Disadvantages and advantages of not owning a car
- Thread starter Alison
- Start date
To those who don't think its a basic life skill and rely on public transport/taxis.
You'd be royally knackered if the bus and taxi drivers hadn't considered it a "basic life skill".
(You don't generally go directly from non-driver to taxi/bus driver, except in certain areas, where licences seem to be optional.)
I lived without a car until i was about 26/27, then a minor job change made purchase of a car all but essential. (40 mile daily round trip isn't *really* practical.) Now i live semi-rurally (8 or 10km to the nearest shop) and could fairly easily manage without one, except for the drive to work. And to offset the housing costs of living within public transport/cycle commute distance of work, i'd have to pretty much be buying a new car every three years from now until i retire.
You'd be royally knackered if the bus and taxi drivers hadn't considered it a "basic life skill".
(You don't generally go directly from non-driver to taxi/bus driver, except in certain areas, where licences seem to be optional.)
I lived without a car until i was about 26/27, then a minor job change made purchase of a car all but essential. (40 mile daily round trip isn't *really* practical.) Now i live semi-rurally (8 or 10km to the nearest shop) and could fairly easily manage without one, except for the drive to work. And to offset the housing costs of living within public transport/cycle commute distance of work, i'd have to pretty much be buying a new car every three years from now until i retire.
Matt,
Interesting point you have raised, in an odd fashion. I think that the 'basic life skill' is actually using buses, taxis and trains and not driving. If you are in a position to use public transport, you need to be able to USE them. I use public transport about twice a year - when i attend a drinking event with some friends. The remainder of the year i drive. I lack the skills to work out timetables and bus numbers ets. and resort to phoning the bus/train to get advice.
Re buying new cars every 3 years - see the Audi above. 1999 A6 1.9tdi, 203,000 miles and running like a dream. Sold to my mechanic for £450 and he knows it is mechanically sound. I have owned it for 7 years and 9 months and put and average of 9000 miles per year. It still provides 50mpg. My new car is the newer version - but 2.0tdi, mpg is guessed at 44mpg. It is 7 years old and is costing me £7500 - this is a good price for here and compares with English prices. I would hope to keep it for a number of years - hopefully at least 9. With proper servicing from an Audi specialist (not dealer) it should last to 200,000 miles.
Get your calculator out and do some sums, the 3 year change always seemed madness to me. The advantage is warranty and relatively hassle free driving but you have to pay for this.
Richard
Interesting point you have raised, in an odd fashion. I think that the 'basic life skill' is actually using buses, taxis and trains and not driving. If you are in a position to use public transport, you need to be able to USE them. I use public transport about twice a year - when i attend a drinking event with some friends. The remainder of the year i drive. I lack the skills to work out timetables and bus numbers ets. and resort to phoning the bus/train to get advice.
Re buying new cars every 3 years - see the Audi above. 1999 A6 1.9tdi, 203,000 miles and running like a dream. Sold to my mechanic for £450 and he knows it is mechanically sound. I have owned it for 7 years and 9 months and put and average of 9000 miles per year. It still provides 50mpg. My new car is the newer version - but 2.0tdi, mpg is guessed at 44mpg. It is 7 years old and is costing me £7500 - this is a good price for here and compares with English prices. I would hope to keep it for a number of years - hopefully at least 9. With proper servicing from an Audi specialist (not dealer) it should last to 200,000 miles.
Get your calculator out and do some sums, the 3 year change always seemed madness to me. The advantage is warranty and relatively hassle free driving but you have to pay for this.
Richard
- Feedback
- View
interesting discussion - I wonder how different the answers would have been if we changed;
'Driving' to 'Cycling'
and
'Car' to 'Bike'.
Especially when considering it as a life skill...?
Me? I blummin LOVE driving. I have 3 of the cars, and they're all modified and all Awesome. If you're gonna do something in life, be it driving, cycling, eating, shouting, running etc. why not enjoy it?
'Driving' to 'Cycling'
and
'Car' to 'Bike'.
Especially when considering it as a life skill...?
Me? I blummin LOVE driving. I have 3 of the cars, and they're all modified and all Awesome. If you're gonna do something in life, be it driving, cycling, eating, shouting, running etc. why not enjoy it?
highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
- Feedback
- View
Re:
One thing I have mentioned before is that I reckon, where practical, all drivers should have to be given cycle training to appreciate the safety issues from the cyclist's perspective. We ought to be putting much more investment into public transport too, and encouraging more car share schemes.
One thing I have mentioned before is that I reckon, where practical, all drivers should have to be given cycle training to appreciate the safety issues from the cyclist's perspective. We ought to be putting much more investment into public transport too, and encouraging more car share schemes.
To clarify, the cost of housing within public transport/cycle commuting distance of work is that much more expensive than where i am now that the difference amounts to pretty much the costs attached to buying and running a new car every three years until i retire (probably 25 years!). I'm not actually going to go out and do that, i'll stick with the company car thanks!TGR":23ufwhjp said:
And FWIW, i'm doing more like 30000 miles a year commuting, and the thick end of 55 mpg.
TBH, modified and high performance cars are pretty pointless where i am (empty roads, minimal traffic, minimal police presence, minimal risk). In the UK, unless you have access to a track, they have even less point.My_Teenage_Self":1xeyrnau said:
And this comes from someone who has spent a lot of time (Track and public roads) in some properly mental "production" cars.
Matt,
Company car makes sense!!! I have to buy and pay for my own.
If i win the lottery I shall be buying my mechanic's 2001 S8, he had a race with an R8 last week (W10) and the R8 only started to go past when they were at 165. 4 door comfort and more speed than you would ever need but the running costs scare me!!
Richard
Company car makes sense!!! I have to buy and pay for my own.
If i win the lottery I shall be buying my mechanic's 2001 S8, he had a race with an R8 last week (W10) and the R8 only started to go past when they were at 165. 4 door comfort and more speed than you would ever need but the running costs scare me!!
Richard
highlandsflyer
Retro Wizard
- Feedback
- View
Re:
Luckily we still have very few fixed cameras up here. The mobile units are generally well monitored and I have been caught out just the once, despite driving everywhere at at least one hundred.
High performance cars generally handle a little better, thanks to better chassis/suspension/tyres and such. This alone can make them ideal for rapid progress on tricky roads. Lowering them radically often renders them useless for the same though. If I want to go fast and feel it I take a naked bike out. At least i am most likely to be the only fatality for my stupidity.
The main thing is that driving is a worthy skill to acquire, even if only to use occasionally.
My last trip to the Caribbean involved using a jeep to visit all the relatives, manageable in a few days. If we relied on the buses/taxis it would have taken a week to make the same journeys.
Driving is cool. Cycling is cool. I am the epitome of cool when I charge from aye, aye! to just be in my green Subaru estate with the rusty door and plastic wheel trims.
Luckily we still have very few fixed cameras up here. The mobile units are generally well monitored and I have been caught out just the once, despite driving everywhere at at least one hundred.
High performance cars generally handle a little better, thanks to better chassis/suspension/tyres and such. This alone can make them ideal for rapid progress on tricky roads. Lowering them radically often renders them useless for the same though. If I want to go fast and feel it I take a naked bike out. At least i am most likely to be the only fatality for my stupidity.
The main thing is that driving is a worthy skill to acquire, even if only to use occasionally.
My last trip to the Caribbean involved using a jeep to visit all the relatives, manageable in a few days. If we relied on the buses/taxis it would have taken a week to make the same journeys.
Driving is cool. Cycling is cool. I am the epitome of cool when I charge from aye, aye! to just be in my green Subaru estate with the rusty door and plastic wheel trims.
Similar threads
- Locked
