Cheap to run car?!

[donovan.x]

Clio or Micra!

[HJM]

A cheap car is one you borrow from your mum....or dad other than that there's no such thing as a cheap car!  :lol:

[_tom_]

A cheap car is one you borrow from your mum....or dad other than that there's no such thing as a cheap car!  :lol:

Hahah probably true, but Mum or Dad wont let me drive their cars, I've allready tried that!

[HJM]

Then you need to ask for more lifts....they will give in! :lol:

[_tom_]

Then you need to ask for more lifts....they will give in! :lol:

Hahah my dad WILL NOT let me drive his car! I'm not showing off but hes got a Merc and no one in their right mind would let a 17y.o new driver loose in one haha.  My mums just got a new VW Beetle and is VERY protective of it, so I dont think that'll work either  :lol:

[sambo]

just get an old mini.... and convert it into a pick-up (as in a pickup TRUCK not a BKP kinda pickup).... line the interior with some obscure fabric like fake tiger fur, and paint it either bright pink or matt blacke... or bright pink AND matte black

[38thBeatle]

I will just comment of insurance.My advice is not to insure in anothers name as if you are merely a named driver. Insurance is always rated on the main user of the car.If you are the main user, do not insure it otherwise- false economy. A bad time to find that your insurance is not valid is after you have need to make a claim and if you make a false disclosure, that is what could happen if they find out- and they have ways of doing that. I am afraid that cars eat money Tom-the price of convenience.

[Dakine]

OK well my 0.02cents (as was brought up in Car industry, till folks finally sold  garage business late last year).
Bear in mind I have no idea of insurance in UK right now after 6 years in Texas.

Please pm me for more info. if required as could write a book here.

Firstly, Diesel operating costs are indeed (at the moment less) BUT their maintenance costs are NOT. Diesel parts cost alot more than petrol. Glow plugs etc. and fuel system is more complicated (to a point) and more costly.

Japanese cars, on the whole, are the best bet for longevity.
Toyota produces amazing engines and are VERY hardy. The parts are not as cheap as say Nissan but they run well.
Nissan is also very good.
Mitsubishi was more due to less imported vehicles.
Subaru, great cars but expensive to maintain.
Honda, also great cars, little maintenance usually.

European.
Citreon is not a very strong car (was'nt anyway) and their suspension system is very complicated (hydrolastic) on those models.
Renault, not bad car but parts were overpriced.
Fiat, Italians know NOTHING about electrics. Repeat after me, NOTHING :)
VW, well made, run well, not most fuel efficient (largely due to weight , read well built) parts can be costly, not that some models break down much.

Ford may be best bet for maintenance/cost ratio. Parts are readily available and cheap which ofsets other costs.

As I said I could write a book (even after a 6 year absense not a whole lot changes).

Any specific questions feel free to ask. If I don't know I can find out.

Nick

[Dakine]

BTW, I have owned/driven/worked on the lot (up to 6 years ago in UK).
Your Dad has good taste Tom. My folks both have Mercs! And don't feel bad, I am 36yo and am not given the keys to them either LOL.

[_tom_]

Wow thanks for that Dakine, sorry is your real name Nick, so I can just use that in future? I'll check out Toyota and Ford then I guess, they seem like the best bets from what you've suggested.. I'll have to show my dad this thread, to see what he thinks, as he'll probably have to be the one paying for it till I get the money back.

[tewboss]

My VW Polo had been quite cheap to run until the gearbox went (apparently a common fault in the Polos at that time). Before that I had a VW Jetta which did loads of miles with very little going wrong.

When I get another car I'm pretty sure it will be a Honda. Jap cars are very reliable and don't have the costs of the VW's. Ford are cheap to maintain, but some of them can be real dogs.

[jt]

:D For what it`s worth Tom......

HJM `s right cars no matter what one you get are expensive to run i`m affraid.

Get a Ford/Vauxhall there both very easy to find cheap parts for. If your spending anything upto a grand on a car then you need to face the fact that it will break down occasionally & or will need replacement parts when it`s MOT`d.

Diezel will give greater full economy but will cost the same at the pump as petrol

Small cars are sensible for 1st time drivers & or young drivers as they keep your insurance low try Ford fiestas/Vauxhall corsa`s

 :D  8)

[Dakine]

The advice about insurance in UK is right. You really need insurance in ya own name.
I would first check out the lower group cars (insurance wise) and make that your "short list".
All cars past a certain age (what you may be able to afford/looking at/end up with) will need some maintenance sooner or later.

Domestic is cheaper on parts and most have "non-dealer" parts available so you don't have to pay for genuine bits.
Japanese are very well put together. The Japs may not be the most inventive but by gawd they can improve on an idea.
German is VERY well engineered but abit more pricey.

My opinion, stay away from older diesel as it is "false economy".
Also, rear wheel drive (if possible) is better. They drive nicer (IMO)  :twisted:
but also gearbox work is MUCH easier/cheaper. Case in point (with tools layed out and a gearbox jack handy) my record for changing a clutch in a Ford Sierra was 35 mins dead :) (back in the day lol).

Some high mileage stuff is'nt as bad as it may seem. I worked on/dad sold a few ex. police vehicles with high mileage. Thing is they are regularly maintained and NOT let get cold. One shift gets out, other gets in. It's the constant stop/start hot/cold that wears mechanics down.

If you could find an older (but good) non-fuel injection car things could be even simpler. Cars that still had distributers/points etc. are very simple to learn and maintain. A library book could actually teach you ALOT about good maintenance on such a car, not so true with the electronics in the newer cars.

BTW, no-one has said (and I think they have been rescued/bought?) but some of the rover cars were/are actually very good cars. Heck, Rover was in bed with Honda at one point and had Honda engines.

Anyway, as said, WAY too much for me to talk about. Get some more idea's and "if" you want/have any questions, just lemme know.

I may not be as "clued up" as most here on guitars/pickups but Cars have been my LIFE!

Nick

[_tom_]

Thanks for all the help, hopefully I can find myself something ok after reading all the advice. Dont know about the different insurance groups yet, I'll go have a search on google to see what it comes up with, if not I'll be back :P.

And yeah, I guessed driving wont be "cheap" but I guess as 38th said - you're paying for the price of convenience. I hate catching buses and dont feel safe on a scooter/motorbike, so a car is the only option really (and I'm NOT cycling into college every day) :lol:

[monkeywalker]

dakine couldn't be more right about the italians and electronics.

 my mum has a fiat punto and honest to god fiat should be applauded for building this car because with out it aspiring car-think-tank types would have no object lesson in the art of designing the most utterly irrelavent form of personal transport yet devised by man kind. a dreadful, dreadful car.