Practicalities/costs: box vs trailer

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mystiandsunny

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It's plating time of year again and I'm once more weighing up exactly how much it costs me yearly to keep the box. Yes we have the money (saved all year for it) but I still wonder if this is really the best option.

In the following circumstances, what would be best?

Good points about the box:
- runs beautifully at all times
- has fuel consumption roughly equal to 4x4 + trailer (i.e. very good!)
- takes three ponies/two horses (usually only take two out though...)
- handy for storage
- love having living to get ready/carry tack for shows
- feel nice and safe in it on the motorway
- not too attractive to thieves as old (compared to a trailer anyway)

Bad points:
- costs about £600-800 in plating/repair costs
- no point me getting my LGV licence as I can't get the ramp down on my own (I'm not strong/heavy enough - believe me we've tried!!!) so reliant on going out when OH is about.
- another set of tax and the above costs on top of our car.

and...
- we'll be wanting to replace our car in the next year or two. At the moment the car is also costing a fair bit yearly as things start to go wrong!
- I would be strong enough to hitch up and deal with a trailer so would be some point me taking my test. I could then get to lessons/comps on my own during the week and during the holidays.
- most of our journeys are short. Go to the beach occasionally but could always hire a box for that if didn't want to trailer that far.
- small 3.5T box too expensive if new, and the older style aren't stable enough for a couple of mine who aren't good travellers and need a steady, stable conveyance.
- journey to work currently costs £30 pw in small supermini type car. It's 30min out of town running...

So am I just having plating cost wobbles, or would it actually be better to sell our box next spring and swap over to car + trailer?
 
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I am probably not best qualified to comment in a rational way as I love my lorry, I work very, very hard all year round and I am happy to spend what it takes to keep it on the road.

Herein follows financial suicide I'm sure, but having always wanted to sit my HGV and often needing to take 3 horses horses to shows which we can't do in our 7.5t, we have recently managed to get together the money to buy a friend's immaculate and well maintained but old Oakley Supreme 6 horse lorry. I have no doubt it will cost a fortune to run and already OH and I have spent £2,500 on HGV medicals, training and test fees. I did 5 hours training today and sit the test next week. Does it make good financial sense, probably (definitely) not. Will it make me smile every time I pass it, yes.

My advice - if you can afford it, go with your heart.
 
If you can afford it I would keep the lorry. I had a trailer and I just never relaxed when towing as people drive so stupidly and I felt so vulnerable in the trailer :( I've now got a lorry and I feel so much happier driving about :)
 
I had a 7.5t lorry which i loved. I budgeted £800 a year on plating plus £165 for tax and £400 for insurance. I also ran a 3 series BMW for everyday.

Just over a year ago i scrapped the lorry, bought a LWB Shogun and an Equitrek, and sold the BMW. I've never looked back.
 
i'm another one who loves my lorry ,it has a home for life with me :o

my ramp was a back breaker it only cost me £70 to tighten the springs and i can now manage on my own ,i convince my self its still cheaper for me as i use my car a lot all day every day and a 4x4 is out of the question
all of my friends who have trailers (everyone on yard) keep an old 4x4 to tow (costs a fortune to repair/tax/insure etc) and also run a small cheap to run car for work commute etc
 
If you are affording it, go with it. They both seem to have their pros and cons. I am a 4 x 4 owner and trailer tower. Personally, I love it, but you have to be super organised, particularly as I drive a SWB Shogun. On top of that I get my trailer serviced and VOSA checked every year, (business partner's son in law has a garage and does it properly) and I insure it properly, so there is a reasonable cost to be. However, I am towing two of my most prized possessions and they have to be safe. My 4 x 4 is also my company car as well. I dont feel vulnerable though, and dont have issues with reversing or other drivers.

On the flip side, sometimes we do get serious lorry envy, and I know next year Mini TX and I are going to be going to some 1* events, where we will be for several days, and I will no doubt be talking nicely to some lorry owning friends, as its far more fun staying on site.However, last year we stayed at the PC national champs for 5 days, and all we took up was a trailer and tent. It took some planning though.
 
I would say it would cost around £700 to service and run a 4x4 per year ex fuel insurance.. if its a cheap one to start with deprication isnt much however if you buy something new or newish it will lose a fortune and the tax is over 400!! , the other point is how many miles a year you will do the extra fuel soon ads up esp if you can manage with a little car say 30 mpg against 60 for a small hatchback
do your sums ....
 
My jeep went through its annual service and mot at £353 this year. Love the idea of a lorry but as I have 3 dogs, albeit staffies, I need something for them as well plus which even though I only live in Surrey, without my 4x4 I would have been stuck with the snow over the last 2 years. I actually have a nice little dog and horse free car as well which is fast, fun and means I don't see clients bringing in the wonderful eau de cheval !
 
I have looked at this situation myself, and I think a lot of it comes down to how much driving you are doing in your car, and what you use your car for.

If like another poster you have several large dogs and need a large car / 4x4 - then to me that will justify running a 4x4 all the time.

If you do not need a large car, then I would be looking for the most economical small / mid sized car you can find (yaris / Kia/ something Along those lines), and keep a Lorry running.

I would get someone to look a your lorry ramp springs - a quick adjust will probably make all the difference. Although I am particularly smug as my lorry ramp is a little beaut - not too steep and not to heavy :D

And do your lorry test!!! If you are doing it, I would do full HGV - usually not muc in the price of the training & test, but you can then drive over 7.5t should you ever need to. I did my full HGV nearly 10 years ago, and absolutely loved it!! Especially the bit where I could out drive the blokes I was sharing the lorry with during my training :D

When I looked a the costs for swapping my lorry for a 4x4 & trailer, I think it worked out that there wasn't going to be a great deal in it, and I was going to be out of pocket big style once I had sold my lorry & car (mid sized but economical) and brought a 4x4 and trailer

But then I love my lorry :)
 
Thanks everyone who's replied - I figured similar cost with older (04/05) 4x4 and trailer, but then there'd only be ONE set of costs like that, rather than currently £800pa for the lorry + tax/insurance, and then another £500pa for the car + tax/mot/ins (never buy a Fiat - it's a 54 model and falling apart at the seams already!!).

Will look into having the springs tightened on the ramp though as that's my main bugbear. I don't mind spending money if I could get out and about on my own - but I can't atm and whilst hacking everywhere is good for fitness, it is really annoying when you're spending that much yearly on transport but can only use it on a Sunday!!!
 
I rent a friends nice 3.5t lorry for £40 a time. I use it 2/3 times a month in the summer and 1/2 times a month in winter.
That costs me approx £900 a year which is what it used to cost to maintain my ancient old death trap of a lorry.
The pro's are that if I don't use it, e.g at the moment I'm having a break from shows for 6-8 weeks then I'm not paying anything.
Also I get to drive around in a nice lorry that I would not have been able to afford otherwise and I don't have the hassle of organising the maintenance.

Cons are that I have to plan my outings well in advance and it raises the cost of a clinic or show for the day considerably. It's also not around at the yard if I need it for an emergency and I have to go and pick it up/drop it off.

The other option is to get my own trailer. We have a 4x4 that is my fiancés car and he is able for me to use it for towing and he will pay for the upkeep (I have my own little car for day to day). Therefor a trailer would cost around £150-£200 a year for service and maintenance which is obviously a massive saving! I could also pick up a nice newish uptogether one for less than 3k. The con is that I will have to take my trailer test which will cost about £500 and it took me 5 goes to pass my driving test so I'm a bit worried about that!
The other option is I buy a cheap old small lorry but having had 5k to go 3.5t lorry shopping in the past it really buys only rust buckets! Having spent 12 hours stranded on the M4 broken down in said rust bucket I'm not wanting to do that again! I
Could buy an older 7.5T as you get more value for money but again I think unless you have 7k plus that's going to be a bit of an ancient beast as well, I'd also still have to take a test.

It's hard, I can't quite decide what to do! I have a fairly good arrangement at the moment which although a bit expensive is stress free so will probably stick with renting my friends lorry.

Worse comes to the worst I can buy a trailer and my OH/dad can tow me around until I pass lol.
 
For me it has worked out cheaper to run a small car and a 3.5T box than it was a trailer and Disco. I go everywhere on my own and feel confident on the motorway which I absolutely didn't towing. Having said that i only have one small horse so 3.5T was fine; I imagine the running costs of a 7.5T are considerably higher....
 
I gave up my trailer for safety reasons.

One reason in particular...drivers overtaking the trailer but not my 4x4 and 'sitting' between us and the trailer waiting to overtake.

I couldnt slow down or speed up and had to watch the whole time.

Scrared the Hell out of me!
 
I'm not thinking of the costs, as I don't like thinking of them and I work blinking hard enough to spend what I want as and how I want to :rolleyes::cool:

So, it's down to what I and the horses and the family enjoy most/make the most use of :D

We had a lorry. My fault, but it failed it's plating big style - let's not go there :rolleyes:. However I miss it like mad and actually cried when she went :o:rolleyes:.

We could leave all the show/outing necessary bits in her. It was always full of kids and laughter and love. The horses travelled so very well in it, even some nervous nellies that I took out and about to get their travelling legs back. The non-horsey Ds had somewhere to sit comfortably and read or watch telly or play on laptops. I felt safe and secure on the motorways. I really do miss her.

We have a Disco automatic and a massive three horse trailer, that we've refurbished from the ground up and spent thousands on, but next year we will be lorry hunting again :cool::D:D:D
 
MrsMozartletoe said:
I'm not thinking of the costs, as I don't like thinking of them and I work blinking hard enough to spend what I want as and how I want to :rolleyes::cool:

So, it's down to what I and the horses and the family enjoy most/make the most use of :D

We had a lorry. My fault, but it failed it's plating big style - let's not go there :rolleyes:. However I miss it like mad and actually cried when she went :o:rolleyes:.

We could leave all the show/outing necessary bits in her. It was always full of kids and laughter and love. The horses travelled so very well in it, even some nervous nellies that I took out and about to get their travelling legs back. The non-horsey Ds had somewhere to sit comfortably and read or watch telly or play on laptops. I felt safe and secure on the motorways. I really do miss her.

We have a Disco automatic and a massive three horse trailer, that we've refurbished from the ground up and spent thousands on, but next year we will be lorry hunting again :cool::D:D:D
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Nice post... yes a lorry is so nice esp for family outings and socialising with friends its lovely at a the end of show or clinic to just relax have a drink and a chat with friends then tootle home....
 
I think it comes out to how far you go and how often you go with your horses. If you go for a longish journey for shows/competitions/outings and nearly every weekend then stick with the lorry. They have a better journey and it is MUCH more convenient in a lorry. But if you honestly only do local things, clinics, never sleep overnight (or rarely) then a trailer + 4 x 4 will probably work out cheaper in the long run. A well cared for trailer, especially if it is kept under cover, will last many, many years with hardly any cost.

It must be very hard to decide, if you have to go out and buy a 4 x 4, because they can absorb nearly as much money as a lorry! If you go for older 4 x 4, think about the cost of buying parts - we had to have a petrol tank flown in from Japan for our old Shogun!
 
Lorry for me every single time. I don't think about the cost...seriously you've got to go with what's right for you.
I adore my box. My horses travel well, all my stuff is ready to go in it & at shows my kids & hubby huddle in the micro living & have a right laugh.
Yes, it costs me a bloody fortune but you can't take it with you :)
 
Having a lorry (3.5t) works out much cheaper than the 4x4 and trailer I had before, mainly fuel costs. I worked out all the costs of maintaing / run both options and worked out that having a lorry would cost roughly £100 per year more, however that was nearly 6 years ago when fuel was 80p a litre. I did 4k miles in my lorry last year and 11k in my little 1.4 ltr car so quite a significant saving. Luckily my YO's OH is a mechanic so both lorry and car get maintained in return for riding one of her horses.
 
i have a 4x4 and trailer and i love the independence of being able to go where i like when i like. i would do anything for a lorry though - having somehwere to tack up in the dry, get changed somewhere clean etc i would have to do my lorry test though and just cant afford it. i'm not worried by towing or anything, it would purely be a convenience thing to have a lorry. at the moment it's just a luxury i cant quite afford. one day i hope to do my HGV and upgrade to a nice lorry but for now it's just nice to have some form of transport as spent yrs with nothing before i got the trailer 3yrs ago.
 
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