[stormin norm]

At the moment i'm paying £44 every 4 weeks for my bus pass, £16.50 for my daughters. On top of that if we have any days out it's extra for the bus or train. Yesterday I took the kids to a indoor play complex and it cost me £4.80 each way for me and 3 kids (although my 2 year old was free). Apparently first group don't do returns anymore - the same journey was only £7.15 return last time we went

So I reckon I'm spending about £70 a month on bus fares

Surely it wouldn't be much more to run a car? Not to mention the added convenience of not getting drenched on a near daily basis at the moment, not having to ask my dad/friend/daughters friends mums everytime she has a party to go to in some obscure location, not having to lug loads of heavy bags and a buggy on and off the buses, and loads more advantages that I can think of.

So, how much does it really cost to run a car?

[makavelli132]

I only have to put £10 petrol in mine a week and i drive about 22 miles a day! Its a small car though with good MPG. But don't forget insurance and tax.... as well as other small/major things that might go wrong with it.

But I am saving money compared to when i was spending nearly £55 a month on bus passes, and no more having to wait in the cold for one to bloody turn up!

[stormin norm]

Well that's my thinking too with the buses, the amount of time I waste every week waiting at bus stops is ridiculous. Another plus point to having a car.....

[horseychick28]

Depends on your insurance mainly and how much that was likely to be. I have a load of no claims so for me and my husband it's only £20 a month on the insurance. If you get something like a fiesta then any parts and labour is generally cheap with them and they're cheap on the fuel aswell. I put £20 in and forget about it so it does last a while.

Plus it's nice not having to wait for a bus and when it's raining you can drive past all those people having to wait for a bus!!!

[rjb101]

About £2500 a year for a nearly new Clio doing 12000 miles a year according to these people.

www.whatprice.co.uk/car/car-costs.html

If your up to running and reparing an old banger it should cost you less.

[Porcupine]

I pay about 80.00 a month on diesel, so thats 960.00 a year isnt it (my maths isnt great, plus ive been drinking).

I pay for the car to be serviced by a local bloke yearly at about 100.00. Then the MOT, which if it passes is about 50.00.

So thats a lot of money. But then if something goes wrong on my motor it costs a fortune as its an import !!!

[Jimmy Connors]

I only pay for petrol and I could claim that back if I could be bothered, but it's a company car so I think that would be taking the piss a bit. I do 100 miles a day and put £50 petrol a week. Although saying that I have a diesel at the moment and the diesel lasts longer for some reason so it's actually less now.

It's totally impossible to get to my work using public transport.

[stormin norm]

Originally Posted by rjb101

About £2500 a year for a nearly new Clio doing 12000 miles a year according to these people.

www.whatprice.co.uk/car/car-costs.html

If your up to running and reparing an old banger it should cost you less.

Interesting link thanks.

Couldn't have a real old banger I'm definately not up to repairing anything

[SULLA]

Tax, Insurance and a tankful of petrol about every 3 weeks, (every two weeks in the summer)

[alone]

one payment of £96 followed by 10 monthly payments of £47 for insurance
£125 car tax for 12 mths
£223 for service (had done just last week
Just over £50 for MOT
£120 p/m for petrol
Not forgetting silly things like screen wash, power steering fluid (£11 a bottle from ford as unable to get elsewhere?!), oil etc etc
Oh and may as well add in the £39 RAC breakdown/homestart cover I have 'just in case'

All in all.. a fair bit

[stormin norm]

Originally Posted by horseychick28

Depends on your insurance mainly and how much that was likely to be. I have a load of no claims so for me and my husband it's only £20 a month on the insurance. If you get something like a fiesta then any parts and labour is generally cheap with them and they're cheap on the fuel aswell. I put £20 in and forget about it so it does last a while.

Plus it's nice not having to wait for a bus and when it's raining you can drive past all those people having to wait for a bus!!!

Hmmm I think I should get some kind of insurance quote before I decide - I haven't driven for years! Yeah I'm thinking something like a fiesta - small but not too small.

What I hate at the moment are drivers who deliberately drive through puddles to try and splash me when I'm waiting at the bus stop in the rain

[alone]

Originally Posted by stormin norm

Hmmm I think I should get some kind of insurance quote before I decide - I haven't driven for years! Yeah I'm thinking something like a fiesta - small but not too small.

What I hate at the moment are drivers who deliberately drive through puddles to try and splash me when I'm waiting at the bus stop in the rain

BTW - not sure if worth adding - I drive an 04 fiesta so unless I have excessive costs thats around what you're looking for (not forgetting the £160.23 p/m for the loan for the car)

[steve_ludwig]

Originally Posted by stormin norm

At the moment i'm paying £44 every 4 weeks for my bus pass, £16.50 for my daughters. On top of that if we have any days out it's extra for the bus or train. Yesterday I took the kids to a indoor play complex and it cost me £4.80 each way for me and 3 kids (although my 2 year old was free). Apparently first group don't do returns anymore - the same journey was only £7.15 return last time we went

So I reckon I'm spending about £70 a month on bus fares

Surely it wouldn't be much more to run a car? Not to mention the added convenience of not getting drenched on a near daily basis at the moment, not having to ask my dad/friend/daughters friends mums everytime she has a party to go to in some obscure location, not having to lug loads of heavy bags and a buggy on and off the buses, and loads more advantages that I can think of.

So, how much does it really cost to run a car?

I put about £80 a week petrol in it, insurance is £568 per year, road tax £175,then servicing/maintenance about £800 per year.

[davisa]

£2,452 a year (insurance + servicing + repairs + tax + upgrades) + fuel
Tube costs me around £1500 for work/back

[rachelb65]

Nothing for the car...it's paid for long ago (12 years ago)

18.00 a month insurance
Usual tax and MOT

10.00 every 6 weeks (ish) for petrol ...must be why my mileage is only at 26,700

[topcat2]

£15 ish a week petrol to drive 40 a dayish luckily I have a relatively fuel efficient car.

just over £3 a day parking so thats £15 a week ish

£400 ish a year car insurance and road side cover
however much road tax is now £110 ish?

then £150 ish a year to get it through its service and mot.

I think that works out at roughly £42 a week all in all which is quite alot really.

[Schnorbitz]

Thanks for the replies - I'm finally going to be too old for a young person's railcard this summer, so all my rail trips will cost 50% more.

I'd go from Coydon to Suffolk probably 4 or 5 times a year, and to Manchester 3 times a year. Going by car to East Anglia would be at least an hour quicker than by rail, given the changes across London, but would be slower to Manchester.

Then again, if more than 1 person is travelling then it would be MUCH cheaper by car, depending on how you measure the depreciation.

[diablo]

It would really help if you knew in advance how much you need to spend on repairs. Unfortunately, that isn't an option.

I've been lucky with my car, so far. Only had to replace the exhaust (twice) and battery (once). Tyres around £120 per year.

Paid £5000 for a 2 year old Laguna in 2000. Probably worth £1500 now. So around £500 a year depreciation.

Road tax - £185 per annum. Insurance - £250. So, annual costs of something over £1000 , £90 per month, plus petrol costs of course.

Add £300 to the yearly figure if you don't do your own servicing.

Couldn't exist without the motor.

[That Bloke]

Don't forget one of the biggest costs of them all: depreciation. Obviously, the older the car when you first buy it the lower the depreciation will be over your ownership, but you have to offset that against higher servicing costs.

[indianwells]

Nowt.Company car.

lets think.....
£175 tax for a year
£120 break down cover
£50 + and repairs for mot
£15 a week petrol
£320 insurance for year

[ÐåÑ©ìÑG ÐïVÅ™]

Am paying 33 a month insurance, which is due for renewal in April. (New quote is now £12.87 a month)
Tax
Petrol £5 a week

= Cheap

[aquazi]

Originally Posted by diablo

It would really help if you knew in advance how much you need to spend on repairs. Unfortunately, that isn't an option.

Unless you pay for a third party warranty... such as warranty direct. That way most the repairs will be covered, and you can know in advance it will cost as it will be the cost of the premium.

[Laura_Angel]

£50 every month.

Rip off britain

[rjb101]

Originally Posted by Laura_Angel

£50 every month.

Rip off britain

But thats only £600 a year, I know women who spend double that on shoes, and they still run a car!