Forget that I ever existed

Grumpy_chap

ushjr said:

I would never get a taxi to pick me up from home because the taxi driver would know I'm out.

ushjr said:

If the taxi driver knows I'm out he knows my home is empty and could therefore burgle it.

I absolutely sympathise with that.

Although UBER and hire car / car club, really could work out well from a financial perspective.

Sky_

How does the taxi driver know you live alone, unless you tell them?

daveyjp

If the MOT costs include welding, serious corrosion repairs to structural components its probably time to scrap it.

However if its items which may last another 3-4 years such as brakes, exhaust, tyres etc which could cost hundreds it can be worth doing.  It's a safer bet than finding another car for a few thousand which may need hundreds spending on it at the next MOT.

HHarry

If the taxi driver knows I'm out he knows my home is empty and could therefore burgle it.

 And how likely is that?

Burglars don’t become Taxi drivers to find possible targets.  They knock on your door, and if you answer they make up some feeble excuse, and if you don’t they wander round the back for a look.

AdrianC

ushjr said:

A taxi round here costs £5 before you go anywhere. That's £520 a year before going anywhere

So, umm, how much does owning a car cost each year?
Insurance. MOT. Tax. Petrol. Depreciation. Tyres. Parking. Maintenance.

If you rarely go further than 2-3 miles, and the supermarket's a mile away, you could walk? Or cycle? Get a full week's shopping delivered?

When you want to go further, hire a car.

BTW, you don't have "23yrs" NCB - you have as much NCB as your insurer recognise, which is probably somewhere between 5 and 9yrs.

And, really, "the taxi driver might burgle me"? That's a bit... paranoid. The instant any taxi firm became linked to a spate of burglaries, the police would cheer - because their clear-up rate would soar through such a blindingly obvious link.

williamgriffin

HHarry said:

If the taxi driver knows I'm out he knows my home is empty and could therefore burgle it.

 And how likely is that?

Burglars don’t become Taxi drivers to find possible targets.  They knock on your door, and if you answer they make up some feeble excuse, and if you don’t they wander round the back for a look.

Sounds like the OP needs a ring doorbell too.

lesalanos

ushjr said:

victor2 said:

ushjr said:

TimSynths said:

Taxis.     .

You mean get a taxi everywhere I drive?
Yes, because you said "I don't do many miles. I drive weekly to the supermarket which is less than a mile away and the odd longer journey every 2-3 months."

ushjr said:

TimSynths said:

Taxis.     .

That would be expensive, plus I would never get a taxi to pick me up from home because the taxi driver would know I'm out.

Erm, that doesn't make sense!

Comments above

A taxi round here costs £5 before you go anywhere. That's £520 a year before going anywhere and then there's the longer journeys. If the taxi driver knows I'm out he knows my home is empty and could therefore burgle it.

Couple of options there.

1) get them to pick you up/drop you off from in front of the most expensive or most run down house close to you

2) throw a big bone through the door when you leave and play dog noises from the house as you leave

Brewer20

Think the OP's gone shopping.🤔

Herzlos

ushjr said:

A taxi round here costs £5 before you go anywhere. That's £520 a year before going anywhere and then there's the longer journeys. If the taxi driver knows I'm out he knows my home is empty and could therefore burgle it.

It's only a mile to the supermarket? Walk there, phone a taxi back. That's your taxi bill cut in half and they don't know your out.
You'd spend way more than £520 a year keeping a car on the driveway.
Loads of supermarkets will deliver, too.

theoretica

Walk to shop with bags, taxi back if you have too much to carry or just have a backpack and maybe go a bit more often.  Or get groceries delivered.  Hire a car when you need one.   Your no claims might be wiped out after two years, but worth trying living without a car for a few months to see what it's like for you.