Lorry or 4x4

[Baileyhoss]

I am having a hard time on this one. I would love a lorry, OH thinks it's a bad idea, but with the cost of running a 4x4 increasing all the time can I argue it's actually financially viable?

I do about 7000 miles a year in my 4x4, which currently gets about 25mpg tops. and I would estimate that I do about 60 or so miles per month towing. (when I'm towing probably get about 16mph)

We also have a bought & paid for IW505, which I share. my half would be worth about £750
Problem is, my jeep is also dying

and we have been advised to get shot of it before it's next mot. I am looking at getting £1500 for it max.


so our options are to get a little run around and a little lorry or another 4x4. If I was to have a lorry I would have about 2k deposit and would probably require about 6k finance to get a 6k lorry and a 2k run around. or I could keep the trailer and have a £1500k deposit on a 4x4 and require about 6k finance. So there's nothing really in it as I can see.

Has anyone else made a similar decision recently? please tell

F x

 

[pinktiger]

just bought a lorry in the hope of getting shot of my jeep which cost me about 95 quid a week to run and i just cant see the point of that day to day, my job involves working in the community and i need a smaller car more eco than 4x4, get 20 mpg MAX from jeep doing job! lorry is about the same! sold trailer and am now going to have to put jeep through auctions to sell, prob at slight loss!!! think that the future for 4x4s is very bleak req government!!!

 

[conniegirl]

We made the decision to go from trailer to lorry just over 2 years ago, we had a rather swish 4x4 (3 yearold mercedes ML) and 3 yearold ifor 505, sold the trailer for £2200 and managed to get a good but old lorry for £1750. weve never looked back.

we spend alot less now that we have the lorry, however we did alot more towing then you averageing at least 80 miles per week (sometimes we did hideously long journeys of around 200 miles).
my old lorry would have been ideal for you, it did approx 25mpg when fullly laden and although old it cost us the grand total of £300 in servicing in the 2 years we had it. It flew through its test every time, cost less then the 4x4 to tax and insure. I did it up inside at the grand old cost of £100 (my dad did alot of the work) and sold it for £3000.
I got some money from a compensation claim (idiot driver wrote my car off and nearly wrote me off) and borrowed £2000 from my mum and have just bought a much nicer bigger lorry.

If you get a good lorry then it will save you a fortune. Weve never looked back and mum prefers driving the lorry to driving the trailer.

 

[angiebaby]

Lorry every time

I share a small car with my son, I have an old DAF Roadrunner, brilliant, spent about £400 on having the brakes overhauled, but thats about it in the 4 years of owning it. Plus I have a large luton, so when my OH snores he can go and sleep in it!!

 

[apkelly01]

I had a 4x4 and IW510. The jeep was costing me over €1200 on tax alone every year. The trailer cost nothing apart from the odd service. The jeep was fairly economical even pulling the trailer. But I decided to go for a small lorry and a small car as a run around.

I managed to find a car garage which was selling a very nice Renault Mascott 6.5ton 2 horse conversion with living (57000 miles on the clock!!!) and swapped my jeep for it! The guy selling it was advertising it as a Renault Master 3.5ton but I wasn't going to say anything

I then sold my 510 for €3,500 and bought a Opel (Vauxhall) Astra as a run around.

I have to say I haven't looked back

The little lorry is as easy to drive as the jeep and just as economical - I drove it up from Cork to North Kildare on just over a 1/4 of the tank! OK I think it has a speed limiter on it as it won't go over 60mph but that's ok as I don't drive fast when I've horses. The tyres are cheeper then the jeep and the service cost just the same. Tax for lorry is €350 a year compared to €1200 for the jeep! Insurance is a little bit more expensive then the jeep as I'm driving it on a provisional licence. The car tax is €320 a year and the insurance is cheaper then the jeep - service is cheaper and is cheaper to run as well

Also 3 years ago I did the car and trailer route and got rid of my 4x4 for a VW Passat, thinking it would be cheaper but it wasn't! I don't think the car was able to cope and it kept breaking down. I had to get new tyres for it and they were just as expensive as the jeep! But I found I kept looking a jeeps and eventually swapped my car for a 4x4.

So I have to say after trying out 4x4 + trailer, car + trailer and lorry + car, the one that's worked out well and I'm 100% happy with is the lorry and car way

I wish you good luck with your choice

 

[the watcher]

I chose to go the lorry + small car route last autumn and sold my trailer and 4X4, have not regretted it and have just upgraded to a slightly bigger and better lorry.
I have saved a fortune on fuel, given that my work journey is a 54 mile round trip.

 

[Baileyhoss]

Thank you all so much!!! I knew I was right

. I shall print off this thread and let OH read it.

F x