Tight Arse Motoring Options?

[cort16]

Citroen c1's/Aygo/107 are good. We had one for a couple of years and it was nippy, good and fuel and 30 quid a year to tax. There;s plenty of them out their for sub 2 grand now. They're basic but not in a really horribly way.

[wuvvum]

Three pot diesel Accent???? WHERE DO I SIGN

Right here.

 

[gtd2000]

In amazed some folks don't think of road tax cost as a factor to be considered.

 

If we had decent roads that were well maintained, perhaps I would not have my outlook....

 

In just looking at taking advantage of a ridiculous situation where a car costs the same to tax as a lightweight motorcycle and sticking two fingers up to the Gubbermint in the process.

 

I'm all for buying a car that's a good deal, which limits depreciation, rather than paying over the odds and getting fleeced on depreciation.

 

I'm not suggesting that I'll buy a car that will depreciate £1000 in four years, to save a few quid on road tax. That of course would be rather silly.

[2MB]

I'd never really considered road tax as a factor, mainly because I could see no reason to consider anything made after 2001. However, the brief for our lass's next vehicle was:

• Easy to park
• 5 Doors
• Light controls (i.e. not a Land Rover)
• Cheap to insure for someone with 1 year's driving experience and no NCB
• Good on fuel (short journeys so no Veggies)
• Cheap to buy

Of surprisingly few cars that fit the bill it came down to a choice between a Fiat Panda 1.1 and a small box of a Daihatsu. Fiat was £130 tax a year, Daihatsu was £30, with supposedly better fuel economy. As long as nothing fucks up a £100 saving in a year is worth having I reckon.

Paid £600 with FSH and 39k on the clock. It can't really lose that much more in depreciation.

So far, so functional. What I didn't count on was it being hilarious to drive. It just wants to go faster all the time. I think something like that would be pretty suitable for you OP

 

[twosmoke300]

As long as no parts are needed you are on to a winner but I bet lots of bits that's are peanuts on a panda are at least 100 quid more on that just due to the quantity of production

[Cavcraft]

The savings you'd make buying a cheaper, older, inexpensive to run car would far outweigh saving a few quid in RFL a year.

[cort16]

It's the 2006 stuff you have to watch out for . My brother in law bought an is250 and the 1st 6 months tax was thrown in when he bought it . 6 months later he finds out its 500 notes a year to tax.

[Cavcraft]

Whereas if you bought a 306 diesel there'd be no surprise when the tax was due.

[For Fiats Sake]

Fiat Panda Eco Dynamic models 1.2 euroV are £30 to tax and have air conditioning!  

 

Could only find one on Auto trader for 1600.

 

I had a diesel Yaris (mk1 facelift - look for the colour coded bumpers and tear ducts on the headlights),

I'm over six foot and found it comfortable to drive, ran happily on refined veg, lots of stop start driving as I was using it for meter reading, the economy meant it paid for itself, work gave me 33ppm.  Had the battery go at 3 years old and a glow plug, a front shocker after a couple more years and the drivers seat foam collapsed.  My car was an ex-driving school car too.

 

I would have bought another but they replaced it with the bigger one.

 

Only thing it didn't have as standard was air con, I had it retro fitted for £600 by a toyota main dealer and it was worth every penny.

[eddyramrod]

It's the 2006 stuff you have to watch out for . My brother in law bought an is250 and the 1st 6 months tax was thrown in when he bought it . 6 months later he finds out its 500 notes a year to tax.

Our 57-plate Tacuma falls into the same bracket.  It too was supplied with 6 months on, which took us to December, by which time we had applied for free "Disabled" tax.  That's where it's at now.  It's a nice enough car (I've just driven it nearly 400 miles yesterday and today) but not nice enough to pay that sort of money just for the RFL!  Especially given the state of the roads...

 

Of course a 40-year-old car also qualifies for free tax...

[bigfella2]

It's the 2006 stuff you have to watch out for . My brother in law bought an is250 and the 1st 6 months tax was thrown in when he bought it . 6 months later he finds out its 500 notes a year to tax.

Am guessing it's a manual then, because the auto is £290 to tax due to lower emissions. PHACT there for you shiters.

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm not really convinced a small cheap car is cheap to run really, because inevitably the components are cheap and fail more often, the small engines work harder, they are hammered by the kind of people who but small cars.

[mouseflakes]

thoroughly miserable 1999-2004 Hyundai Accent 1.5D (three potter) 82hp and 137ft/lb

I think the Matrix used the same?

 

Here's one with a long MOT test for £300.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hyundai-matrix-/121887758136

 

 

Awkward. I like these.

[egg]

Completely anti-autoshite idea, but why not just use zipcar when you are in the country and do without any ownership pains?

[laser wheels]

I'd love to do something like this, but I always get mental insurance quotes on cars like these. I know I will save money over the year in terms of tax and fuel, but I just begrudge paying £600+ a year to insure a 0.8 Daewoo Matiz. Especially when I can insure a 200+ bhp comfy old barge - an old turbo SAAB, say, or a big-engined 90s BMW - for less. And that's before you take into consideration classic policies. That E34 525i was something like £120 a year as my only vehicle and used daily to commute. That's £500 saved right there I could just put in the tank.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Wow I want to try one of these three-pot diesel Kimchi garglers. I can't pay 600 for one though and that Matrix just looks too 'FACEBOOK CHEEP CARS 4 SALE UNDER 500 SWAP FOR IPHONE 5 M8'

[dollywobbler]

There was a three pot dizzler Accent at Cannock Auctions. Opportunity missed.

[Barry Cade]

 

Be an Autoshite hero, and be the first to move into the 20th Century...

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/renault/twizy/used-renault-twizy-urban-2dr-hayes-fpa-201511088525278?logcode=p

[dollywobbler]

I'm not really convinced a small cheap car is cheap to run really, because inevitably the components are cheap and fail more often, the small engines work harder, they are hammered by the kind of people who but small cars.

Not all small cars are hammered. I doubt the Nippa had been. Before I got it. Giffers are generally kind. Though it had already had a clutch replaced...

[Aston Martin]

 

 

Be an Autoshite hero, and be the first to move into the 20th Century...

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/renault/twizy/used-renault-twizy-urban-2dr-hayes-fpa-201511088525278?logcode=p

 

 

Plus battery rental...

 

 

 

You’ll be paying anything from £60 to £105 per month extra for between 12 to 60 months. After this period, you’ll continue to pay monthly rental on a ‘rolling contract’, similar to a mobile phone contract.

[Barry Cade]

Plus battery rental...

I know where there's an old milk float breaking for spares...

[LessThanEqual]

6N2 Polo TDIs cost £30 to tax, and are less miserable than a Suzuki Alto. Mismatched trims get you extra shite points.

[carlo]

 Of course yes, that's very true but 2K was just an upper figure - I've spotted a 59 plate KIA Picanto on Gumtree locally, with cheap tax, for £950 ono which could be a good candidate and there wouldn't be much depreciation on that if it was kept for a few years as I suspect that's quite a bit below the usual price.

 

I've got a mate that has owned a 405 estate for quite a few years now and he spends about £250 to get it MoT'd each year and then a further £230 on the road tax.... I've advised him to get something more financially viable but he just can't see it.

 

You need to own a 405 to understand

[Pillock]

In amazed some folks don't think of road tax cost as a factor to be considered.

 

If we had decent roads that were well maintained, perhaps I would not have my outlook....

 

In just looking at taking advantage of a ridiculous situation where a car costs the same to tax as a lightweight motorcycle and sticking two fingers up to the Gubbermint in the process.

 

It's not really sticking two fingers up at the Government to drive a lower banded car - they've still decided what you should pay, you're still paying it, they've just let you pay less.

It's like "sticking two fingers up at Tesco" because they reduced a pizza that was nearly out of date. You got more or less the same thing, but you still paid the money that was asked for it.

 

It really needs everything taking into account - purchase price, tax, insurance, fuel, repairs. Those last two are tricky, I can drive the same car as my colleagues and get 48MPG average and they get 43MPG - over 30k a year that's a fair bit of cash. Depends on driving style, do you travel in rush hour a lot, how much crap do you carry around in the car. Same as repairs, you might get lucky or you might not and get lumped with a mega bill.

 

Tax is one of the more predictable bills car ownership will present, and also is one of the lowest. 

 

Oh, and also insert the usual thing about it not being road tax, and it's not used to fund road repairs since the year 500AD or something.

[oldcars]

Erm - no rust ! Isn't the chassis steel ?

Aren't some parts almost impossible to find and v expensive ?

As long its a Rialto it should have a galvanised chassis. i think some very early ones didnt. Parts easy to find and so far cheap to. Do it

[fraser.innes.3]

I'll just leave this here.

 

[gtd2000]

Of surprisingly few cars that fit the bill it came down to a choice between a Fiat Panda 1.1 and a small box of a Daihatsu. Fiat was £130 tax a year, Daihatsu was £30, with supposedly better fuel economy. As long as nothing fucks up a £100 saving in a year is worth having I reckon.

DSC_0278.JPG

Paid £600 with FSH and 39k on the clock. It can't really lose that much more in depreciation.

So far, so functional. What I didn't count on was it being hilarious to drive. It just wants to go faster all the time. I think something like that would be pretty suitable for you OP

 

I remember looking at these before I bought the Picanto for my mum back in 2008.

 

I'd virtually fogotten about them as you never see many of them on the roads up here. That sounds like a good buy that you got there with such low milage!

[gtd2000]

It's the 2006 stuff you have to watch out for . My brother in law bought an is250 and the 1st 6 months tax was thrown in when he bought it . 6 months later he finds out its 500 notes a year to tax.

 

A pal of mine was droolling over a cheap RX8 on Facebook (for about £800) but I mentioned that the tax rate was ridiculous!

 

I wouldn't mind something like an RX8 if they were reliable but I balk at £500 road tax.

 

Years ago I was considering a Hyundai XG30 but thinking it'll have to be a pre-2001 for cheaper road tax!

[gtd2000]

Whereas if you bought a 306 diesel there'd be no surprise when the tax was due.

 

My mates mum has an 03 or 02 reg 306 but it also needs about 200-300 quids worth of work for the MoT each year...similar to his 405 estate diesel...

[gtd2000]

I'd love to do something like this, but I always get mental insurance quotes on cars like these. I know I will save money over the year in terms of tax and fuel, but I just begrudge paying £600+ a year to insure a 0.8 Daewoo Matiz. Especially when I can insure a 200+ bhp comfy old barge - an old turbo SAAB, say, or a big-engined 90s BMW - for less. And that's before you take into consideration classic policies. That E34 525i was something like £120 a year as my only vehicle and used daily to commute. That's £500 saved right there I could just put in the tank.

 

Yeah, that just shows that focussing on RFL would be a big mistake in your circumstances and you demonstrate the bigger picture.

 

Fortunately, here in the Scottish Borders, the insurance rates are pretty low.