Hello all,
I currently have a 50-mile round trip commute, and the same to pick up my daughters (and return them) which I do once a fortnight making my weekly mileage around the 300 mark. I currently run a 2003 Megane 1.6 petrol which is costing around £45 per week in fuel alone. That, and the fact that I don't really like it, means that I will shortly be looking for a more economical car.
I reckon I'll have the equivalent of around £100 per month available on a five-year finance deal. The replacement must be very economical, comfortable, Megane-sized (I'd consider something smaller, but only if it was exceptional) and be cheap to tax. I was looking at a Vectra diesel auto but have swiftly changed my mind after discovering that they are £235 per year to tax!
Can I get a Polo Bluemotion within my budget? As always, all help and suggestions will be gratefully received.
Ta!
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My vectra diesel 58 plate 1.9cdti is £155.00 for tax for the year.
I know i just taxed it.!!
Good on fuel on a run but if you want smaller the A class merc is £35.00 tax, Focus is megane size.
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That's odd - when I looked at them on the Ford's of Winsford site, the car details classed it as £235 a year. Unless they've got it wrong. Entirely plausible, I guess...
I forgot to mention in my OP that any new car has to be cheap to service/fix, so whilst a Merc is appealing, I'd imagine that parts/servicing is quite pricey.
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The A class was a 1.7 c160 and no servicing was going rate prices at a local indie.
Vectra goes to vauxhall as it's in warranty and price for tax is correct unless you looked at v6 or 2.0turbo petrol.
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...I reckon I'll have the equivalent of around £100 per month available on a five-year finance deal...
Badwolf,
I'm not sure of your budget.
Are you saying p/ex the Megane and take on payments of £100 a month over five years?
If so, you are looking at a loan of around £5K, plus maybe £1,500 for the Megane, so the sticker price of the car you want to buy would be no more than £7K.
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Iffy,
That's probably about the size of it. I prefer to work to the monthly budget, rather than the actual cost of the car. Though I do acknowledge that some less than scrupulous dealers take full advantage of people like me!
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>> Are you saying p/ex the Megane and take on payments of £100 a month over
>> five years?
>>
>> If so, you are looking at a loan of around £5K, plus maybe £1,500 for
>> the Megane, so the sticker price of the car you want to buy would be
>> no more than £7K.
Seems a rather Rattle-esque way of saving money to me.....
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"Man Maths" OS - he wants a new car. I do it quite often.
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A quick look on autotrader suggests your budget would get a 2008 current shape 1.6 diesel Focus.
They are good to drive, good on fuel and as cheap to maintain as any other car in your price range.
You could look out for an Econetic which had skinny tyres for extra economy and qualified for £35 road tax.
HJ ran one for a while and rated it quite highly.
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£100 a month over 5 years should get you a 2003 Megane 1.6 petrol
someone on here owns one
at least he will know its problems rather than paying through the teeth for expensive finance on a pittance repayment payback deal
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>> "Man Maths" OS - he wants a new car. I do it quite often.
>>
Well yes, so why pretend it makes any economic sense ;-)
Current car = 45 quid in petrol per month + it's a know quantity.
Different car = 35 quid a month on fuel (say) + 100 quid per month finance + it's an unknown quantity
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i think he was trying to reduce his £45 pw in petrol.
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>> i think he was trying to reduce his £45 pw in petrol.
>>
Well yes, but taking on finance of 100 quid a month to save a few quid on fuel is a net monthly increase in outgoings of say 80 quid and is typical 'man maths'. If someone wants a newer car fine, but it will cost money not save money.
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Since you want to minimise the amount you're spending, the cheapest way would be to save the £100 per month until you've got enough to buy a car for cash. Paying interest to a finance company is a mug's game.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 18 Jan 11 at 14:01
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i agree that an extra £100 isnt enough to get something significantly better than a megane 1.6.
if you're bored of the megane then look at focus or similar but if you need to save money then keep what you have and economise in other areas then save for a yr or so and pay cash for a car and that car will be so much cheaper in the long run than getting credit
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See my post in the thread about the guy who had an Avensis and Focus and wanted to sell both to buy something cheaper to run. Answer was don't bother.
Buying a new car will not save you money. Keeping your old one will. Even if you reduce your fuel bill from £45 per week to £30 per week that is less than £1,000pa saving. Is it worth it, if you will then spend more than that buying a new car?
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The only way to economise is to buy a car for the same price which you get for your current car, but which has lower running costs.
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Fords of Winsford - good place, just don't get your loan from them...
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>> The only way to economise is to buy a car for the same price which
>> you get for your current car, but which has lower running costs.
That's what we did - traded in the old thirsty beast for a brand new tiny mouse. On swap over day I got a new car and a cheque from the dealer for £500, to go with the significantly lower running costs.
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It's not really 'man maths' as I'm paying £100 a month on finance already. Yes, the Megane is a known quantity which is exactly why I want to get rid of it! I'm realistically looking at around £6k, once part ex and the outstanding finance are factored in.
Thanks for your input so far chaps.
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Oh, right.
In that case, and becasue you mentioned the Polo earlier, how about looking at diesel Ibizas and Fabias, they're likely to be a better deal than a Polo. Maybe even a Seat Cordoba, massive boot for ferrying stuff around.
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I can confirm that Fabias are far cheaper than Polos (whatever colour you're looking for) on a five year old one there was upwards of a grand in difference - Nawt wrong with Skodas...!
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>> Nawt wrong with Skodas...!
Hear hear! :-)
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£5K Petrol vectras 58 plate last july on a vauxhall forecourt so plenty of choice no need to pay the earth.
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Don't be talked into a beige Skoda Badwolf. He's on some kind of mission with those. I think it's a bet or something...
:-)
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i think a fabia would be a good bet or an older ceed or I30 maybe.
if you dont need the exra space then an i0 or panda may be ok
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And the answer is...
A diesel Fabia.
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I ran a 1.9 TDI diesel Cordoba estate for 100,000+ miles only requiring the usual consumables and a couple of rear wheel bearings. A Polo estate in all but the badge, but most components had VW logos fitted. A good motor in its day.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 18 Jan 11 at 18:26
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>> And the answer is...
>>
>> A diesel Fabia.
I'm rather taken with this one:
tinyurl.com/67eqdp5
Seems to tick all the right boxes.
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this one is better
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201102377154376
Oh and you left your postcode on that autotrader add of yours.
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Did I? Oooops. Mind you, it only narrows it down to one of about 40 houses! Ta for that Z.
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>> It's not really 'man maths' as I'm paying £100 a month on finance already.
>>
OK fair enough that alters the equation a bit.
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Another vote for something with the PD engine (VW, Skoda, Seat).
Performance / economy compromise still impresses me after 18 months of ownership. Our PD Golf has just clicked over 115,000 miles (bought with 89,000 miles). 100% reliable (so far), uses less than half a litre of oil between 10k services, and rarely returns less than 50 mpg over a tankful.
Gruffness partly offset by the fact that it never needs to be taken much past 2.5k in daily driving.
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I can see where BW is coming from, we had a similar desire to tick a lot of economy boxes when we bought the C2...ours was slightly different as no finance involved and SWM wanted as much bang for little buck as possible.
During my digging i found there's very few cars tick all the economy boxes, £30ish VED and low insurance groups) And give good performance whilst still giving 50+mpg general running about.
Those that did include the C2 VTS HDi (which we bought), and the 207 Sport with the same 110hp Diesel.
Grand Punto 1.6 Multijet Diesel also ticked them all.
Nothing else with worthwhile torque does, there's plenty of low VED cars about but most of them wouldn't pull you out of bed.
We considered Ibiza with the 1.9D (not Fabia, too ugly by far..no offence to owners), but the VED starts to climb and it too is an ugly brute.
Before going down the Diesel route BW, why not have a nosey round the usual sites with LPG as the only search and see what takes your fancy.
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Or you could have just kept the beautiful old Merc going and spent far less than the cost of the C2 on petrol. Instead you leave it to rot like automotive compost outside your house and rub its nose in its fate by parking the young pretender next to it.
At least I gave my old car a chance of a new life. Yours will simply die of neglect...
:-)
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The Ibiza is an ugly brute?
too many years of driving vibrating diesel engined lorries must have blurred your eyeballs.
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>> too many years of driving vibrating diesel engined lorries must have blurred your eyeballs.
Nothing wrong with my mincers, Seat can make some good looking cars and Leon proves it, but every single version of Ibiza has been just slightly better looking than the equivalent Fabia, and that's not saying much.
Good cars with the right engine, but designed not to encroach on the equivalent VW for pleasant looks.
Only my opinion.
That Hump bloke must have someone monitoring, hah you wait till we get some pics of you mincing round Trafalgar square in the nip..:-)
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Hyundai i20 1.2 - stretch to around the 8 grand mark for a new 'un.
Decent size, safe, less than 120g/km CO2 so tax is naff-all.
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Economy (and advice!) needed... - Bigtee
