Is running a jeep and trailer cheaper than buying and running a horsebox?

C

Corker

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 April 2010
Messages
57
Location
Saddleworth, Oldham
Visit site
Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone knew if it's cheaper to buy and run a jeep and trailer than buying and running a horsebox?

I know horseboxes have maintenance costs but if you only use it for the show season and a few other dates then is it really cheaper to run a jeep that you drive everyday with the price of fuel these days?

If anyone can help I would really appreciate it as i'm goin to be making some important decisions soon and want to make sure I do the right thing.


Thanks,


Carla
 
I've never had a horsebox so I don't know how much they are to run. I have a jeep which I only use for pulling my trailer and for the snow. I couldn't afford to run a jeep as my everyday car. I have a Landrover Discovery which I bought quite cheaply off ebay and I run a Peugot 406 (which gets around 50mph). This works well for me. I don't know if this could be an option for you but I thought I'd mention it incase you hadn't thought of it.
 
Well I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it cost me £60 per week in petrol. I hate the thing, it locks me it locks me out and it's like the nanny state. rant over as I love my Rangerovers, but my oh got me this car, cann't have another till me and the dogs have wrecked this one and we are trying our hardest. should say it's a 4.7 and in it's prime top of the range, and it no doubt would tow anything, would be expensive, very quite as the dogs barking, howling, people don't hear us until we are basically on top of them, where as my old Range Rover people could hear us miles away:D:D and would get out of the way and she could pull anything, even the old tractor when it got stuck in the mud:D:D
 
I'd say no with the price of fuel now. I haven't got a horsebox now :( but could not afford to run a 4x4 and trailer. The insurance on my old box was under half what it would be on a 4x4 to begin with.
 
I have a 4x4 and trailer (4x4 is also my everyday car) and I think it will be cheaper for me to get a 3.5 tonner.

Also dont forget (although it doesnt apply in my case...)that any 4x4's newer than 2001 have a tax price of about £400 a year!
 
It really depends on what you are doing.

If you are driving long distances to shows and doing the miles, then I think a horsebox is safer and more practical.

If you are doing local shows only, then a 4x4 & trailer probably would work out cheaper. But how big is your horse. Can you get away with a one-horse trailer, keep the payload down and therefore have a slightly less powerful 4x4.

It also depends on how new a vehicle you can afford. The newer ones will have better fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs.

For example, I have 2 large horses, so need a big trailer and a big vehicle (pull with a Rangie and wouldn't feel safe with much less). So in my case the sums are probably negliable!!
 
Note that if you get a Landrover with no windows in the back, just solid sides, then the tax is a lot lot cheaper as it's classed as a light goods vehicle and not a car. It's just over £200 a year for ours, and it's a long wheelbase 3.5T one.

Worth considering, tho you do need more groovy mirrors as there is a blind spot cos of the solid back visibility wise.

NB jeep lady our jeep kept not unlocking the immobiliser and we found a local chap who disabled the engine immobiliser as the jeep people wouldnt do it as it was factory fitted and as we bought it second hand we didnt have the codes. it can be resolved! we left the immobilisation on the doors cos that was OK, so you have the opposite prob but I bet they could just sort the door unlocking for you. Cost us about £150.
 
Corker said:
Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone knew if it's cheaper to buy and run a jeep and trailer than buying and running a horsebox?

I know horseboxes have maintenance costs but if you only use it for the show season and a few other dates then is it really cheaper to run a jeep that you drive everyday with the price of fuel these days?

If anyone can help I would really appreciate it as i'm goin to be making some important decisions soon and want to make sure I do the right thing.


Thanks,


Carla
Click to expand...
The main decider is how many miles you would do Not towing ..if you dont
need a car to get to work or you do a tiny mileage then a 4X4 might be slightly cheaper
as you could manage with one car to do everything... if you do a fair mileage and have a small car and are buying a second vehicle then a lorry is most likely cheaper as the running costs are less you can get some very nasty bills with a 4x4 for repairs
and you have a trailer to maintain add insurance and tax and deprication which can be the bigest expense it also depends on budget if you have 5k say you could get a reasoable trailer and a older 4x4 , spend 15 k and a 4x4 would cost a lot in depecation but a 15 k lorry if nice would hold its value better...hope that helps
 
Last edited:
I have a little car for commuting, and a Discovery and trailer for the horses. I don't know about lorry costs, but I think what I have is a bit more flexible. The Disco gets used a little bit all year - it took me to work in all the snow, it goes to the tip etc, so it's not sitting there doing nothing which I think is very bad for vehicles. If I was doing a lot of competing though, I think lorry would be better for the convenience.
 
:mad:
georgiegirl said:
I have a 4x4 and trailer (4x4 is also my everyday car) and I think it will be cheaper for me to get a 3.5 tonner.

Also dont forget (although it doesnt apply in my case...)that any 4x4's newer than 2001 have a tax price of about £400 a year!
Click to expand...

my 4x4 is an 09 plate and my tax is 180 for the year
 
We are moving from a E reg Renault Dodge 50 lorry to a 4x4 and trailer because:

1. for the last few years it has cost at least £500 to get the lorry through the plating, add on the tax and insurance so it comes to nearly £1000 before you even put the diesel in it to go anywhere. It costs me £10 every 4 weeks to park it at the yard so another £130. We only have one horse to take anywhere and the yard doesn't charge as much for storing a trailer. Also factor in the times when I have had the diesel stolen!!!!!

2. I already have a Landrover Freelander 1,8 petrol which does 25 mpg so the petrol/diesel price won't affect me as much.

So I am going to get a 2 litre turbo diesel Y plate Landrover Freelander which will do slightly more mpg and get a trailer. Don't get me wrong, I loved having the lorry, especially when my daughter and 3 of her friends stayed in it each year for Pony Club Camp, but she is 19 now and has left pony club. I have loved the storage usage of the lorry - but nowadays keep very little in there due to the possibility of theft.

It is surprising how much the lorry costs when you actually sit down and add it all up -

Plating
Insurance
Tax
Parking at Yard
Diesel theft (unless your parking is very secure - which ours is - they just steal the diesel)

and something I hadn't factored in until my OH mentioned it:

Food - we always take loads in the lorry, biscuits, cake, stuff to make sandwiches etc. whcih tends to get wolfed down in 2 minutes flat

With a trailer it's just the burger van to deal with......... and I can always 'not have enough money' ;)

Hope this is of some use, but writing it down has really confirmed my decision to go with a trailer
 
Ive got a 7.5 ton horsebox OH services it and does most of the repairs, its no dearer to tax than a car, breakdown cover was £81.00 and average weekend I use about £40-60 of diesel.
I went to Wales to pick a pony up last month and it cost me £200 return my friend went with a 4x4 and trailer and it cost the same.
Most 4x4 arent that economical but at least you have the use of them during the week.
 
I think it depends on what size horsebox you want, and how often you drive around!
We had a pajero and a horse trailer - pajero was also main car and drank diesel and was costing an absolute fortune to run, doing roughly 120 miles a week was costing the earth!
So we sold the pajero, and got a VW LT 35 horsebox, which is ridiculously cheap! Because of the weight it just has a normal MOT, tax isn't too expensive, thinks its £112 every 6 months, and insurance is uber cheap! Its a darn sight better on fuel economy too!
 
Had 4x4 (used as daily driver) and trailer, changed and bought a lorry, still had to have another car, so 2 x tax, 2 x insurance, 2 x MOT/plating/servicing, with the lorry sat most of the week doing nothing, so went back to 4 x 4 and trailer, IMHO cheaper in the long run.
If I was doing long journeys and staying over for events, etc, then definately a lorry, otherwise 4 x 4 etc.
 
I was doing high mileage and my discovery was way too expensive to run, service etc and don't get me started on tyres! I changed to a cheap runaround and a LT35 as I only ever carried one. The insurance, tax and servicing cost me less than the annual servicing costs on the Disco! Together with the savings on diesel I figured I was saving about £30 a week :o
 
I used to have a Disco and trailer - paid £6k for the Disco and £2k for the trailer - sold the trailer two years later for £2k (spent about £600 over the 2 years on trailer service and tyres) but sold the Disco for £2k two years later and paid off my garage bill with it - the Disco was the biggest waste of money - would never have another. Spent the £2k I got for the trailer on a 1981 plate lorry - old but serviceable - and bought a £500 run around car for everyday. Not ideal for everyone, but suited me. The lorry costs around £700 yearly for plate and service, then there's tax and insurance on top. We use it twice a month for competitions and would not go back to a trailer - horses travel better and it's nice to have the living area to make bacon sarnies and store all your bits and bobs, not to mention somewhere to sit when it's tipping down outside. Don't care if it's old and tatty - it's a palace to me!!
 
georgiegirl said:
I have a 4x4 and trailer (4x4 is also my everyday car) and I think it will be cheaper for me to get a 3.5 tonner.

Also dont forget (although it doesnt apply in my case...)that any 4x4's newer than 2001 have a tax price of about £400 a year!
Click to expand...

That's not right!! There are actually very few 4x4s that are the highest price bracket!! I have an 06 plate Sorento and its £245 tax a year. So was a Terrano I had. The answer to the OPs question revolves purely around the average weekly mileage that you do. A very high mileage and small car/lorry prob cheaper. Low mileage and prob cheaper with 4x4.
 
One other thing to remember is that even if you dont use a lorry during the winter months you will still need to giveit a good run once a week to keep it in working order.

If I could afford a nice lorry that wasn't too old I would much prefer to have one, but as that's not the case I have a landrover Discovery which is used every day anyway and a big trailer, which doesn't require too much maintenance.
 
Probably worth making up a small spreadsheet to compare the costs? I have a 4 x 4 and trailer but only have 1 horse to move around and I don't travel massive distances either. The 4 x 4 got me out of trouble in the snow, I use it as I cart my 2 dogs around too.
 
Luci07 said:
The 4 x 4 got me out of trouble in the snow,

This is one of the reasons why I already have a 4x4 - the last couple of winters I have been one of the few people to get up the hill where we live - lots of people slide down but not many make it back up. The feed shop is also up a hill and I fetched and carried for quite a few friends who didn't have a 4x4. If you are on DIY and you need to get to the yard in really bad road conditions the 4x4 users are the only ones who make it there

If the weather in the winter carries on the way it has the last few years I for one will be sticking with the 4x4
Click to expand...
 
georgiegirl said:
I have a 4x4 and trailer (4x4 is also my everyday car) and I think it will be cheaper for me to get a 3.5 tonner.

Also dont forget (although it doesnt apply in my case...)that any 4x4's newer than 2001 have a tax price of about £400 a year!
Click to expand...

Our disco is 2001 and is £240 and the 2001 L200 Mitzi is £200, so where did you get that from?
 
Cheers 4 all the replies guys, quite mixed responses so still bit confused as what to do lol!! I do quite a few miles in my Peugeot 107 so I definitely want to keep it as it's so cheap 2 run. I was thinkin of gettin a cheap 4x4 n renting a trailer until I can afford to buy one but I have a 17.2hh Irish draught so not sure if a wagon would be safer? How reliable are 4x4s that are are say an N reg compared to say an F reg horsebox? I live in the hills and we do get quite bad snow so a 4x4 may be the way to go so that it will be useful in winter, can anyone suggest any reliable old jeeps that aren't too bad on the insurance and fuel?

Thanks,


Carla
 
I have a 3.5t lorry and use it as my main vehicle and for the horses, its got room for the dogs, collects all the hay and straw, shavings and feed, has been used for house removals and recovering broken down cars and those without tax etc
it was great in the snow didnt get stuck like the small car and its insurance is only £200 a year fully comp for any driver
 
It depends on if you are going to be using the 4x4 as an everyday car or only to tow the trailer. It also depends on how often you use the horsebox.

4x4's are quite thirsty on fuel so using it as an everyday run around could cost you allot in fuel, also tax and insurance can be high depending on your age etc. But you have no costs (except maintenance) for a trailer sat on your yard.

I had a 3.5T VW box which cost me a fortune to maintain (parts were expensive) It wasn't the most fuel efficient and even local shows were costing me £20 to £30 in fuel, You have the problem of trying to start it on the day of the show...Then you had the MOT, insurance etc and you have the costs of running an everyday drive around car...unless you use your box as an everyday run around lol :)

I sold my box and bought a 4x4 & trailer and unless i could afford a brand spanker box with all the mod cons i wouldn't get another!!
 
hudsonw said:
It depends on if you are going to be using the 4x4 as an everyday car or only to tow the trailer. It also depends on how often you use the horsebox.

4x4's are quite thirsty on fuel so using it as an everyday run around could cost you allot in fuel, also tax and insurance can be high depending on your age etc. But you have no costs (except maintenance) for a trailer sat on your yard.

I had a 3.5T VW box which cost me a fortune to maintain (parts were expensive) It wasn't the most fuel efficient and even local shows were costing me £20 to £30 in fuel, You have the problem of trying to start it on the day of the show...Then you had the MOT, insurance etc and you have the costs of running an everyday drive around car...unless you use your box as an everyday run around lol :)

I sold my box and bought a 4x4 & trailer and unless i could afford a brand spanker box with all the mod cons i wouldn't get another!!
Click to expand...

Ditto! Even down to the maintenance costs of an older box. Mine had the added complication of recon gearbox and engine which were not original so needed a really good mechanic to identify new parts that would fit.
 
curio said:
I have a 3.5t lorry and use it as my main vehicle and for the horses, its got room for the dogs, collects all the hay and straw, shavings and feed, has been used for house removals and recovering broken down cars and those without tax etc
it was great in the snow didnt get stuck like the small car and its insurance is only £200 a year fully comp for any driver
Click to expand...
How much was your 3.5T wagon if you don't minde me asking? All the ones i've seen are around £10-15k, I can only afford £3k!

Thanks.
 
I moved from 4x4 and trailer to a Lorry then back again to a 4x4 and trailer as the lorry was forever needing something done. Lorry was only 15yrs old 7.5tn but there was always something going wrong and spent too much time taking it to the mechanics. I paid a mechanic to check it out before I bought it but just as with any older vehicle it won't go on forever without money being spent on it.

We had a lorry when I was teenager competing and my dad did all the repairs / service. I think it makes a big difference if you have someone mechanically experienced (friend / relative) you can get to sort minor niggles and check it over....otherwise going to a Lorry Mechanic will cost you loads.

Trailer and 4x4 is much easier. I did my sums before moving to the lorry and through cheaper on tax etc to have lorry and small car but it wasn't.
 
Corker said:
How much did you pay for your 3.5T wagon if you don't mind me asking? All the ones i've seen are around £10-15k, I can only afford around £3k!

Thanks
Click to expand...
If you have £3 k and are going to keep your car then I would look at a trooper/bighorn, mitsubishi pajero/ shogun or a fourtrak its unlikely you would get a safe and or reliable 3.5 ton lorry for that budget, be carefull and make sure you take a mecanic to look before you part with your money, be wary of the low mileage ex farm , constuction vehicles !! best bet is a private owned one that has been used to tow a caravan, been looked after has some service history and done a few miles as your average moron/car buyer thinks
low mileage always equals better condition which is rubish,so you could have a good chance of getting a bargain or something newer for your money because its high mileage... good luck whatever you decide..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top