Posted by
oj
19 yrs ago
I am trying to persuade my husband in agreeing to purchase a second car, the first ssi a company car.
What i want to know is after the intial purchase of the car and the vehicle tax, is it going to be expensive? Say comparable to running a car in the UK.
He comes up with the same boring arguements about it not being feeisable due to running costs, etc..... so any help greatly appreciated.
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I have a second hand car that is not the best looking car but I dont have to worry about it getting knocked in car parks by other cars. Running costs are about $4400.00 a year for registration and about 3500.00 for Insurance (third party). Parking is usually around $22.00 - 30.00 an hour but get used to finding out how to get free parking. For example Time Square you get 2 free hours if you eat at one of the restuarants. Then your parking is not so much. I always go with some one and we all share costs, one will pay one week and the other another week. Petrol I now only fill up once a fortnight so it depends on how much you will drive around. To fill up the car its about $650.00 and I drive a small car. (four door hatch). Let me know if you have any other questions. Whatever you do make sure you get a car that is mechanically sound. I have a great Expat mechanic that does a check on cars before buying.
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unless you have kids i say forget it.
taxis/public transport works out cheaper, and then trying to offload the car when you eventually leave is another headache you don't want to have, not to point out the resale of the car.
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oj
19 yrs ago
I have 2 kids and it is beginning to become a logistical nightmare with having to collect one to take somewehere else, etc...not to mention to gain a little of my independance again.
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we run 2 cars and have for the past 8 years here - one is a 4 cylinder van for all the family to travel in, (6 of us) the other is a small 3 cylinder hatchback that we bought for $2,000. We don't pay for parking at home, so that works out cheaper than if we had to pay for a car park somewhere.
To us it is worth the extra expense for the convenience - now the kids are bigger now and more independent we may ditch the 2nd car...
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oj
19 yrs ago
'Simple' Simon i don't need sarcasism just constructive feedback please.
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oj
19 yrs ago
Fairybell, Conordec, Dimec4 and Patrick thanks for the info and yes, TC, i had done a search before creating this thread as i didn't want to waste my time writing if this sort of question had already been answered. Thanks.
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cd
19 yrs ago
Its definately worth having a car, especially if you have kids. I run a Previa, 5,700 tax, 1,600 a year 3rd party insurance, no parking charges at home. I do spend $700 a week on petrol though, as its not the most economical car but I do 250 miles a week. If you times public transport by 7 people per month, plus school buses its actually probably cheaper for us to have a car, plus the convenience of course. There are many ways to save on parking charges, most PNS and Wellcomes give you up to 2 hours free parking, some cinemas and restaurants do. Government carparks are cheaper than normal ones, but can only be used after 7pm weekdays, 2pm sat and all day sundays.
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Yeah, absolutely essential to have a second car if you don't have a driver and you have to ferry the sprogs around yourself.
I take the ferrari in to the office every day, so the mrs has to have a four seater for herself, so she got a porsche. Running costs are ok, insurance is about 20k/year, fuel is 1k a week, servicing is usual dealer monopoly rates, parking is $25/hour.
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oj
19 yrs ago
Ferrari's and Porsches are all too common here, so would be looking for something that would blend in, but thanks for your help anyway.
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My point, which I guess I didn't make too clearly, was to answer the original question of what are the running costs after the initial purchase compared to the UK. And those costs, even for a pair of sports cars, are not ridiculous in comparison to the time saved and thus made available for extra time in the spa / tennis court / princes building.
Good point about the autotoll though - well worth the convenience and I think the monthy charge is only about $40 / month.
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cd
19 yrs ago
Autotoll was only $30 a month when we signed up, well worth it, I still think its under $40.
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