Do you have to rethink due to our silly motoring costs??

[Slime101]

What business mileage?? Other than my commute which doesnt count i rarely leave the office and charging the company mileage when you own it doesnt really pay, it simply reduces the dividends you can get!

 

[Jez]

The original reason that i posted that i thought it was a strange situation was that you have set up your office so far away from home. Why not remedy that long commute?

 

[Slime101]

Stuck where i am because of the other halfs job and i didnt chose the location of the office, we relocated after 16 yrs and only recently i took a more active role in the company and began to take over the day-to-day running, perhaps in the long run i will move it but for the forseeable it stays put, 50 miles away!

 

[Lum]

I never had private fuel, but surely your business mileage more than pays for it? (as mine does, even in a 4.3 V8 auto).

I get a fixed car allowance plus the fuel card. Every business trip therefore costs me money in wear and tear vs not having to make that trip.

 

[Jez]

Ah, ok. Ditch the fuel card as i did, and claim your mileage via mile rates instead. Works out much better as you will profit on the business use, resulting in the monthly claim settling the whole fuel bill easily.

 

[Lum]

I don't get a choice in the matter. If I could do 40p a mile life would be a lot easier, at least from a tax perspective.

 

[miniyazz]

I drove to Glasgow and back yesterday, short notice and needed to get there and back. I put £180 worth of fuel in the car for a 580 mile trip, though got to Bristol this morning on the left overs....but another £68 in the tank on the way back.

I would genuinely have gotten over 2500 miles on that much fuel


So no, I don't rethink, although I do get comically outraged whenever the petrol goes up again and probably drive far too far to go to the cheapest petrol station (probably 105.9 round here atm), probably making it economically unviable, just on principle.

 

[Scania]

Possibly, another major factor is our cars remain on this island until they die rather than being exported.

You have obviously not seen the row upon row of crumbly cars sat at Tilbury docks waiting shipping to the "3rd World"

 

[eidolon]

All the more reason to have something amazing. Because who cares if it does 15mpg if you do 10 miles a week?

I understand that logic however the sensible part of me doesn't get £20k+ worth of enjoyment from the Boxster. I could probably get 90% of that enjoyment from a £10k TT and go on a nice holiday with the rest (which would give me more than the missing 10% enjoyment)

 

[Jez]

I don't get a choice in the matter. If I could do 40p a mile life would be a lot easier, at least from a tax perspective.

Ah, no option sucks Can see why you are looking for alternative employment!

 

[PMKeates]

Is that just for imported cars or all cars?

All cars. It's about equivalent to our £55 DVLA registration fee

There is a weird way around some of it though... you can register cars as commercial vehicles, but you have to remove the rear seats and install a bulkhead.

I'm not kidding you, but BMW sell a commercial vehicle "van" version of the M5 Touring!

 

[Rich1988]

Tax - Very cheap here
Insurance - Very cheap here
Compulsory roadworthiness test - Very cheap and easy to pass
Fuel - expensed

There is nothing else?

compare all those things to the costs in america and ours seem expensive although second hand cars tend to hold their value a lot more over there

 

[Jez]

compare all those things to the costs in america and ours seem expensive although second hand cars tend to hold their value a lot more over there

About the only developed country in the world though which we had already conceeded was cheaper. We dont do badly!

 

[Rich1988]

oops hadnt read the rest of the thread
to answer the OPs question, if you have to rethink buying a car because of increased motoring costs you probably couldnt afford it in the first place

(someone else may have said that already as well)

 

[Slime101]

oops hadnt read the rest of the thread
to answer the OPs question, if you have to rethink buying a car because of increased motoring costs you probably couldnt afford it in the first place

(someone else may have said that already as well)

Not entirely, purchasing the car isnt a problem, nor are repairs (unless silly things fail) but just fuel costs on my mileage are crippling in just about anything!