Car hire while contracting?

[Elliegirl]

Anyone ever done this?
I don't own a car in London. It's Uber or borrow a vehicle if I have to usually. I'd like to hire something as cheap as chips for my Swindon gig to get me to and from work as the cold days are drawing in. Any tips on the best and cheapest way of doing this?

[northernladuk]

You asking just about the cheapest way to hire a car in general or how to work it with your LTD?

What about buying a sub £1500 runabout and make the money back on the 45p if the 24 month allows?

[Lance]

Anyone ever done this?
I don't own a car in London. It's Uber or borrow a vehicle if I have to usually. I'd like to hire something as cheap as chips for my Swindon gig to get me to and from work as the cold days are drawing in. Any tips on the best and cheapest way of doing this?

best and cheapest? Buy a car. An older diesel. Get AA/RAC cover just in case.
If you can claim your own travel expenses (see other threads on this) then you can make money it.

Rent/lease is simply going to cost more. Worthwhile if you want a nicer car. Rent if very short term, but if needed for 2 years or more then lease will cost less.

[washed up contractor]

Dont buy an old diesel or in fact, any diesel for travel to London unless it is brand new and meets EU6. You face a TFL charge upto £22 a day from 23 October 17.

You might be able to pick up a cheap diesel but that's because people are dumping them. That means you'll have to pay someone to take it away when you have finished with it.

Also, steer clear of the VW Groups diesels ie VW, Seat, Audi, Skoda that need the EA189 fix. Some of the vehicles affected are in cars built from 2005 onwards.

You'd be better off looking at train travel.

https://www.whatcar.com/news/older-d...ing-in-london/

[SueEllen]

Dont buy an old diesel or in fact, any diesel for travel to London unless it is brand new and meets EU6. You face a TFL charge upto £22 a day from 23 October 17.

You might be able to pick up a cheap diesel but that's because people are dumping them. That means you'll have to pay someone to take it away when you have finished with it.

Also, steer clear of the VW Groups diesels ie VW, Seat, Audi, Skoda that need the EA189 fix. Some of the vehicles affected are in cars built from 2005 onwards.

You'd be better off looking at train travel.

https://www.whatcar.com/news/older-d...ing-in-london/

If you read what the OP wrote she has explained why she wants a car.

Depending on where you live in London and where the client site is driving or even cycling can be faster than using public transport including trains.

Clearly the OP has worked out driving that be faster and easier for her for this contract so she wants a car.

[SueEllen]

Anyone ever done this?
I don't own a car in London. It's Uber or borrow a vehicle if I have to usually. I'd like to hire something as cheap as chips for my Swindon gig to get me to and from work as the cold days are drawing in. Any tips on the best and cheapest way of doing this?

Can you see if anyone you know wants to get rid of an old diesel?

Not all the deals on the scrappage scheme are that good so they may get better deals without a car.

You can then scrap the car when you have finished with it as it won't be worth selling.

Just make sure the car has a reg of late 2007 or later as the T-charge is for cars up to 2006 this October.

[Hobosapien]

Car share?

There are apps/websites where you can arrange it with groups doing the same/similar slog. Swindon has a certain 'following' on here so maybe someone already does your trip.

As someone with no car to share you'd be paying towards the other participant's fuel costs but it will be the cheapest way of doing the journey if you find a group that fits your needs.

No banger to worry about insuring and taxing and being reliable enough to not be a complete pain.

Alternatively, there are hire places that will do monthly deals if you don't fancy the hassle of owning a car.

[Lance]

Dont buy an old diesel or in fact, any diesel for travel to London unless it is brand new and meets EU6. You face a TFL charge upto £22 a day from 23 October 17.

I wasn't aware that the anti-diesel rules were so far advanced in London. Up 'ere in't north there's no sign of it yet.

I still stand by my reasoning of buying a car as the most cost effective as the tax advantage on the mileage allowance is still pretty good despite not having changed in years. The low(ish) cost of fuel right now helps.

My local garage leases Citroen C1s for their customers as a courtesy car and they cost just over £100 a month. But you'll have to commit to several years. You can buy a C1 for under £2k on a 57 plate, which I suggest would make more sense financially. They're not my cup of tea so I guess it's down to what the OP would feel comfortable driving.

[washed up contractor]

I wasn't aware that the anti-diesel rules were so far advanced in London. Up 'ere in't north there's no sign of it yet.

I still stand by my reasoning of buying a car as the most cost effective as the tax advantage on the mileage allowance is still pretty good despite not having changed in years. The low(ish) cost of fuel right now helps.

My local garage leases Citroen C1s for their customers as a courtesy car and they cost just over £100 a month. But you'll have to commit to several years. You can buy a C1 for under £2k on a 57 plate, which I suggest would make more sense financially. They're not my cup of tea so I guess it's down to what the OP would feel comfortable driving.

The London Mayor has plans to bring in an 'ultra low emissions' zone for 2020 and moves are afoot to advance that to 2019. Effectively, f you have any diesel, it will cost you more to get into London. Other cities are also investigating this option because it will bring more revenue in from drivers.

Id avoid any diesel now, the emission control devices will cost a fortune to put right when they go wrong. Although VW are offering a fix for the 'dieselgate' issue, many owners are reporting failed egr valves and injection systems because the fix introduces additional stress on these parts.

As for the OP, I stand by my view that the train is likely to be the best option (unless there's no direct service, obviously) because buying any car for a short period often ends in tears. You want something cheap and cheerful but, that frequently comes with repair bills. That doesnt even start to take into account the stop start of driving into a crowded city.

All Im doing is giving an opinion based on experience. People like sue ellen really should have better things to do than chase people around forums telling them they havent read what the OP posted.

[billybiro]

best and cheapest? Buy a car. An older diesel. Get AA/RAC cover just in case.
If you can claim your own travel expenses (see other threads on this) then you can make money it.

Rent/lease is simply going to cost more. Worthwhile if you want a nicer car. Rent if very short term, but if needed for 2 years or more then lease will cost less.

Until you get home to London each day in your car and realise you need somewhere to park it. After which it ends up costing around £4 million in parking charges alone!