Tony Bryer wrote:
On Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:13:13 +0000 (GMT) Dave Liquorice wrote :
40p/mile is on the low side of the real cost of running a car,
so that trip really costs £28.00. £8.00 of which is the 2
gallons of fuel. Ball park figures, with average cars, not nasty
little tiny tin boxes doing 70 to the gallon.

No, no, no! The relevant figure is the marginal cost of driving
the extra miles. Driving extra miles costs you nothing in tax and
insurance, may not cost you anything in servicing if this is
determined by time rather than distance. Likewise the extra cost
of tyre wear and depreciation may be nil if you're only doing a
low mileage.

You have to factor in tyres and brakes unless you are doing REALLY low
mileage, in which case sell the car and hire as needed.


If an average set of tryes costs what - 300 quid for about 20k miles,
hats 1.5p a mile straight.

Brakes need relining at similar intervals and chances are, new discs at
every other interval.


70 miles is a bit way out; what is more relevant is that people
will drive a couple of miles each way (say 60-80p) to save 20p