starlight32 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 For years I have always had a motor for work and a motor for shooting purposes. I have always took the view that if you are a high mileage user a 4x4 on its own does'nt work out, but looking at the current facts with all the additional running costs associated with running a vehicle these days I have the feeling it would be better to run just one. Would you think that is correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I still run two cars... The thought of going into the office on a Monday morning with the "car" still smelling of fox / mud / dog (delete as appropriate) really puts me off the idea! I'm sure it can be done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 how many road miles do you do is the big question? I run one and do about 250 miles a week commuting plus shooting related mileage in an L200 and for me it works well. I have a reasonably new one and during the season have a canopy on the back so dogs and wet stuff / dead stinky stuff goes in the back and the front has decent mats. With Grabbers on it is pretty reasonable on road and off didn't pay a huge amount for it and I think one set of insurance one mot one vehicle to service etc makes it cheaper to run. If I did loads of motorway miles then I would have a newer one for it as they are a little more refined but this goes anywhere at the speed limit including when we have bad weather. As soon as you start adding up insurance MOT and tax you start a pot worth £500 a year at least to offset the economy compared to a small diesel. Then you have a reliable shooting wagon as well rather than running an old 4x4 and having to work hard to keep it on the road as lets face it vehicles don't like only being used a few times a week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) I do around 200 miles a week commute and i had a slightly different take, I have a 4x4 for the commute and bumping around in fields or going to shoot (basically light duties) then me and 2 friends basically split the costs on a wee suzuki jimny which gets some real abuse lamping and doing all getting feed bags in it, branch scratches etc.... so it may be worth asking a few friends if they want to split the costs on a motor, this only works if you are all fairly easy going and have an agreement to all help out when it needs fixed....we have a good system as all of us are mechanically minded and we have done all the work when required (although the jimny is as tough as old boots and hasn't actually needed that much considering the abuse it has been given!) I would never have a 4x4 as my only transport as they are just simply not as nice a drive to do big miles in as a car, My wife runs out car day to day and we swap every now and then if i am doing a drive down south or something...although she always seems to end up with the 4x4 in the bad weather somehow and i get stuck with the rear wheel drive car :blink: I'm also lucky in that during the summer months i run a motorcycle as much as i can although that season seems to be getting shorter every year! Edited to say - If you get a motor between 2 the costs wont be as bad as you think (assuming you are of an older vintage for insurance etc) we are about £200 for insurance and £135 for tax and then £45 for MOT annually and say about £600 ish to buy the motor (although this is a one off obviously) so you are talking £490 roughly for a year if you pick your vehicle sensibly, this will also (as i have found out) be a god send if you get a bad snow year again and need a 4x4 if one of the cars breaks down! you can also both start a "repair" fund if required and bung £10 in monthly each, that way if the car needs repaired then you have it, if not, you can add the accumulated funds to upgrade!!! Myself and one of the other owners were out the other night in our Jimny and he turned to me and said "this thing is fantastic" and it really sums it up well...it just takes the hassle out of worrying about a 10-30k motor getting wrecked.. Regards, Gixer Edited February 7, 2011 by gixer1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berties Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Be careful on insurance ,I bought a jimny as a third car the wife insures one me the other but the jimny is in my name with wife as main driver as I had all the no claims discounts on the other cars we had to start a fresh with he third car,me as the main driver £460 female main driver £250 ,both over 40! ,we all drive it !but £250 is with no ncd and will dive to full next year,just female as main driver is worth thinking about on a third car to get cost down,if your not doing at a lot of miles in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Be careful on insurance ,I bought a jimny as a third car the wife insures one me the other but the jimny is in my name with wife as main driver as I had all the no claims discounts on the other cars we had to start a fresh with he third car,me as the main driver £460 female main driver £250 ,both over 40! ,we all drive it !but £250 is with no ncd and will dive to full next year,just female as main driver is worth thinking about on a third car to get cost down,if your not doing at a lot of miles in it this is true as it varies, although you can tailor the policy to suit as it will be low miles, make the person with the lowest risk area register it and insure it at thier address etc, all legal and above board if it is kept there. Regards, Gixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddywack12 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I run 2 motors as do 500 miles a week for work. Ive got a discovery tdi commercial for weekends and evenings, goes anywhere, can put anything in it (dogs bales etc)and not worried about small dents and scratches etc as only cost me a grand and owes me nothing. insurance, tax, mot and service I allow £500 /year or £10/week. For work ive got an astra van does 58-60 mpg so only cost £50/week in fuel if I was doing that milage in a 4x4 would be more like £120/week. So I am saving money, thats what I tell the Mrs anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conygree Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I have what my wife calls 'the potato truck' an L200 used for shoot/woodland work, with the mud and dog gas it smells like a bag of rotten spuds and 'her' Jimny which is kept clean and used for local driving to save fuel etc but the 'potato truck' has to get cleaned up for family holidays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC45 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I run two cars, the Landy for shooting and a VW Lupo 1.0 for running to work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axor Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I have 3, the van for work which does 700 miles a week the Wifes Altea and the shared Hyundai Santa Fe, its an 03 with 180k on the clock but it goes on all the shoots I have and then gets a wash and brush up for the holidays :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight32 Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Mixed replys, I do around 2000 miles a month work related. I run a new diesel corsa which returns me around 65 mpg so if I switch to total 4x4 even a new one it is going to cut that in half (unless I jimny). Saying that, the jimny is a fantastic little 4x4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 on that mileage it is a no brainer you sadly need two vehicles, running a jimny for 500 miles a week would be painful putting it mildly, your only other option is a mid range 4x4 freelander / xtrail and aim for 40mpg so somewhere in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Mixed replys, I do around 2000 miles a month work related. I run a new diesel corsa which returns me around 65 mpg so if I switch to total 4x4 even a new one it is going to cut that in half (unless I jimny). Saying that, the jimny is a fantastic little 4x4. Running that kind of milage you would be mad to go down to one vehicle 4x4, unless you get something like alex says middle of the range but then you wouldn't want to use it for driving around the fields lamping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 And one thing about jimny's is they are thirsty little *******! And my other car is a 2.7litre turbo diesel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 I have always had the a car and a van to run,when i took up shooting i quickly realised i needed a 4x4 as i didnt want the van getting stuck and its all signed up as well so everyone would know what i was doing and the wife was not happy with me using our car for dead bunnies,so i bought an old n reg frontera for under a grand and insured it through frank pickles,now it gets used for shooting,dog to the vets and the occasional social trip,but i never clean it inside so its covered in allsorts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12borejimbo Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Im quite lucky as I have a work car, and a nice one too, BMW 1 Series. But for everything else I have a fourtrak, I bought it for £1100 and insurance is £250 a year, quite cheap as im 23 but im out in it atleast 3 times a week either shooting or green laning, I couldnt go back to not having a shoot bus as my work car was getting rank and having to put it through a car wash and valet every week. Its my only main hobby, so I may aswell spend my money on something which I can get benefit from when im not with my mates or buying a new gun/dating hot women, hahaha. :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveoM Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 If your running a second car for shooting try frank pickles for insurance we've got a 110 landy and only pay £130 a year insurance and that's with no no claims bonus. Our milage is low sub 4000 a year 1-2 local outings a week, our only concern as Alex says is how will the low use effect her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandspider Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I was thinking about this too. My "everyday" car is an old Porsche 944! I get about 30mpg on a good day, and I try and cycle to work. Thing is, the Porsche is getting a bit old, and it's not great for shooting / firewood / rough use / short trips, and the roads round my house are all full of holes and mud and water. I considered getting a Jimny or Samurai to go with it and take the rough stuff, and keep the Porsche for longer motorway journeys. Then again, not sure I can afford two cars for MOT, servicing, insurance etc. especially as I'd only be able to get an older 4x4, so it would need as much looking after as my Porsche! Then again again, I wouldn't want just the Jimny, as they are apparently not much fun on motorways, and the boot is tiny - the 944's is actually fairly big, just shallow. Can anyone think of another car / 4x4 I could consider that would do both jobs - mud, shooting, firewood, maybe fit a fridge or freezer in it(!), but comfortable enough and fast enough for motorway driving? Ideally with fuel consumption as good or better than I'm getting now, and not too pricey to buy. I don't want much, do I?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfletch Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I used to drive a Mercedes but it was getting damaged in the fields so got rid and got my self a Isuzu Trooper leather interior heated seats the lot and get around 27/30 MPG. Good off road 7 seats for day out with mates cost £3000 I always make my own carpets to fit over the original then just copy them and throw the old ones away when they get to muddy, But use a Nissan car for trips out etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuddster Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I kinda went the other way on the idea of two cars......traded a bmw for a landcruiser with the intention of long term/high mileage ownership..........wife now has a company car and refuses to driver the LC as its too big/juicy..so now its my shooting bus and muggins gets to do the 50mile a day commute in a old diesel estate.cheap as chips to run and keeps the mileage sub 6k per year on the LC. only down side is i keep knocking out the tracking on the estate as it gets used for recce trips for pigeon decoying. regards fudd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I have used Disco's for both work (15,000 miles a year) private and shooting (another 20,000 miles a year) since 1994. My first Disco I had new and sold at 274,000 miles, its still running. My current one I bought cheap at 110,000 and has now done 210,000, not often you have fox in the back, just toss them in the nearest hedge, nothing wrong with a bit of wet dog smell !!. My Discos haul full loads of wheat out to feeders, lamping and pull a big twin axle box trailer for work. Now the current one is worth maybe 3k, next year maybe 2.5k, cheap motoring !!., plenty of used major components availabel if needed, I had a set of injectors at 180,000 at £50 each. Try getting that with a Korean or Jap machine. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noblett87 Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I have just bought a Nissan qashqai (2wd) to use everyday travelling to work, car tax is the same as my previous fiesta, mpg is better than my fiesta, and the insurance £20 a year more! It's got a set of all terrain tyres fitted, and aslong as you don't try anything too silly it's brilliant, the ground clearance makes a big difference to off road comfort! I took it to the extremes of what I would use it for and it didn't really struggle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 My wifes Defender just exploded a rear diff at about 100,000 mainly on road miles. Got a used rear axles with ABS (done 40,000 miles) delivered for under £500, try doing that with a JAP. First time I have ever had a serious transmission issue with Landrovers in around 750,000 miles. My Disco built around the same time has done over 215,000 with no issues really. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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