Cardiff to Bristol (Portishead) commute - what car?

AdrianHi

You do have to be careful not to exchange higher fuel costs for higher depreciation costs here and save no money loosing a car you like in the process.
The shift from petrol 37mpg to diesel 50mpg saves you £50 a month on fuel. £50 is not much to play with depreciation wise.
If you change I'm going to go along with the diesel Nissan Primera pre-2002 suggestion, don't pay much more than you sell the Focus for.
The Primera is dependable if dull/ugly to look at but it does offer brilliant handling as does your Focus.
I have had 2 Primera's in the past, loved them for everything except the looks.
Post 2002 Primera is soggy and boring to drive by comparison.

jno

airwot4 wrote: »

Although I see every advantage in using a motorbike neither my girlfriend nor my parents would allow it (have had the conversation many times!).

Don't tell them :-)

Seriously though, I have to agree with cheesy.mike - drive your car to Magor services, park it there somewhere and get a bike the rest of the way and get the car back. If you are worried about parking the car in the services drive along the M48 towards the old severn bridge and park it in Thornwell near the roundabout where Adge Cutler from the Wurzels died many years ago.

The trip with the bike the remainder of the way is so small you would hardly be on the bike much anyway - the severn bridge is a disgusting rip off and will only ever keep going up in price, work it out over a year and you can take a month's salary straight off...some simple maths:

5.30 x 5 = 26.50 per week
26.50 * 47 working weeks in a year = 1245.50 per annum on bridge fees

...and that's before you put petrol into the equation. There is not even any government incentive for carsharing on that bridge which would be ideal for people coming back and forth everyday. TAG doesn't make it cheaper either.

Conclusion: don't waste your money, talk to your parents and gf again and give them that figure.

As for cars, I once had a 1998 Toyota Carina 1.8 and this did 420 miles on a full tank, the best car I ever had for fuel efficiency.

AdrianHi

jno wrote: »

Don't tell them :-)

Seriously though, I have to agree with cheesy.mike - drive your car to Magor services, park it there somewhere and get a bike the rest of the way and get the car back. If you are worried about parking the car in the services drive along the M48 towards the old severn bridge and park it in Thornwell near the roundabout where Adge Cutler from the Wurzels died many years ago.

The trip with the bike the remainder of the way is so small you would hardly be on the bike much anyway - the severn bridge is a disgusting rip off and will only ever keep going up in price, work it out over a year and you can take a month's salary straight off...some simple maths:

5.30 x 5 = 26.50 per week
26.50 * 47 working weeks in a year = 1245.50 per annum on bridge fees

...and that's before you put petrol into the equation. There is not even any government incentive for carsharing on that bridge which would be ideal for people coming back and forth everyday. TAG doesn't make it cheaper either.

Conclusion: don't waste your money, talk to your parents and gf again and give them that figure.

As for cars, I once had a 1998 Toyota Carina 1.8 and this did 420 miles on a full tank, the best car I ever had for fuel efficiency.

Out of curiosity had a look at the charges
http://www.severnbridge.co.uk/toll_prices.shtml
So motorbikes go free?
Mmmm, a motorbike and a daft looking high visibility jacket and helmet might be in order here.
It's worth remembering that although the toll might seem a rip off without the bridge a Cardiff <-> Bristol daily commute would not be possible at all...

Penny_Farthing_2

In the short term, don't forget to factor in the delays for the roadworks around the Coryton junction.

C_Ronaldo

OP id think about the savings you could make if you had a bike, tell your parents and gf about the savings you could make if you had a bike, i take it theres no one who you know who works in portishead who you could could catch a lift with

Bmth_chap

Can I suggest a Hybrid car - I've just bought a second hand Toyota Prius and have cust my fuel bills by 25%

AdrianHi

Bmth_chap wrote: »

Can I suggest a Hybrid car - I've just bought a second hand Toyota Prius and have cust my fuel bills by 25%

Most manufacturers 1.6 / 1.9 / 2.0 litre diesels are cheaper on fuel (and a lot quicker) because these hybrid's don't achieve anywhere near their EU official combined fuel consumption figure in the real world.