What would be the most economic car to travel a distance of 34.3 one way each day?

Question

I am looking to spend 2-5k, if I can get a return on my investment by spending less on petrol.. currently costs approx £40 per week

Answer 1

- I would say definitely go for the smart car.  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€Â¦ They’re well built and very efficient.

http://www.smart.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.en...

Answer 2

get a citroen C1 only £35 to tax per yr and an amazing 68.9 mpg belive me you wont get better

Answer 3

My Smart ForTwo (600 cc) does 50 to 60 mpg and costs £35 per year to tax - it's also fun to drive!

Answer 4

the most economic fuel by far is electric

there are no decent  production vehicles available in the UK but join the Battery Vehicle Soc for 2nd hand ones when they come up.

http://www.batteryvehiclesociety.org.uk/...

not only refuel for pence but £0 road tax, £0 congestion charge & free carparking in cities like Westminster.

Answer 5

I understand that VW have a very economical Polo but I am unsure whether you would be able to buy it within the price range indicated for is has only recently been introduced.

Answer 6

I assume you are thinking of buying one another one (you're currently spending £40/wk on existing car). If you do, don't buy new as the depreciation will straightaway put a big hole in your reckoning. Buy a used one with good bodywork and sound engine, preferably low mileage (under 50,000 if you can). I would go for a Nissan Micra or Toyota Yaris for reliability, but a  Ka or Fiesta in good nick is fine (parts are cheaper even though they have to be changed more often).  You should be able to pick up a good Micra for around £1,000-1,500 (6-8 years old, they go on for a bit). Make sure the car is properly serviced as poor maintenance will result in higher petrol consumption. Practise 'Green Driving', i.e. keeping good distance from front motorist so you don't use the brakes too often, slow down well before lights, keep speeds below 60mph, accelerate gradually, etc., to reduce petrol consumption.

Answer 7

Hang on, you need to do some maths on this.

Lets say you halve your running costs by changing to a small diesel costing £5000. Assuming you commute 40 weeks a year, you'd be saving £800 a year. You'll need to do the same journey for five years to recoup the money you've dropped on the car.

This may be worth it for you but, likewise, it may not.

And, in my experience, doing 65 miles a day in a small tin box isn't much fun. It gets real old, real fast.

A Smart FFS! <shakes head>

Zarahoria has given you good advice.

Answer 8

The cheapest is easily to buy a diesel, people slate french cars, but a diesel peugeot 306 just can't be bettered.  PSA diesel engines are uber reliable, and the 306 has a good reliability history (it's actually MORE reliable than a 307!?!??!).

Look for the 1.9 HDi model and you'll be laughing all the way to the bank at 55mpg.

Answer 9

Having been there, trying to kid myself on that spending several thousand pounds on a new car in order to try and save maybe £10 a week on fuel, it doesn't work like that, especially if you're borrowing the money.

Doing the maths, you're getting about 27mpg, which isn't great, but we don't know what sort of roads you're driving on, or what car it is. Even buying a car that does 50mpg in the same conditions, you'd only be saving £18/week, which would probably be less than the depreciation and interest payments on a loan/HP.

Having said all that, if you just want a new set of wheels, why not? Just don't be fooled into thinking that you're saving money by changing. It's a sad fact of life, motoring in the UK is expensive!

Answer 10

electric ford

Answer 11

Your best bet would be a subaru,nissian stanza,honda civic/accord,neons get good gas milage but are unrealiable,geo metro,saturn....if i was in your shoes id get a five speed geo metro in mine i got around 25-50 mpg and the vehicle costs about $200-2800 good luck

Answer 12

we just got a Citroen c4 coupe diesel its a 6 speed tiptronic with dual manual and paddle gears the road tax is £35/yr and the insurance is £19/ month the mileage we get is 58 miles to the gallon. we paid just over 5k for it on a 56 plate. there are cheaper ones on the market with a little higher mileage.

not the sexiest car on the road but that's when the weekend car comes into play.

Answer 13

those smart cars (4seat one) are pretty good eco wise also low tax as well pretty good buy if your only doing short journeys

Answer 14

You do not mention the nature of your journey as there is a big difference between a journey of 35 miles across, say, London and a journey of 35 miles that is mostly motorway. Assuming you are doing this journey 5 days/week and fuel is £4.50 / gallon then your present car is doing approx 40MPG - not bad really. If you feel that you really need to change your car then you could buy a small car that has been converted to LPG. Lets say that you bought a dual fuel Astra, if this were returning 40MPG and the LPG was half the cost of petrol then then you're a winner. Failing that you could buy a bigger car, lets say a 3 litre Omega, with LPG conversion, as you would still be saving.

Answer 15

seat diesel 1800cc (56 mpg ), but still has power if you need to trog it