Running 2 cars, is it cheaper???

[Cunney]

With petrol prices being the way they are is it ever worth spending £500 on a cheap diesel run about?

Obviously you have twice the road tax, twice the MOT, twice the maintenance, but you're saving on fuel and not putting the miles on the clio, which at the moment I'm really not enjoying doing... Was on 30k when I got it, nearly on 60k and not even had it 2 years yet (would like to keep it long term, even if only as a toy).

Anybody done this? Is it worth it?

Also do any insurers allow two cars on one policy at the same rate?

 

[Dave.]

two cars same policy / rate isnt possible afaik, they want to make as much money as possible! Although the admiral multicar jobbies arent bad

 

[Cunney]

With it being modified though I'd be tied in with the usual crowd... Adrian Flux, Brentacre etc...

 

[Craigus]

You have to do the math to figure out whether it is feasible.

 

[realnumber 1]

No point, the clio will be worth the best part of nothing in a few years no matter what miles and its not like they are single figures on mpg.

 

[Goodj]

^ Clio's are worth anything from nothing already.

unless you do obscene mileage, I can't see the figures balancing up to make it worth your while, but, that being said, you need to do the maths

 

[Cunney]

No point, the clio will be worth the best part of nothing in a few years no matter what miles and its not like they are single figures on mpg.

I'm not bothered about the re-sale value to be honest, it's more the fact that I don't want to run a car I enjoy into the ground by driving it up and down the motorway every day

 

[realnumber 1]

Driving it on the motorway shouldn't run it in to the ground if you look after it.

 

[jack_kemp]

I run two cars, it's something that only you can work out tbh... Just calculate your fuel costs for the month/year and see. You'd need to be doing a lot of miles to justify it I think as, for what it is, the Clio is pretty frugal with fuel.

The only reason I'm keeping two cars is because it allows me to be stupid with the Clio (sc'ing, stripping, cage etc etc) without really having to worry. I'm the same as you though, I hate putting miles on the Clio, but I don't really know why.

 

[Wests Renault]

I have a car and a 125cc bike which costs peanuts to run. It cost me £700 inc the bike, CBT, gear and insurance and I made that back in 5 months in fuel savings. Now it costs me £12 every 2 weeks to do 250 miles

 

[azrael]

Id say it depends on the value of the car or the value you put on it. I can't see it working out on an inexpesive car with reasonable mpg.

The £500 diesel is potentially more likely to go wrong, and fixing it won't be cheap esp compared to the value.

So if you love your car enough treat it to some holiday by getting the Diesel, but I don't think the maths will work out as a cost saving excercise in this instance.

With a more expensive car or a car thats more expensive to run it would make sense sure, I learnt that back in the day with my M3 Evo's doh!

 

[Goodj]

Wests knows the score.

Mind, in Cambridge, if you want to get anywhere a bike is the only way.... and that was 5 years ago I'm thinking of, I can only imagine Madingley Road is worse.

 

[Blue Mez]

If anything mike you'll save a few hundred quid a year but the pain in the ass it will cause you just wont be worth it.

 

[Goodj]

There are several threads about this kind of thing. All came to the same conclusion.

no.

 

[Wests Renault]

Wests knows the score.

Mind, in Cambridge, if you want to get anywhere a bike is the only way.... and that was 5 years ago I'm thinking of, I can only imagine Madingley Road is worse.

Yup, I'm guaranteed to get from cambridge - st ives (17 miles) in half hour on the bike whereas it can be anything up to an hour in the car (without a crash on the A14!!)

 

[popie]

I brought a 51 plate 306 hdi (£850) its already saving me money. It all depends how extreme you go with the clio, if its still fairly std its not worth it.

 

[Cunney]

Driving it on the motorway shouldn't run it in to the ground if you look after it.

I know, but the number on my dial make me feel like I am lol, it's well looked after to be honest, oil change every 6 months, parts changed when they need to be etc...

I run two cars, it's something that only you can work out tbh... Just calculate your fuel costs for the month/year and see. You'd need to be doing a lot of miles to justify it I think as, for what it is, the Clio is pretty frugal with fuel.

The only reason I'm keeping two cars is because it allows me to be stupid with the Clio (sc'ing, stripping, cage etc etc) without really having to worry. I'm the same as you though, I hate putting miles on the Clio, but I don't really know why.

I do about 1,000 miles a month, I think if I didn't need the motorway an old scooter ^^^^ would be a great idea, a vespa or something which you could colour code to match the car

In terms of the car being modded and useable, you'll never sit in a louder car on the road :lol: back end is all stripped and running a decatted yozza, buckets & harnesses going in at weekend, 300mm steering wheel, coilovers, but none of that really bothers me 2bh.

Getting a flat in august so might look to cut out the motorway to work and then look to get an old scooter.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Cars are meant to be driven. It's not a DB5.

The whole 'low milage' culture annoys the cack out of me. Surely cars should be bought/viewed on condition/history.

I can't possibly see how 12k a year + 2 cars will be a cheaper option that one car. Would you really want to do 10k a year in a cheap as chips shed when you've got a 182 on the drive ?!

Time to do some finances and work out if you can break even before your grandchildren graduate :rasp:

 

[Sir_Dave]

I do 3k miles a month, so it makes sense to have two cars.

But im old & insurance isnt so bad either.

 

[p@blo]

I run two cars on the road but do a fair whack of mileage for work-business use insurance on the 172 is pointlessly expensive. Not really fussed about depreciation, but for me should i want to sell the 172 in a hurry, keeping it relatively low mileage example surely makes it less of a ball ache to get rid of? Imo a 172 with 100+k isn't something i'd bother looking at. :dead:

 

[mugglesquop]

The £500 diesel is potentially more likely to go wrong, and fixing it won't be cheap esp compared to the value.

lol!

 

[MarkCup]

The only reason I'm keeping two cars is because it allows me to be stupid with the Clio (sc'ing, stripping, cage etc etc) without really having to worry. I'm the same as you though, I hate putting miles on the Clio, but I don't really know why.

I'm exactly the same. Wanted to start getting silly with the Cup to the extent that it's no longer suitable as a daily hack. Plus the fact that it's now on over 125k miles and I want it to enjoy its retirement, not slowly die from sitting in traffic on the commute.

Cost wise, no cheaper at all, costs me an arm and a leg to keep them both going with insurance, VED, MOT, services etc.

Can't see how I could be better off even if my daily was a cheap diesel either.

 

[jsr26]

I wouldn't really like to do 30k per year in a £500 diesel car - you'd probably spend more time fixing it or on the hard shoulder.

I run an 08 diesel vectra sri everyday for commuting, and a Megane r26 for fun (although looking at downgrading that for a 182 when the new car (another diesel) is ready). It doesn't cost a fortune insurance wise (25 years old and insurance is just under £1k for both cars fully comp with a £100 excess - with Admiral), that's with wheels (vec has VXR wheels) and megane's LUX pack declared, but tax and general running costs obviously mount.

I don't use the Megane everyday cos it only does about 22mpg with the way I drive it, compared with the vec which will do 43 most of the time, more when driving sensibly.

As someone else said, 182's are worth relatively little nowadays - and your best bet would probably be to run up the mileage on your clio then when it is time to change just trade it in... in the long run it will probably cost you about the same, if not less (i.e. maintaining both cars with tax, mot, servicing etc).
Motorway miles are not bad for the car anyway, less wear on most parts so shouldn't run it into the ground, just will increase the numbers on the clock!

 

[AlexS]

Its no cheaper.
The great thing about the 1*2 is they are great fun to drive yet still cheap to run, its not as if they do sub 20mpg to the gallon.
This is coming from a man that has a fully expensed company car yet still runs two private vehicles of his own!

 

[Bluebeard]

I brought a 51 plate 306 hdi (£850) its already saving me money. It all depends how extreme you go with the clio, if its still fairly std its not worth it.

You must do 120,000 miles a year if you've already noticed £850's worth of fuel difference already? :S

 

[realnumber 1]

You must do 120,000 miles a year if you've already noticed £850's worth of fuel difference already? :S

And that isn't including the the tax, insurance, tyres....
For 9 out of 10 people I think it really is a false economy!

 

[Soot1e]

2 cars do cost more to run unless you are doing mega mileage. I have 2 and they cost less to run than a youngster can insure 1 RS Clio but I am the exception as I am one of the older guys on here.

 

[Earpl]

FFS, I can get 35 to 38 mpg out of my 172. Thats driving it normally, + I live in the peak district. My old phase 2 hit an average of 47.2mpg on a run down to Essex a few years back. There great cars which return excellent mpg if driven right + go like stink when you want it too.

I have a 2nd car, 2.8 lwb pajero, But that is for other reasons.

 

[Dunn]

i refuse to beleive 2 cars save money unless you do silly miles

buy one car you can afford, use and enjoy

servicing mot tyres tax etc is often looked upon for the high mpgzzzz in a 2nd car

dont bother

 

[popie]

For a fair few months last year I was putting in £80 of v power a week, I needed some thing cheaper and some thing I didn't have to worry about parking at work.....lots of car crime. So I got the hdi. I service it my self, tax is £125 a year, insurance is £300 and it does over 50 mph. The clio does about 20 ish mph, I know what people mean I worked it out and it saved me a few hundred £ over a year. And gave me peace of mind my car would not be nicked at work.

 

[Bluebeard]

For a fair few months last year I was putting in £80 of v power a week, I needed some thing cheaper and some thing I didn't have to worry about parking at work.....lots of car crime. So I got the hdi. I service it my self, tax is £125 a year, insurance is £300 and it does over 50 mph. The clio does about 20 ish mph, I know what people mean I worked it out and it saved me a few hundred £ over a year. And gave me peace of mind my car would not be nicked at work.

Im not trying to be awkward, but is your calculator broken??

So you've spent £850 on the car, £125 for a years tax and £300 on insurance. (I won't include MOT/repairs or the cost of consumables for servicing...which is every 6 months/6000 miles on a Hdi peugeot & 12000 miles/12 months on a Clio....)

So £1275 worth of extra fuel you could have put in your clio. Your clio will average 27/8 mpg unless its broken or leaking fuel. Your Hdi 306 will average about 47/48?

Diesel is about 5p a litre deare than petrol in the first place as well.

Now I wouldn't mind betting that hdi peugeout wont start saving you money until you've owned it 3 years AT LEAST!

 

[popie]

The clio does 20 ish mph it sc its mapped for v power only, so it works out slightly more than diesel.

 

[Bluebeard]

oh ffs!

You failed to mention that part!

In that case i'd have two cars like you then! lol.

 

[realnumber 1]

I'd be pissed off if my SC Clio only did 20mph lol.

 

[DrR]

Supercharged Clio only does 20mph?

 

[shiyan]

Only reason would be if one of the cars is a dedicated track car with cage etc, or if you do ridiculous amount of miles

 

[popie]

Lol.... I'm at work, need sleep. I can do 30 mph on a long road.

 

[Joah]

Lol.... I'm at work, need sleep. I can do 30 mph on a long road.

I would still be disappointed in 30 mph! lol *cough mpg*

I run two cars and it isnt cheaper but it means I can keep the clio for weekend driving, but then I have a company car to get to work and back.

 

[Cunney]

No, will be the conclusion of this thread then lol.

 

[Wests Renault]

No, will be the conclusion of this thread then lol.

Yes is the answer if you get a small motorbike

120 mpg FTW!!