:
Love the idea of a bike, but I'm pretty sure I'd end up dead. Also the mental image of me in leathers on a bike... I'm quite a big guy so it wouldn't be good. Maybe a Harley!
My teenage darlings come out with comments like "the only gay in the village" and "they've killed the entire herd and still he can only just do them up", along with "last of the summer wine in leather" etc etc etc.It was a serious suggestion, as I enjoy my bike very much, although I actually ride it slower than I drive the car lol.
It is a very different mode of transport, and may interest you as you'll have some work to do to obtain a licence (assuming you don't have one), and master riding.
Harleys are fine looking and sounding bikes, but their riding position isn't to everyones taste.
If you're as bored as you appear to be with driving, maybe it'll be the experience/challenge that'll entertain you, it is certainly very different, and can be very exhilerating.
If you haven't ridden before, which I'm assuming you haven't, why not have a go at your CBT, should cost you about £60, everything will be supplied, and it'll be a very cheap experience day.
You may actually like it.
Food for thought there, may just give the CBT a go, as you say if nothing else it will be an interesting experience.
Plenty of useful advice here, I like the idea of having two "interesting" cars and keeping them for 10-15k miles each but space is an issue so may just have to have one and change every six months. If I buy right my depreciation losses should be minimal, ok there is always the potential for a big bill but that's all part of the game.
Plenty of useful advice here, I like the idea of having two "interesting" cars and keeping them for 10-15k miles each but space is an issue so may just have to have one and change every six months. If I buy right my depreciation losses should be minimal, ok there is always the potential for a big bill but that's all part of the game.
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