Do you "need" your car?

savvykaz

I know we don't actually NEED a car, we could all get by if we didn't have them, but the mere convenience outweighs all other arguments against.
One cold day last November.... my car had been stolen weeks before and one day DH came home from work for lunch, then on his way back out he took me to our local M&S Simply foods (4 miles away) and dropped me off. I did my shopping and went to the local train station for the train back home. I got there at 1pm and the train was due at 1:20pm. At 2pm (no sign of train) an announcement came over the tannoy to say the train was delayed (never!!) due to 'trespassers' on the tracks. The train eventually came at 2:30pm and I got home at 2:45!! In the meantime it had started raining, it was freezing (with nowhere to shelter) and when the train finally arrived there was no where to sit ( I had 3 heavy bags). If I had gone in my car at 12:40 when DH dropped me off, I would have been back home for 1:15 whereas it was 1 and a half hours later. Needless to say no-one will ever convince me to get rid of my car :rolleyes:

bandraoi

I think alot of people don't consider the cheaper alternatives to owning a car.

A bike and a hire car for holidays would work out cheaper for most people I reckon. Even if you threw in the odd taxi when it's raining.

Anyone living in a city area with reasonable public transport should be able to get by with joining one of the new car sharing schemes, to take care of those trips that they can't do.

A moped or a motorbike for one parent to get to work would probably save alot of two car families a second car.

Skint_Catt

At the moment I don't NEED my car as live 20min walk from train station and work (temporarily) 30secs walk from the other end, however looking for a new job and having my own transport keeps my options open to a lot of the rural industrial estates near me.

My previous permanent job would have been IMPOSSIBLE to get to without a car as it was a golf club in the middle of no-where.

I think if the work issue isn't a problem then you can overcome most other journeys.

£500 sounds v cheap - I've just looked in next months Parkers guide (mum bought a new car today) and as depending on the model and condition I would be looking for IRO £1200. The mileage is very low and if you have FSH it's worth more.

Catt xx

barnaby-bear

excel30 wrote: »

I like my wife and child to have a car and a newish one at that so I know they can get around safely and not worry about them breaking down etc. (its a Zafira)

Anyway my second car.
First off, if I sell it I would hope to get £500 (P reg Corsa 1.4 , about 55k miles, 4 dr, 6 months MOT) (let me know if Im asking to much or NOT ENOUGH..doubt it)

What do you think??????

I'd get rid of the newer car and get really decent RAC package (£25 with tesco vouchers); smaller & older car = less fuel, often lower road tax, easier to park, cheaper to insure, cheaper to get fixed (older cars can be fixed by cheapo mechanics rather than having to use somewhere with the right diagnostic equipment), spares cheap and lots 2nd hand available. Given you know the history of the car and it's reliability 55k is low millage so probably quite a lot of life left. If you occassionally need bigger car - £10 a day with enterprise or low cost rental places...

Madcatgirl

I reckon you should get rid of the car and see how you manage. I spent many years without a car, or having it SORN when I lived in Brighton, which has excellent public transport. I used to get the bus to work (15 miles each way across country) every day for £11 a week, and the stop was 5 mins from my house. And I lived next door to Sainsburys.

When I moved to Bristol I decided to get a car. I was going one way to uni, and the other way to work, and spending ages waiting at cold bus stops, or sitting on an overcrowded, unreliable, dirty bus. My old banger cost more than a yearly bus pass and I stupidly got it fully comprehensively insured. When it was stolen the insurance company told me it was foolish to comprehensively insure a car worth less than £1500, because increased premiums make it just not worth making a claim. I have another (much better and cheaper) old banger now, and although I don't technically need it at the moment, I'm starting a job in July where I will do - but they'll be paying me extra to run a car.

tigzem

I'm in two minds over my car at the moment but I'm job hunting so it would all depend where I get a job as I'd need to drop DD off at nursery and pick her up again. If I get a job locally and can do it without the car, it will be sold. But saying that I love my independence and freedom having the car and it's all mine.... my one and only asset. I'm reluctant to sell it but if it clears some debt for me I may well do.

janiegs

We are a one car, one bicycle and one 2 year old family.

I use the car for work and to take the boy to nursery. Also, dh works away and if nursery call because ds is ill, I want to get there as quickly as possible.

If dh is home and one of us is using the car, the other one uses public transport or the bike. It works fine.

Spendless

I'd def get rid of the 2nd car with the circumstances you've posted and I'm also with Barnaby Bears suggestion to get rid of the newer car too. You don't need a Zafira with only one child, get something reliable that's also smaller and cheaper.

We are a 2 car family, but our family car is DH company car. I have a cheap run around that I keep until it 'dies'. I don't go many places in it, but with a husband working away a lot and elderly relatives it is a peace of mind thing to have. I was without a car recently for about a month, and found it extremly inconvenient for our lifestyles and was begging lifts off people. Glad I've now got another one.

Gemmzie

£500 definitely seems far too low! That mileage alone is a great selling point for a car of that age. Is it PAS?

foxybabe

I got rid of my car 3 years ago, and we are now a 1 car family. I work 4 days a week, and walk (30 mins each way) there and back 3 of them. I have the car one day a week and oh gets a lift to work. I wouldnt go back to having a car now as the I feel much healthier (money wise and fitness wise) without it. I have never found it a problem to get around at all.