Cars cost - but here's how to save.

(From Newsletter)

WHAT'S the true cost of running a car? Everyone has an opinion on cars. For some, they're a transport of delight; for others they're just a means of transport but, whichever view you hold, there is one factor on which everyone agrees - cars cost.

A recent RAC Report on Motoring found running a typical, 1.1 litre car for a year costs a staggering pounds 2,650. A larger car with an engine of two- litres boosts this figure to pounds 6,800 once fuel, insurance, maintenance, depreciation and car tax have been included.

But it's not just the private motorist who pays for motoring. In 2001, company car drivers paid the Chancellor pounds 3.7 billion in revenue.

By far the greatest cost factor in running a car is depreciation. That's the amount a car loses in value each year. Some cars depreciate more slowly than others, depending on their desirability as used vehicles.

Recently it was reported that a 4,000 mile Mini Cooper S had sold for over 99 per …