most economical cars to own

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Sun 19 Mar 2006 14:53
most economical cars to own - barney100
Swmbo may need to change her car soon and needs something economical to own. It would be a used model about £7000 able to take the dog and two people. Any suugestions as to good choices regarding servicing costs and reliability?
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 15:27
most economical cars to own - local yokel
Servicing costs are one thing, but depreciation is always the biggest cost.
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 15:28
most economical cars to own - y2k+4
A Ford estate? Mondeo/Focus TDCi?
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 17:54
most economical cars to own - machika
Did somebody mention a Ford?
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 19:20
most economical cars to own - Dude - {P}
As already mentioned, depreciation is by far the biggest cost in motoring, and as Honda are now one of the lowest depreciators, I would put my money into a second hand Honda Jazz, which should be readily available for 7k.!!!!!
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 19:40
most economical cars to own - machika
Yes, a Jazz will depreciate slowly but will also cost more to purchase initially. If the car is to be kept over a long period of time, it will be worth very little in the end, in any case, so the initial purchase price is relevant.
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Sun 19 Mar 2006 20:40
most economical cars to own - catsdad
Given your needs (including a dog) I'd recommend a recently supercerded medium estate. Recently superceded because the generic faults will already be resolved and the main depreciation will have already have been incurred. An estate both because of the dog but also IMHO estate design doesn't date - you might say that's because its not the best to start with but I like them. So, how about a Focus or an Astra - you should find a wide choice at your budget.
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Mon 20 Mar 2006 10:03
most economical cars to own - helicopter
I would go for a Honda Civic rather than the Jazz - recently superceded , low depreciation, plenty of room for dog and kitchen sink. Go for the 1.6 vtec rather than 1.4 engine.

There should be a few 51 / 52 or so models well within your budget.Check the Autotrader site to your left.

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Mon 20 Mar 2006 10:59
most economical cars to own - Mapmaker
>>Swmbo may need to change her car soon

If she needs to be economical, she needs NOT to change her car. Simple! Save you a fortune.
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Mon 20 Mar 2006 11:21
most economical cars to own - machika
I quite agree.
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Mon 20 Mar 2006 11:26
most economical cars to own - machika
My sister-in-law has just changed her car, a Honda CR-V, for a new Civic. I think she paid over 12K for the CR-V, when it was about 2 years old, and has been given a part exchange of £6K. She told my in-laws she had changed it because it was 5 years old, and there's me thinking that Hondas were so reliable that they would go on for years without any trouble.

When she got the CR-V she said she needed a 4x4, now, all of a sudden, she doesn't need a 4x4.
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Mon 20 Mar 2006 11:55
most economical cars to own - J Bonington Jagworth
"the dog and two people"

Is that including the driver? If so, is a small van acceptable? A friend of mine has a diesel (wince) Citroen C15, which cost peanuts to buy and run, and has lots of dog room...
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Mon 20 Mar 2006 13:12
most economical cars to own - Gromit {P}
Good thinking, JBB.

Maybe consider a Citroen Berlingo or similar if you need the extra seats. £7K should get you a good one, and demand ought to be stronger than for small hatches if and when you change it.

Or how about a Skoda Fabia estate - same logic applies?

Regards,
- Gromit
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