Looking to purchase a 2nd hand car for the wife, to replace the ageing 1600 Astra Sport. Need it for work and the annual run to the airport.
The daily work journey is just over 2 miles a day.
So looking for something small reliable and cheap to run, But not to slow on the motorway.
Any advice please.
Thanks
Darren
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Short journeys like this are bad news for an engine. A diesel will cope with it better.
What about one of those Corsa diesels?
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The daily work journey is just over 2 miles a day.
A push bike
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Seconded
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while i would like to third ed it i cannot advise push irons on the motorway ;-)
OP you want the smallest cc engine you can get so it gets warmest soonest .What about a nice little 500 cc auto virgo diesel as well ///..............lovely
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>>The daily work journey is just over 2 miles a day.<<
so just over a mile each way ?
No engine is going to get warm properly on that journey. Just choose something you like for the other journeys and service it more frequently than recommended - and give it an italian tuine up every so often.
You don't give any idea on cost etc.
I'd look for an Almera.
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>>A push bike>>
You beat me to it as I've just come in....:-(
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Short journeys like this are bad news for an engine. A diesel will cope with it better.
No point in getting a diesel for 2 miles per day as they take longer to warm up than a petrol. Maybe something like a Yaris 1.3?
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The petrol engine wil never get up to operating temperature for long, it will be on 'choke' or cold start mode for a large percentage of its running time. The diesel fuel is in itself a lubricant leading to lower bore wear.
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Something cheap 'n cheerful but reliable for the daily run (used Suzuki Alto?). Then just use a taxi for the airport run. No point in letting one annual journey dictate your choice of car for the rest of the year.
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Which journey involves going on the Mway?
If it's the journey to work, jumping on the Mway from one junction to the next seems crazy.
If it's the airport run...can't you get a lift?!
Personally I'd use a pushbike...(And intend to if a potential new job in Egham goes my way)
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Egham?
Hmm... Royal Holloway perchance?
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Egham? Hmm... Royal Holloway perchance?
Good guess, but not another University. Not if my life depended on it!
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I assume there might be health or special reasons for wanting to use a car regularly for such short runs.
Myself, I don't think I could be bothered with the fag of dragging the bike out of the shed, servicing, the inevitable flat tyres, etc. I'd be halfway there on foot before you could say cycle over-trousers.
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Flat tyres are not inevitable. You can get cheap tyre liners that stop pretty much all punctures.
Servicing? Like a bike is more difficult to service than a car? ;) If you can't be bothered to spray a bit of oil on the chain and tighten the brakes every now and then, your local bike shop would do it for practically nothing, compared to a car service.
Try it before you write it off.. :)
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>>Which journey involves going on the Mway?>>
I assume that the journey to work is two miles each way, not the total, and presumably the motorway work would involve other journeys.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If capable I would recommend walking to work - good for you and saves kiliing a car the engine of which would never reach operating temperature.
If not - Fiat Panda/Mitsubishi Colt 1.1/something like that
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Walk/Cycle if fit enough - Honda if not fit enough, Taxi/friend for airport run.
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Should have said Honda 50
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Peugeot 205 1.8 diesel 5 door for about £600, and a decent taxi for the airport.
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Agree with bignick.
If it's only a mile each way then surely you could walk it. Leave half an hour earlier in the morning. Great for fitness and you will feel invigorated after the release of all those endorphins. You could get a taxi or ask a friend for a lift on very wet/hot days. Is it really worth all that money for that distance?
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Agree with bignick. If it's only a mile each way then surely you could walk it. Leave half an hour earlier in the morning. Great for fitness and you will feel invigorated after the release of all those endorphins. You could get a taxi or ask a friend for a lift on very wet/hot days. Is it really worth all that money for that distance?
If I lived that close to work I would definately walk during the summer. I enjoy walking, and even if cars didn't cost money etc., I would still probably walk some days.
Walking a mile isn't going to take 30 minutes extra though. It would probably take maybe 15 minutes in total.
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looks like darrenforward the OP is indeed walking hes not posted since,maybe he got knocked down walking on the motorway to save a few bob and is at this moment talking to a no win guy about suing some posters on here who suggested he walked? (im safe i disagreed ;-) )
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Why not get an electric bike for such a short journey? Good ones start from about £500. Do a google and you would be surprised what is available. Then buy a cheap old small car to use on wet and very cold days. Best of both worlds.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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Great to be telling her to get on a bike, but what if she has to drop off ankle-biters at pre-school on the way?
Plus how else do you get the Christmas tree, the paving slabs etc?
Baby diesel that's done all its depreciating must be the plan.
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While I understand that short journeys are bad my wife's previous car (1988 petrol Astra, bought in 1999) had spent 10 years on journeys of 2 miles and was in fine fettle (original battery & clutch but one replacement exhaust) when we sold it for £750 in 1999 with 30,000 miles on the clock. I did six monthly oil changes andthe odd Italian tune-up, otherwise it had no special treatment. So what? you say. Well according to the RAC site the car is still registered and presumably running! Someone has had near zero depreciation motoring these last 7 years.
I am not sure current cars with more stringent emissions standards and complexity would stand what I acknowledge was mechanical abuse!
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I am sure the OP has considered the alternatives such as walking and bikes. It's suggestions on a car he wants.
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Something electric. This is just what electric cars are designed for. Mother's Allegro estate (new) spent most of it's short life doing exactly this sort of length school run. And its first engine lasted 6,000 miles and burned oil by the gallon.
The smallest, poxiest car will manage something dreadful, say 15mpg over this distance. And whilst that's one gallon a week, save tax, save (I presume) insurance and save money.
Or a scooter?
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SWMBO's Pegeot 106 diesel has done this for 13 years and is still doing 55mpg. Avearge journey length is 1 mile..
Buy a diesel .( But not a common rail one as it will never warm up the heater in winter...:_)
The 106 heater is warm after 3/4mile.
I can assure you this is VERY important :-)
madf
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If its only doing 2 miles a day, ignore the 'cheap to run and small' criteria.
Buy something an enormous engine. This way, the fact it does 20mpg makes absolutely no difference to you becuase your annual fuel budget will be tiny anyway, but you'll be able to get the car for less than the equivilent little crappy hatchback becuase most people dont want a car with a large engine.
Look at something Mondeo sized with a 2.5 litre engine. Seriously, IMHO it is the way forward. It'll give you TERRIBLE fuel economy but you could run a Hummer for this sort of mileage and still have a sub £450 a year fuel bill!
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