What's the cheapest car to run 12000 miles pa?

[warren t claim]

Just a question really.

 

Can we compare the costs of running cheap shite against the cost of a new Fiat 500? I'm talking over three years with the whole life ownership costs taken into consideration. I'm defining shite as any car freely available for under £500 that is usable in towns and long motorway journeys.

[Pete-M]

Probably a Xantia TD on veg.

 

That's the cheapest non-horrific option I can think of, or for the more discerning punter, something like a Mondeo 1.8 on LPG.

[Craig the Princess]

Probably a Xantia TD on veg.

 

Rover 100, AX or 205 dizzler on 2nd hand veg?

[Craig the Princess]

Or for the more involved a Volvo 142 on wood?

 

http://www.vedbil.se/AUA236e.shtml

[warren t claim]

I was thinking of cars that use regular pump fuel.

[Craig the Princess]

I was thinking of cars that use regular pump fuel.

 

Rover 100, AX or 205 dizzler on regular diesel?

[Pete-M]

Hmm, I reckon LPG on something that happily does 40+ mpg on the motorway is probably the winner. 40 mpg at LPG prices knocks 99% of diseasels into a cocked hat.

 

LPG is available in lots of petrol stations, and comes from a pump.

[Guest]

Peugeot 106 Diesel?

[Craig the Princess]

Hmm, I reckon LPG on something that happily does 40+ mpg on the motorway is probably the winner. 40 mpg at LPG prices knocks 99% of diseasels into a cocked hat.

 

LPG is available in lots of petrol stations, and comes from a pump.

 

An AX on LPG then?

[warren t claim]

Hmm, I reckon LPG on something that happily does 40+ mpg on the motorway is probably the winner. 40 mpg at LPG prices knocks 99% of diseasels into a cocked hat.

 

LPG is available in lots of petrol stations, and comes from a pump.

 

An AX on LPG then?

 

Only having 4 gears makes them a bit of a motorway nightmare though.

[Pete-M]

Hmm, I reckon LPG on something that happily does 40+ mpg on the motorway is probably the winner. 40 mpg at LPG prices knocks 99% of diseasels into a cocked hat.

 

LPG is available in lots of petrol stations, and comes from a pump.

 

An AX on LPG then?

 

Only having 4 gears makes them a bit of a motorway nightmare though.

 

Get a 1.4 then. They're still ace enough on fuel to be worth it.

[Craig the Princess]

Hmm, I reckon LPG on something that happily does 40+ mpg on the motorway is probably the winner. 40 mpg at LPG prices knocks 99% of diseasels into a cocked hat.

 

LPG is available in lots of petrol stations, and comes from a pump.

 

An AX on LPG then?

 

Only having 4 gears makes them a bit of a motorway nightmare though.

 

Didn't the facelift ones get a 5 speed box? Or was it just the 1.4s?

The 1.1 I've got was pretty happy at 70 in 4th TBH, 55+ MPG on a good run too.

[warren t claim]

Could you reasonably expect to be able to buy an LPG'd AX for less than £500?

[Pete-M]

Could you reasonably expect to be able to buy an LPG'd AX for less than £500?

 

I'm about to weigh in a Lexus IS200 that had LPG.... so it could be done. Just.

[warren t claim]

Would a K11 Micra be a better bet?

[Pete-M]

 

Howdi A4 1.8 on LPG. Under £500. That's gotta be worth a go.

[cort16]

If it's a goodun then you'll never do better than some £500 diesel snotter like a Xantia or pug 406 that does 45mpg.

I have to say if it was me and you just want basic reliable transport then get a new Citroen C1 as you can get one about £130 a month. The car tax is £30 a year, the insurance is pennies, it does 60mpg on petrol and no mot's or repairs while it's under warranty. They also happen to be very good to drive and nippy if not a bit noisy.

It's not really the autoshite way (don't kill me) but if you want cheap hassle free turn key and go motoring this is what I'd do.

[Craig the Princess]

If it's a goodun then you'll never do better than some £500 diesel snotter like a Xantia or pug 406 that does 45mpg.

I have to say if it was me and you just want basic reliable transport then get a new Citroen C1 as you can get one about £130 a month. The car tax is £30 a year, the insurance is pennies, it does 60mpg on petrol and no mot's or repairs while it's under warranty. They also happen to be very good to drive and nippy if not a bit noisy.

It's not really the autoshite way (don't kill me) but if you want cheap hassle free turn key and go motoring this is what I'd do.

 

Is life with a new Citroen going to be that easy?

[Pete-M]

Is life with a new Citroen going to be that easy?

 

Paging Watanabe..... Jon to the red courtesy phone please.

[Father Ted]

Would a K11 Micra be a better bet?

My K11 costs in fuel alone 13p/mile.

Then factor in depreciation (about £300/year), insurance (£200/year), tax (£130) and other sundries - oil, plugs and feu-orange air fresheners it mounts up.

 

Cheapest ever car I had was a BX TGD bought for £300, run for 20k miles and then sold for £350, spent zero on consumables and ran on a 50/50 mix of dino diesel and WVO

[cort16]

The C1 isn't built with the normal Citroens. The Toyota Aygo, Pug 107 and C1 are all built in the same factory. My Mrs has one, which she's had for over a year and nothings gone wrong with it and nothing's fell off it so far.

The C1 is properly basic by design so there's less potential for disaster plus it's under warranty so at least it's not gonna cost ££ if it goes tits up.

[tonedepear]

Is that the one where the pedals fall off/stick down and you die piling into a pile of prius's that have already suffered the same fate?

 

[cort16]

As I said don't kill me. There's no doubt if you get a good old snotter it's cheaper to run but £500 wonders don't always turn out to be wonderfull as daily's especially if you can't fiddle the spanners.

[jonathan_dyane]

As I said don't kill me. There's no doubt if you get a good old snotter it's cheaper to run but £500 wonders don't always turn out to be wonderfull as daily's especially if you can't fiddle the spanners.

 

the most I've ever paid for a car was £400...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

My 318iS has been cheap to run over the last 3 years/40k. I've bought tyres, oil, pads, discs etc for it and it's always done 35 mpg. I bought a brand new LuK clutch off Ebay for £29 last month - the pedal is getting heavy now.

 

£500 buys a LOT of car these days. Up you budget to £700 and you're into cars barely 10 years old - Astras, Vectras, Passats and other perfectly sound but unfashionable chod capable of another 5 years work without going pop.

[Albert Ross]

A tiny bit over your budget, but a 03 plate (I think) Skoda Fabia Sdi with 480,000 or so on the clock went for £650 a couple of months ago. What about that 55 plate Skoda Superb that was £300 to Cortinadave......? £200 buys a reasonable amount of fuel to rejig your calculations......

[Mr_Bo11ox]

405 diesel running on home-made recycled LPG

[eddyramrod]

I'd definitely be looking at the shite market rather than new. New, you'd be buying a cheap shopping trolley, that will lose at least half its value, so that's going to be in the region of 4 grand down the pan right away. The 500 quid shitter, even if it goes over the bridge, can't lose more than about 250. 3750 buys a LOT of fuel, insurance and even repairs. What could go wrong with a cheap Daewoo Leganza?*

 

*Don't answer that...

[overheadvalve]

I can't see anyone bothering to convert an AX to lpg, or anything as small really.

 

I vote the good old fashioned Rover 400/45 with the fine diesel engine, very reliable, so old fashoined it's 1979 as soon as you step inside and uber unpopular they were autoshite when new!

 

 

 

I'm selling my gold one for slightly more than your budget at £600

[jonathan_dyane]

I can't see anyone bothering to convert an AX to lpg, or anything as small really.

 

Earlier in the year I toyed with the idea of converting a Peugeot 205 1.1 to LPG for uber cheap motoring, and but for the fact that being folded into my diesel 205 resulted in a trip to the phisiotherapist and subsequent upgrade to 190D autoshite, might just have been daft enough to do it...