The costs of getting and running a car

Billy-no-Money

property.advert wrote: »

If you don't drive then getting a bike will more likely put you in the morgue than ease your train time.

Oh please....

Bikes don't suit everyone, but for commuting they can make a lot of sense. The statistics disguise the very wide variation among types of bike and use - with the highest risk being a middle-aged Sunday rider.

I don't think it's the right answer here, but not for the reason you're giving.

s_b

Billy-no-Money wrote: »

Oh please....

Bikes don't suit everyone, but for commuting they can make a lot of sense. The statistics disguise the very wide variation among types of bike and use - with the highest risk being a middle-aged Sunday rider.

I don't think it's the right answer here, but not for the reason you're giving.

actually i totally disagree with you,shes 24 ish and if she hasnt got a car licence its highly likely she hasnt ridden a bike since 14 at most
she says

I've calculated that I'd be driving approx 250 miles to work

and i too reckon even if not her fault with the state of driving in this country by others she would be in the morgue within 6 months

i went on a push bike on the road a few years back having never done it since 1974 and i can tell you it was a pretty scary thing to do and the only power i had was my legs

patman99

What's wrong with an old banger?. I have spent the last year doing a 35 mile round trip to work in a 1998 Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec. Apart from a couple of tyres and an oil change I have had no trouble at all.
Have just replaced it with a 1.9TDi Octavia (X reg). The Focus cost £35 a week in fuel (I do about 230 miles a week with all the other running around I do). I reckon I'll save £10 a week with the Octavia.

At the end of day, it's all down to how well the owner looks after the car. For instance, I picked up the new addition to the fleet from having the cambelt, tensioner and water pump replaced yesterday. It cost £375, but it gives me 4 years peace of mind.
This is a major job that needs to be factored in when buying a car.
As for insurance, think about buying a 'dad Waggon '. Any vehicle that. Has no street appeal to the young will be cheaper to insure.

vax2002

A more common sense approach would make you look at the employment ?
Can you find a more local job, even if it is slightly less pay, as this one requires you to spend a good portion of the wages just getting there and back.

newfoundglory

vax2002 wrote: »

A more common sense approach would make you look at the employment ?
Can you find a more local job, even if it is slightly less pay, as this one requires you to spend a good portion of the wages just getting there and back.

Is a 20 to 30 minute drive really that far !?!?

Initial outlay to drive might seem high, but after a year or two the savings kick in.

Trains and public transport have become so expensive, its often cheaper to drive now if you are smart about it.

OP - another option to consider if insurance and costs of car ownership are too high - is get your license and then take out a long-term rental car (Enterprise should hire you a car with less than 1 years driving). I would have thought you'd be looking at a minimum of around £300/month or more, plus petrol on top.

KBX_2

spiro wrote: »

Plus the upfront cost of lessons and test. Is parking free at work? I know office were there are less spaces than required so its 1st come 1st served and after that your on your own to find somewere which could end up being a pay and display in some towns.

Have you considered a scooter?

You dont say how much a monthly or annual season ticket on the train will cost.

Hello,

Thank you for your response

Yes there is parking at work

My apologies an annual ticket will cost: £2,416.00

KBX_2

VfM4meplse wrote: »

This is going to be a killer, esp in the winter months. You'll find yourself resenting how little free time you have, esp if you are inclined to work longer hours, and when you factor in delays. Is renting a room 4 nights a week (or less) near your place of work an option? If it is, you might wish to negotiate a compression of hours - ie working 4 long days - which would mean having a life at weekends.

As reeac says, motoring is an expensive business. I would suggest that you learn to drive asap, as whatever you decide to do, it's a useful lifeskill.

Yes that is my worry, I will live for commuting, I know my work will require working longer hours when necessary also. I think I have put off learning to drive long enough.

KBX_2

thegirlintheattic wrote: »

Many variables here. To give you an idea this is the spend on my Peugot 1.4 HDI 206 (get about 60mpg most of the time):

Tax: £30
MOT: £55 assuming nothing needs fixing.
Service: £125 (a must with that many miles a week)
Fuel: £65 per week (this amount of diesal in my car will do 300 miles easily)
AA: £60
Other consumables (tyres, wipers, deicer etc.): £140 a year
Insurance depends on too many factors - you'd be best going on a price comparison site but for a new driver I'd reckon about £1000-£2000 a year.
Car: You can get a diesel 206 in good condition (2007-08 with average mileage) for about £4k. So I would be looking at cars up to £5k. If you are doing a lot of commuting (particularly on A roads/motorways) I'd go for diesel but they are in demand at the moment and can cost more to buy than a small engined petrol.

You also need to have a pot of money set aside for repairs. Most repairs on mine (and it's had a few mine is 10 years old with 100k on the clock) cost me about £150 to do, most expensive has been £400. I personally would have £500 set aside for repairs at any one time.

As for lessons. Cheapest around here is £17 per hour. I passed on an hour a week for 6 months so £408 but it can take you more or less. £31 for a theory test then between £62-£75 for the practical. Then £50 for the license. But at least this call covers you for a lifetime (apart from the license).

So in total you are looking at:

£6020 a year
£551 for tests and lessons
£5000 for a car

Thank you for the breakdown of costs, this helps put things into prospective.

KBX_2

Ratgirl wrote: »

I would seriously look at getting a 125cc bike. Cheap to buy and all you need is a CBT to legally ride on the roads. Tax, insurance and fuel costs will be ridiculously cheap compared to a car and you won't get stuck in traffic. The best thing is that the road sense you'll learn being on two wheels will make it easier to learn to drive a car (it took me 13 hours of lessons before I passed my test) and make you a better driver generally.

I really cannot see myself doing the bike thing, sad - but true.

Cash-Strapped.T32

To be fair 250mi p/w is nothing; I do the same (1k per month taking into account 6-day weeks).
I did it first on a 50cc scooter for 3 months (ok, not fun!), then on a 125 bike for 2 years, and now for the past year I can choose between my 400cc scoot or motorbike each morning depending on weather (scoots with big screens keep you surprisingly dry & warm if you dress well).
Of course this is in rain, snow, or hail of frogs, and even running a pair of bikes costs peanuts compared to even a weeny-baby car, with less hassle all round.

On the 400 scoot & big bike, I get no hassle from drivers like tailgating, hell, unless there's a sportscar convention that day I'm normally the fastest thing on the road anyway & it's big enough so no-one tries funny-business like close overtaking etc.. like you get with mountain bikes & such.

On the occasion that I've had a lift in someone's car it takes measurably longer to make the same journey, particularly when I leave after 8am, I can sit for a half hour on my local dual carriageway (waiting to get to M1 J29's roundabout), but on any of the bikes I just slip up the middle without having to wait or inconvenience any drivers - On such days I can honestly say the bike has saved me a full hour each way just on that bit of road.

To break it down;
Purchase Price; £700/£800/£1000 (the 50cc, 125cc & 400cc maxi-scoot respectively)
Tax; £16/£33 for the 50 & 125 or 400 respectively.
Insurance; Sub £100 for all, £120 for the 400 & motorbike at the same time
Weekly Petrol; £12 on the 125, £16-£18 for the 400, and yes, that is for 250mi p/week.

The route includes all the things people love to hate, dual carriageways, motorways (obv I took a different route on the 50), and so-on, and it's the only way I'd have been able to take a full time job, even when I was working just 2-days per week, I spent more time & effort whittling over bus travel than I ever did on the actual job in hand.

So yeah, I definitely second the 125 bike/scooter idea.
Buy a cheap bike, take the job. Then, 6 months to a year down the line, buy a car once you've done all your lessons & sold a few children to fund the exorbitant insurance costs.

I originally got into bikes as a cheap intro to "real" driving with the intention of taking my driving test soon after, but the longer I spend on the bikes, the more I fail to see the big deal about cars & to this day haven't even thought seriously about taking my car test any time soon.
People just take the easy no-thought option & discount bikes, but then again those same people come on here bemoaning petrol prices, insurance prices, congestion, stress, repair costs, depreciation & other stuff that I don't even remember because it's not an issue for me. Happy days?

*EDIT* Cross-post with the OP.