Ben–350Z Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Been having this thing recently where - however much I love my Zed - any time I'm not driving it on a clear road, I just get increasingly frustrated with how much it costs to run... To the point I'm considering replacing it - probably with a tiny turbo snot-box. Just wondering if anyone else has had that feeling, and what they did about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee370Z Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I had exactly the same feeling when I had my E92 M3 that I used as a daily. I had very few opportunities to use the power and when I was either stuck in traffic or behind several cars in flowing traffic the mpg in the teens/and not being able to use the power just didn't make sense to me. I now run a Mini Cooper S with a 2 litre turbo petrol engine as a daily, it feels quick enough(although it isn't that quick obviously with only 189bhp) but it returns 40 mpg and I don't get frustrated that I have lots of power that I just can't use, and it is cheap to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie_r32 Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 I had that feeling with my last car so bought a 350gt, so nice to be in the 20s for mpg, it's all about perspective 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umster Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Buy a daily snot box to take the grunt and enjoy the Z on weekends, evenings and events! Running 2 cars is the way forward and in my case is cheaper than just running the Z (initial outlay aside) If you do replace it there's so many good cars on the market that do everything pretty well. Zee Germans have a remedy for any ailemt it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formatzero Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 14 minutes ago, Umster said: Buy a daily snot box to take the grunt and enjoy the Z on weekends, evenings and events! Running 2 cars is the way forward and in my case is cheaper than just running the Z (initial outlay aside) If you do replace it there's so many good cars on the market that do everything pretty well. Zee Germans have a remedy for any ailemt it seems. Yeh this was the route I took,my daily is a Nissan Leaf in which I do about 9k a year with no fuel cost or road tax and just run the Z on good days at week ends. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Better still, ignore all the costs of running a second car and it practically pays you! Not sure running a second car is a practical or reasonable solution to a “I don’t want to pay this much not use my Z as I want” thread, but hey ho. A much more sensible suggestion is to change jobs and move house so you have those clear roads all the time. Initial outlay aside it’s the perfect solution... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 My friend did the second daily commute car thing for a year or two. Had a modified R35 but didn't want to commute daily from Warrington to Manchester in it. So got a Nissan Leaf for commuting. The boredom was killing him but he couldn't justify putting mega miles on the Gtr so changed the Leaf for a....... Mustang convertible Even though the drive was boring, he missed sitting in something a bit special. Hopefully you don't do as mega miles as Manchester to Warrington and the smiles per mile outway the burden of low mpg. I'm lucky my commute is only 5 miles each way, so my average 18mpg isn't too much of a burden. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 (edited) Confucius he say "You'll always walk past the lesser car to get in the exciting one" Edited September 29, 2019 by ATTAK Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryptek49 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Get a motorbike! I bought an 2011 SV650S w/ 21k miles last week for £2k - running costs are only £90 yearly road tax, £200 insurance, 60mpg. And to top that all off a 0-60 in under 4 seconds. It's great fun and also very practical. Might not be possible for everyone, but when you put the figures down like that it seems like a no brainer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben–350Z Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, Umster said: Running 2 cars is the way forward and in my case is cheaper than just running the Z (initial outlay aside) Unfortunately, 2 cars does require space to store 2... Which isn't especially practical right now. Unless I can leave one at work - but that probably has horrible insurance implications. @formatzeroraises an interesting point about an electric daily... 24 minutes ago, Kryptek49 said: Get a motorbike! Probably can find space for one of those ... and it solves the constantly stuck in traffic... And whilst it's not Manchester to Warrington, it does take about as long! For context, I reset the trip computers before my drive into work this morning: it used ~£4.20 just in fuel! Edited September 30, 2019 by Ben–350Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umster Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 If you can't do 2 cars for logistical reasons, I'd have to recommend switching to either the i30N or the mk7.5 Golf R. Driven both and genuinely think they tick every box for daily and for pleasure. Splash a little cash and you can also tick the box for road presence (hit Instagram and check out jacob7r and blacki30n for ideas). Pretty sure a few people have left the Zed fold, some for bigger cars and others for more convenience, a few of them have switched back and a few haven't looked back. Guess they are the ones who need to comment on this thread. Be interested to hear what you decide to do next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) That's why cars like these tend to change hands often, cost to buy isn't terribly high but running costs can be. Since before owning my 350z I drive a 92' Nissan Sunny 1.4, luckily have the space to store both. With 2 children I need a second car and my daily beater is pretty much the cheapest form of motoring with 5 seats. Less fuel works out to be £1.37 a day, which im happy to pay and thus far has been stress free motoring. Edited September 30, 2019 by davey_83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Umster said: If you can't do 2 cars for logistical reasons, I'd have to recommend switching to either the i30N or the mk7.5 Golf R. A 5k car to 25k seems like poor man maths to me. Edited September 30, 2019 by davey_83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 car has to go, either that or move to the sticks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 1 hour ago, davey_83 said: A 5k car to 25k seems like poor man maths to me. Indeed if you own the car outright the only costs are running costs, if you look to swap to anything where you have pay towards the car then your running costs are unlikely to be your biggest sink. I doubt the Zed is costing you so much that a more economical car would be able to save you enough in running costs to put towards the finance/purchase? I've long shaken my head at people who stump up a fortune for an economical car when a less economical one costs less even with the running costs thrown in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 Yeah I know the one, brother inlaw would rather buy a 18k sports hatch that'll do 35mpg combined, than one 9k doing 25mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, davey_83 said: Yeah I know the one, brother inlaw would rather buy a 18k sports hatch that'll do 35mpg combined, than one 9k doing 25mpg As my dad says "someones got to keep the economy going!" You'd have to be doing some serious miles for that to bare out. Purchase price is always the biggest factor. I'd always get something cheaper with slightly higher running costs if I could get something nicer. It's like people who worry about the tax band, if it's a serious concern then your buying the wrong type of car. That said buying something with silly maintenance and running costs won't end but most cars available are much of a muchness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben–350Z Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 48 minutes ago, MDMetal said: I've long shaken my head at people who stump up a fortune for an economical car when a less economical one costs less even with the running costs thrown in. That's the sticking point really... To get anything I've thought of so far that would be a reasonable replacement is around £9-10k. So say it manages to save around £1.5k / year (a reasonable guess for my usage, I think) that's still like 5-6 years before it pays for itself. But I am getting annoyed with 350 miles to £90 of fuel, and £570 / year for the honour of sitting in traffic on Cambridge's delightfully rubbish roads. Or stuck behind some **** doing 45 in a national for literally no reason. Suppose on that basis, I should hunt down my old ZX 1.9 diesel... 2 hours ago, Umster said: Be interested to hear what you decide to do next! I'll be interested to hear what I'll do next Just so confused right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Ben–350Z said: That's the sticking point really... To get anything I've thought of so far that would be a reasonable replacement is around £9-10k. So say it manages to save around £1.5k / year (a reasonable guess for my usage, I think) that's still like 5-6 years before it pays for itself. But I am getting annoyed with 350 miles to £90 of fuel, and £570 / year for the honour of sitting in traffic on Cambridge's delightfully rubbish roads. Or stuck behind some **** doing 45 in a national for literally no reason. Suppose on that basis, I should hunt down my old ZX 1.9 diesel... I'll be interested to hear what I'll do next Just so confused right now Well Cambridge's roads are just awful atm so I feel for you, my morning commute is 45min to an hour to travel 6 miles! It's definitely nicer with an auto, I've taken the BMW to work most days to give my left foot a rest from the clutch in the 350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben–350Z Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 1 hour ago, MDMetal said: Well Cambridge's roads are just awful atm so I feel for you, my morning commute is 45min to an hour to travel 6 miles! It's definitely nicer with an auto, I've taken the BMW to work most days to give my left foot a rest from the clutch in the 350 Oh, wow. Suddenly my 45min for 17 miles doesn't seem so bad! I have tried to convince my Dad to lend me his PDK Boxster for a bit, for exactly those reasons. He didn't seem too impressed... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDMetal Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, Ben–350Z said: Oh, wow. Suddenly my 45min for 17 miles doesn't seem so bad! I have tried to convince my Dad to lend me his PDK Boxster for a bit, for exactly those reasons. He didn't seem too impressed... Yah Cambourne to the science park :/ stuck with the times as I have to drop our son at nursery as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben–350Z Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 Well, I'm doing near Ely to Milton - time of day doesn't seem to make much difference at the moment. If you're on the A10, it sucks. A14 also broken. And a silly long way around. It just seems to keep getting worse, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Umster said: Pretty sure a few people have left the Zed fold, some for bigger cars and others for more convenience, a few of them have switched back and a few haven't looked back. Guess they are the ones who need to comment on this thread. I bought a VX220 Turbo, 35mpg+ and would make for an epic commute, but wouldn't recommend it Edited September 30, 2019 by coldel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben–350Z Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 21 minutes ago, coldel said: I bought a VX220 Turbo, 35mpg+ and would make for an epic commute, but wouldn't recommend it Haha - one of the cheaper options IS an MR2... positively luxurious compared to a VX220 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 4 hours ago, MDMetal said: Indeed if you own the car outright the only costs are running costs, if you look to swap to anything where you have pay towards the car then your running costs are unlikely to be your biggest sink. I doubt the Zed is costing you so much that a more economical car would be able to save you enough in running costs to put towards the finance/purchase? I've long shaken my head at people who stump up a fortune for an economical car when a less economical one costs less even with the running costs thrown in. Electric Vehicle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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