Trailer v Horsebox (cost wise)

[vicm2509]

I am debating whether to sell my little box and get a trailer, so I thought I would ask you lot. I am after the cheapest option (as in day to day costs i.e petrol, maintenence etc).

I currently have an E reg transit box 2l petrol. I usually spend about £200-400 to get it through its MOT, last year it had a new alternator, new gearbox, ramp re-mounted and a few other bits, probably around £1000-1500 in maintenence plus £20 a month breakdown, £30 a month insurance, tax, mot and service. I drive about 60 miles per week in the box.

I also have a 1.2 corsa and drive around 200 miles a week at a guess.

I am considerting selling the box and getting a second hand Ifor plus the most economical 4x4. I will be pulling 1 600kg horse only. The corsa is worth about £3000, I would not be able to spend any more than this on a 4x4.

So overall, cost wise which would work out cheaper? Running around in a 4x4 all the time and maintaining a 4x4 or the box plus the corsa?

i will also need to take a trailer test, anyone know approx how much this will cost (plus the lessons)?

Bit of a vague post I know but just after a rough guide of an answer.

 

[Louby]

Id keep the Corsa and think about saving to upgrade your box hopefully to reduce your maintanance costs and get a diesel.
For £3k you are looking at an older 4 x 4 which will do about 25 ish to the gallon. If you do 200 miles a week thats a lot in fuel, plus your towing miles. Your insurance will probably double, hubbys is arround £500 for 4 x 4 mine on a corsa was £220 and you will still have to insure the trailer which when I had one was about £120 a year.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I'm afraid that with the money you will have available any 4x4 that you buy will probably be older & the older vehicles do not do very many miles to the gallon. I have an N reg Mitsubishi, it tows beautifully but it is thirsty on fuel. Additionally maintenance on 4x4s can be expensive as it's like working on an HGV. One way around it would be to try & get a 4x4 that has had a LPG conversion. LPG is about half the price of petrol/diesel & that would make it viable money wise. They are about, they may cost a little more than a normally powered 4x4 put your fuel cost would be halved.

I think that would be the only viable way to do the trailer & 4x4 idea, because using a 4x4 daily is very expensive on fuel, I know as I've done it.

 

[jumpthemoon]

I've just had this debate with the guuy who looks after my lorry for me. It cost me £600 to get it through it's plating this year and I was considering getting a 4x4 (already have a trailer). I do about hte same mileage as you and I worked out that over the year it would cost quite a bit more to run a 4x4/trailer thatn to run my lorry. Also, if you are buying an older 4x4 (which I would have been) if anything goes wrong they are not far off lorries in the repair prices.

Stick with your lorry! Although your insurance seems a bit high - mine was £172 for the year....(but then I'm getting to that miserable age where insurance starts to get cheaper lol)

 

[louisevictoria]

I would say stick with your lorry - I got rid of my 4x4 and trailer as the 4x4 was getting way too expensive to justify driving it to work everyday and if anything when wrong with it, it cost a fortune to get fixed. And it was costing me about £70 to fill it up with fuel that would last me a week if I was lucky (and that only involved one trip locally with the trailer)

 

[Taffster]

I dont think a wagon costs anymore to run (fuel wise) than an older 4x4 the insurance is cheap and tax not much more expensive - i'd probably get wagon the increase in insurance for a 4x4 would more than cover the insurance on the wagon and the fuel isnt any more expensive in wagon to a car towing - didn't know this until i made the decision to get a trailer and sell my wagon. Got a new company car with tow bar the computer said it was only doing between 22-25 miles to the gallon towing yet take off the trailer same journey 40-50mpg my wagon does 20mpg??
I was shocked so have decided to keep the wagon and sell the trailer