How much cash do you save by not running a car?

Loads – although getting people to believe it is bloody difficult!
Just had a great family holiday touring though France, decent hotels, food, wine, went to do and see what we wanted and spent about the same as the chap at the next desk at work spent on getting his car through it’s MoT.
My minor gripe: foreign holidays (apparently…) are for the rich and famous, not for people doing the same job as them. Spending well over £2K on fixing a knackered shed of a “car” is perfectly ok.

Is this a serious question?

How about “How much cash do you save by not going on French touring holidays?”

It all gets spent matey, it just depends what you decide to spend it on!

How much money do you save by not having a coke and gambling habit like the fella at the desk over from me?

Hmmm. Sounds like his MOT expense is not really representative.

Not sure how the title relates to the thread content?

To answer the question though:

you’ll save the amount you currently pay towards running a car, less any public transport costs.

I don’t think many people are under the illusion that running a car isn’t costing them anything

Hmmm, not getting my point across.

“It all gets spent matey, it just depends what you decide to spend it on!”

This relates more to what I’m getting at. It is my choice to have the holiday and spend my money on that whilst riding into work every day. My point is that the folks at work just see the holiday without accepting how I paid for it.

I do run a car, but not for commuting use, do I get the best of both worlds?

It would cost me money if I got rid of my car, as it allows me to get money out of my company tax-free by paying myself a mileage allowance for travel to client sites.

I priced it up, and commuting by train would leave me £00’s of pounds worse off a month.

Aye. I have a car which I use a little bit but mostly I commute by bike. This saves me about £25-£30 a week I reckon (with the obvious petrol costs being £20 a week when I drive into work).

So £100 a month, over a grand a year. Sounds good to me. Plus I have the added bonus of being able to drive about at the weekend beeping my horn at scum on bikes.

Plus I have the added bonus of being able to drive about at the weekend beeping my horn at scum on bikes.

🙂

I have a car that I use to commute to work in. It’s just over 30miles each way so riding both ways each day isn’t really an option.

I know it costs me money but it gets me to work in order to earn money.

This relates more to what I’m getting at. It is my choice to have the holiday and spend my money on that whilst riding into work every day. My point is that the folks at work just see the holiday without accepting how I paid for it.

So this thread is actually a subtle rant that your work colleagues don’t agree with you on some financial point?

I have the added bonus of being able to drive about at the weekend beeping my horn at scum on bikes.

I save my wrath for those who choose to export all their disposable income to France rather than spend it within the UK economy.

So this thread is actually a subtle rant that your work colleagues don’t agree with you on some financial point?

It might be. I have no idea what the guy is wittering on about personally.

I think he doesn’t like France.

I thought he was saying he’d rather run a car than holiday in France?

I would rather be run into by a car than holiday in France.

EDIT: Not true, just said for comic effect. Was in Morzine at the weekend (working) and wanted to book a biking or boarding holiday there and then. 🙂

What transport was used to tour around France?

I save my wrath for those who choose to export all their disposable income to France rather than spend it within the UK economy.

what if you book it through a UK travel company who specialise in accommodation provided by French-domiciled UK citizens still paying tax in the UK and who come back to the UK to buy all their groceries that are all produced in the UK therefore providing a unique UKish experience, in France?

what if you book it through a UK travel company who specialise in accommodation provided by French-domiciled UK citizens still paying tax in the UK and who come back to the UK to buy all their groceries that are all produced in the UK therefore providing a unique UKish experience, in France?

I’d hate you for being a smartarse 🙂

I would rather be run into by a car than holiday in France.

A mate was recently driving through France (in his car, no less), and was hit by another car. Needless to say, he felt the need to start a thread on STW.

Apart from riding into work, what are your other transport costs? Assuming that your partner doesn’t run a car either.

simple… £65 a month on insurance. Got rid of my car, £65 a month on finance for sexy new road bike. Plus fuel/tax/running costs/mot/environment/my health etc.

£65 a month on insurance

blimey.

I pay less than £20 a month for insurance.

I’m still confused…
I drove to France in my car for our last holiday. Nobody complained.
If I didnt have a vehicle I’d be turning up to fix your boiler with a pump and punture repair kit.

Talking to the photographer (that I was working with in Morzine) at the weekend. He got insurance for his recently-passed son’s Mini 1 (worth £2,500). Costing him £380 a month!!!

£65 a month on insurance

blimey.

Ouch.

yeah, £65 a month is cheap for me as well (30 year old camper van, 12 years no claims, clean license, Advanced driving qualifications, HGV license, vehicle kept in garage etc etc)

i’d rather ride a bike!

Conversely, running my car for work this earned me several thousand pounds at 45p/mile for the last 26,000 miles (6000 of that at 25p) I reckon I’ve made about £5k profit out of that…..

Ahh, but do you holiday in France?

No, we don’t really like France. But we went to the Isle of Man for the TT, which costs more, especially as we lumped £5k on a motorbike to get there on!
Been to Spain twice in the last year too, and next year we’re off to the USA.

Is that the correct answer?
🙂

I’ve spent about £4750 on fuel in the last 12 months (quick mental addition, but I do keep exact records, per vehicle, if you like?)

🙂

I don’t know if that is the correct answer because I still don’t know what the original OP question was 🙂

Costing him £380 a month!!!

I know not everyone can use a bike all the time, but I am astonished that somebody would think that was a sum worth paying. Surely there are better things to put £4.5k (+ fuel, tax etc.) a year towards?

If you don’t have a car how do you get to the trail center?

I save £526 per month, now that the lease car has gone back. Of course cycling-related expenditure is errrrr, coincidentally, about the same 😳

We still have another vehicle for family duties.

I know not everyone can use a bike all the time, but I am astonished that somebody would think that was a sum worth paying. Surely there are better things to put £4.5k (+ fuel, tax etc.) a year towards?

He is a semi-pro rugby player and needs it to get to training and with his dad being a freelance photographer, he can’t always be there to drive him around. Or something like that – basically it was the best solution to their transport problems.

I’m pretty sure my cycling habit costs a great deal more than my car each year, I’m not even going to think what motorbikes cost me

I pay less than £20 a month for insurance.

I pay around £200 per month 🙂

He is a semi-pro rugby player and needs it to get to training and with his dad being a freelance photographer, he can’t always be there to drive him around. Or something like that – basically it was the best solution to their transport problems.

Pretty sure he could have found a cheaper car to insure, though.
However, it might not have been as “cool”.

I pay around £200 per month

don’t worry, you’ll be an old fart with a people carrier one day and then you’ll see the benefit 😉