Car mainly used for work commute-shopping-taking dogs a jaunt now and then to somewhere new and holiday once a year.

Really thinking about ditching the car permanently. I can cycle to work-bus/borrow in laws car(I’m insured on it) possibly hire car for hols and we have a good network of paths/parks within 5 miles to keep dogs happy.

I get extra green points Willy waving etc and save a shed load of cash(not really main reason)

Anyone else done it ?

Take it you live in a city, have no kids and can sponge off others when you need a car – then do it. 🙂

Where I live, not a chance.

Yep. About 8 years ago. It’s only become a pain now as there is no bus from my village anymore but there are work arounds.

If it’s not going to save you any money, why bother? Why inconvenience yourself for no reason/gain? Just because you have it, doesn’t mean you have to use it.

and save a shed load of cash

Do you really save shed loads of cash if you’re hiring a cars to go on holiday / paying for public transport?

Don’t forget to mention it on here at every opportunity you have.

I lived without a car for 5 years when I first moved away from my parents, and again for shorter periods of maybe 1-2 years. When I was starting out they were such a massive expense relative to my income.

The only thing that used to bother me was trying to shop at the local Spar shop was a ball ache, lots of processed crap and little decent food – expensive too. These days with all the supermarkets delivering it wouldn’t be a problem.

My usual workday was a 10 min walk to the train station, a 30 mins cattle truck style hell journey into town for work and the same again on the way home. At least living close to the busy commuter line meant at the weekends when it was quiet I could go pretty much anywhere changing trains only once. my Ticket was £25 a month, that was a few years ago now. When it’s not a total scrum I prefer to take the train than drive.

I live without a car and have done for 30 years. (I have had motorbikes but they were only used for fun not for utility)

I do live in a city tho. Running a car costs thousands a year ( cue folk saying they run one for thruppence)

Hire cars and taxis buses and trains over a year add up to much much less than running a car – it just you notice paying out £30 on a taxi in the way you don’t notice putting £30 worth of petrol in the tank. Even the most expensive years in hire cars / taxis is less than a couple of thousand and most years only a few hundred

sometimes its a pain, sometimes you have to be a bit creative. ( carry 27m off copper pipe on my bike was one) It has its advantages as well – I do a lot of linear walking between railway stations which if you had a car would have to be circular walks also on the train you can read the paper and especially on the way back have some beers.

Using hire cars you always have the appropriate vehicle ie – going up north for a short weekend walking – nice nippy wee hatchback, taking the tandem out for a day – transit van etc. You also always have a nice new vehicle – no knackered old bangers you get with bangernomics.

I would never own a car. But I have organised my life so as not to be inconvenienced by it.

jon1973 – Member

and save a shed load of cash

Do you really save shed loads of cash if you’re hiring a cars to go on holiday / paying for public transport?

For some people, living in some places it can be a lot cheaper to rent a car for a week or two a year and take the train the rest of the time.

My 7 day train pass which took me pretty much anywhere in Cardiff and the Vale would be £38 a month these days.

I rented a Car in Switzerland back in summer for a week – it was £150 ish – if I wanted something much bigger like an E-Class it would have been £300ish.

£38 a month and a one-off of £300 beats even the most bangermonics of driving.

To be remotely possible you need a good public transport system if it’s not going to impeed on yourlifestyle, can’t wait to retire & at least become a “one little car” family, good luck with the attempt OP

If you’re using your car to get to work, take the dog for a walk, for longer journeys and holidays, it sounds like you actually use it quite a lot.

Why not just stop using it for a bit?

I couldn’t do it. But then I enjoy mucking around with cars as much as I do bikes.

Not had a car in 7 years but I do live in a modern metropolitan city with ample and cheap public transport plus access to ‘on demand’ van hire if I need to get bulky items around, for example if moving home etc.
If I lived back in the UK in my old town, Newbury, I could not survive without a car.

I wouldn’t choose this time of year to start cycling to work.
A nice sunny morn in April? Easy.
A dirty, dark, wet November day? hmmm…

Take it you live in a city, have no kids and can sponge off others when you need a car – then do it.

Where I live, not a chance.

🙂

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcAqR-Hs9II[/video]

Live 8 miles from Edinburgh(have the excellent Lothian buses) I have free travel as I drive for them 😀

I’d save around £320 a month(finance/fuel/insurance etc)

My thoughts are I use it just cause i can .. if I can use one of my bikes for local shop run/cafe meet etc I do .

The weather doesn’t bother me I’m an all year cyclist my commute is only 22 mile round trip ..

I would do a month trial before getting rid of car and I reckon doing it over winter will give a proper idea if I can do without or not..

Hiring a car would be once/twice a year tops as I can scrounge 😆

Hiring a car would be once/twice a year tops as I can scrounge

You can’t scrounge a car from someone who’s already using it – so aside from hols its worth being able to hire easily if you have an unexpected need for transport.

If you’ve a good hire co local to you its worth seeing if you can open an account with them – might be cheaper (sometimes but not always) but more conveniently once you’re on their books as checking out the car is much quicker.

I live in a small town and managed it for a year. It saved a lot of money. You can use a hire car and public transport a lot for the price of one year of car ownership. I don’t think people properly factor in how much owning a car costs you.
I had to be creative, trips away often involved a stay overnight when I wouldn’t have usually done that. That’s the side of it I enjoyed, little trips became quite an adventure.
In the end it got too much for me with having a kid and I started to feel a bit trapped as going anywhere with him was difficult. I’m glad I only did it for a year because my insurance would have become expensive to get a car again.

For some people, living in some places it can be a lot cheaper to rent a car for a week or two a year and take the train the rest of the time.

£38 a month and a one-off of £300 beats even the most bangermonics of driving.

Great if the train takes you everywhere you need to go. But if your parents, friends, supermarket, days out etc. aren’t on the main line then there’s alot more in taxis, buses and relying on others to ferry you around than your figures suggest.

Cars can be bought for ‘bike money’ cost little or nothing to Tax, if you’re more mature fairly cheap to insure, and often cheap to run compared with public transport, which is still subsidised by the tax payer, pretty inefficient and not a particularly pleasant way to travel.

thruppence

Off to the Old Fashioned Phrases thread with you. 😮

For some people, living in some places it can be a lot cheaper to rent a car for a week or two a year and take the train the rest of the time.

£38 a month and a one-off of £300 beats even the most bangermonics of driving.

cpon – Member

Great if the train takes you everywhere you need to go. But if your parents, friends, supermarket, days out etc. aren’t on the main line then there’s alot more in taxis, buses and relying on others to ferry you around than your figures suggest.

Cars can be bought for ‘bike money’ cost little or nothing to Tax, if you’re more mature fairly cheap to insure, and often cheap to run compared with public transport, which is still subsidised by the tax payer, pretty inefficient and not a particularly pleasant way to travel.

Your results may vary.

I’m 11 months into commuting every day to work and getting around by bike. I got made redundant last year just as my car packed up, so didn’t have much spare cash at the time and wanted to see if i could get by without. I live in a rural village with no public transport for under 65’s, but my wife still has car (but works shifts and a way from my work), so i’ve been chugging out a 36-54 mile commute each day.

It is bloody hard work, not bad in the summer, but when you get back to this time of the year, it is not just the physical act of riding your bike, it is charging the four lights, cleaning your bike often and most time consuming, keeping on top of washing bike clothes and trying to get them dry, especially your shoes.

I do it and don’t live in a city. I may be cheating as my wife has a car but I almost never use it.
There are 2 things for me that make it work:
1. A train pass. I need this to get to work anyway but it also means I can travel at the weekends and get around. I like trains so no issue there.
2. A cargo bike. Yes, a luxury, but it is perfect for the local trips that are too far to walk and/or I need to carry stuff. I use this for everything from the weekly shop to going to the pub to visiting friends. It’s arguably the bike I’d never sell or do without.

You have to be flexible and accept that some things you just can’t do, or you can but they’re harder. I’m fine with that as the money it saves more than outweighs this.

jon1973 – Member
and save a shed load of cash
Do you really save shed loads of cash if you’re hiring a cars to go on holiday / paying for public transport?

I save hundreds a month by not running a second car.

If you’re prepared to cycle/walk, it will save you a lot of cash. If you buy a cargo bike (or perhaps a trike for a bit more practicality) you can get such things which will accommodate 4 kids. Unless you live genuinely out in the sticks with no shops nearby, there’s no need for a car. Sadly my wife, who I will not call lazy (as, compared with the average, she isn’t) disagrees.

I live in the suburbs of London. I’m 400m from a tube station and 1 mile from the train station. Loads of buses too

I cycle to most places locally, and cycle to work too (in Central London)

I’d really struggle without a car, it just makes things so convenient and simple. We’re going down to 1 car now as we don’t need 2

We now have 2 kids and they make a car much more of a requirement, but even without them I’d struggle.

I should note I have a motorbike too

Unless you live genuinely out in the sticks with no shops nearby, there’s no need for a car. Sadly my wife, who I will not call lazy (as, compared with the average, she isn’t) disagrees.

Yeah, but makes it a shedload easier, and you only live once, so if you afford it and it makes life easier….

Did 12 months, live in a city, walking distance to work (not worth riding even) trails 10 mins ride away and all that.
Now 2 months in again to no car and in reality I hadn’t used it for 2 months before that.
I’ll hire what I need when I need it – much more flexibility average cost here is about £20/day for a small city car (bike and bag actually go into an I20) £25 for something bigger and £30 for a Traffic/Iload sized van. Works for me going to a race weekend next month so will just hire a van for 3 days and use that.

It does depend on where you are etc and you will rely on mates with cars a few times but I’m always happy to rent something over beggin for a lift and hiring the van I’ve agreed to take a couple of people tents and extra for the race so paying it forward in that respect.

I save hundreds a month by not running a second car.

Blimey! What were you running?
My personal (2nd) vehicle is a high ved band and fixed costs are about £65.00, even at 25mpg I’d have to be doing lots of mileage for costs to creep into the hundreds of pounds territory.

well, start off with insurance at £30/40/50 month

then a tank of fuel (*or 2) per month = £50 (*£100)

then an mot with a bit of work = £100

a service, with some brake pads (or whatever) = £100

then remember that you might be paying off a loan, or saving for the next one, and ‘hundreds per month’ doesn’t sound unreasonable…

(certainly, MsWife and i would have to find that sort of money to finance and run a 2nd car)

Been car free for about a year now, but I have good rail links, and a MTB, and the trains are pretty bike friendly around here.

I buy a train pass for one year through work which allows me to go pretty much anywhere in West Yorkshire.

Although I have recently got myself put on as a named driver on a friends car for the odd occasion I need one.

Really depends on where you live as to whether it’s practical.

ahwiles

Plus servicing, repairs etc.

Don’t discount the secondary effects as well. for example cycle commutting lowers stress, car comutting raises it. Cycle commutting you get your daily exercise without it taking any more time out of your day. Walking to the shops might take a few minutes but its good for the mental health as well as the physical. sunlight on your face is a euphoric

Very dependent on family circumstances, factor in young kids, parents both working full or part time and it can make juggling priorities much easier with a car, or 2.

Did it for 3 years, living in a small town 5 miles from work but with regular bus service for £30 a month. By necessity you make compromises, which often save you money above the car related costs. As someone else said, insurance costs were a bit high when I got another car. Family made the compromises too tough for me. Would consider it again though.

Good luck to those commuting 500+ miles per week by bike.

I do it and don’t live in a city. I may be cheating as my wife has a car but I almost never use it.

You’ve a car in the family home, therefore you DON’T do it…

And while you may not use it, your wife does presumably to do the things that you’d do if you had a car and she didn’t.

Good luck to those commuting 500 miles per week, period. It isn’t much fun is it?

(I used to commute over 600 miles per week about 10 years ago)

Sod that, I’d hate to only ride my local stuff.

Bought my first car age about 25 or so, and that was only because getting to the crag for climbing was difficult any other way.

Running a car costs thousands a year

It CAN do

for example cycle commutting lowers stress, car comutting raises it

POTENTIALLY

Remind me never to have you project plan anything TJ 🙂

I’ve done it, only ever for a few months at a time after the latest banger expired. Usually was commuting by bike anyway, car was only for shopping, and getting to races.

The one thing i wish had existed when i was doing it was cargo bikes. Weeks shopping in one go. Rather than a few bits every other night. Home delivery must be nice these days though.

~500 miles a week commute is doable as well. Did that for a few months, with a season ticket. Lived about 15 minutes walk from one station, quick change half way then work was almost next door to the station at the other end. Had to be absolutely dead on with timing though. Get anything wrong and it’s 45-60 minutes sat at Leicester waiting for a connection.