Commute Nottingam-Birmingham

zee34

Hi All,
I have possible job prospect in Birmingham, which would mean a 100 mile roundtrip, around an hour there and hour back on motorway and A roads every day. Lets say hour 20 if i hit rush hour. 
Is it crazy to try do that? Also, what car i should look for? I have a very rubbish Fiat now with mpg of around 35 or 40 if that. I need an automatic car that could take the miles easy on the motorway driving. Been lookin at Kia ceed, Hyundai 30 or Vauxhall Astra maybe. 
Anyone who was doing some kind of commuting like that, thanks for the reply. 
Also, i wouldnt do it forever, maybe a year or so while i can decide if i like the job and if i would move over or not. 

Billy_B_North

For me an hour each way is the maximum that I am comfortable doing. How bearable it is depends on how “frantic” that hour is though. Sitting in a car with a cup of coffee should be fine, I think.
Any car is going to be OK, but if you want more relaxed driving then an automatic with a slightly more powerful engine is normally a bit nicer. 

I did a similar commute for a few years, and most days it was absolutely fine. The key (for me) was accepting that sometimes traffic would be bad, and not getting stressed when it was. It also helped to just back off the speed a bit. Overtake a bit less, not try to switch lanes when in a jam, etc. It probably only added a couple of minutes at most, but made the whole journey much more relaxing.

TELLIT01

I was going to suggest considering using the train, but then saw the prices!  Nonetheless, if the job is in central Birmingham, does it come with free parking?  Is it within the Congestion Zone where many will have to pay to drive?  If you factor in all costs - car purchase, fuel, servicing etc there still may not be a massive difference in cost and at least trains don't get caught up in traffic jams.

Sorry can't help directly with the choice of car although Kia and Hyundai both have 7 year warranties.

zee34

Yes i looked at train prices and it is ridiculous and they are not even on time most of the time. I didnt expect it to be so expensive. 

Kat78MFW

What part of Birmingham? Hopefully close to the M42? If not, you would need to make sure your start and finish times were outside rush hour. My  commute from the outskirts of Birmingham to just the other side of the city centre used to be 6.5 miles. It took 25 minutes in the school holidays but could take well over an hour during term time. I'm lucky that I no longer have to make that journey as I got a job closer to home. 

elsien

Yes, I was going to suggest properly checking out the rush hour times if you will be travelling then. 

My motorway commute of 30 odd miles can vary from 45 minutes to closer to 2 hours depending on traffic, hold ups etc. 

Cisco001

Do the company allow flexible working hours?

Is the office in city centre?
I used to work in Birmingham City centre 7 years ago, I arrive office at 7.30 and leave by 15.45 to avoid traffic. 

bamgbost

i did a similar commute 100mile a day for 2 years plus. similarly it took 1h to 1h20 depending on traffic.

its doable. But not forever.

You defo feel it by the end of the week, when you get home and dont wanna drive anywhere!  ( considering i like driving!)

But yh its doable. Get a midrange car, nothing too fancy, as you will be racking up the miles and devalueing the car.

I did a thread a few years back on this.... check it out

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5762042/do-able-commute-to-work/p1

Marcon

Any chance you could work one day a week from home once you've done a 'settling in' stint, which would at least give you a breather from what sounds like a nasty old journey?

zee34

It would be in Snowhill so i think thats kinda centre birmingham. But yeah these travels are not usually the motorways that are long but getting in and out of the city. They say flexible working is possible, regarding start times, but the earliest start would still be 8 am and finish around 4.30 then. Which is right in the beginning of rush hour. I will trial it out for a few montjs or a year and then move if I need to. Just wanted to see if it sounds crazy or its still doable. 

elsien

Getting there for 8 should avoid a reasonable amount of rush hour.