My 330 is a 'jack of all trades'. Seats 4, pulls a trailer with cement mixer, petrol mower, half a ton of stone on board, goes reasonably ok (would prefer a 335) annual tax £280 and 30 mpg.
Pal of mine has a Eunos (MX5 import) 1.8, '96 P reg 60k miles which he runs as a 'fun' second car. Last year he took it out 8 times. Cost £125 for 6 months tax yesterday.
4 recent new cheapo tyres, annual MOT, oil change.
We agreed that running a single car, in my case a fairly thirsty 3 litre, was probably a cheaper option than a mainstream economical small car + fun car once all running costs are taken into account. He is now thinking of selling them both and going down the same avenue as me.
He might even get £2k for the Eunos on a good day!
Shame you cannot fit a tow bar to a Boxster S.
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VED is outrageous when you think about it. It isn't spent on roads, it isn't mileage or usage related, and it isn't related to wealth/ability to pay. In fact poorer people are likley to have less economical cars, size for size.
Time to add it to fuel, to the extent that it is necessary to collect it from motorists.
Off the point, sorry.
If the 330 does what you want from a soft top, and what you want from your main car, then it's a better option than running a second car.
I don't think it would do both jobs for me. Not an agile, fun little car that feels fast and alive at 60, nor a good caravan dragger/voluminous load carrier I imagine.
I might have to try it though. The boss says she needs a small hatchback, and three cars might not be affordable in a few years, assuming I am spared and able to drive, so I might as well enjoy it now before one thing or the other claps a stopper on it.
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>> We agreed that running a single car, in my case a fairly thirsty 3 litre, was probably a cheaper option than a mainstream economical small car + fun car once all running costs are taken into account.
Depends on ages of cars as depreciation is the biggest cost if you have an expensive car.
Having any car that is used 8 times a year is fairly senseless unless you treat it as a hobby in which case part of the attraction will be servicing it etc.
P reg Eunos however is likely to depreciate close to zero if it is maintained and servicing/tax/insurance/petrol must be well under a grand for the year if it does 1000 miles or so.
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>> VED is outrageous when you think about it. It isn't spent on roads, it isn't
>> mileage or usage related, and it isn't related to wealth/ability to pay.
For cars registered before 1st March 2001, VED is based on engine size. For cars registered after that date, VED is based on the carbon dioxide emissions. If your car attracts a high VED it's an incentive to buy a car with a lower emission level. VED goes into the government's coffers, and the cost of roads comes out of those coffers.
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>> >> VED is outrageous when you think about it. It isn't spent on roads, it
>> isn't
>> >> mileage or usage related, and it isn't related to wealth/ability to pay.
>>
>> For cars registered before 1st March 2001, VED is based on engine size. For cars
>> registered after that date, VED is based on the carbon dioxide emissions. If your car
>> attracts a high VED it's an incentive to buy a car with a lower emission
>> level. VED goes into the government's coffers, and the cost of roads comes out of
>> those coffers.
I don't dispute that L'es. But there is already an incentive for anybody doing material mileage in the fuel tax to avoid high CO2 cars, the CO2 emitted being proportional to the fuel consumed.
Why incentivise people to get rid of cars that do very few miles, and have little impact? Far greener to keep them in use while they are sound. Older cars (10+, not 25+) should have low VED to help make them economic and keep them in use. IMO.
Entirely coincidental that we have an 11 year old Civic 1.6 auto (4000 miles p.a.) and a 14 year old MX5 (3000 miles p.a.).
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>> My 330 is a 'jack of all trades'.
Would imply 'master of none'? Not that I think that's the case here, I would love a 330.
In the same position though, I think I'd rather run 2 cars. probably a 520d touring and a vx220. I can dream.
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I understand the sentiment. I run a 520d Touring and an XJ-S V12 convertible.
The BM is the bane of my life. Unquestionably the least reliable car I have ever 'owned' (company car). Had since new in May 2008 and have put 127k on the clock. Latest event was it killing it's own turbo, followed up 700 miles later by it killing the new one too. £1700 for the first one and of course the second one was free.
The Jag by comparison has not been unreliable (well, it did drop a valve stem seal that cost a bit to put right). but only gets about 1,000 sunny miles a year.
£220 to tax, £220 to insure (classic policy, agreed value, 5k miles), but have sunk £16k into it to get it 'just right'.
I am selling it this year because it no longer fits as a 'family' fun car. My daughter has outgrown the rear seats, so it has become a car only used for a sunny commute the 45 mile round trip to work in the summer, which makes it hard to justify keeping.
My wife has a VW Eos so that is the best of both worlds. 4 seats, convertible but folding metal hard-top, 200hp 2.0 turbo petrol engine. A fair compromise.
'Soft-top Sunday' this weekend at Goodwood if you want to see a range of probably every type of convertible you could imagine......
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Me too. I've just left my Z3 with Suresell, hopefully to result in a sale at BCA next week. I've had it nearly 5 years and done 15,000 miles - so it's been worth while as a fun car - and would have been tempted to keep it if SWMBO didn't also have a convertible. It's a Mini Cooper Roadster and almost as lively as the Z3 2.2 (although both are slower than my Octavia estate).
Another factor was that in that time it's passed all MoTs with not problems and needed only a new water pump and two new tyres. Battery, clutch and exhaust all fine, but for how long?
So the head ruled the heart this time - but I could probably be tempted again in the future if there's ever money to spare - perhaps by a 330i or 335i convertible like Legacylad's, which I could still get into in old age!
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I've decided that when it all goes mammaries up at work that I'm going to sell everything, buy a log cabin in a forest, an old Suzuki Vitara soft top with a tow bar mounted bike rack, a log burner and an axe.
I shall have a pair of dark socks tattooed on so I never have to find another matching pair, a wide brimmed straw hat for summer and which I'll Scotchgard for winter use and keep everything else I need in the pockets of a pair of cargo pants.
There.
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A splendid male answer to Jenny Joseph's poem 'When I am an old woman I shall wear purple....'
Last edited by: Avant on Sat 4 May 13 at 11:21
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Comparing soft tops in t'pub - Manatee
