Wife does'nt drive

GlynD

On reflection I thought I'd make another comment. I am so proud every time my wife goes out in the car that she is independent enough to do the things she wants to do. If she ever said she wanted to try passing a test for a manual gearbox again I would support her but I would never raise the subject because there's no need to. She can drive and we have car she can drive in. End of story.

heartbreak_star

Agreed, Marisco - when I lived in Blyth and my OH in Gateshead, travelling without a car was a nightmare! Plus...I really like just "going for a drive", especially up the Northumbrian coast - take a picnic and it can cost less than a pub lunch with a round of drinks!

HBS x

krlyr

Marisco wrote: »

Mine doesn't cost anywhere near that a week!! I'd say it was about £20/30. I suppose it depends how often you use it, engine size etc. For us it is convenience, although I don't take it into town as we have an excellent Metro service. The buses aren't too bad but they take too long! But go "up the road" to Northumberland and a car is a must, as public transport is very hit and miss.

Also if someone has a job that is shift work or a very early start, public transport is non existent.

Idiophreak did say it was just for an example. I spend half as much on fuel a year as them so at a guess do half the miles (or they have a gas guzzler of a car) so my tyres need replacing less often, paid for the car outright so no interest on any credit payments, I very rarely park anywhere that costs money (own car park at office, no permit needed at home), everyone's costs will vary, I think the point was that it does all add up, even if it's not quite to the same figure as theirs.

tooldle

Idiophreak wrote: »

I do agree about parking charges, people forget them...but I'm not sure people forget the initial cost...it's just that the ship has sailed on that one already, the car itself doesn't cost you any more if you decide to do a few more miles in it...I think a lot of people fail to work out the total cost of running their car, though...and it's scary the way it adds up...

As an example, I run a 2 year old Jazz and my annual outgoings are something like:
Car payments: £2600.
Tax: £90
Insurance: £400
Fuel: £2300
Parking: £200
Tyres: £170
Service: £200

All in, you're looking at around £6000/year - or £115 / week.

It really is a lot of money, when you see it all written down like that. It's times like these I regret promising a nun I'd never ride a motorbike

Brilliant, did we go to the same school? Amazing isn't it how it adds up. In a lot of circumstances, public transport really can be cheaper.

andygb

tooldle wrote: »

Brilliant, did we go to the same school? Amazing isn't it how it adds up. In a lot of circumstances, public transport really can be cheaper.

The figures are absolute rubbish.
I have a 12 year old Mondeo, which uses bigger tyres than a Honda Jazz, and I just replaced them this year, after 3 years wear - £208.
If you want cheap motoring then don't buy a new car.
You should have gone to my school where we cut down on costs and made things last longer.

Idiophreak

andygb wrote: »

The figures are absolute rubbish.
I have a 12 year old Mondeo, which uses bigger tyres than a Honda Jazz, and I just replaced them this year, after 3 years wear - £208.
If you want cheap motoring then don't buy a new car.
You should have gone to my school where we cut down on costs and made things last longer.

Err...I'm not sure what you mean by "the figures are absolute rubbish"...I just wrote down what I spend. I guess you can choose not to believe me, if you like.

I don't think you understand how tyre prices work, either. :rotfl::rotfl: The rim size has really little impact on the cost of the tyre. I shopped around and bought the cheapest tyre from Black Circles.

I can only congratulate you on getting 3 years wear out of your tyres....At first I thought it might be that you drive less than me...or over different kinds of roads...of with a different style...But then I realised the difference - you're obviously a better person than me!

Finally, I don't believe I ever actually mentioned wanting cheap motoring at any point.

*sigh*, when am I going to stop feeding these trolls...

Marisco

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Agreed, Marisco - when I lived in Blyth and my OH in Gateshead, travelling without a car was a nightmare! Plus...I really like just "going for a drive", especially up the Northumbrian coast - take a picnic and it can cost less than a pub lunch with a round of drinks!

HBS x

Getting to Blyth was a nightmare for oh when he used to have access visits!! We didn't have a car at the time, (live at the Coast) so he had to get the bus to Whitley Bay, change there and get another to Blyth. It turned a 15 min drive, into a 1.5 hour hike (with waiting times) So cars are useful for things a lot of folk might not think of!

tooldle

andygb wrote: »

The figures are absolute rubbish.
I have a 12 year old Mondeo, which uses bigger tyres than a Honda Jazz, and I just replaced them this year, after 3 years wear - £208.
If you want cheap motoring then don't buy a new car.
You should have gone to my school where we cut down on costs and made things last longer.

Errr...... I'm referring to promising a nun, never to ride a motorbike.
It doesn't necessarily follow that new is expensive, and old is cheap. It would very much depend on what vehicle you have.

andygb

Idiophreak wrote: »

Err...I'm not sure what you mean by "the figures are absolute rubbish"...I just wrote down what I spend. I guess you can choose not to believe me, if you like.

I don't think you understand how tyre prices work, either. :rotfl::rotfl: The rim size has really little impact on the cost of the tyre. I shopped around and bought the cheapest tyre from Black Circles.

I can only congratulate you on getting 3 years wear out of your tyres....At first I thought it might be that you drive less than me...or over different kinds of roads...of with a different style...But then I realised the difference - you're obviously a better person than me!

Finally, I don't believe I ever actually mentioned wanting cheap motoring at any point.

*sigh*, when am I going to stop feeding these trolls...

I spend about the same as you on petrol a year, but the big difference, is that the Mondeo cost £2300 back in 2004.
The tyre wear will vary from car to car, driver to driver and tyre to tyre. My last set had just over 35K on them, and most importantly I swap fronts with backs.
My last MOT and service cost £135 and insurance is £280. I think that the tax is a shade over £200.
There is no such thing as "cheap motoring" nowadays, but it is just common sense to cut down on costs, without compromising reliability and comfort.
As a matter of interest, what size tyre did you buy for the Honda Jazz?

Idiophreak

andygb wrote: »

I spend about the same as you on petrol a year, but the big difference, is that the Mondeo cost £2300 back in 2004.
The tyre wear will vary from car to car, driver to driver and tyre to tyre. My last set had just over 35K on them, and most importantly I swap fronts with backs.
My last MOT and service cost £135 and insurance is £280. I think that the tax is a shade over £200.
There is no such thing as "cheap motoring" nowadays, but it is just common sense to cut down on costs, without compromising reliability and comfort.
As a matter of interest, what size tyre did you buy for the Honda Jazz?

185 / 55 / R16

If you can find them for less than the £85 I quoted, I'd be very interested to hear about it. I've put two pairs on the front in the last couple of years, around 17k per pair. The rears will need changing next year, too. I don't know why I get such poor life out of them - I used to manage a good 35k on a set when I drove an Astra (much more aggressively!).

Anyway, you've still not explained what you meant by calling my figures "absolute rubbish"?