Will need a 'station car' car soon...

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 13:33
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - The Gingerous One

but it must also be capabable of long journeys every so often (1 per month).

Let's paint the picture. I am a private owner and currently run a 3L Petrol Jaguar XF. It is Quite a Fine Motor Car and I do about 10k/year.

From next year, my office will be moved to a city centre location, so rather than driving the Jaaaag to the office I will be going in on train. The train station is 5 miles away from my house.

Coupled with this, I am also planning to work a 4-day week (almost like 1973...) and work from home 2 days.

Now, to me, long stay/station car parks mean 2 things :

1) people reversing into other cars and driving off, and

2) car crime.

I'm not prepared to put the Jaaag through that so it's going to have to go.

However, I also have to drive to another office once a month and that's a 400 mile round trip, usually going there on Monday evening & returning Thurs evening.

So, the Jag goes. I am thinking I might get about ~£10k for it, it's done 65k miles with full Jaguar SH.

What do I buy instead ?

My thoughts are to go for the sub-£500 car, but I know it's a dangerous territory. But I have been there many times, and TBH, if the car doesn't start in the morning then I can cycle down to the station. At worst (generally) I would get wet and miss the intended train.

Prior to the Jaag I had a Volvo 440,before that a petrol Maz 6.

The volvo wasn't very comfortable, especially after working for 8 hours and then having to drive 200 miles in it. So anything similar would be ruled out.

I am thinking petrol Mondeo/Maz 6, but what about some 90s cars, Rover 600 ?? Pug 406 ?

I guess my main issue is setting a budget. Clearly I could buy a new Dacia Logan MCV (for example) and that would do the job, and I'd still have c.£3k to cover running costs.

But I don't want to. But £500 or £2k / £3k budget I am struggling with!

Just thought I'd trigger some discussion. No suggestions about "if your mileage is low then how about a RR Silver Spirit..." please...

Thoughts most appreciated.

Cheers

Stu

Edited by The Gingerous One on 26/10/2016 at 13:39

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 13:39
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - RichardW

>>if the car doesn't start in the morning then I can cycle down to the station.

Do this every day, lose weight, get fit, save money, keep the Jag!!

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 13:49
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - focussed

Buy a cheap old ratty rusty Land Rover pick-up or similar - park that in the station car park - nobody will go near it with another car - keep the Jag - use that for your monthly long journey.

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 13:56
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - gordonbennet

Your plan sounds good to me.

If you can make do with a standard saloon then unfashionable Korean cars such as Kia Magentis and Hyundai Sonata, (both pre DPFs so you could make good use of a Diesel if desired), would be good value buys.

Though in all honesty i wouldn't rule any make or model in or out (except for automated manuals and Laguna2 and Megane of similar age), older petrol saloons are at giveaway prices now, never cheaper, so keep an open mind and your eyes open for those well cared for examples that come up surprisingly regularly at silly prices, private purchase best in this market and budget.

As well as the usual Gumtree ebay autotrader ads i'd keep an eye on local ads in shop windows and the supermarket wall and cars for sale sitting outside well kept houses.

You can have a lot of fun well below £1000, anything from a Lexus GS300 to a Toyota Celica to an Audi A8 for the hell of it, buy with a long MOT and hopefully it'll go through another one at least.

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 14:38
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - RobJP

I'd stick with what you've got. See about alternative train station parking, possibly. Or even (depending on parking costs) using a taxi to get to/from the station.

Taxi costs should be negotiable - especially if you're doing it on a regular basis with the same firm. The driver knows he's getting you 4 days a week, so I'd expect some discount. Offset the taxi costs versus fuel/running/parking costs for those 4 days a week, and you might be surprised how small the additional costs are.

Problem with changing your Jag - especially if it's currently reliable - is that you'll be buying a used car that you've no idea how much care has been taken of. Yes, it might have been serviced regularly, but it might have been ragged every single say of it's life.

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 15:07
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - ExA35Owner

If you are worried about parking damage then you have a bit of a price advantage, because you could reasonably buy a car which already has some cosmetic bumps and bruises at a discount. Worry about the mechanicals and forget the bodywork!

I like the idea of a Land Rover, and comfort wouldn't matter on the station run, but the longer journey would drink fuel - and do test drive a Landy before you think of driving one regularly over long distances!

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 15:45
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - SLO76
We always keep an old motor for abandoning at the train station or pub car park. It also serves as a dustbin for trips to the dump and often pressed into service to take me to work or hill walking and it helps keep the mileage off our more valuable cars and thus saves in depreciation.

Over the last decade I've ran loads of older and perfectly reliable cars in this role and not suffered (touch wood) a single breakdown. In fact they've been more reliable than our much newer cars over the years with less to go wrong.

If you've room and finances permit, I'd keep that lovely rare petrol Jag and buy a cheap old smoker to keep the miles down and for leaving at the station. You'll struggle to buy another as they're all complex and troublesome turbo diesels now. The V6 petrol is pretty bulletproof.

In recent years I've ran a 53 Honda Civic 1.6 SE, 02 Astra 1.6 SXi, Carisma 1.9 DiD, Mk II Mazda MX5 1.8, Ford Cougar V6 and currently a 55 Mazda 3. All bought with history and in good order, ran for 6mths to a year then sold for more than I paid. Factoring in minor repairs and Mot's I very nearly break even cost wise and aside from fuel, insurance and road tax it's as close to free motoring as you can get.

In order to win at this point remember the golden rule... Keep it simple. Forget diesels, forget turbo's, forget toys and gadgets and go for mass produced simple stuff with plenty of parts availability and look for well maintained cars with proof of regular oil changes. There's a great deal of joy to be had from motoring on the cheap and any of the cars I've listed above would've been fit to do your regular long didmatance trip. In fact I toured France, Switzerland and Italy in a Mondeo I bought for £300 a couple of years back with only one minor issue that was down to a cock up made by my so called mechanic.
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Wed 26 Oct 2016 17:22
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - concrete

Lots in our village commute to London every day. The local station car park is full to bursting, though not particularly expensive. Most use small runabouts and the Skoda Fabia and Citigo are popular. The 5 mile journey is not going to do the car much good though, hardly time to warm up then switch off and sweat for 10 hours. The point about the taxi is very well made. I bet you could negotiate a good deal for 4 or 5 return runs a week. Offset the cost by saving on the parking, fuel, insurance etc etc and I bet you nearly all the way to cheap lift every day. Good luck.

Concrete

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Wed 26 Oct 2016 20:04
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - Fishermans Bend

Forget a Land Rover, likely to get nicked. Get an anonymous car no one takes any notice of e.g. Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo/Avensis/Sonata.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 01:43
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - Avant

I'm with some others - keep the Jaguar and use ti at weekends and for the monthly long trip - and buy something cheap for the station run.

Obviously condition matters more than make or model: but an old Toyota or Honda is probably your best bet, although a Ford Ka or Fiesta might be tempting as there are lots around to choose from.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 20:43
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - barney100

Reckon taxi option seems good, cost of car and parking, maintainance etc v taxi needs working out.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 22:32
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - RaineMan

I commuted for over a decade. During the first five three areas of the car (Omega) got damaged. I only got compensated once when someone who knew me noted a Tranny's company and registration number. After a large hike in charges I switched to using a taxi. I reckon it cost no more than the parking, petrol, and wear and tear. And there was no de-icing on cold mornings and evenings - you just got into a warm car!

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 10:20
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - Cyd

I’m afraid I must agree with other respondents – don’t get a Defender. It’s likely to get taken away on a low loader. The demand for Defender is still huge in the Middle East and that’s where many stolen vehicles are disappearing to. As an example, the 2 millionth Defender went to auction last year (it was a special edition job, totally unique) and sold to a Saudi buyer for £400,000 (yes, you read that correct, four hundred thousand pounds – BTW JLR donated it all to charity).

Like you I wouldn’t care much for parking my beloved Saab in a station car park every day either. I simply would not want to get rid of my Saab, like yourself and your Jag. I would buy a super cheap runabout for the station run. My wife has a Citroen C1 and they are seriously cheap to run (50+mpg, warm up real quick, tiny tyres, £30 VED).

Seriously though, is cycling a realistic proposition? If you can find a safe route on paths then 10 miles a day on a bike will do your general health and wellbeing the power of good. On those days when the weather really is grim in the mornings you could get a taxi (I never minded so much about getting wet on the way home). Over a year I’m sure it’d be cheaper than running the cheapest car. And if you can claim expenses for the journey the approved rate for cycling is 12ppM! I’d suggest a good quality second hand bike (I’ve got a brand new Boardman HT MTB and it’s superb, but we picked up a FS version for my son for under 500, less than half price!), or you could do new on the cycle to work scheme.

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Wed 9 Nov 2016 13:15
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - The Gingerous One

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

It looks like the office move won't be happening this side of July 2017, so as the Jaags' MoT, tax and insurance aren't due until March '17, I will wait until then before making my mind up.

The Jag is excellent to drive, but I don't fancy leaving it sitting on the drive for days at a time unused. I can see brake disks rusting away like there's no tomorrow..

Many thanks for all the suggestions, I'll update this sometime next year once I have made my mind up.

cheers

Stu

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Wed 9 Nov 2016 19:50
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - Cyd

My Saab has just spent 14 months parked on the drive every day, getting just 2000 miles use from my wife driving because I had a serious mountain biking accident . The discs have come to no real harm. Frankly, a set of discs and pads is small fry in the great scheme of things.

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Sat 12 Nov 2016 11:50
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - KenC

Have you considered looking ( or advertising for) private parking on someone elses driveway ?

This can be booked and there are website that you can search eg justpark.com

The advantage of this is flexibility and noone else squeezed up against you ready to open their doors onto your car because they are too lazy to take care

Also you could opt out to cycle during the warm summer months if you wished

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Wed 16 Nov 2016 22:44
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - daveyK_UK
Buy or lease a Dacia Logan MCV

A new face lift version with a more efficient 1.0 engine is due early Jan
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Sat 25 Feb 2017 21:18
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - The Gingerous One

Hi all,

In the end I bought a Rover 620 Diesel with a grubby Hearing Aid Biege interior, in the sub-£500 bracket and the Jaag is going to WeBuyAnyCar.com on Monday, so lets see how that fares.....

one of the many things I have noticed about the Rover when compared to the Jag is that the fuel guage seems to be faulty, the needle has hardly moved in 70 miles of town motoring....

And I've bought a cheap bike as well, for those summer days (or when the Rover doesn't start)

cheers

Stu

Edited by The Gingerous One on 25/02/2017 at 21:19

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Sat 25 Feb 2017 21:28
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - SLO76
Good choice. Basically a Honda Accord with a very robust and frugal old school UK built L Series diesel engine that was based on the even older Perkins design that was found under the bonnet of the Maestro and Montego which itself was basically a diesel conversion of the old O series petrol unit. They're well able to run to mega mileages as proved by taxi drivers accross the country but parts might be getting scarce. Not really a worry at this money though. Keep us informed how it lasts.
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Sat 25 Feb 2017 21:34
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - gordonbennet

Always liked the 620, but my favourite was the 623, only gripe i had was the supertanker turning circle, which these days is nothing out of the ordinary but was a bit of a shocker at the time.

That Perkins/Leyland Diesel is one i can't ever own, the exhaust fumes are peculiar (Iveco and Scania lorries produce the same smell, especially when cold) and in seconds can have me wretching and choking even after a couple of breaths.

Edited by gordonbennet on 25/02/2017 at 21:34

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Sat 25 Feb 2017 23:28
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - Avant

Sounds like a good choice of £500 car - but why do you need to sell the Jaguar? Surely you could enjoy it for your long trips and use the Rover (or bike) for the station run?

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Sun 26 Feb 2017 08:48
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - sandy56

Best railway, or in my case airport car, I ever had was a small Suzuki 1l petrol. Kept it 4 years, never serviced it, one new tyre and one exhasut repair, still running well when I sold it.

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Wed 15 Mar 2017 12:21
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - The Gingerous One

Hi,

I sold it because I didn't want to run 2 cars. I would still need to tax & insure and service them both, so with the tax on the Jag being £500, I decided that Feb was the time to swap as the tax was due end of Feb.

Or in other words, I bought a car with 9 months MoT for less than the tax of the Jag.

BTW, for those interested, I did sell the Jaag to WBAC, didn't get the quoted price due to some extensive scratches but they started off low and then we went higher so we met midway, whilst I was mentally trying to work out how much the scratches would be a bodyshop to fix, but then I'd have to tax the car, find bodyshop, do I want the hassle, etc. So was overally relatively happy.

If you are taking your car there, it is worth noting they concentrate on the exterior far more than the interior (they only saw the front seats as I had my bike in boot with the rear seats folded down).

Rover did its' first long journey yesterday/early this morning and passed successfully. Have done about 300 miles and almost used half a tank of fuel.

I won't be earning anywhere near as many avios points when I fill up at Shell...

Edited by The Gingerous One on 15/03/2017 at 12:22

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Wed 15 Mar 2017 13:32
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - SLO76
Plus you have fewer blowouts when you notice some numpty has scuffed or dented the old Rover in a carpark. Bangernomics is to me a stress reliever. No complex or costly worries, just simple old tech petrol engines and the understanding that if any big bills do come in you'll just bin it and get another. Only reason I'm not still using one as our main car is for juniors safety. Older motors just don't have the same crash worthiness newer designs have.

Edited by SLO76 on 15/03/2017 at 13:33

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Wed 15 Mar 2017 13:42
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - corax
Older motors just don't have the same crash worthiness newer designs have.

03-08 Avensis I'd class as a banger motor in the earlier years and it's very solid. 5 star rating. I'd not want to have a crash but that's a car that would take it well.

Renault Megane (fat a** model) was the first to get a 5star rating. I think we've got to the stage where there are plenty of cheap cars out there with solid bodies now.

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Wed 15 Mar 2017 14:31
Will need a 'station car' car soon... - SLO76
Yes certainly they're better than previous generations but technology moves on and the latest will always be better plus the likelihood of a decade old airbag firing properly at the correct pressure is low. Ncap scores also change becoming more difficult and a car that scored 5 stars ten years ago would more likely score 2 or even 1 if tested today.

Management was running a 12yr old Civic when junior decided he was coming so thus the reason for a new CRV tank. I would've trusted that wee Civic to go round the globe but no Isofix etc etc meant it had to go.
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