I'll soon be facing a rather long commute, at least significantly longer than I have ever had to do before.
It's about 1 hour 10 minutes on train, and around 40 minute-ish by car on average.
I don't yet have a car, but I could affor getting a decent used one.
My main pro train thought is that I'd be just sitting (if lucky!) and could read and such, while in the car I would have to actually drive.
Pro-car arguments are that I would be driving a car, I would NOT be on a train cramped with other people, and it would be cheaper as far as monthly costs go, but that does not account for purchase price (which may be on loan) and any repairs.
Present plan is to do the train for the first month to asses general financial situation after the move anyways, then probably switch to a car, but I would like to hear the opinions of those who have tried both for longer time periods.
If this is in and out of London at the usual work times, then that will significantly tilt you decision, as compared to commuting in and out of other cities like Bristol, Manchester or Edinburgh, which I think is easier by train than car.
I take it finding a place close to work is out of the question?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 16, 2015, 09:02:21 AM
I take it finding a place close to work is out of the question?
It's SE England, transport network focused on a single point and routinely at capacity, in an area with population densities above 2,000 p.sq.mile and so, little room for new added capacity.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 16, 2015, 09:02:21 AM
I take it finding a place close to work is out of the question?
Its complicated, suffice to say the home and the job are where they are.
Quote from: mongers on October 16, 2015, 09:01:34 AM
If this is in and out of London at the usual work times, then that will significantly tilt you decision, as compared to commuting in and out of other cities like Bristol, Manchester or Edinburgh, which I think is easier by train than car.
By train I'd be changing at Clapham Junction.
Quote from: mongers on October 16, 2015, 09:05:33 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 16, 2015, 09:02:21 AM
I take it finding a place close to work is out of the question?
It's SE England, transport network focused on a single point and routinely at it's capacity, in an area with population densities above 2,000 p.sq.mile and so little room new added capacity.
Yeah if there was a direct railroad connection this would be 30 minutes on train tops. As it stands, I must crawl into London and then crawl out. With car I'd be using the motorway going around London.
It also depends on the parking situation. If you can easily park both at home and at work, with the times listed, I would opt for a car. Then you're not tied to train schedule or the route, and you can drive somewhere else after work before coming home. Of course, this is assuming that your times are accurate, and that you've taken traffic into account.
I think the best way is to test out each option. Can you rent a car for a few days? If so you can try each option to see which one suits you best in practice.
My commute's about that long of which 40 mins is on the train. I would say train as I can read, check work emails, do my make-up and watch videos. And come home pissed on occasion.
But both ends of my commute are the end of the line so I'm guaranteed a seat. My opinion would swing entirely the other way if I had to stand.
I had one London car commute that took me an hour and a half to drive 16 miles. Never again.
I'd take a couple of days off to trial the journey in rush hour and find something touristy to do while you're there.
I always take the Metro in DC when I can. I can sit and read, listen to podcasts, or whatever.
Driving sucks much more, even in the rare occasions when it's faster. Traffic is bad and unpredictable enough that I can't concentrate on podcasts, and reading is right-out.
Sometimes the Metro is crowded, sure. But I can still read and ignore everyone else.
Train. Definitely the train. You can get a lot done on that commute and it would be a whole lot more relaxing.
Agreed on train - it's extra time you can use productively.
That is unless the train only runs every two hours, or is regularly so crowded that it's standing room only.
Train but you will probably still need a car on the weekends.
Quote from: Syt on October 16, 2015, 09:37:35 AM
Agreed on train - it's extra time you can use productively.
That is unless the train only runs every two hours, or is regularly so crowded that it's standing room only.
I think I would have a decent chance of grabbing a seat for at least half the journey all days.
Trains are quite regular, especially if I am willing to tolerate +15 minutes to my ride.
Quote from: Grey Fox on October 16, 2015, 09:39:35 AM
Train but you will probably still need a car on the weekends.
That would be a bit silly financially, unless I buy something cheap for like a 4 years loan to keep the monthly payings low.
A long commute by car in London sounds hellish, cars must be pretty expensive to mantain over there. Insurance, gas, congestion charge...not to speak about the loan repayments. It's pretty clear that you want to have a car over there, but I think it makes very little sense.
It would not be IN London, but south of it.
The thing is, that apart from the actual price of the car it would not be more expensive than the train ticket.
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 09:55:17 AM
It would not be IN London, but south of it.
The thing is, that apart from the actual price of the car it would not be more expensive than the train ticket.
How confident are you that you have the costs of car ownership truly figured out? Do you know how much you'll pay in insurance, taxes, parking, tolls, etc.?
Quote from: DGuller on October 16, 2015, 09:56:50 AM
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 09:55:17 AM
It would not be IN London, but south of it.
The thing is, that apart from the actual price of the car it would not be more expensive than the train ticket.
How confident are you that you have the costs of car ownership truly figured out? Do you know how much you'll pay in insurance, taxes, parking, tolls, etc.?
I have a rough estimate only :) There are no tolls involved AFAIK, parking is free at home and at work. Costs are fuel, tax, and insurance. Can't realistically be more than the train ticket (around 240 pounds a month!) for sure.
I am unable to give you a recommendation based on your description. I would normally err on the side of train, but the fact that the train commute is almost twice the time of the car one, and that this is in fact not in London, but out of London adds extra points to the car option. Plus a car can come in handy in other circumstances.
Another question - how regular are your work hours? If it is 9 to 5-ish then the train commute is probably easier - but if you will frequently stay long hours or have an irregular schedule, then a car becomes preferable.
It is fairly regular most of the time.
Sign up for a car club like Zipcar or similar for quick car rental whenever you need it, even if it's just a monthly big grocery shop.
http://www.zipcar.co.uk/car-hire-offer (http://www.zipcar.co.uk/car-hire-offer)
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 10:01:04 AM
Quote from: DGuller on October 16, 2015, 09:56:50 AM
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 09:55:17 AM
It would not be IN London, but south of it.
The thing is, that apart from the actual price of the car it would not be more expensive than the train ticket.
How confident are you that you have the costs of car ownership truly figured out? Do you know how much you'll pay in insurance, taxes, parking, tolls, etc.?
I have a rough estimate only :) There are no tolls involved AFAIK, parking is free at home and at work. Costs are fuel, tax, and insurance. Can't realistically be more than the train ticket (around 240 pounds a month!) for sure.
British insurance can be extremely expensive for people classified as high risks. Just warning you. I don't know the details, but it's conceivable that someone with no British driving experience could be considered a high risk.
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 08:58:11 AM
I'll soon be facing a rather long commute, at least significantly longer than I have ever had to do before.
It's about 1 hour 10 minutes on train, and around 40 minute-ish by car on average.
I don't yet have a car, but I could affor getting a decent used one.
My main pro train thought is that I'd be just sitting (if lucky!) and could read and such, while in the car I would have to actually drive.
Pro-car arguments are that I would be driving a car, I would NOT be on a train cramped with other people, and it would be cheaper as far as monthly costs go, but that does not account for purchase price (which may be on loan) and any repairs.
Present plan is to do the train for the first month to asses general financial situation after the move anyways, then probably switch to a car, but I would like to hear the opinions of those who have tried both for longer time periods.
So I flip-flop between the train, and driving, every one in a while. I've done both.
For me the train makes the most sense because it is noticeably cheaper than driving (even before accounting for the price of the car), and it only takes a little bit more time (45-50 minutes driving, 60 minutes by train / bus).
But in your scenario (assuming you've figured everything out!) not only is the train more expensive, but it's markedly longer.
The time sitting on the train can be nice - it's my only time to read books, but the environment is such you're not really doing anything productive for work.
If you can really save an hour per day by driving, that's what I'd recommend. That's a hell of a lot of time out of your day.
Quote from: DGuller on October 16, 2015, 11:15:18 AM
British insurance can be extremely expensive for people classified as high risks. Just warning you. I don't know the details, but it's conceivable that someone with no British driving experience could be considered a high risk.
British drivers are maniacs, all driving on the wrong side of the road.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 16, 2015, 11:50:55 AM
Quote from: DGuller on October 16, 2015, 11:15:18 AM
British insurance can be extremely expensive for people classified as high risks. Just warning you. I don't know the details, but it's conceivable that someone with no British driving experience could be considered a high risk.
British drivers are maniacs, all driving on the wrong side of the road.
They drive on the right side over there. :secret:
Take the train. Trains are awesome! :bowler:
;)
I would make my decision based on your fiancée's schedule. You're going to be giving up five hours of your life every week if you take the train. If you could spend that time with her instead then you should drive.
All things being equal I'd always pick train. But in this case, the train is both incredibly expensive and takes an extra hour? I think I would drive.
Plus, you'd have a car "at" the weekends to go see stuff. Not at least having that option restricts your wanderings to a tiny tiny fraction of the Earth's surface, and wandering is fun.
Cars are for poor people who can't afford to live somewhere there's a train.
So train.
Quote from: Tyr on October 16, 2015, 02:23:40 PM
Cars are for poor people who can't afford to live somewhere there's a train.
So train.
In America, the opposite of that statement is the rule. :)
Quote from: Tonitrus on October 16, 2015, 02:25:50 PM
In America, the opposite of that statement is the rule. :)
Trains are for poor people? More like buses are for poor people.
Hobos. Hobos ride the trains.
Train.
My commute could be a 15 minute drive, but I opt for 25 minutes on the train and 20 on the bike.
It's great, I get a lot of exercise and reading done that I otherwise might be too lazy to do.
My daily commute is @ 22 miles mostly on the interstate, depending on traffic it could be @30 minutes or over an hour. There is no public transportation alternative. On a bicycle it would be over 30 miles each way on a busy hiway/avenue with many hills, cars and no bike lanes. :)
Quote from: lustindarkness on October 16, 2015, 02:43:49 PM
My daily commute is @ 22 miles mostly on the interstate, depending on traffic it could be @30 minutes or over an hour. There is no public transportation alternative. On a bicycle it would be over 30 miles each way on a busy hiway/avenue with many hills, cars and no bike lanes. :)
So what's stopping you. :P
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 09:41:43 AM
The thing is, that apart from the actual price of the car it would not be more expensive than the train ticket.
If this and the relative times you gave for the commute are accurate, go for the car. Forty minutes behind the wheel is nothing.
Quote from: mongers on October 16, 2015, 03:14:51 PM
Quote from: lustindarkness on October 16, 2015, 02:43:49 PM
My daily commute is @ 22 miles mostly on the interstate, depending on traffic it could be @30 minutes or over an hour. There is no public transportation alternative. On a bicycle it would be over 30 miles each way on a busy hiway/avenue with many hills, cars and no bike lanes. :)
So what's stopping you. :P
Common sense.
Quote from: lustindarkness on October 16, 2015, 03:25:47 PM
Quote from: mongers on October 16, 2015, 03:14:51 PM
Quote from: lustindarkness on October 16, 2015, 02:43:49 PM
My daily commute is @ 22 miles mostly on the interstate, depending on traffic it could be @30 minutes or over an hour. There is no public transportation alternative. On a bicycle it would be over 30 miles each way on a busy hiway/avenue with many hills, cars and no bike lanes. :)
So what's stopping you. :P
Common sense.
:D
Indeed.
I think the longest commute by bike I undertook was a 38-39 mile round trip and it wasn't that often, so not 5 times a week.
My commute is a 5-10 minutes (350 metres) walk. :cool:
didn't WE DO THIS A COUPLE YEARS AGO?
Yes, poor people ride buses and hobos ride trains.
Quote from: Tamas on October 16, 2015, 08:58:11 AM
I'll soon be facing a rather long commute, at least significantly longer than I have ever had to do before.
It's about 1 hour 10 minutes on train, and around 40 minute-ish by car on average.
I don't yet have a car, but I could affor getting a decent used one.
My main pro train thought is that I'd be just sitting (if lucky!) and could read and such, while in the car I would have to actually drive.
Pro-car arguments are that I would be driving a car, I would NOT be on a train cramped with other people, and it would be cheaper as far as monthly costs go, but that does not account for purchase price (which may be on loan) and any repairs.
Present plan is to do the train for the first month to asses general financial situation after the move anyways, then probably switch to a car, but I would like to hear the opinions of those who have tried both for longer time periods.
If you need to get out of town sometimes, in places where bus/train is not widely available of costly, go for the car. If you are mostly staying in town and only travelling to work on a regular schedule, stick to public transit.
Train is better, especially a bullet train. Goes faster, no traffic, you can sleep, and there's a bathroom.
There is no bus route? Sometimes they go quite long distances in the London area. They are slow and cheap, but you can get a seat and read a book.
Is the train route reliable? How are the trains? Old or new? How is the track? Is it on time on a day-to-day basis? You'll only know after using the line for a while I guess.
As for the road, does it jam often during commuting times? I suppose the road is in good condition. Are you used to driving on the left btw?
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 16, 2015, 09:38:19 PM
Train is better, especially a bullet train. Goes faster, no traffic, you can sleep, and there's a bathroom.
What the fuck are you talking about? Have you even read Tamas's post? :huh:
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 06:20:45 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 16, 2015, 09:38:19 PM
Train is better, especially a bullet train. Goes faster, no traffic, you can sleep, and there's a bathroom.
What the fuck are you talking about? Have you even read Tamas's post? :huh:
When you think about it it's crazy that he's so wrong. There should be high speed trains in the UK, it has the population and geography to support it.
Some advantages of cars:
No waiting around.
You can listen to music/audiobooks without headphones(they give me headaches).
You can make detours whenever you want.
You can let farts rip whenever you want.
You never have to stand.
Can go places that are off the train & bus lines, or more direct routes to places that aren't.
Disadvantage:
Driving sucks.
If it's a crowded drive, remember:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.publicbikes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FTraffic-v3_blog11.jpg&hash=f7546a781a26a14b9999bd943e718e4476c7948c)
Quote from: Liep on October 17, 2015, 06:27:58 AM
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 06:20:45 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 16, 2015, 09:38:19 PM
Train is better, especially a bullet train. Goes faster, no traffic, you can sleep, and there's a bathroom.
What the fuck are you talking about? Have you even read Tamas's post? :huh:
When you think about it it's crazy that he's so wrong. There should be high speed trains in the UK, it has the population and geography to support it.
But not on a 1 hour commute. Why would you want to sleep on a short distance suburban "bullet train". It's idiotic.
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 07:48:22 AM
Quote from: Liep on October 17, 2015, 06:27:58 AM
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 06:20:45 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on October 16, 2015, 09:38:19 PM
Train is better, especially a bullet train. Goes faster, no traffic, you can sleep, and there's a bathroom.
What the fuck are you talking about? Have you even read Tamas's post? :huh:
When you think about it it's crazy that he's so wrong. There should be high speed trains in the UK, it has the population and geography to support it.
But not on a 1 hour commute. Why would you want to sleep on a short distance suburban "bullet train". It's idiotic.
Many people nap on the way home from work if they commute by bus or train.
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 07:48:22 AM
But not on a 1 hour commute. Why would you want to sleep on a short distance suburban "bullet train". It's idiotic.
Means you need to get less sleep at home and makes the journey go quickly.
In Japan a lot of people sleep on the morning commute.
A nap of the length we're talking about here is going to be just long enough to make you groggy without getting rested.
Quote from: Brazen on October 16, 2015, 10:27:07 AM
Sign up for a car club like Zipcar or similar for quick car rental whenever you need it, even if it's just a monthly big grocery shop.
http://www.zipcar.co.uk/car-hire-offer (http://www.zipcar.co.uk/car-hire-offer)
Yep. Rental is the way to go.
Quote from: dps on October 17, 2015, 12:16:18 PM
A nap of the length we're talking about here is going to be just long enough to make you groggy without getting rested.
I dunno. From what I've read if you keep it under 45 minutes it has a regenerative effect without grogginess since you won't have entered a rem cycle
My commute is all car as public transit is nonexistent here. :blush:
I love my morning commute though as I just fly down the interstate at 85 mph in the left lane. :cool: Afternoon commute is a bit more hairy though... can sometimes take twice as long cause traffic is so bad until I get out of the city.
Thank you guys.
With the timing of other stuff, I will probably postpone the car buying to January (if I buy one).
So, different topic: what kind of a car? What I have had in mind was kind of re-buying the car I had back in Hungary: a glorious 2005 Toyota Corolla. Automatic so the abomination of having to shift gears with my left hand won't obscure me from the horror of driving on the left.
This plan would place me in the bracket of paying anything between 2000-3500 pounds for a 10 years old car.
I have two dilemmas:
-Shouldn't I use that as downpayment for buying a newer car (say, 5-3 years old) on loan?
-Shouldn't I assume that this is a temporary car in the grander scheme of things, and buy a really cheap one (after, say, the 11-12 years old mark prices start to plummet), expecting to get rid of it in a few years?
I found it pretty easy to adjust to dealing with gears on my right. It was only when I became sleepy that I started punching the door when I wanted to shift :lol:
Quote from: Tamas on October 19, 2015, 11:58:21 AM
Thank you guys.
With the timing of other stuff, I will probably postpone the car buying to January (if I buy one).
So, different topic: what kind of a car? What I have had in mind was kind of re-buying the car I had back in Hungary: a glorious 2005 Toyota Corolla. Automatic so the abomination of having to shift gears with my left hand won't obscure me from the horror of driving on the left.
This plan would place me in the bracket of paying anything between 2000-3500 pounds for a 10 years old car.
I have two dilemmas:
-Shouldn't I use that as downpayment for buying a newer car (say, 5-3 years old) on loan?
-Shouldn't I assume that this is a temporary car in the grander scheme of things, and buy a really cheap one (after, say, the 11-12 years old mark prices start to plummet), expecting to get rid of it in a few years?
Thanks for confirming that you wanted to buy a car all along and just wanted validation for the choice you already made. :P
Quote from: Martinus on October 17, 2015, 07:48:22 AM
But not on a 1 hour commute. Why would you want to sleep on a short distance suburban "bullet train". It's idiotic.
Eh? Have you ever been on a commuter train? Half the people there nap.
Quote from: dps on October 17, 2015, 12:16:18 PM
A nap of the length we're talking about here is going to be just long enough to make you groggy without getting rested.
The thing I miss most about taking public transit is the restorative naps I could take - even though I had a relatively short commute of about 30 minutes. Power naps are great.
Quote from: The Larch on October 19, 2015, 12:03:14 PM
Quote from: Tamas on October 19, 2015, 11:58:21 AM
Thank you guys.
With the timing of other stuff, I will probably postpone the car buying to January (if I buy one).
So, different topic: what kind of a car? What I have had in mind was kind of re-buying the car I had back in Hungary: a glorious 2005 Toyota Corolla. Automatic so the abomination of having to shift gears with my left hand won't obscure me from the horror of driving on the left.
This plan would place me in the bracket of paying anything between 2000-3500 pounds for a 10 years old car.
I have two dilemmas:
-Shouldn't I use that as downpayment for buying a newer car (say, 5-3 years old) on loan?
-Shouldn't I assume that this is a temporary car in the grander scheme of things, and buy a really cheap one (after, say, the 11-12 years old mark prices start to plummet), expecting to get rid of it in a few years?
Thanks for confirming that you wanted to buy a car all along and just wanted validation for the choice you already made. :P
:lol: Actually I am not yet SURE about it. But there are no follow-up dilemmas with train travel :P
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 19, 2015, 01:10:54 PM
Quote from: dps on October 17, 2015, 12:16:18 PM
A nap of the length we're talking about here is going to be just long enough to make you groggy without getting rested.
The thing I miss most about taking public transit is the restorative naps I could take - even though I had a relatively short commute of about 30 minutes. Power naps are great.
Yeah napping on the train is great - until you miss your stop. :Embarrass:
Tamas, for the few times you are actually going to need a car you can rent a better one than you could afford to buy and insure. Its what we did when our oldest could start driving on his own. It made no sense to buy an additional vehicle just for convenience. On the very rare occasion that we each needed our own vehicle we just rented. Saved tens of thousands of dollars doing it that way.
Quote from: Barrister on October 19, 2015, 01:17:27 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on October 19, 2015, 01:10:54 PM
Quote from: dps on October 17, 2015, 12:16:18 PM
A nap of the length we're talking about here is going to be just long enough to make you groggy without getting rested.
The thing I miss most about taking public transit is the restorative naps I could take - even though I had a relatively short commute of about 30 minutes. Power naps are great.
Yeah napping on the train is great - until you miss your stop. :Embarrass:
:lol:
Quote from: Tamas on October 19, 2015, 11:58:21 AM
Thank you guys.
With the timing of other stuff, I will probably postpone the car buying to January (if I buy one).
So, different topic: what kind of a car? What I have had in mind was kind of re-buying the car I had back in Hungary: a glorious 2005 Toyota Corolla. Automatic so the abomination of having to shift gears with my left hand won't obscure me from the horror of driving on the left.
This plan would place me in the bracket of paying anything between 2000-3500 pounds for a 10 years old car.
I have two dilemmas:
-Shouldn't I use that as downpayment for buying a newer car (say, 5-3 years old) on loan?
-Shouldn't I assume that this is a temporary car in the grander scheme of things, and buy a really cheap one (after, say, the 11-12 years old mark prices start to plummet), expecting to get rid of it in a few years?
As a general rule, I don't believe in going into debt for a used car. If you can't afford the down payment and payments for a new car, get something old enough that you can just pay cash for it.
If you do get a used car,
do get an independent mechanic to check it out for you before you sign anything.
And unless car rentals are significantly less expensive in the RotW than they are in the US, don't listen to the people who are telling you to rent a car when you need one. Renting a car is terribly inefficient financially. You might look into leasing, though. I'm not sure about how it works in Europe, but in the US leasing can often get you a bigger/newer/better equipped car than you could get from buying one outright at the same cost, especially if you aren't going to put a lot of mileage on it.
Not sure exactly what all is available in England, but Corollas are good and reliable, if boring, cars. In theory, I'd recommend something smaller if you're planning on mainly using it on your commute, but I'd feel like a hypocrite if I did so--in practice, I like big cars, cost (within reason) be damned. Of course, fuel costs are less over here, which makes it easier to take that attitude.
I haven't rented in a coon dog's age, but back when I was in DC I used to rent regularly and it was dirt cheap. Around $20 a day.
I.e., roughly the price of a cheeseburger in England.
My weapon car of choice when I lived in London, was a Avenger estate 'customised with a different coloured hood, tailgate and red drivers door, that along with it having the fenders/bumpers removed, seemed to give other drivers the impression they should get outta the way asap. :bowler:
How were the hydraulics?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 19, 2015, 04:41:29 PM
How were the hydraulics?
What are those? :unsure:
If you mean suspension, I'd say the ride could be characterized as barrelling.
Quote from: mongers on October 19, 2015, 04:57:31 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on October 19, 2015, 04:41:29 PM
How were the hydraulics?
What are those? :unsure:
If you mean suspension, I'd say the ride could be characterized as barrelling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-iCCJmX44 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-iCCJmX44)
Quote from: mongers on October 19, 2015, 04:32:44 PM
My weapon car of choice when I lived in London, was a Avenger estate 'customised with a different coloured hood, tailgate and red drivers door, that along with it having the fenders/bumpers removed, seemed to give other drivers the impression they should get outta the way asap. :bowler:
You aren't doing anything to alter my perception of you as Richard Briers.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.telegraph.co.uk%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F03248%2F4370606_Tom_and_Ba_3248002b.jpg&hash=7a0757ba061651eedb08f035eddf460f799919cb)
Leasing is very intriguing actually :hmm:
Could backfire badly due to strict contract terms though, I guess.
Plus I better talk to an agent as they might not be too hot about leasing to a recent immigrant like me.
Leasing doesn't help you at all Tamas. It's just like owning except that the dealership retains the resale rights.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on October 19, 2015, 05:02:04 PM
Quote from: mongers on October 19, 2015, 04:32:44 PM
My weapon car of choice when I lived in London, was a Avenger estate 'customised with a different coloured hood, tailgate and red drivers door, that along with it having the fenders/bumpers removed, seemed to give other drivers the impression they should get outta the way asap. :bowler:
You aren't doing anything to alter my perception of you as Richard Briers.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.telegraph.co.uk%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F03248%2F4370606_Tom_and_Ba_3248002b.jpg&hash=7a0757ba061651eedb08f035eddf460f799919cb)
:lol:
Though a Felicity Kendal would be nice into the bargain. :wub:
No idea about the tax laws etc. in Britain but leasing in Germany only makes financial sense for company cars.
Cars are cheap. Get something crap second hand like a ford and it will be less than 1000 quid easily. It's insurance, mot s, etc... where all the cost comes.
Quote from: Tyr on October 20, 2015, 01:07:12 AM
Cars are cheap. Get something crap second hand like a ford and it will be less than 1000 quid easily. It's insurance, mot s, etc... where all the cost comes.
It sounds like he's commuting across London, which seems to be a bit of a different animal than the average car commute though. All that talk about car fees under red Ken and everything.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on October 20, 2015, 01:30:19 AM
Quote from: Tyr on October 20, 2015, 01:07:12 AM
Cars are cheap. Get something crap second hand like a ford and it will be less than 1000 quid easily. It's insurance, mot s, etc... where all the cost comes.
It sounds like he's commuting across London, which seems to be a bit of a different animal than the average car commute though. All that talk about car fees under red Ken and everything.
Not through London, luckily, the motorway around it actually goes around the whole (extended) city. No way I would drive a car into London proper. I value my sanity. Well, what's left of it anyways.
Don't lease, it's a waste of money unless you can write off the cost against your tax income (i.e. worth it if you are self-employed not otherwise). Buy a reliable second hand car for c.£5K and run it into the ground.
If you are using the M25, factor in the likelihood of chronic traffic jams every now and then.
Driving in central London is easy as long as you watch out for cyclists. Far easier than Paris or Rome.
Quote from: Gups on October 20, 2015, 07:36:47 AM
Don't lease, it's a waste of money unless you can write off the cost against your tax income (i.e. worth it if you are self-employed not otherwise). Buy a reliable second hand car for c.£5K and run it into the ground.
If you are using the M25, factor in the likelihood of chronic traffic jams every now and then.
Driving in central London is easy as long as you watch out for cyclists. Far easier than Paris or Rome.
Yeah, I don't understood the fear of London driving, often from people who do a lot; within a few days of passing my driving test I was up the motorway and driving around central London, along with a non-driving mate in the navigator role. :bowler:
I've never really had a problem driving in London, either for work or personal life, sure there are certain bottlenecks, you will get stuck on the North circular a fair bit, the south circular can be problematic, even on a Sunday etc, but all places in the SE of England will also have their own rush hours and congested areas.
Though I can see what Gups says about cyclists in London sometime being an issue, as plenty I've seen and encountered in town have acted with recklessness and stupidity.