Starting a part-time wedding car rental business can be a great way to own and operate a classic or prestige car at little or no cost. You could even have free motoring.

If your annual mileage is very low (you may be retired or live very close to your workplace), having a classic car as your only vehicle can be profitable if you run a wedding car rental business part-time.

If the vehicle was manufactured before January 1, 1973, there is no need to pay road tax. You can also take out cheap classic car insurance with limited annual mileage.

However, if your annual mileage is high and you need a fuel efficient car for normal use, you can buy a second car suitable for wedding car hire and start this business for less than £2000. A friend of mine bought a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 for just £1500 from the estate of a late pub owner in 2009. It had only driven 45,000 miles, was in mint condition with full Jaguar service history and spare tool and bulb set from part were still in their shrink wrap! Don’t worry about being a vulture, no one else wanted this car because of its high running costs and license plate street credibility.

There are loads of cars like this out there, just take a look.

In your first year, if you do 15 weddings at £200 per wedding, you’ll get your money back and you’ll have a car that’s probably still worth what you paid for it, or maybe even more.

Ready for next year and you’re on your way to a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, and you charge a lot more.

Don’t be tempted to start your wedding car hire business by buying a Rolls Royce for £5000. I know, we’ve all seen them advertised at this price, online and elsewhere, but be very careful before you buy. The Rolls-Royce Royce Silver Shadow and the Cornich are beautiful cars, a joy to drive, but the operating and repair costs are horrendous. There are plenty of old hacks out there that have been repainted white, filled with putty, and then killed on the wedding circuit. You will be buying a nightmare.

Personally I think a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley are the best cars for wedding car hire, but wait until you have around £10,000 then buy a good one with a full service history from a reputable dealer.

Start your business small, then work your way up.

You could also use your vehicle for film and television work, but that’s another story!