Car Hire vs Car Ownership

monkey_boy · 22 Sep 2015 at 10:04

Hi All,

I've been thinking lately about our car situation. We have a 2004 e53 X5 with 80k miles as our 'family car'. We also have a 2015 Renault Zoe which I use for work and we are finding that we use for everything except for going places more than about 40 miles away.

During the week, the X5 isn't used at all. We live in a decent sized town where lots of things are in walking distance and I am usually home by 4-4:30 so the Zoe is available for clubs and lessons and whatnot. During school holidays it's used for a few day trips on the days where I can't go and need a car.

The X5 does about 5k miles per year but I think that will drop to 2k with the increased use of the Zoe. It costs £500 in Insurance, £300 in tax and increasingly more in repairs and maintenece, which to be fair to it, haven't amounted to a great deal at all in the greater scheme of things (when compared to depreciation of a newer more reliable car etc.

This has lead me to the conclusion that we should either sell it while the going is reasonably good, and hire a car when we need to, or just carry on paying what we're paying to keep it on the road. Other family members have suggested getting a newer car so that repairs and niggles don't crop up so often, but as I have already said, I can't find a deal that would mean it would cost less overall to run that what we have at the moment.

tl;dr

Questions:

Are there any super-cheap, super reliable cars that cost next to nothing to insure and keep, that could transport a family of 4 to wherever they might wish to go for 3-4 weeks a year? If so, feel free to sign up on my behalf!

Are there any car hire places that will let you order online, deliver to your house and not want to have your pants down and plunder what they will in terms of price?

Does my idea sound like it might be worth pursuing or is it garbage?

Thanks,

sovietspybob · 22 Sep 2015 at 10:11

Buying a new/newer car will not save you any money, it's almost always cheaper to keep fixing what you already have. People only buy a new car to 'save on repairs or mpg' because they're either stupid or want a new car anyway.

I've no experience of renting cars so can't add anything in that respect.

SDK^ · 22 Sep 2015 at 10:25

Also consider the inconvenience of booking a hire car and availability at short notice.

I would keep what you have.

rodenal · 22 Sep 2015 at 10:44

Just keep it, isn't going to be worth all that much now and the greatly reduced mileage is likely to mean actual mechanical wear will be minimal - age related stuff you just aren't going to get away from without outlaying more money, which defeats the purpose

Alternatively buy a newer jap saloon/ hatch forwhatever you can sell the x5 for

Mr Jones · 22 Sep 2015 at 10:53

For your needs, DON'T BUY A NEW CAR!

Better the devil you know, keep it well maintained and on the road is certainly cheaper than buying new. Buying a used car, unless it's something bomb-proof with the X5 space you require from time to time, keep your existing, shop around for cheaper car insurance for your mileage requirements.

I got a new car because I want one. My previous Renault Clio was full of maintenance problem and I got sick of repairing it and wanted a new car. I didn't need it, and I know it'll cost more than just repairing. You don't sound like you want a new car.

Your 3-4 weeks holiday, are they always the same time or broken up here and there throughout the year? Perhaps you might find a decent car hire for short term that cost less than £800 a year, no maintenance required then. Only used for holiday but lose the flexibility of using a bigger car during 'non holiday' period.

monkey_boy · 22 Sep 2015 at 11:17

Mr Jones said:
Your 3-4 weeks holiday, are they always the same time or broken up here and there throughout the year? Perhaps you might find a decent car hire for short term that cost less than £800 a year, no maintenance required then. Only used for holiday but lose the flexibility of using a bigger car during 'non holiday' period.

This is the bit that I'm keen to explore and am after some tips on really.

Freakitchen · 22 Sep 2015 at 11:18

Totally agree with 'better the devil you know', but that X5 wasn't a cheap car when new, hence the increasing maintenance costs.

I wonder if you could 'swap' it for a simpler car that would cost less to maintain and has less on it to go wrong? For instance, you could pick up a petrol Mondeo on an 07 plate (so 3 years younger than the X5) for around 2k. Find one with a couple of owners from new at most, and FSH. For example:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-ca...deo-1-8-zetec-5dr-romford-fpa-201509076702475

Obviously it won't be as luxurious or refined as the BMW, but for the amount you use it, you may be willing to accept this in exchange for the lower running costs and (potentially) less chance of things going wrong.

ci_newman · 22 Sep 2015 at 11:20

Freakitchen said:
Totally agree with 'better the devil you know', but that X5 wasn't a cheap car when new, hence the increasing maintenance costs.

I wonder if you could 'swap' it for a simpler car that would cost less to maintain and has less on it to go wrong? For instance, you could pick up a petrol Mondeo on an 07 plate (so 3 years younger than the X5) for around 2k. Find one with a couple of owners from new at most, and FSH. For example:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-ca...deo-1-8-zetec-5dr-romford-fpa-201509076702475

Obviously it won't be as luxurious or refined as the BMW, but for the amount you use it, you may be willing to accept this in exchange for the lower running costs and (potentially) less chance of things going wrong.

I think this is the route I would look at too, the tax and insurance on something like the Mondeo would be cheaper than the X5, and probably has similar load capacity for holidays.

lemonade · 22 Sep 2015 at 11:25

Might be worth looking into car clubs, not sure if they do zipcar in leiciesterer

Mr Jones · 22 Sep 2015 at 12:06

monkey_boy said:
This is the bit that I'm keen to explore and am after some tips on really.

Something like this?
https://www.carsondemand.co.uk/short-term-car-lease-deals/

Compared to your £800 layout, a Volvo V40 R is £400 + VAT, + Insurance for 6 months, mileage dependent. Maintenance is not included but for 6 months, new car, how much maintenance can it need?

Our current cheapest short term lease / contract hire deals are listed above. The length of contract and mileage included during the contract period are detailed. Further information about the cars can be found by clicking on the “information” bar. The prices listed exclude VAT and maintenance, however, as most of the cars are available for less than 12 months they would not normally require any servicing or other replacements, providing the inclusive mileage is not exceeded. We can of course offer you a maintenance package if required for further peace of mind. To enquire about any of the cars, simply click on “enquire” on each car that is of interest, an enquiry cart will then appear at the bottom right of your screen. Simpy click on “edit / complete” and fill in your details. You will receive a quote via email to the address provided, along with details of how to progress to an order for your chosen car(s).

pepsilol · 22 Sep 2015 at 13:06

I may have misunderstood but was one of the options buying a new car to replace the car you hardly use?

Sagalout · 22 Sep 2015 at 14:14

Mr Jones said:
Something like this?
https://www.carsondemand.co.uk/short-term-car-lease-deals/

Compared to your £800 layout, a Volvo V40 R is £400 + VAT, + Insurance for 6 months, mileage dependent. Maintenance is not included but for 6 months, new car, how much maintenance can it need?

So that's nearly £4000, vs the £400 (£800 per year) it costs to run the current car for 6 month.

I don't think any sums are going to add up here as being a sensible idea to change! If you fancy another car and want man maths to justify it, that's another story

Mr Jones · 22 Sep 2015 at 15:25

Sagalout said:
So that's nearly £4000, vs the £400 (£800 per year) it costs to run the current car for 6 month.

I don't think any sums are going to add up here as being a sensible idea to change! If you fancy another car and want man maths to justify it, that's another story

Oh yeah, DOH! on my part to reading the actual quoted cost.

Bad bad deal.

rodenal · 22 Sep 2015 at 16:09

It's in the ballpark for such a short term lease - you aren't going to find anything usefully sized for significantly less