Buying a second car for commuting?

laughingcow81

We have a 1.8 Ford Focus W-reg with a roof rack that I am currently using for commuting down the M25 every day. It's a good car for us and is
useful for carrying things and going on holiday, but for commuting I feel it is wasting me money.

I am considering getting a much smaller, more economical car, like a Ford Ka, for pootling to and from work as a second car.

Is it worth it to buy a second car for the money I'll save in petrol? I am only thinking of getting a cheap one, probably not more than £600. Would it be worth my while to do this?

scheming_gypsy

It's debatable to be honest, but i try to run two cars whenever possible and i don't think it's too uneconomical.
Yes you have two lots of MOT, insurance and tax but obviously if you get on with decent tax and MOT on it you don't have to worry about it for a while. As well as any savings on fuel you're also reducing servicing costs as you're splitting the mileage between two cars and if one car does break down, you're still going to be able to get to work.

rodenal

Unlikely to work out due to 2 lots of tax, mot and most importantly insurance. Until recently we had 2 cars, one of which doing quite literally a couple of k a year and it worked out cheaper to lease a new car then run both. (Ended up getting rid of one instead)

I doubt whether a small car will be any more economical on the motorway, and I know what I would rather be in in a motorway crash

blue_haddock

can you not just take the roof rack off when not in use?

They seriously do hammer the MPG

s_b

probably not
as already posted work out all lay bills and take it from there
a £600 ka hardly sounds like a good idea either unless the vicars retired and you have first pickings of his only used on a monday mota

colino

Why not invest your spare cash in upgrading the Focus to a newer model? If it is any length of commute, there is nothing more miserable than doing it in a lightweight econobox.

laughingcow81

Thanks for the opinions guys, gives me more to think about!

Rolandtheroadie

Get a 125 and filter between the gridlocked/slow moving traffic.

More MPG, £15 road tax, cheap insurance.

You'll always have the focus for when the bikes impractical.

forgotmyname

scotsman4th wrote: »

Get a 125 and filter between the gridlocked/slow moving traffic.

More MPG, £15 road tax, cheap insurance.

You'll always have the focus for when the bikes impractical.

I bought a 50cc moped for my fairly short commute, Had it derestricted so i could keep up with the traffic on the main roads without being a danger to myself.
My journey is virually door to door gridlock.

The moped worked well, perfect for my needs. £10 to fill which would last me about 6 weeks.
Whether the traffic was busy or light the journey time was always the same.

£120 a year fully comp and £15 tax.

If you take a CBT and get a 125 dont forget you will have L plates and you cannot use motorways.

mikey72

forgotmyname wrote: »

I bought a 50cc moped for my fairly short commute, Had it derestricted so i could keep up with the traffic on the main roads without being a danger to myself.
My journey is virually door to door gridlock.

The moped worked well, perfect for my needs. £10 to fill which would last me about 6 weeks.
Whether the traffic was busy or light the journey time was always the same.

£120 a year fully comp and £15 tax.

If you take a CBT and get a 125 dont forget you will have L plates and you cannot use motorways.

If you de-restrict a moped, you can't drive it on a "P" though.

(Mopeds with an engine size of up to 50 cc and a maximum speed of up to 50 km/h)