New car or not new car

jwk58

I have a Rover 75 done 63000 miles cost is high for tax, insurance, and mpg, i only do about 3000 miles a year, but i am worried about running cost.... maintenance things like this do i look for another car that is cheaper to run or do i keep this and stay dept free......

Barneysmom

Could you cave up for a bigger deposit?
If you can afford to chnage it, do it. But if it's going to leave you struggling then keep it as long as you can and get your money's worth out of it.
The price of fuel and maintenance is high whichever car you have, so the saving will only come from the road tax and insurance anyway.
Have you tried finding cheaper insurance for yours?
And do all you can to save fuel, travel with the boot as empty as possible and making sure your tyres are well cared for.

I'm keeping my focus diesel - 205,000 on the clock, till it falls to bits.
My challenge is to get 250,000 on the clock before it goes.

Hintza

You only do 3,000 miles assuming it is in reasonable running order then you should keep it. That would be the cheapest option and better the devil you know.

You don't mention which engine it is?

(Of course if you are really looking for an excuse to buy a new car then that is up to you. )

Ultrasonic

jwk58 wrote: »

... or do i keep this and stay dept free......

If you want to stay debt free you could sell the Rover and buy a replacement that costs exactly the same amount (or less). Have you looked on Autotrader to get a rough idea of what your car is worth?

On such a low annual mileage things like insurance and servicing costs will be a significant proportion of your annual costs, which may make it economicaly sensible to switch (unlike fuel economy which wouldn't). How big the savings would be on insurance would be quite dependent on your age, gender and driving history though.

Another major factor would of course be do you actually want such a large and presumably comfortable car?

Edit to add: any potential savings should of course be balanced against the potential risk of buying a new (second hand) car with its own potential for faults you aren't initially aware of. That is the bit which would make the decision tricky if I were in your position and happy with the condition of the Rover.

worried_jim

jwk58 wrote: »

I have a Rover 75 done 63000 miles cost is high for tax, insurance, and mpg, i only do about 3000 miles a year, but i am worried about running cost.... maintenance things like this do i look for another car that is cheaper to run or do i keep this and stay dept free......

I only do 3000 miles per year @ 26mpg in my 2.0 rover 600, ok the tax is £220, under 1549cc would be £135.00 so a difference of £85 a year to drive something smaller and not as fast or comfortable.

3000 miles @ 26pmg is 116 gallons of fuel which is 527.346 Litres @ £1.33 which is £701.37 per year in fuel. If I changed the car for one that did 40mpg that would be 75 gallons of fuel at a cost of £453.53.

So tax saving of £85 and fuel bill saving of £247.84
total saved £332.84.

I imagine you would spend more than your rover 75 is worth on your new purchase and it will deprecate more then your rover which by now will have lost most of its value. So you are now thinking about spending more money in real terms to save £300 a year. No brainer really, keep the old girl you have till it will go on no more.

All the best, Jim.

mattyprice4004

After owning many Rovers, I can say the 600 and 75 are the only ones I've really enjoyed.

The 75 is a cracking car, especially for how much they sell for these days. Swap it for a 75 diesel if you like the car, low tax and 48mpg. Also has a BMW engine, I'm on 193k in mine.

motorguy

Any savings will be more than offset by the depreciation on a newer car.

The reality is, a Rover 75 is worth very little these days, so driving on at it would make more sense.

RE: insurance costs, shop around for the best prices every year using the MSE checker. Road tax you cant really change.

motorguy

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

After owning many Rovers, I can say the 600 and 75 are the only ones I've really enjoyed.

The 75 is a cracking car, especially for how much they sell for these days. Swap it for a 75 diesel if you like the car, low tax and 48mpg. Also has a BMW engine, I'm on 193k in mine.

I would say better the devil you know.

Given that the diesel variant is worth around £1000 more than the equivalent petrol variant, its unlikely they O/P is going to get a 'swap' into an equivalent car.

So then you're into the realms of spending £1000 to same some ££'s on fuel OR getting a dog of a diesel one and hoping for the best.

Also, whilst i'm sure you've had a good run with yours, the diesel variant is known to be troublesome - flywheels / clutches being a common one.

DELLBOY_2

the 75's diesels we have seen suffer from front crankshaft pulleys (buy a good replacement )
there cheap to buy and a comfortable old girl .
run it into the ground which with 3000 miles a year could take the next 10 years easilly

im very much a devil you know man and hate the rate of depreciation of new cars .....