First Motor

[mythste]

Help!

I'm 30, I've lived inner city life for most of my grown up life and last year we (Me and Mrs Mythste) purchased our first house on a commuter line into Manchester. We're almost rural. How chic.

I have no desire to drive, I cycle to work 3 days a week (28 mile round trip) and get the train twice a week. I'm really rather happy with this arrangement. Too many cars is silly, and we all need to make better travel decision making.

However,

1. Mrs Mythste does all the leisure driving, and that's weighing on my soul because I'm a reasonable human - though she would never admit if she did feel that was at all unfair.

2. (more importantly) we want a dog. An office dog. To use public transport or a bike trailer through winter feels a bit tight.

3. I don't want to rely on mtb mates for lifts to trail centres all the time.

So what do I do? I'm bloody 30 and looking at shoeboxes. I'm not putting any real money into it because I don't really want to. I'm not paying many thousands of pounds a year for insurance, and I anticipate that everything other than the drivers seat will be covered in mud/dog detritus/mtb detritus more often than not. £2k budget seems reasonable and even that feels like pushing it.

I've ran a few quotes and anything over 1.2 litre seems to pop insurance into the £1.5k per year bracket so that can fark right off.

Any ideas? Recommendations?

 

[vickster]

Help!

I'm 30, I've lived inner city life for most of my grown up life and last year we (Me and Mrs Mythste) purchased our first house on a commuter line into Manchester. We're almost rural. How chic.

I have no desire to drive, I cycle to work 3 days a week (28 mile round trip) and get the train twice a week. I'm really rather happy with this arrangement. Too many cars is silly, and we all need to make better travel decision making.

However,

1. Mrs Mythste does all the leisure driving, and that's weighing on my soul because I'm a reasonable human - though she would never admit if she did feel that was at all unfair.

2. (more importantly) we want a dog. An office dog. To use public transport or a bike trailer through winter feels a bit tight.

3. I don't want to rely on mtb mates for lifts to trail centres all the time.

So what do I do? I'm bloody 30 and looking at shoeboxes. I'm not putting any real money into it because I don't really want to. I'm not paying many thousands of pounds a year for insurance, and I anticipate that everything other than the drivers seat will be covered in mud/dog detritus/mtb detritus more often than not. £2k budget seems reasonable and even that feels like pushing it.

I've ran a few quotes and anything over 1.2 litre seems to pop insurance into the £1.5k per year bracket so that can fark right off.

Any ideas? Recommendations?

Be a named driver on your partners insurance assuming she’s the main driver and has solid insurance history.
Car wise, I’d get a Skoda fabia 1.2 petrol estate (Mine is a 1.4 with go rather faster bits like a turbo and a supercharger ) or similar,
might be more than 2k though

...actually look at the skoda in the classifieds
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/skoda-fabia-scout-1-4-tdi.266223/page-3

 

[Drago]

Cue everyone simply recommending their own cars...and before I can even hit enter it's already happening.

So i'll buck that trend as the 2.25 tonnes, 222BHP and 450NM of my car isn't going to fit into his budget. Hell, it doesn't fit into my budget! So, being sensible i'll throw the Peugeot 107/Citroen C1 into the mix.

Extremely reliable, £30/£20/£00 road tax depending on year, cheap group 1E insurance, cheap to maintain and repair, easy to work on if you do your own DIY, spacious in the front for even the extremely tall, engaging to drive in the manner of the original Mini. No faffing about with DPF problems ifnyou use it for short journeys, or turbos that need a good, hot oil supply to stay alive - utterly inappropriate for short journeys. Simple interiors are easy to keep clean, and you can get even big dogs in the back with little problem. You'll struggle to get an MTB inside, but they go up in the roof just fine. Loads to choose from and decent examples can be had for reasonable sums now. Don't be afraid of high miles if its been treated well and serviced properly. Cant see you getting something decent for much cheaper - indeed, you should have sufficient change from £2k to pay for a couple of years worth of tyres and servicing.

Bear in mind that the cheapest car to buy is rarely the cheapest one to own. 10 or 15 year old larger cars that have depreciated to under 2 grand have done so for a reason. Insurance, tax, maintenance, etc, costs just as much today as they did when the car was new.

BTW, "go faster" is all relative when people talk about pepping up a piddly 1.4

 

[vickster]

What size dog are you getting?
What’s an office dog, some flat faced yappy thing with respiratory compromise like a pug?

 

[Drago]

An office dog is a Great Dane that can answer the phone and refill the toner in the copier.

 

[DCLane]

Something that'll take the dog.

Small engine, usually not a car a 17yo drives which brings down insurance costs as a result.

 

[dan_bo]

10 or 12 plate Octavia. Bombproof and good for probs 200K miles

 

[Venod]

Citroen Belingo, Puegeot Partner, dog and MTB friendly.

 

[Salar]

As @Drago says, try a C1.

We had one as a second car ,used to put our dog on the back seat, nice little three cylinder engine.

Unfortunately, ours was a leaker, it's a common fault, the rear light clusters leak on the older models.

If you go for a C1 lift the boot cover to check the spare wheel compartment isn't holding water, which you should check on any car you buy.

 

[Drago]

Leaks is why I didn't recommend the mechanically related Aygo. The cosmetic redisign that Toyota bestowed upon the model left some horrific cabin water leaks that were never truly resolved in the models life time. Even if you got a dry car, theres little guarantee it'd be that way tomorrow, or next year.

 

[DCLane]

Citroen Belingo, Puegeot Partner, dog and MTB friendly.

I've got a Peugeot Partner Tepee. Very cheap insurance and can fit bikes easily.

 

[fossyant]

Yaris, jazz ? If a small hatch that you can chuck a MTB in. Larger, focus

 

[mythste]

Wow, thanks all! I’m genuinely pretty useless with cars so this is dead handy.

To answer “what is an office dog”, it is a dog that resides in an office when I do. Much like a house plant, it isn’t a breed, simply a location. Unlike a plant it’s readily mobile and will only be an office dog whilst in the office, the rest of the time it will be, one assumes, a dog.

I like the look of the van style things. In fact, a van in general would be preferable. I remember seeing like Peugeot 206 style vans years ago, are there things like that anyone would recommend?

 

[DCLane]

I like the look of the van style things. In fact, a van in general would be preferable. I remember seeing like Peugeot 206 style vans years ago, are there things like that anyone would recommend?

Vauxhall do a Combo van and Ford do a Transit Connect. Insurance on a van could be higher for private use.

Otherwise it's the Citroen Berlingo / Peugeot Partner Tepee / Renault Kangoo / Fiat Doblo. All cheap to run but don't expect anything exciting from them *

* note I moved from a 280hp Saab to an 89hp Peugeot Tepee. A totally different experience.

 

[vickster]

Wow, thanks all! I’m genuinely pretty useless with cars so this is dead handy.

To answer “what is an office dog”, it is a dog that resides in an office when I do. Much like a house plant, it isn’t a breed, simply a location. Unlike a plant it’s readily mobile and will only be an office dog whilst in the office, the rest of the time it will be, one assumes, a dog.

I like the look of the van style things. In fact, a van in general would be preferable. I remember seeing like Peugeot 206 style vans years ago, are there things like that anyone would recommend?

None the wiser. If it’s a Great Dane a C1 might be cosy even with the seats down...