Anyone gone carless?

Wife looking to buy a new car soon and wants to keep two cars but I’ve told her in no uncertain terms I don’t want one anymore. I hate the fact that the govt now takes so much money off us to run the things, they are pretty poor for the environment, I hate the fact that they are such an obvious status symbol and all that represents. I never had a car at all when I was young and I don’t want my girls to always expect to be driven everywhere. Cycling and walking/bus/taxi seems more fun. The only time I really want to drive these days is to go ride somewhere hilly.

Anyone else ditched their car?

Funny you should say this now but we are just discussing the subject too. I’ve recently changed jobs which allows for a 5 mile commute each way to work and the boss hasn’t wanted to drive for over 2 years now.
The main stumbling block for me is the laziness within myself to get up earlier and ride alongside the lack of vehicle for holidays.
Knowing that I could save myself £400pm in running costs is a huge incentive but one I’m still to commit to

I have. We have a car in the family but wife uses it almost exclusively. She uses it for her substantial commute in the week. I manage by bike or public transport. It’s tough as we live in a market town bang in the middle of nothing so public transport is very poor.

I cope and I don’t want my car back. But we would find life near impossible without one car between us.

As above. I think being completely without a car would be very difficult but I’ve been considering only having one for a while. I rarely use mine except sometimes at the weekends. It has cobwebs on the door mirrors.

One place I’ll disagree (mainly because it winds me up beyond belief), is the suggestion that the government hits drivers in the pocket. Drivers get an absolutely tiny vehicle tax levied on them which doesn’t even come close to the cost that they cause and then the government place tax on fuel for distance travelled/efficiency. If you don’t like that last one then get a car that’s economical like it’s encouraging you to do.

Fuel is mostly tax, that’s not what I want to pay.

I like the idea of bus/train/Brompton should I get a job that involves a commute.

You need to keep one car …

We are doing.

When I say carless I mean me, not the family. Wife will have it nearly all the time though.

I sold my car a month ago, ordering shopping on line saving me money (buying only what I actually need) gives me no choice of wimping out and driving to work if it’s raining.

Going well so far, but can see me needing one soon as will be hard to keep the kids entertained over the winter when we can’t just go to the park.

Got rid of mine years ago. Mrs Gordimhor has a car which she uses almost exclusively as her job involves a lot of travelling. I live in the Highlands public transport isn’t good but fortunately I have a very understanding boss who doesn’t mind me being late for the early shift. Still means a lot of long waiting around for buses after work etc

Didn’t have one for nearly 3 years, including the first 2 years of being a parent. We were ok, the only real dramas being a trip to A+E in a taxi, then scrabbling for a lift to a hospital 10 miles away when daughter, mum, dad and grandad all had norovirus 🙁

Have had one for the last 6 months, it is convenient and allows us to do more as a family. The cost is pretty crippling though, especially when you factor in the cost of doing more as a family.

Never looked back really..

I’ve had cars on and off throughout my life, generally getting shot of them through ‘sheer can’t be arsedness’ really..
Once you get out of the daft habit you realise that life is so much easier without one..
When I met Mrs Yunki she was horrified, and I think she truly believed that it was some kind of mental deficiency or a sign of immaturity..

So she’s always maintained one (oh, how I’ve enjoyed throwing all that wonga down the drain.. thousands and thousands.. maybe tens of thousands) and now for the first time we actually need a vehicle as we need to make deliveries for her work..

To be honest, I suppose it depends on your geographical circumstances, but for us it’s a good compromise.. Family holidays, visiting rellies and trips to the tip would be a bit of a trauma otherwise, But everything else I now do by bike, you just have to adjust your horizons..
I can reach everywhere in the town that we live in, and the nearest city, the beach and the countryside by bike (with kids on board) and we have a good rail link within 5 minutes..

I’m a stay at home dad too so technically I need the car to a much greater extent than a commuter would, but it’s actually a bit of a treat to slog across town with half a metric ton of squawking human cargo twice a day.. very good for the leggies 😀

Running errands and doing the school run has never felt so good..

The downside, if you can call it that, is that I’m the only **** doing it round here, so amongst a certain sector of the local community, I’m the wally with the trailer that holds up traffic occasionally.. But I generally get a very positive response (especially in these austere times) with most folk who have an opinion being envious..
My kids will grow out of it soon, and perhaps will start to dislike the uniqueness.. but that’s a way off yet and they’ll be riding their own bikes soon enough

Yunki, that’s impressive! I’ve not had a car in over ten years. Work shifts, so ride one way, every day and bus the other way. Shop by bike, booze by bike, love bikes, me.

I have held a driving licence since I was 17, but have never owned a car or been insured as a owner.
I got a licence for work purposes.
we do have a family car tho, which the wife runs for work visits, but for the amount of miles it is used, it would be cheaper over the year to use taxi’s, rather than paying yearly tax, mot’s, petrol and general costs.
on a weekend the car is parked up and we use buses and trains, so we can both have a shandy or 2.
I commute by bike, and have done all my working life.

It’s funny the reactions people give me now because rather than explaining that I don’t personally have a car but my wife has a car etc I just usually say ‘I don’t drive’. The looks of horror I get! I immediately become an outcast. When I lived in the city it was perfectly acceptable with people, but living in the countryside and being a none driver is almost the worst thing you can be….. Apart from being a different ethnicity of course.

Nah. I love cars and driving.

I’m lost here, why are people claiming to be carless because you have 1 car?

funny, I read most of the post as people saying they had a car, but did not use it. I am not lost.

I kind of applaud you for ditching your cars but I couldn’t do it myself. Cars represent freedom to me, so much so I currently have two and I’m a single bloke.

funny, I read most of the post as people saying they had a car, but did not use it. I am not lost.

Still confused.

Either you have no cars or a car.

or maybe explaining to the op that you have a car but don’t use it, to kind of tell him he will be fine..no?

Having dropped to one car was a change, it’s good and bad. We live somewhere with crap public transport. I have to use taxi’s a lot for work and they are too expensive to use on a regular basis if nobody else is paying.

Considering what a car gives you it’s still a cheap form of transport.

The only thing I struggle with is the weekly food shop, I can’t order it online as I like to pick my good myself, I can’t fit it in panniers and a pack as there is too much. I would love a cargo bike but can’t afford one so it’s either multiple trips or make the wife go.

or maybe explaining to the op that you have a car but don’t use it, to kind of tell him he will be fine..no?

Or avoiding the wrath of posting “Anyone gone down to 1 car: First world problems” 😀

Down to 1 car, now there’s a thread I can relate too.

I kind of applaud you for ditching your cars but I couldn’t do it myself. Cars represent freedom to me, so much so I currently have two and I’m a single bloke.

Freedom from what? living in a horrible place you need a car to get out of? imagine the nice place you could live if you didnt spend money on 2 cars….

The only thing I struggle with is the weekly food shop, I can’t order it online as I like to pick my good myself, I can’t fit it in panniers and a pack as there is too much. I would love a cargo bike but can’t afford one so it’s either multiple trips or make the wife go.

Nowt wrong with going more often, pretty easy if you already commute by bike.

Aye. It’s quite a brief diversion for me to call in at the supermarket on the way home so I usually check with the wife to see if there’s anything she needs before setting off. She occasionally takes the mickey and asks for 24 cans of whiskas but it usually works out ok.

The biggest problem at our nearest supermarket is the stupid bike lockers. People leave their own padlocks on there even when they’re not in use.

I only use my car for work, bit difficult without it, and to go to my Friends 32 miles away, otherwise I use the Bikes.

I prefer Shopping on the Bike as I can’t be bothered parking in our small town and trips to the Bank are so much easier.

My Mates missus sometimes pulls her face when I turn up at there’s wet and muddy on the MTB but I prefer riding the Bike these days.

2 Cars here down to 1. You need to be realistic especially if you have Kids. I got rid of one about 2 years ago now. I commute by bike to work. Its tough in the Winter, but they say a little hardship does you good. I walk to/from school with kids when I can. My wife is a Radiographer (part time) so uses the car to get in to work and I car share with friends when she is not using it. It works for us and we are better off in more ways than one for it. Its good for the kids to understand that there are other ways of transportation to get around. The amount of Parents that shuttle their little ones in a car 300 yards to School only to sit in a Coffee Shop across it afterwards is disappointing. But hey, their life.

Freedom from what? living in a horrible place you need a car to get out of? imagine the nice place you could live if you didnt spend money on 2 cars…

I have lived in some amazing places but having a car meant I could go for a night ride in the next town over or not spend my entire life within riding distance of the house.

Gone down to one car, the wife’s Punto. Ironically I only need a car to get my bike to races!
I can commute to work without public transport.

We’ve just been talking about this, and holidays. Cheaper to hire a car for the whole family once a year.

Going back to the Punto, it was paid for years ago. Cost £100 per year in insurance, not much more in tax, easy and cheap to service. So it would be silly to get rid of it?

Freedom from what? living in a horrible place you need a car to get out of? imagine the nice place you could live if you didnt spend money on 2 cars….

I live in a lovely place already. Having cars gives me the freedom to go wherever I choose in comfort and at my convenience without having to brave public transport. Go and see friends and family maybe. Sometimes it’s nice just to get in the car and drive somewhere though, there are some great roads in this country.

Gave up my car a year ago, after having my own car since 17 (23 years). I’m planning never to have one again.
We still have a family car, but we both commute by bike. Not sure I could go completely car free, but being without ‘my’ car is no problem at all.

I use my car for work, rest of the time it sits on the drive, wouldn’t put my bike in it, lucky enough to be able to ride to local trails within 5 minutes, wouldn’t sell it because I do enjoy driving it.

I work as a driver, and when I have free time I absolutely love driving my own car. I enjoy nice comfortable cars. I don’t understand how one hates driving his own car. Maybe when you actually buy car, buy something you will like and enjoy? And no, I am not brand snob and have an average car before you start it.

But if you don’t have real man instincts of hunter explorer then it’s time to take up knitting, while sitting in the back seat of your wife’s car.

Great idea in theory and I would love to do it.
However, we cannot exist without two cars.
We both need one for work and our location/family circumstances dictate we have them.
Huge admiration for those who can do it.

Yep, when the Haldex died on my 4Motion Golf, I just scrapped it and now just bike everywhere. Wife has a company car, so we’re not carless, just one car. Slight pain sometimes if I need to get building materials as I might have to wait a few days till I can borrow it during the day, but other than that it’s a lot cheaper only running one car.

Re school run, there are more and more of these in use in Cambridge:

Weekly shopping problem solved

But if you don’t have real man instincts of hunter explorer then it’s time to take up knitting, while sitting in the back seat of your wife’s car.

The 60’s, 70’s and 80’s called, they want their patriarchal out of date attitudes, string-back driving gloves and furry dice back.

Yes, thats correct MrSmith. Who wears trousers in your house? Car is for a real man. If you hear a lady complaining and moaning about driving there is simple answer -driving is for men.