Running costs of a trailer v 3.5t

[Simbapony]

So I currently have a vw Tig and a trailer and considering changing this for a 3.5t lorry and a small car. Is this more cost effective than doing short trips in a 2l 4x4? I was thinking of downsizing the car to something much smaller as I'm aware doing short trips won't do the engine much good either...

It's literally about what is more cost effective than what is more comfortable etc. My horse travels well in either, I'm not staying away , I just feel like I'm funding the local petrol station and I'm not even doing that much in the way of miles! Just the yard (4 mile round trip) and school (4 mile round trip!)

Thanks

 

[Bob notacob]

A second vehicle , Tax MOT insurance , You would need to do a lot of miles in your 4x4 to justify the cost. Even assuming you have free parking for said horsebox. I would think you are looking at an extra £1000 to justify by having a smaller car. At 40 mpg you would need to be doing more than 6000 miles a year to justify the expense.(based on about 24 mpg for a 3.5 tonner)

 

[abbijay]

As Bob says, if you're not doing a lot of miles you're better off with 1 vehicle.
If you already have a trailer and your Tiguan isn't going to be the thirstiest of 4x4s I suspect you would lose out on switching to a lorry.
You say you do school run and yard each a 4 mile round trip but I'll assume you do them twice a day 112 miles a week (assume on a weekend you do other trips to replace your school run - covers the food shop or whatever else). works out at just under 6000 miles a year, let's add on an extra 1000 to be conservative and cover holidays or trips to see people over the year or whatever your family does...
Now I'm going to switch to round numbers for ease; let's assume your Tiguan costs you 20p/mile in petrol. (7,000 x £0.20) = £1400 a year in petrol. If you switch to a small car instead, I'm thinking something like a Ford Fiesta 1l eco-boost (I had one a few years ago and it was CHEAP to run), and you could get away with 10p/mile in petrol you're looking at 10p/mile then you'll spend £700 a year in petrol. That leaves you £700 to cover a second MOT, insurance (which won't benefit from your NCD) but not tax (small cars were tax exempt when I had them), twice the likelihood of repairs, tyres, etc. And that's assuming you can find a small car that is twice as fuel efficient as your current one. If you're high mileage switch to a small car and trailer for sure but I think your lifestyle says 1 car that is both runaround and towing vehicle is probably more financially efficient.

 

[AFB]

My 3.5t box costs me:
£120 a year storage
£305 a year insurance/breakdown cover
£275 a year tax (approx)
£70 a year MOT

So that's over £520 a year on the basics - so far this year it's needed a cambelt change which cost £400 - factor that in every 4 years and spread the cost, you're at £620 before anything even goes wrong. So based on Abbijay's fuel maths above I'd stick with the car & trailer...

 

[scruffyponies]

3rd option is a trailer, 4x4 and cheap run about so you're not doing the school run and shopping in the 4x4. Cheaper than a 3.5t, and you have a 'spare' car when you need it.

 

[littlen]

I found my tiguan quite economical even when towing.

I then swapped to 3.5t Renault master. First one nearly needed welded to death and cost me a fortune in repairs.

‘Upgraded’ to a second 3.5t that was newer. It cost me even more than the first. It hated standing, needed new starting motor. Then the gearbox and clutch went. It cost a fortune in storage, started to rust then over winter the breaks and engine started to seize. To top it off it started to leak through the roof vent and I couldn’t sell it quick enough after that. I think it cost £2000 in repairs in the year I owned it. It broke down twice, my tiguan never once had an issue. It was a good quality conversion too not a backstreet one.
Plus two lots of tax, insurance (about £25/month) and tyres and MOT costs.

Maybe for someone using a 3.5 daily it would be worth it but for me even turning the key had me feeling sick. Never ever ever again!

 

[Landcruiser]

3rd option is a trailer, 4x4 and cheap run about so you're not doing the school run and shopping in the 4x4. Cheaper than a 3.5t, and you have a 'spare' car when you need it.

Many years ago I swapped my 4x4 plus trailer for a runaround (Berlingo) plus 7.5 ton lorry. The lorry was great but proved to be cripplingly expensive as it got (even) older. So I swapped back to 4 x 4 plus trailer but kept the Berlingo as well, because it was such a great and economical car. The 4x4 was just used for towing, an older L200. Recently I upgraded the L200 for a 2018 model and was guilt tripped by my OH into parting with my Berlingo, after all, having a "spare car" is a bit of a luxury if you cycle to work every day, lol. Left to myself I'd still have it, I reckon