The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

michaels · 22 December 2019 at 3:54PM

For our second car which does less than 2k pa we got a policy from a company called bymiles which cost 150 plus 3p/mile. I got a referral which means I got £50 of miles free which has covered all my miles for the first year. If you were to ask me for a referral we would both get the same.

We did the maths on hiring/taxing instead of having this car '(also pre-depreciated) and decided costs were about the same and having the car available when we needed it was worth the risk that it will die mechanically - as long as it lasts 3 years then we 'win'.

GDB2222 · 22 December 2019 at 5:41PM

michaels wrote: »

For our second car which does less than 2k pa we got a policy from a company called bymiles which cost 150 plus 3p/mile. I got a referral which means I got £50 of miles free which has covered all my miles for the first year. If you were to ask me for a referral we would both get the same.

We did the maths on hiring/taxing instead of having this car '(also pre-depreciated) and decided costs were about the same and having the car available when we needed it was worth the risk that it will die mechanically - as long as it lasts 3 years then we 'win'.

Just to put the true costs of car ownership in perspective, I found out this morning that our car leaked badly in the heavy rain we had last night.

We set off this morning, and I asked DW what 'that sloshing noise was"? Two inches of water in the rear passenger foot well, that's what.

I have spent most of today outside (and it's not exactly warm) trying to dry the car out. There's sound deadening foam under the carpet, and that's saturated. Every time I dry the carpet, more water exudes from the foam.

I've cleaned all the roof and window seals, but I have no real idea whether the car is now waterproof again! I've run a mains lead into the car and connected up a dehumidifier inside, all of which could become a bit of a death trap if it turns out the car is not waterproof.

I'll just add that the car has a full tank of petrol ...

GDB2222 · 22 December 2019 at 5:42PM

Just checked the weather forecast.

michaels · 23 December 2019 at 1:01AM

GDB2222 wrote: »

Just to put the true costs of car ownership in perspective, I found out this morning that our car leaked badly in the heavy rain we had last night.

We set off this morning, and I asked DW what 'that sloshing noise was"? Two inches of water in the rear passenger foot well, that's what.

I have spent most of today outside (and it's not exactly warm) trying to dry the car out. There's sound deadening foam under the carpet, and that's saturated. Every time I dry the carpet, more water exudes from the foam.

I've cleaned all the roof and window seals, but I have no real idea whether the car is now waterproof again! I've run a mains lead into the car and connected up a dehumidifier inside, all of which could become a bit of a death trap if it turns out the car is not waterproof.

I'll just add that the car has a full tank of petrol ...

I think you should probably inform us and the rest of the internet that by mistake you have left the keys in and the car is parked outside no 10 acacia drive....alternatively having checked the insurance you could park close to one of those rivers that is about to overflow its banks.

I assume google didn't shed any light on common leak sources? Some cars have known issues with drain points getting blocked and water backing up into the interior.

SingleSue · 23 December 2019 at 1:07AM

I've gone from having a fairly clear day to relax and chill tomorrow to having a day where I am rushing from the butchers (one of our Christmas day joints plus chipolatas and bacon), Morrisons and possibly also Iceland with mum and dad. Mum's not been well the past few weeks and is not upto driving just yet (a chest infection has left her seriously fatigued and she keeps dropping off mid sentence so she is not taking any chances).

On top of this, youngest came home Friday, expressed disappointment that I was not making a Christmas cake (I haven't done one for a couple of years), so now we are doing last minute mini Christmas cakes which as I am working on Christmas eve afternoon/evening and making mince pies Christmas eve morning, has to be done tomorrow.

I know this seems late for Christmas cake but apart from my very first one or two, I always did them Christmas eve night and iced them Christmas morning before leaving to go to my parent's house. Apparently the taste was still good but I wouldn't know, it contained alcohol and as I have to drive all over the Christmas period, I wouldn't eat any of it!

That's a point, need some alcohol free wine for the Christmas day toast, I had to toast with some borrowed Dr Pepper last year (eurgh)..must remember to put that on the list.

zagubov · 23 December 2019 at 1:39AM

GDB2222 wrote: »

Just to put the true costs of car ownership in perspective, I found out this morning that our car leaked badly in the heavy rain we had last night.

We set off this morning, and I asked DW what 'that sloshing noise was"? Two inches of water in the rear passenger foot well, that's what.

I have spent most of today outside (and it's not exactly warm) trying to dry the car out. There's sound deadening foam under the carpet, and that's saturated. Every time I dry the carpet, more water exudes from the foam.

I've cleaned all the roof and window seals, but I have no real idea whether the car is now waterproof again! I've run a mains lead into the car and connected up a dehumidifier inside, all of which could become a bit of a death trap if it turns out the car is not waterproof.

I'll just add that the car has a full tank of petrol ...

Just over 30 years ago I visited a friend in New Orleans. We drove to a bar at the end of the streetcar lines to listen to a band (it being a very musical city).

It rained torrentially and when we came out my mate's car was full of water in the footwells but the electrics were so high the car started and we headed home.

The roads were flooded but free of traffic (many people had parked their cars on the elevated streetcar lines so public transport wasn't an option). A couple of hitch-hikers joined us but because the car was full they sat on the bonnet of the car and pretended they were on a speedboat because the car's movement sprayed the water away from them.

It was my first introduction to America. I suppose it was also my first introduction to climate change.

Poor_Leno · 24 December 2019 at 12:35AM

zagubov wrote: »

Can you buy a year's parking from the council?

I found out on Saturday that an on-street parking permit can be purchased from the local council for £55 per year for town centre residents. There are some spaces around in nearby roads, though would involve a little bit of a walk. Not too much, but a bit.

I am going to have to weigh up the pro's and con's before making a decision. I need to make a decision soon though cos these apartments go to open market on 27th December.

Advantages being that its right in the centre of town so everything is within easy reach. No need to worry about taxis to town on a night out anymore, I can just stumble back and forth. I can potentially ditch the car going forward as trains and buses have a direct route to my work place. I estimate it costs me about £1,000 a year just to own a car, and that's before filling it with fuel. An annual train pass to the station that is 200 yards from my work place is £775 per year. This is South West trains though, who are horribly unreliable.

Other advantages being that all appliances including dishwasher, fridge freezer washer/dryer are included. Brand new place so little to no decorating needed. Will literally be move in ready. Local park is 100 yards round the corner and is massive so if I need outside space, its right there. Good for my running aswell.

The biggest disadvantage is the parking for sure. I need to work out if I can compromise on that one big issue in my head. Other disadvantages being that it is a pretty small apartment. Though, given how there's plenty of good nearby outside spaces, maybe less of a problem as I'm not the sort who stays indoors anyway as I do a lot of outside activities. The other issue is the fact that Barclays have said they'd have no problem extending my mortgage application by a further 6 months once the first 6 run down, but after that I'd have to re-apply. Right now, the development is due for completion in December next year. So, if I apply for a mortgage in January, the project needs to be bang on schedule otherwise it means starting that process all over this time next year.

I dunno. I need to decide but I've never been any good when it comes to a hunch about something.

In my head and on the one hand I feel I am not sure I can compromise on the lack of parking. On the other I feel like if I don't go for it then the opportunities might be few and far between in the future. The fact this will lead to full ownership is another big plus. Everywhere else in this location, I'm basically limited to shared ownership.