trailmaster Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 My sister comes to see me and spends £15 on petrol. I go to see her and spend £40 on diesel. (300tdi) i have no need to drive a 4x4 other than i like it and want to go off road. - problem is that it seems rather silly to keep wasting money on fuel on motorways. people keep telling me that i need a 'normal person car' and a 4x4. so over the last year i looked carfully at 4x4 owners .. and find that quite a few have a car hiding somewhere. Often some nissan micra or wife's queer car so that when the land rover brakes (which it will) you can still get to work. what is your opinion. - have a 4x4 just to go and play in and a normal car / public transport for the rest - screw the fuel, and accept that it costs more to drive what you want Its a bit poor that my career choice dose not need the use of 4x4s. =( Whats your ideal situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I'm quite lucky in that I have a Focus for long distance driving or ferrying people about, and a Defender for off-roading and ferrying stuff about. Definitely recommended, if only so when the Defender is out of action for whatever reason you can still get about, or if you're fixing something you can nip out and get a part in the other car. Doesn't always work though as I'm ending up driving 400 miles in the Land Rover this weekend, but it's for Billing/airsofting so it's a special occasion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Defender is my only drive - and I get 34 to the gallon. For big journeys we use my wife's car - a diesel X3, which turns in over 40 to the gallon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 My 90 uses about 11L/100km (about 20 mpg) when I drive carefully, and about 13 when I cruise at about 80mph on motorways, (don't ask about full throttle, you do not want to know) My Mercedes Vito does about 7L/100km careful driving and about 11 to 12 when driven hard, trouble is that I always drive the Vito hard and just want to get wherever as fast as possible! I almost never drive the Landy hard! Just enjoy driving it everywhere! Not much difference, but I enjoy the Landy more and am probably safer on the road in the Landy, for me and for others. Lara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Depends a lot on the MPG and running costs of the second car - often it doesn't work out much better to have a second car or just drive the landy. Where it does count is if you off-road the landy and break it and need to get to work on Monday morning in the p*ssing rain. I have an old Freebie 1.8 that does ~27mpg, is comfortable, cruises at the speed limit, has a heater and a radio, can tow a small trailer and carry LR parts around if needed. The 109 (which does 10-20mpg depending) is for fun and forget the fuel costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landrover598 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I've thought about getting a car as well as my defender, but the cost of the second car, tax insurance, MOT, servicing and fuel for the car as well as all that on the landy would be well inexcess of the saving in fuel i'd make, due to the low number of miles i do. So i've stuck with just the landy and try and look after it off road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Dejavu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 did think about this before getting the 300tdi disco, but it worked out too expensive to have a 2nd car, as the disco is averaging the same as my Sierra 2.0 was on the daily commute ~ 32mpg, so wouldn't really gain anything, especially now that the gap between petrol and diesel prices has narrowed so much. plus it gets used 7 days a week for all sorts (baling at the moment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 My 4.5V8 90 is a pure Toy, Off Road use mainly, but legal if I want to use i, around 7 MPG if you enjoy the full BHP and Torque and an economical 20 ish if you cruise it, off raod, I can do 1-1.5 tanks in 1 day easily - worked out at the SLRC DRD last Christmas it averaged about 3 MPG off road Oh, and shock Horror I also now have a BMW 3 M Sport DIESEL giving about 50+ Mpg average maybe I'll have to change the title under me avatar Nige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smo Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I've always had a second car, be it my own or through the other half, mostly we both have normal cars, and then i have a 90/110/landrover thing as well!!! I did it because of my commute, to do the 100+ miles each way in a 90 would have killed me and my bank balance so i opted for the car, its also better for nipping to the shops, picking up the kids or taking the in-laws out for lunch, these days im down to a practical A3 (well kinda practical)for day to day, the misses' golf estate and the d-lander. It costs a lot to run a second car once you add it all up, insurance, purchase, running, tax, fuel - probably more than filling a thirsty 90 on a reghular basis but there is more to it when you consider comfort and speed either end of a long working day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boothy Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 My 4.2 V8 full on Challenge vehicle is not so economical about 10MPG or less depending, so rarely, although legal, does it get used on the road. So instead I use my economical 4.2 Turbo diesel Nissan Patrol Y60 LWB towing mule, which does a frugal 15 MPG unladen, so thats a vast improvement, BUT My employer gave me for works use, a highly economical Toyota HI Lux LWB crewcab which does about 22 MPG and is positively tight on fuel, Talk about points on my reward card, perhaps I will get a Seddon Atkinson and save some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I have the Dakar for playing slowly off road. An Ultima GTR sports car for playing fast. And an insurance write-off (£440) Peugeot 306 turbo diesel with different colour body panels. The 306 is cheap to run, cheap to insure, gets very little in the way of service and has more than paid for itself. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Well i will always drive a 4x4 I do have a 4 ltr Ford Falcon that is a company car , but still drive the wife's/ family 110 at the weekend becuase I like it . But there again i live in Australia where every other car is a 4x4 with a big bull bar and 4x4's are Australian way of life . And no one has a go at 4x4's . Well they would not dare in Brisbane. And of course we don't get a sore arse every time will fill the car up with fuel like you lot do . Diesel here is A$1.15 a ltr (about 50pence a ltr) Although Aussie moan like hell about that and say it is far too expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I have to admit, when I reach an age where insurance is practical and I can afford one, I will replace my Focus with a reasonably nice Disco, for transporting people/pulling things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Humphreys Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 2nd car is the way to go. I was using my LC every day and using about £100 of diesel a week add on insurance and road tax it comes to about £115 a week. So I got a Vectra cost £20 a week in petrol doing the same mileage £8 a week in insurance and road tax. So a saving of about £95 a week . Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 The difference in fuel consumption over 20k miles a year pays for the insurance and tax on my MGF, so economically I'm just looking at covering the depreciation with the added value of having my hearing into middle age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Personal requirements, commitments, personal and professional interests plus finances and a host of other other factors dictate what we use for transport. TBH I'm not really sure what this thread is about or where it's going other than as an excuse for every member of the forum who has the inclination to list what he / she drives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 TBH I'm not really sure what this thread is about or where it's going other than as an excuse for every member of the forum who has the inclination to list what he / she drives. I drive a bicycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 ..and with that the thread is closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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