If you were offered a job and you had the choice between a company car or having 3.5k added to your salary to contribute to 'car costs' which would you take?
My current car is a 2.5 litre gas guzzler with an expensive service due this year (say almost £1k). Keeping it to commute in doesn't really sound sensible. By changing job and driving I would 'save' the £215 monthly train fair I currently spend so that plus the extra (£3.5k/12 minus tax) would need to cover new car cost and monthly petrol if I took that option.
STW over to you....cycling to work everyday is out the weekly commute would be around 275miles.

