Just got a new company car which is going to be used as the main family car (my last company car wasn’t suitable so we ran a second car to use for the family).

So anyway – current car is a Mazda 3, 2007, worth about £4k with £800 outstanding finance on it.

My problem is that I can’t decide what to do – all it will be used for is commuting the few miles to my work when I am not running or riding in. So – do I keep the current car as we only have 4 more payments then it is ours or sell it and buy a really cheap second car (thinking a 2003ish Fiesta/Fusion).

I could get a Fiesta for £1800ish, pay off the last bit of finance and have about £1.5kish to put in the bank. It will also be much cheaper to run than the Mazda (on tax, tyres, insurance, fuel etc). But the conundrum is that I will be getting an older car which will probably end up having faults – although I would expect them to *generally* be cheaper to repair than the Mazda should that go wrong (and it hasn’t been entirely reliable in the 4.5 years we have owned it).

Or I keep the Mazda despite the running costs and just run it into the ground.

I have spent months trying to decide and I have finally got the new car so need to act quickly.

HELP!

Since the Mazda is almost paid off entirely I would either sell it and not bother replacing it, or if you must have a second car then keep the Mazda, better the devil you know and all that…

But the way I see it:

Car tax £230 v £130
Fuel 30mpg v 40mpg
Tyres £120 v £40 each
Insurance £300 v £150

Just those fixed costs allow for the payment of *extra* repairs over what we could expect on the Mazda and it isn’t critical to have it work every day (ie I could always get to work by alternative means if it did fail).

Edit: Double post

Just to throw another option in the mix, sell the mazda and buy a classic sports car to enjoy – an MG midget or something

–> 2p

buy a classic sports car to enjoy – an MG midget

I think you meant “a classic sports car OR an MG midget”

I meant a classic (steel bumper era) midget. but you can choose something else if you like

nbt – Member
Just to throw another option in the mix, sell the mazda and buy a classic sports car to enjoy – an MG midget or something

–> 2p
I had considered doing something silly like that (thought about old Mercs, classic mk1 or 2 Escorts/Capris etc) but we have nowhere secure to park it – it gets left on the road quite a bit – so I want something that I don’t care if it gets scratched or bumped.

When I get a house with a drive/garage I am getting a weekend car….

Seriously, keep a car you know. I’m the son of a mechanic and he would always have a car he knows has been looked after, even if it’s more per year over an unknown second hand car. It only takes one major failure and your saving is gone for a couple of years…

Obviously, if you’ve treated the Mazda like crap, then go second hand, since it won’t matter anyways.

Obviously, if you’ve treated the Mazda like crap, then go second hand, since it won’t matter anyways.

It has always been serviced on time but it HAS been hammered as a family car for the last two years and looks much more worn than its 33k miles would have you believe…

Was in the same position myself earlier in the year.Had a Vectra from new,had done 80,000 miles & still going well,but was expensive to run,fuel, tyres & the services were getting more expensive.Swopped to a new shape Fiesta diesel,now pay £20 a year tax & get an average of 55 mpg….
So I would/did…
Dump the Mazda,go for a Fiesta or something like it.Make sure it has full service history,lowish mileage that is in good condition inside & out.
Do not buy a “classic” as they are money pits…

Have you allowed for it’s condition in your valuation? Why are tyres for your current car so much and fiesta ones so low (are you comparing equivalent brands etc)? Do some insurance stuff on a comparison site to check the difference on a new policy too.
If you’ve done all that already you’re looking at about £300 a year saving plus fuel but as you said it won’t be doing many miles then won’t amount to a lot. I’d stick with what you know unless you think it’s a pup.

Why are tyres for your current car so much and fiesta ones so low (are you comparing equivalent brands etc)?

It is a ‘Sport’ model so the tyres are an unusual size/profile so there aren’t many options available (so it would be unfair to compare identical tyres as I wouldn’t put the performance tyres on a 70bhp Fiesta that I have no option with on the Mazda). On a bog standard Fiesta there are loads of budget options that would be suitable for its performance.

Ohh, and due to crap suspension geometry (this is a commonly known fault) the Mazda can get through a set of fronts in about 12k even when driven carefully 😯

Have you allowed for it’s condition in your valuation?

Yes – on Ebay they *generally* go for between £4800 and £5500 so I have made allowances for its less than perfect condition.

My problem is that I can’t decide what to do – all it will be used for is commuting the few miles to my work when I am not running or riding in.

I’d suggest for a start you work up how much each commute in the car is costing you.

all it will be used for is commuting the few miles to my work

Why would you run a car just for that? If was just for a short commute there’s no way I’d have a second car – bike every time.

It’s all to do with the speed rating of the tyre,my Vectra had a “H” rating which puts the price up a hell of a lot more than a ploddy old fiesta diesel…Can get a set of boots for the Wife’s fiesta for what it cost for one & a half tyres for the vectra,it was ****’ hard on them too…..

Motorbike…

Buy a 2.0 petrol Toyota.

Anything Ford-related is a PITA IMO.

I’d either stick with what you have or go for the dirt cheap option.

Bloke at work has just bought an S reg Rover 214 8 valve. It cost him £350 with a years MOT. He’s done over 1000 miles in about 4 weeks with it and had no issues.
Sure, it’s old with no mod cons and looks pretty cak, but even if he gets a year out of it, that’s pretty cheap motoring.
Not sure it’ll run quite so well once the cold weather hits, but we’ll see.

😉

Why would you run a car just for that? If was just for a short commute there’s no way I’d have a second car – bike every time

Motorbike…

Because the second car is also used by my wife to take the kids to nursery (just off a busy road in the middle of nowhere with no public transport) and also used by her when I need the car for business purposes and she still wants to get around. No second car isn’t really an option unfortunately.

EDIT – just checked and it is an 8 mile round trip. My wife wouldn’t be happy doing that with no car.

DD- do you have that image saved on your desktop to offend me with every time I post about cars?

😀

I do m_f 😀

Admit it, you were waiting for it though, weren’t you?

Err yes 🙂

2002 Toyota Rav4?

Hora – you don’t have a Rav4 for sale by any chance do you?

No, I was looking for something less of a PITA to own and the only thing that really goes wrong with them is exhaust sensors- 2.0 petrol Toyota engine seems to be a good un.

Saying this the Ford Puma is hilarious. On Sat on the way to the Peaks I text another rider saying ‘going to be late’ – probably 20mins. I got there 15mins early. It just flows and keeps its speed beautifully.

Why are Fords so fragile yet neutral and rewarding?