Cars = £'s plus more even more £'s

[Steviebhoy]

Between 3 new tyres I’ve had to get since start of Feb due to the state of the roads which have cost me a fortune plus a new space saver one which burst on way to garage after main one burst. Then you have the Petrol prices that just keep going up along with insurances as well.

To top it all off after work yesterday in Glasgow went to get my car from where I park just under the Kingston Bridge to then see my whole driver side has been scratched the whole length plus the idiots had put two massive nails at the tyres so if drove away without noticing them then would have been another two burst tyres!!!

Raging with it all and makes you thinks is it really worth it all??

 

[thecraw]

Stevie,

I'm fed up with the way the motorist is targeted and raped every day, whether that be with road tax, at the pumps, MOT's, manufacturers making lights that are only accessable by dismantling half the bloody engine or needing a special tool to get the covers open so that you need to pay the dealer extortionate rates. Car insurance that rises despite over 12 years no claims.

Country is foxtrotted!

 

[Region3]

Makes me feel ill thinking about how much money I put into the car in petrol, especially when you think how much it was not so many years ago.

 

[Steviebhoy]

Craw it’s a total joke.

Then you have countries like Spain, Portugal and that where petrol prices are next to nothing compare to here plus they don’t need MOT by looking at half of them and prob not much as here as we pay for insurance and road tax if any. Yet we are the ones who have to bail theses folk out with massive amounts of debt due to recession while we are being humped even more with Vat going up and everything else while in no state ourselves to help other folk

Where does it end and we look after our own as they all clearly do

 

[Adi2Dassler]

After the summer I'm getting rid of my car and I'll share with the wife.The cost of running a car in this country has gone beyond a joke petrol/insurance/tax/mot/maintaining the thing.

It might be inconvenient sometimes, but I simply cannot justify to myself the money I chuck at it.

 

[thecraw]

After the summer I'm getting rid of my car and I'll share with the wife.The cost of running a car in this country has gone beyond a joke petrol/insurance/tax/mot/maintaining the thing.

It might be inconvenient sometimes, but I simply cannot justify to myself the money I chuck at it.

Well this fat boy here is going to start cycling in and out of work when I get the go ahead to return. Its only 8 miles each way and I have a cycle track so there is no excuse. My car will become the golf car, golf course and back. You are right, despite the need to lose about a stone the cost of running two cars is absolutely rediculous now.

 

[Andy]

Loose a stone? ur optimistic lol

Andy

 

[RGDave]

Interesting to see a car thread pop up.
I had my first £80 fill-up today.....a bit shocking. The missus has got up to £90 (!) but she tends to drive around on dregs and gas.
At £1.40 a litre, I'm now up to £3,000 a year on petrol/diesel not to mention servicing/mots/tax/insurance.
I reckon we spend over £4,000 a year now, at a guess £350 a month....scary.

 

[Mark_G]

We have gone down to one car as my wife has decided she cant justify the cost, with mine doing 55 mpg being driven with care rather than 45 mpg normally, I am putting off going to work on the train, but it wont be long before the train will have to take the strain.

 

[RGDave]

We have gone down to one car as my wife has decided she cant justify the cost, with mine doing 55 mpg being driven with care rather than 45 mpg normally, I am putting off going to work on the train, but it wont be long before the train will have to take the strain.

I'd like to use trains, but the prices are a disaster.
In advance, knowing what you're doing, they can be reasonably priced. I went to London (return) for about £50 which was cheaper than driving, but my mate wanted to come along last minute. He was "quoted" by the website anything from £140-£1,200 (yes, one thousand pounds.) In the end, he didn't bother. If he had wanted to come, even at £140, the two of us sharing a car would win hands down.

 

[surefire]

I wouldn't mind using trains or cycling if it was possible for me.

My daily commute is a 100mile round trip.
Cycling that everyday would be a bit too much.
To go by train, I'd have to change twice and then catch a bus, and even that would leave me with a mile or so to walk.

My hand is pretty much forced really, commuting alone costs £100 a week, before I even think about servicing, insurance, road tax, the Mrs car etc...
Which is why I don't think about it!

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I wouldn't mind using public transport if it went where I wanted. For me to get to work it would take 3 buses and there is no way I'm doing that.

for me to get the the golf course it's 2 buses at times, sometimes 3 depending on day and time.

Thankfully I get a company run around with fuel card and as long as I dont take the P*** I'm fortunate that I get use of it.

 

[Imurg]

Kinda need my car for work......

My prices are going up very soon to try and re-coup these fuel increases. Fortunately, even with the kids driving, mine does well over 50 to the gallon. And with a little help from Tesco it's not too bad.
Don't have MOT/maintainence issues with mine. All paid for by the lease company and the car gets replaced every 18 months anyway. Even so my costs are well over 7k a year on the car all in.
Works out about 300 hours per year to break even

 

[AMcC]

Stevie have been doing quite a bit of driving around the west of scotland recently and can safely say the roads in Glasgow are by far and away the worst I have been on, avoiding the pot holes is a knack. Would hate to drive their all day each day.
To save money I have been easing off on the speed, even turning air con off - how sad !! managing to get fuel consumption up to over 50 mpg from low 40s.

 

[surefire]

Interesting thought on the air con.

For those who turn it off, do you sweat it out, or open the windows?

I would have thought that once you get up to a decent speed 40-50mph+ any power 'wasted' by the air con, is negligible or perhaps even less, compared to the power wasted overcoming the extra drag caused by ruining the cars aerodynamics when opening the windows.

Any aerodynamicists or physicists here who can give more insight?

Also I think there is some value in comfort. I'll gladly pay a bit more and keep my air con on.

 

[Crazyface]

It never ceases to amaze me that people commute 1 hour+ to get to work. That's 10+ hours a week of you life your not gonna get back. I stopped commuting over 6 years ago. Just ditched the job and found work locally. Cut back on stupid wastefull outgoings and re-assessed everything. I now have a far better life and can walk (1/2 hour) or cycle (10mins) to work.
The current state of the country is meaning that we are having to tighten our belts ever further to continue to enjoy a good social life, how much further we can do this is debateable. No pay rise for THREE years is beginning to hurt badly.

 

[CallawayKid]

Just had to put my car into the garage as the dreaded engine light has come on...still in there from Friday and been told the price to fix it is £650!!! Oh and plus the VAT!!! Why don't they just quote the price all included?

CK

 

[surefire]

It never ceases to amaze me that people commute 1 hour+ to get to work. That's 10+ hours a week of you life your not gonna get back. I stopped commuting over 6 years ago. Just ditched the job and found work locally. Cut back on stupid wastefull outgoings and re-assessed everything. I now have a far better life and can walk (1/2 hour) or cycle (10mins) to work.
The current state of the country is meaning that we are having to tighten our belts ever further to continue to enjoy a good social life, how much further we can do this is debateable. No pay rise for THREE years is beginning to hurt badly.

I think it depends on your outlook on things. I commute around 50 miles each way, but it's fine with me.

Working closer to home would be nice, but I like what I do, I like the money I get paid (I have had pay rises and bonuses in the last 3 years) so that justifies my commute.

I could also move nearer my job, but I like where I live. So to maintain living in a nice area and having a good job, this is what I do. May not be for everyone, but I feel this provides me a good quality of life.

 

[SatchFan]

Mindless vandalism is maddening enough but the inconvenience and huge cost to repair is even worse. I had a door panel keyed a few years ago which cost me £350 so I would guess a whole side could be close to four figures.

One of my neighbours recently clipped my parked car so it's currently in the bodyshop for repair (no cost to me luckily). Interesting that the bodyshop asked me four times if I wanted a like for like courtesy car and seemed very put out that I didn't. I remembered back to when my wife's car was in for repair a number of years ago and she was about to sign for a courtesy car when she noticed the cost to the insurance company for three days hire - £1,100 for a Mini!! She refused out of principle. No wonder our premiums are going through the roof. I know we all say that insurance companies are always trying to rip us off but it looks like other businesses are just as bad.

 

[Imurg]

Interesting thought on the air con.

For those who turn it off, do you sweat it out, or open the windows?

I would have thought that once you get up to a decent speed 40-50mph+ any power 'wasted' by the air con, is negligible or perhaps even less, compared to the power wasted overcoming the extra drag caused by ruining the cars aerodynamics when opening the windows.

Any aerodynamicists or physicists here who can give more insight?

Also I think there is some value in comfort. I'll gladly pay a bit more and keep my air con on.

Up to about 35/40 mph it's more cost effective to have windows open but after that A/C is the better bet. The extra drag caused by open windows is far more than using the A/C