Is it even worth buying owning or buying a vehicle anymore?

midimanuser

Hi, 
I've had my vehicle for a couple of years and it does me nicely.  
But because of the pandemic and the lockdowns I have placed it on SORN and let the insurance run out. 
I'm also working from home and I have the use of another car if I need to go anywhere like the shops etc.. 
This is starting to make me think that what is the point of going back to taxing, insuring and maintaining a vehicle anymore. Especially seeing that most employers may start allowing people to continue to work from home like myself, and that the government are trying to phase out fossil fuel cars!!. 
It just seems absurd to go back to the norm of paying out for something like fuel, tax, insurance and also suffering the loss in depreciation on the car.
This is why I don't want to go out and return to something after we come out of any more lockdowns. Only for the government to say that your car needs to be off the road in a couple of years time and then no one will want to buy it from you. 
IMO, owning a vehicle is starting to sound far more crazy than ever before.
You are better off buying a bike like I have for now.     

AdrianC

You may very well be right... in your particular personal situation.

BTW - yes, the government are "trying to phase out" fossil cars - but you will still be able to buy brand new ones for fourteen more years... which is, coincindentally, the life of the average car in this country.

KimJongUn88

You state that you have access to another vehicle when you need to go to the shops etc though. So you do need a vehicle?

Stubod

...a bike sounds great, but I am not sure I would be able to go touring Scotland on one?

Belenus

For many people using taxis and hiring a car occasionally would be cheaper than owning a car.

That probably applies to us, especially since Covid struck, but we like the convenience of having a car always available on the drive rather than relying on taxis.

Belenus

Stubod said:

...a bike sounds great, but I am not sure I would be able to go touring Scotland on one?

You could hire a car for that.

maisie_cat

My sister has not owned a car since 2002/3, she lives in a London suburb and has access to buses & trains as well as decent supermarkets within walking distance. Pre pandemic she would hire a car several times a year for visiting family and family occasions. If she needs something heavy or to go to the tip she will either wait until she can hire a car or simply get a taxi/hire a waste company.
I on the other hand have only access to buses every few hours and the bus stop is a mile away, a  hairy walk along the uneven grass verge of a busy 60mph A road. The road is the same reason I don't use my bike much,  I have wondered what would happen if I could no longer drive, I guess I would just use taxis, but for now the convenience makes a car essential to me.

EssexExile

All our circumstances are different. Once we are allowed out again I'll be driving a lot.

Grumpy_chap

I am a bit like the OP in that I have my car on SORN (again) because of lock-down and just not going anywhere.  Also, like the OP, I can use another car occasionally.  I have only actually done 50 miles since the beginning of this year.

Pre-COVID, I was seriously looking at going for a new car and glad I have not as that would have been a wasted expense up until now.  I will certainly wait until we know what "new normal" ends up looking like.  I actually think this realisation by people that they may not need a car in the way they did before could end up a bigger impact to the car industry than anything yet.

Korkyb

I live out in the sticks - 25 miles away from the hospital where I work as a nurse.
I have (obviously) continued to attend work all through the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Not everyone can work from home.

I will not be selling my car & using my bike.

fred246

Korkyb said:

I live out in the sticks - 25 miles away from the hospital where I work as a nurse.
I have (obviously) continued to attend work all through the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Not everyone can work from home.

I will not be selling my car & using my bike.

Cycling to work would improve your health. Should know that.