what's the cheapest way of driving 25000 miles a year ?

[Patrick1964]

My current car stands me at about £1500, and costs about £1500 a year to run, fuel excluded. It does about 45mpg, which for 25k comes to about £3500. This means every mile is costing me about 20p. Is there a cheaper way ? I know 20ppm looks cheap, but £5k per year is a significant expense.

[GroundEffect]

You're not going to get much cheaper. The problem is the sheer number of miles.

[After_Shock]

If you buy something newer which is more economical but more expensive then you need to factor in depreciation, and at those miles will probably outweigh any savings, heavily.

[MissChief]

Peugeot 106 1.5D or similar. Whether you would actually want to do 25,000 miles a year in be is another question entirely.

[Chrisw666]

Nope.

Not unless you buy something that averages 60+ mpg and run it for less than your current car per year over a significant number of years to offset the cost to change.

[GroundEffect]

Although I didn't notice the 45mpg point...if you bought a Focus 1.6 TDCI for instance, you could get about 60mpg. This would reduce the £3500 to around £2630. Nearly £1k less. Shouldn't cost much to insure, run or tax either.

[SuperHangOn]

A £1500er capable of 25k a year and 45mpg is the holy grail! Run it 'til it wheels fall off.

[Chrisw666]

GroundEffect said:

Although I didn't notice the 45mpg point...if you bought a Focus 1.6 TDCI for instance, you could get about 60mpg. This would reduce the £3500 to around £2630. Nearly £1k less.

But how much would that car cost? The current car is owned, so annually it is free (apart from running costs which the focus will also have).

[Jasandjules]

GroundEffect said:

Although I didn't notice the 45mpg point...if you bought a Focus 1.6 TDCI for instance, you could get about 60mpg. This would reduce the £3500 to around £2630. Nearly £1k less. Shouldn't cost much to insure, run or tax either.

BUT the likely cost to change will be more than 1k...

[GroundEffect]

Chrisw666 said:

GroundEffect said:

Although I didn't notice the 45mpg point...if you bought a Focus 1.6 TDCI for instance, you could get about 60mpg. This would reduce the £3500 to around £2630. Nearly £1k less.

But how much would that car cost? The current car is owned, so annually it is free (apart from running costs which the focus will also have).

The problem here is trying to work out how many 25,000 mile years the £1500 car has left in it. If it's a lot then clearly my choice isn't worthwhile but if very few then it's obviously worth investing in something that can do more, for longer.

[Patrick1964]

SuperHangOn said:

A £1500er capable of 25k a year and 45mpg is the holy grail! Run it 'til it wheels fall off.

This is my thinking. Berlingo it is then....

[wemorgan]

SuperHangOn said:

A £1500er capable of 25k a year and 45mpg is the holy grail! Run it 'til it wheels fall off.

I'd do the above and when the car dies buy something with a 1.6TD engine capable of +60mpg.

[Daggers89]

HTH..

[51mes]

The really big question apart from the finance...

Is what car can I do 25000 miles a year in that doesn't give me a bad back, means I'm knackered at the end of a long journey and I don't have to worry about breaking down on the way, oh and as you're spending a good proportion of your year in it - an environment that is a pleasant place to be.

For all they are well maintained various things need replacing before their time on older cars especially on those used for higher miles - suspension (shocks/springs do get tired) headlights (bulbs get dimmer with age) and will need replacing before they **have** to be.

Simes.

[surveyor]

I've tried various tactics.

buying a newish car and doing 25k costs a lot in depreciation.
Leasing costs a lot in monthly premium.

I buy an older car and run it until I get fed-up. slightly higher on the maintenance and sometimes the fuel, but much better than the newer options overall.

The cars that I used to buy would cost circa £500 per month. I can do a lot of maintenance for that!

[Contigo]

Audi A2 TDi. 60+ MPG, £30 to tax and a decent motor to drive and be seen in.

[clockworks]

I'd hate to do 25k a year in my own car, funded from my own pocket. If it's commuting, I'd move house or change jobs.

I used to do 40k a year for work, originally in my own car, but on a decent mileage allowance, then later in a company supplied lease car.

When I ran my own cars, I'd just buy a barge (Granada or Carlton) with a year's ticket, and replace it before the next MOT was due. If I was doing the same thing now, I'd be looking at Diesel Mondeos and Vectras.

Covering 500 miles a week in a shopping trolley would be seriously depressing, although a Berlingo or Kangoo (or even a Picasso) should be bearable if you can get comfortable.

[Wuzzle]

Convert your current car to LPG?

[Bradgate]

Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D

I had one of these as a hire car in France and drove more than 600 miles in it. I simply couldn't believe what a great little car it was. It delivered 55-60 mpg, and I certainly wasn't hanging about. With 90 bhp and 140 torques, performance is excellent for a car of its type and the engine is very smooth. Road tax is £30, I believe.

Downside? The price. They hold their value exceptionally well, and you will struggle to find a decent one under £4k.

[Mark-C]

I currently do about that mileage in a '53 plate Octavia TDi Estate. You can find them from well under £2k now and it does 55MPG on a mostly A road commute of 65 miles. It'll do more than that if you pussyfoot about. It's comfortable (although the drivers seat is getting tired and will need replacing soon) and has an OK enough radio/CD combo which is what you need for mega miles.

It's not very glamorous but it gets the job done and also doubles up for tip runs and the like at weekends.