Cheapest car to own

[Gerald Davis]

I wonder what the cheapest second-hand car to own for a one-year period Taken into consideration:
1.The initial cost of the car
2.The cost of maintenance
3.Cars reliability
4.Insurance, I have never had my own insurance.
5.Gas consumption (gas is expensive in UK)

Spending less is what I am all about, but if I spend too little on the car, I could end up paying too much on maintenance. If I buy a newer car the initial costs would be too high and so will the insurance premiums. A balance is essential

[Alan Wanwierd]

1.The initial cost of the car
You should be able to pick up a 10yr old car pretty cheaply. Most 10 year old cars are still pretty good and will work well, and by this time the depreciation over the 1 year period you're talking about will be totaly negligable.

2.The cost of maintenance, reliability
If you pick a manufacturer with a reputation for reliability such as Toyota or Volkswagen then you are unlikely to have any problems - (However, German parts do cost more *if* they do fail). When buying your car, look at mechanical things over aesthetics - dont worry about a dent or scratch, but dont buy a car with balding tyres (they cost to replace) - If in UK check that the car has a long MOT - the last thing you want is to have to fork out a month after buying your car just to keep the thing on the road legally!

4.Insurance, I have never had my own insurance.
By the time a car is tem years old the insurance costs are pretty uniform(assuming you dont have a "special" car with oversized engine). If you really want to keep your insurance costs down then by a *VERY* cheap car and just get "Third Party" insurance to build up your no claims discount. Of course if you smash you're car then you're up for the costs - but that might end up being cheaper than insuring it! (Think about "Fire & Theft" insurance if you park on the street often) - Fully comprehensive insurance is really only for those who have cars they cannot afford to repair - get an old enough car and its just not worth it!

5.Gas consumption (gas is expensive in UK)
Keep it small!! A 1.3Lt engine in a Toyota Echo (or were they called "Starlet" 10 yrs ago?) will drive on a slight whiff of an oily rag!. Stay away from automatic gearboxes - they will increase your fuel consumption
[ January 23, 2005: Message edited by: Adrian Wallace ]

[Peter Rooke]

Insurance ( ) - Old cars sometimes qualify for 'Classic Vehicle Insurance'. You then pay much less for a high performance car .

Extra UK Tax ( ), sorry I mean Petrol (gas) - you can convert the car to run on LPG fuel - this is not (at the moment) taxed at the same rate as other fuels.

A few years back I insured my old Corvette (5.7) for around �350.00. - Of course I did spend a lot on fuel! (I need to convert it to LPG). Gerald, maybe you could get your old Golf on one of these policies.

Currently I�m driving a 22 year old Renault 5, but it�s only done 18,000 miles � FSH, maintained at a main dealer. In a year I�ve spent �30 (Oil etc) to maintain it. It cost me �300.
[ January 24, 2005: Message edited by: Peter Rooke ]

[Jeroen Wenting]

LPG here can actually turn out to be more expensive than petrol.
While the tax on the fuel itself are less there's a hefty surcharge on vehicle tax and car insurance to compensate. I think the breakeven point is somewhere around 30000km a year.

I've found Fords to be cheap to operate. Ford maintenance prices are low, and the cars are very reliable.
You may pay a bit more initially but every time you bring it in for maintenance you get a bit of that back in lower charges for maintenance and spare parts.

I currently drive a '96 Fiesta. Apart from one expensive fix to repair a hole in the exhaust (something punctured it) I've only had parts replaced due to simple wear and those at very competitive prices.
Service was first rate, where else do they run tests on a car for half a day to determine what's wrong and then only charge for the one part that was actually installed?

Don't skimp on insurance. The lowcost operators usually have such restrictive terms that you effectively pay them without any chance of getting anything from them ever.
Example: a neighbour had his car broken into and the radio stolen. When contacting the insurance company he was told that burglary into the vehicle was not covered under his insurance, only theft of the entire vehicle is.
Beware of such clauses!

Gas consumption: generally older cars will use more, given that engines get more fuel efficient constantly.
Therefore (and to reduce maintenance cost) get the youngest car in the class you're looking for you can afford on your budget.

Tax/insurance: These go (at least in part) on catalogue price of the vehicle and for the rest based on weight.
Therefore getting a smaller, lighter, cheaper (newprice, not current price) car will reduce those.
That 1995 BMW 3 series may look very enticing and be cheap but it will cost you.
That 1999 Escort will be a lot cheaper in tax and insurance both.

Options:
Most options are luxury items only but will need to be maintained which adds to the running cost (and many use electricity which adds to fuelconsumption).
All add weight and cost which adds to your tax and insurance.
Do you really need electrical mirrors? Move them by hand and save a bit.
Same with electrically powered windows and seats.
Sunroof sounds nice but how many days in a typical year will you have it open in the UK? You will however be running into rubber seals that may need replacing after a while.

[Peter Rooke]

When driving in the UK, make sure you keep both hands on the steering wheel when turning a corner: Driver fined [by police] for clutching apple. The police even provided aerial photographs for evidence.
[ January 24, 2005: Message edited by: Peter Rooke ]