No More Car!

Al1944

Al1944

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Changed my car three years ago for a new small runabout (Hyundai i10). Year 1 mileage - 1500, year 2 - 350, year 3 - 270!

Cost of tax, insurance, servicing approx £700 per annum.

So I've been thinking for months about selling the car but have been putting it off. However, I had an offer this week which made my decision very easy - £200 less than I bought the car for three years ago. The rising prices of cars, both new and used have been immense. Obviously if anyone was changing their car they wouldn't be in the same position as someone who is giving up the car altogether.

Anyway, £700 per year now going into my taxi fund and £10,000 going into my savings account.

Feeling very liberated :)
 
I've come very close to doing this over the last couple of years myself. Especially as I've had to keep spending on repairs and upkeep despite doing similar mileages to you.

However, having just had it fully valeted and taken some pictures in order to help sell it, I've changed my mind and decided to keep it. :facepalm:

If it was an ordinary car I would have sold it, but as I can't take my wheelchair in anyone else's I'm pretty much screwed without it. Our local bus service is useless and taxi fares are very high (and about to go up again). :headbang:
 
We have 2 cars, our 'second' car is the older of the 2, 2012 and is the one I use mainly, around the doors, school runs and photography outings. We are fortunate to be in a position and have the luxury of 2 but the way it's going with inflation, fuel prices etc, that might change. Both cars average, at a guess about 5000-6000 miles a year, the newer car probably a bit more than the older one. I would miss 'my' car.

I have a motorbike too but that is a toy, it only did 186 miles between MOTs last year. It's been used a little more this year but still, very low mileage. If it does 300 miles by the next MOT in August, I'll be suprised. It's not used through the winter. I would miss having my bike but not miss using it. I would sell it if I had to before I'd sell one of the cars.
 
Sky said:
I've come very close to doing this over the last couple of years myself. Especially as I've had to keep spending on repairs and upkeep despite doing similar mileages to you.

However, having just had it fully valeted and taken some pictures in order to help sell it, I've changed my mind and decided to keep it. :facepalm:

If it was an ordinary car I would have sold it, but as I can't take my wheelchair in anyone else's I'm pretty much screwed without it. Our local bus service is useless and taxi fares are very high (and about to go up again). :headbang:
Click to expand...

Taxi fares all went up on the 1st.
 
Al1944 said:
Anyway, £700 per year now going into my taxi fund and £10,000 going into my savings account.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a good deal :)



THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Taxi fares all went up on the 1st.
Click to expand...
The same company here, seem to put their prices up quite randomly :(
It can even be different to and from the same location, using the same route, and not at what could be described as peak times.
 
We've both got pretty old cards (2010 and 2009) with one having 165k (vauxhall) and mine having 125k (dodge), and had them around about 5 years at least. They've been pretty dependable, no issues, same transmissions, same engines with just regular servicing and oil changing however due to us both being remote most of the time, the vehicles are only used for the occasional trip to an office (once a month or so) or simply for running errands. Even though they're both great on mpg (around about 38) the cost of fuel has had a horrific impact, so barely use them. Depending which one hits the dust first, or if - it'll be at that point that just stick to having one I think.
 
Al1944 said:
Changed my car three years ago for a new small runabout (Hyundai i10). Year 1 mileage - 1500, year 2 - 350, year 3 - 270!

Cost of tax, insurance, servicing approx £700 per annum.

So I've been thinking for months about selling the car but have been putting it off. However, I had an offer this week which made my decision very easy - £200 less than I bought the car for three years ago. The rising prices of cars, both new and used have been immense. Obviously if anyone was changing their car they wouldn't be in the same position as someone who is giving up the car altogether.

Anyway, £700 per year now going into my taxi fund and £10,000 going into my savings account.

Feeling very liberated :)
Click to expand...
superb !

I wish i could ditch our , from a general food shopping perspective we almost never use it , we live within 400m of a nice Lidl and a decent coop so always walk and use the rucksack.
i'm there most days picking over the orange label spoils, im an IT contractor so could have done a work from home role but i turned it down to do a much more enjoyable mobile network engineer ole that is all the car gets used for.
 
Sky said:
I've come very close to doing this over the last couple of years myself. Especially as I've had to keep spending on repairs and upkeep despite doing similar mileages to you.

However, having just had it fully valeted and taken some pictures in order to help sell it, I've changed my mind and decided to keep it. :facepalm:

If it was an ordinary car I would have sold it, but as I can't take my wheelchair in anyone else's I'm pretty much screwed without it. Our local bus service is useless and taxi fares are very high (and about to go up again). :headbang:
Click to expand...

Taking my mother and her chair on public transport is a nightmare and taxis soon rack up the cost and are frankly not reliable enough to rely on plus there's the time wasted hanging around for them for the return trip and weather or location can make hanging around not an option to look forward to at all. I can't see any alternative to a car for me without placing limitations on what I/we do and find possible and I do dread the time that I have to give up driving.

Good luck to the op who I assume is healthy enough and well served enough to use alternative transport. A different location with different services and/or mobility issues can make this decision much more difficult.
 
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Cobra said:
That sounds like a good deal :)




The same company here, seem to put their prices up quite randomly :(
It can even be different to and from the same location, using the same route, and not at what could be described as peak times.
Click to expand...

Actually, taxi companies have no hand in dictating their fares. Fares are set exclusively by the local council. Once the fares are raised by the council each taxi vehicle must be taken to a certified approved garage who will unseal the taxi fare metre, reprogram it with the new fares and then seal it again. The seals must not be broken or tampered with thereafter.
 
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My Focus is 2010, had it 5 years now. Only a 1.6 petrol but its showing an average of **37.something mpg** at around 6-7000 miles a year - might be a bit more this year! My other half doesn't drive though. It costs me about £50 a month to be on the road plus fuel and wear and tear etc so pretty good for the convenience of owning it for work, kids, parents, photo trips...

I also have the Mk1 Escort but that's only been out 3 times since October - Probably about 25 miles :ROFLMAO:

** Edit - 38.4mpg - I drove it earlier & checked :)
 
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We live in a village with no public transport: whether I wish it or not, we won't be giving up the cars for some considerable time yet.
 
I couldn't manage without a car, living in the sticks as I do, being retired and on a fixed income I found it easier a few years back to go down the leasing route, I pay a fixed monthly fee and apart from insurance and petrol everything else is down to them. I still average around 8,000- 10,000 miles a year on holidays and days out. It costs me around 50p a mile to own a car (leasing cost, petrol and insurance) and if I could get a taxi (one part timer in the village) going by the current rates it would cost me £1.29 per mile and that doesn't include any waiting or initial charge and as for public transport 3 buses a day to the nearest town with a supermarket and shops so popping to the supermarket once a week which takes around a hour at the moment would be around a 5 hour trip by bus.
 
The price of used cars at the moment is horrendously high since there is a shortage of new ones on the market.
Looking on auto trader at my model it is going for the same money that I paid 3 year ago and it only had 1500 miles on the clock when I bought it.

Think it will be quite a while before we get back to anywhere near normal after two years of covid and lockdowns.
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
The price of used cars at the moment is horrendously high since there is a shortage of new ones on the market.
Looking on auto trader at my model it is going for the same money that I paid 3 year ago and it only had 1500 miles on the clock when I bought it.

Think it will be quite a while before we get back to anywhere near normal after two years of covid and lockdowns.
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Mrs F bought a 66 plate Skoda Yeti 18 months ago for £7,800. The same year/model is currently selling for around £14,000!!
 
When I retired, I parked my car outside the house. About a month later I left the house for a walk and realised I hadn't even looked at the car in that month never mind driven it. I sold it later that day and have been car-free for 6 years. Not missed the car once in that time.
 
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THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Actually, taxi companies have no hand in dictating their fares. Fares are set exclusively by the local council.
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Not these the money is on their smart phone, OK so I'm talking about private hire, if we need specifics.
But taxi is a general term, for private hire, black cabs are the true taxis
 
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Dale. said:
We have 2 cars, our 'second' car is the older of the 2, 2012 and is the one I use mainly, around the doors, school runs and photography outings. We are fortunate to be in a position and have the luxury of 2 but the way it's going with inflation, fuel prices etc, that might change. Both cars average, at a guess about 5000-6000 miles a year, the newer car probably a bit more than the older one. I would miss 'my' car.

I have a motorbike too but that is a toy, it only did 186 miles between MOTs last year. It's been used a little more this year but still, very low mileage. If it does 300 miles by the next MOT in August, I'll be suprised. It's not used through the winter. I would miss having my bike but not miss using it. I would sell it if I had to before I'd sell one of the cars.
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186 miles a year...oh dear, here's mine for the month...as you can see I'm not keen on walking Screenshot_20220605-175336_Email.jpg
 
We haven't had a car since we moved to Edinburgh a few years ago. Thought about it, but undecided. It would be useful at times, but we can't really afford it and local public transport is excellent, so we probably won't get another one. Suits me, I dislike driving in the UK.
 
Can’t imagine being without the car, although I use my motorbike as much as possible most of my photography trips are in the car, I’m just about to set off to near the Orme in North Wales for the silver studded blues (butterflies) a 50 mile trip :)
 
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