Buying a car based on economy

[snips86x]

Is there a website which allows me to search for a car based on it's fuel economy? I would have thought Auto Trader would have had this feature, but all I can see is the CO2 emission list.

Are there any sites like this out there?

 

[Luke]

If you go to the motability site you can do a search of all cars which allows you to sort it by MPG high>low.
Obviously this won't really help for 2nd hand or less common cars.

Try this link: http://www.motability.co.uk/cars-an...ther,Petrol&isAjax=1&isSearchRefinementForm=1

 

[NathWraith]

Can almost here the dag dag from hear

 

[rossk26]

http://www.motors.co.uk/

 

[snips86x]

If you go to the motability site you can do a search of all cars which allows you to sort it by MPG high>low.
Obviously this won't really help for 2nd hand or less common cars.

Try this link: http://www.motability.co.uk/cars-an...ther,Petrol&isAjax=1&isSearchRefinementForm=1

http://www.motors.co.uk/

That's a good start, thanks

 

[bledd]

When thinking purely on a cost basis, look for cars with a cheap tyre size as well as high MPG

Ultra cheap tyre size is 195/50/15, you can get all 4 in awesome tyres for ~£160-200

 

[snips86x]

When thinking purely on a cost basis, look for cars with a cheap tyre size as well as high MPG

Ultra cheap tyre size is 195/50/15, you can get all 4 in awesome tyres for ~£160-200

My mk6 Fiesta fits nicely into that group and my recently new typres came in at about £40 each - Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance, very nice to drive on.

 

[p1RATE]

Can i ask what the purpose is for looking at car bases on economy?

In reality there are a lot of other things to consider if you are looking for a cheap car to run which can not be ignored. Depreciation for example is often one of the biggest costs of motoring.

 

[snips86x]

Can i ask what the purpose is for looking at car bases on economy?

In reality there are a lot of other things to consider if you are looking for a cheap car to run which can not be ignored. Depreciation for example is often one of the biggest costs of motoring.

I cover a lot of miles for work & social and I'm looking for the best return on economy. On average, my work mileage is 800 perm month with 2-300 for social & family over a month at weekends.

My current car is a 2002 MK6 1.4TDCI Fiesta which has done 130,500k and while I still get 65-70mpg from it, it's getting on and I think it's about time I started searching for a replacement. Depreciation is not a massive issue for me when buying, I'll most likely keep the car until it's got no life in it. However, cars which deprecate quicker will give me the chance to buy cheap

 

[NathWraith]

Cheap to run to me are the following things:

- low tax (£150 or less)
- low insurance (depends on driver/location too)
- High MPG (40MPG average)
- Cheap tyre cost (Less than £100 per tyre)
- Cheap Service (between £100-£200 a year)
- reliable car
Obviously "cheap" and "affordable" mean different thing to different people depending entirely on your income and budget for car running costs.

I'll put my car running costs down here for example:

- 38MPG average (0.15p a mile, so £1500 a year in fuel based on 10K a year @ 1.30/L)
- £20 Tax
- Tyres £90 each (£360 a year if replacements required)
- Servicing £150 (average based on £100 and £200 alternating services)
- Insurance £500 (slightly higher due to my prior claims)

This gives a yearly average running cost of: £2530

or £210 a month
or £48.60 a week

Of course this is discounting the purchase cost of the car but person ally that is something I will work out once I eventually sell the car. Time owned vs money lost = cost etc.

As the figures are average you may well spend less or more and it does not include mods, rolling road days etc. However they are optional costs and not mandatory. All figures for cost have been taken from my actual experience and not internet MPG claims etc.

I would class the CRZ as a cheap car to run and for me there aren't any cheaper cars to run that would give me the same level of happiness.

You just need to run the numbers OP.

 

[GravyMonster]

^ Good post. Most people seem to equate economy with just the headline MPG figure, and then spec an Audi 2.0TDI with 18" wheels.

 

[NathWraith]

^ Good post. Most people seem to equate economy with just the headline MPG figure, and then spec an Audi 2.0TDI with 18" wheels.

Cheers.

yeah which I never understand as decent tyres for 18" wheels will cost you north of £200 and usually said TDI driver will cheap out with "value" tyres for £100 which are considerably worse performing and don't last as long, ultimately costing them more in the long run!

On a side note, modern TDIs can cause a lot of issues, DPF etc when not being used for extensive mileage.

So sometimes a 5-10MPG hit in favour of a more reliable car is worth it, in fact it's always worth it!

 

[snips86x]

The reason I’m looking at cars based on economy is because all other outgoing costs are pretty much low and not worth thinking about.

Taking my current Fiesta as an example and using your calculations:

- 65mpg average (0.08p per mile, so £1440 a year in fuel based on 18k year @ £1.31/L)
- Tax £95
- Tyres £40 each (£160 every 2 years at current rate of wear)
- Servicing £40-50 (I get cheap parts, family member is a mechanic)
- MOT - £50 (all in)
- Insurance £280 fully comp (this includes my wife as a driver, 6 years no claims)

Over the last 5 years of owning my current car, the only major pay-out has been a replacement steering rack. Purchased when it had done 64k, now on 130k, I’m not going to complain. All MOTs have been free from issues too

 

[ci_newman]

The reason I’m looking at cars based on economy is because all other outgoing costs are pretty much low and not worth thinking about.

Taking my current Fiesta as an example and using your calculations:

- 65mpg average (0.08p per mile, so £1440 a year in fuel based on 18k year @ £1.31/L)
- Tax £95
- Tyres £40 each (£160 every 2 years at current rate of wear)
- Servicing £40-50 (I get cheap parts, family member is a mechanic)
- MOT - £50 (all in)
- Insurance £280 fully comp (this includes my wife as a driver, 6 years no claims)

Over the last 5 years of owning my current car, the only major pay-out has been a replacement steering rack. Purchased when it had done 64k, now on 130k, I’m not going to complain. All MOTs have been free from issues too

I think we can safely say that you aren't going to be able to buy a car any cheaper than that to run. A newer car might match those specs, but then you need to consider depreciation.

 

[snips86x]

I think we can safely say that you aren't going to be able to buy a car any cheaper than that to run. A newer car might match those specs, but then you need to consider depreciation.

That was one thing which led me to thinking the Greenline II range would be a good investment or even the Ford Fiesta Econetic. As for depreciation, there is little chance of me selling it once i've packed it full of miles. I'll most likely run it into the ground.

 

[SDK^]

I cover a lot of miles for work & social and I'm looking for the best return on economy. On average, my work mileage is 800 perm month with 2-300 for social & family over a month at weekends.

~ 1200 miles per month is average as is certainly not 'a lot of miles'. I run a petrol car and do approx 1500 miles per month.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Insurance on that Fiesta looks expensive?

 

[commited]

I cover a lot of miles for work & social and I'm looking for the best return on economy. On average, my work mileage is 800 perm month with 2-300 for social & family over a month at weekends.

My current car is a 2002 MK6 1.4TDCI Fiesta which has done 130,500k and while I still get 65-70mpg from it, it's getting on and I think it's about time I started searching for a replacement. Depreciation is not a massive issue for me when buying, I'll most likely keep the car until it's got no life in it. However, cars which deprecate quicker will give me the chance to buy cheap

1000-1100/month isn't "a lot of miles" tbh. What's wrong with your car at the moment? While I would have no interest in owning a Mk6 Fiesta, I can't see you saving any money by changing it and if you're spending money to change than fuel will be a relatively minor expense. Going by your current figures and £6.20 a gallon, your annual fuel bill is less than £1200/year.

 

[Haggisman]

I cover a lot of miles for work & social and I'm looking for the best return on economy. On average, my work mileage is 800 perm month with 2-300 for social & family over a month at weekends.

My current car is a 2002 MK6 1.4TDCI Fiesta which has done 130,500k and while I still get 65-70mpg from it, it's getting on and I think it's about time I started searching for a replacement. Depreciation is not a massive issue for me when buying, I'll most likely keep the car until it's got no life in it. However, cars which deprecate quicker will give me the chance to buy cheap

Realistically, you're not going to beat that economy, so where is the cost saving going to come from?

I'm guessing you're thinking it's going to throw up some big repair bills soon? Well, how much would you have to spend in repairs to cover the cost of replacing it?

 

[rodenal]

Go for it, it obviously won't save you money but hardly going to bust the bank either.

The latest fiesta is ugly, but actually a nice thing to drive and is quite comfortable and quiet at motorway speeds for a small car. The improvement in refinement alone vs yours would be worth the extra money for me.