Do you drive as well?

secretsam

Thought I'd better 'fess up on this one, seeing as I posted it...

"We" have a car but I rarely use it - I commute to London every day (bikes at either end) so the car (Seat Alhambra diesel MPV huge black bus (auto), 35mpg if you're good) is used to ferry the kids (twins, therefore huge kit requirements) and her.

But I'm a car...er...fan, being a subscriber to "Car" magazine (and former winner of "Letter of the Month"!!)

I've been nuts about cars since I was tiny. My little boy's getting to be as bad, he's only 2... 8)

t4tomo

Christ why is everyone being so apologetic about owning a car. The Uk's public transport infrastructure is so pants that if you want to have any quality of life you need a car, especially those of us with kids.

If we didn't have a car, the klids would be severely limited in what after school / weekend activities we could get them to.

I have an pretty unenvironmentally friendly, but oh so practical Volvo Estate with a 3l petrol engine, and a less thirsty and les practical Nissan Figaro. Use your bike or walk or whatever where you can. Don't be ashamed to use a car when you need to - just don't mow down cyclists and bent riders with no helmets.

DavidTQ

t4tomo wrote:

Christ why is everyone being so apologetic about owning a car. The Uk's public transport infrastructure is so pants that if you want to have any quality of life you need a car, especially those of us with kids.

If we didn't have a car, the klids would be severely limited in what after school / weekend activities we could get them to.

I have an pretty unenvironmentally friendly, but oh so practical Volvo Estate with a 3l petrol engine, and a less thirsty and les practical Nissan Figaro. Use your bike or walk or whatever where you can. Don't be ashamed to use a car when you need to - just don't mow down cyclists and bent riders with no helmets.

Ive got 4 children and I dont live in a city but still manage to do without a car, I dont believe it has a negative impact on their lives...

Am I bad parent because I chose to get rid of the family wagon?

Is it perhaps a form of child abuse for people to mutter about?

Small Fish

I love my car (almost as much as I love my bike). Having a car nut for a dad, I grew up cold and wet, wedged behind the seats of various 2 seater sports cars... I'm a bit more considerate towards my kids and have a SEAT Leon Cupra with a roof, back seats, heater, seatbelts etc.

No guilt whatsoever, I keep mileage to an absolute minimum - just under 6k last year. It very rarely moves during the week but I couldn't be without it at weekends.

Gambatte

Not apologetic, but generally I don’t like driving, it’s a method of getting from A to B.

Definitely has its good side - today I saw the weather forecast, thought ‘sod it’, grabbed the keys and hit the motorway instead……
Next car I get will be bigger than the Mondeo, as it might be a bit tricky getting 3 kiddie seats in the back. Just seen a nice, cheap, white, V reg, Diesel, Xantia.

Hmmm, that soft rolling suspension…..

Crapaud

I've got a car, but I don't own it so, can't vote.

Although I have it 24/7 I only really use it for work - it's a driving job. I can usually fit any need for a car for personal reasons into an existing journey. For anything else foot, bike or public transport is enough in a city. At worst, I'd hire a car if I couldn't find any other way.

I got rid of my last, owned, car about 12 years ago. I've never been very pro or anti car - they're useful for some things, but completely unneccessary for many others. A bit like mobile 'phones.

t4tomo

Speaking from experience of having to fit 3 kiddies seats in the back of a car, unless you want a people carrier or a large 4x4 then there aren't many with a wide enough and "flat" enough back seat.

If you dont want to spend too much (and afer all cars do depreciate badly) you can do far worse than what I have: an old Volvo V90, or its younger sibling the V70. The V90 is slightly bigger and rear wheel drive, the V70 front wheel drive. Longievity is pretty legendary amonst Volvo's so don't be worried about getting a high miler.

A lot come with the 7 seat option (foldaway rear facing seat) which can also be retrofitted which are so useful when you are giving lift to friends kids etc.

Also bikes fit in the back very easily! I can fit a tandem in the back of mine with just the front wheeel removed.

Ive got 4 children and I dont live in a city but still manage to do without a car, I dont believe it has a negative impact on their lives... Am I bad parent because I chose to get rid of the family wagon? ...Is it perhaps a form of child abuse for people to mutter about?

don't be too hard on yourself David - I note you say "manage to do without" though which imies soem sacrifices have to be made.

All I know if that Saturday mornings consists of going from swimming lessons to football coaching in under half an hour to opposite side of town. Sat afternoon is riding for one drama for another. Sundays often transporting kids to away hockey fixtures (home are close enough to cycle / walk). Without a car that lot woud be impossible to achieve.

Gambatte

I’d been thinking about Volvos, like you said - a reputation for being a reliable motor.
Its not an urgent replacement, after all our lass can always squeeze in the back, instead of one of the car seats. However I know something of this Xantias history, and I’ve had one before.

The guys only got it as a runaround whilst he decides if he can trust the work done on his ‘proper’ car. The engine on his 75ZT blew up (£4k replacement!)

I’ll keep my eye on Volvos tho’

DavidTQ

t4tomo wrote:

don't be too hard on yourself David - I note you say "manage to do without" though which imies soem sacrifices have to be made.

All I know if that Saturday mornings consists of going from swimming lessons to football coaching in under half an hour to opposite side of town. Sat afternoon is riding for one drama for another. Sundays often transporting kids to away hockey fixtures (home are close enough to cycle / walk). Without a car that lot woud be impossible to achieve.

A quick scan of the family bank account and look at the family siuation tells me I was sacrificing more owning the car than I am by not owning one £300+ a month goes a long way... easily covers the odd taxi fare etc. Shopping gets ordered on the net and delivered (did even when we had the cars as 4 kids in a supermarket isnt fun) for anything extra theres always local shops. I can borrow cars from family and friends pretty much whenever I want but havent found many situations where I have to .

My children though dont yet have conflicting schedules Will cross that bridge when I come to it Till then Im happy enough to be saving money.

I sleep better not having to worry about what happens to the cars over night 4 times Ive had cars broken into, I dont have to deal with that hassle now .

yoffi69

Wife has the family car which i drive occasionally.

work for an american motorcycle company so i get a free motorbike to commute on but just bought a zaskar for the commute to get fit

El Capitano

I own a car, Subaru Legacy Outback. Use it occasionally for work, but it's mostly used for transporting me, various bikes, kit and passengers to races and events:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/ ... C00809.jpg

wildmoustache

I'm really sorry about this guys ... but er... I ... own ... a .... car ....!!!!!

Gambatte

wildmoustache wrote:

I'm really sorry about this guys ... but er... I ... own ... a .... car ....!!!!!

Thats good, let it out, once its out in the open it won't hurt........



:? :?

John the Monkey

Gambatte wrote:

Not apologetic, but generally I don’t like driving, it’s a method of getting from A to B.

I'd agree with that - I drive (to grab the weekly shop mostly, and when we're going anywhere with the nippers) but it feels like a chore, tbh.

misterben

I own a car. In fact, I've just bought a new one - a Mazda 6 Estate (2.0 Turbodiesel). Got a baby - they have lots of stuff - and both sets of grandparents are > 4 hours travelling away (in opposite directions). My wife uses the car for work (she's a teacher) and there's no public transport options for her. I use public transport (well - now I cycle and use public transport) to work.

But I still love to drive.

Porgy

I'm not apologetic about owning a car (it's my wife's really :twisted: ) but using it conflicts with my own principles. It tends to sit on the drive all week, but every now and again we need it. I consider the rail services to be so expensive that it is no longer accessible for a family of three like us. therefore the car is necessary if we need to go a good distance.

It's the fault of our society if the more polluting option is actually cheaper - no wonder we're not acheiving our carbon targets.

Totalnewbie

I got rid of mine when it failed its MOT and I couldn't justify paying what was needed to sort it out. It was very old, bless it, and I had a weird emotional attachment to it, but I got over it.

I don't miss it much, my needs are such that so far I've taken a taxi once (pets don't go on the bike too well for a vet trip!) and managed everything else with the bike and public transport.

I agree about train prices though. If I needed to make several substantial train journeys a year, then a car would work out cheaper even with tax and insurance. I recently went 'up north' for a conference and was amazed at what the ticket cost (thankfully I could claim it back), and then of course I needed a taxi at the other end. I think it's ridiculous when we're trying to cut emissions.

Professorlandslide

I hate my car - it steals all my money! But despite having just had a new starter motor and battery and being in dire need of a new clutch, its still more reliable than first great western... :evil:

WeirdNeville

I have a car - A Nissan 200sx - and I'm in no way apologetic about it. I'm as much of a petrolhead as I am a fan of cycling.

But I am not so obtuse as to use it for all journeys. I cycle and get the train to work every day, and the car is really a hobby and recreational item for me.

I did do the maths on how much it costs me and afterwards I actually wrote the advert to sell it. But my other half talked me out of it as she knew I'd only go out and buy something even more ridiculous!

She has a Skoda Fabia 1.4 Tdi, which is a superb car. You can get a bike in the boot, it's not bad to drive and it returns 55mpg all week long. My car, well, it's a hoot to drive, gets 25mpg if you nanny it and in wet weather it trys to kill you! I love it!

RichMTB

As much as I like cycling to work; Is it just me or is it more fun the busier the traffic is?

Its kind of hard to get to the trails at the weekend without a car, and the A roads to the trails (particularly the drive to Glentress) are actually some of the few roads that you can enjoy these days

Parkey

With the price of petrol going through the £1 a litre mark I'm seriously considering getting rid of my car for good.

dirtyleeds

i have one, wife has one....
i car share the 17miles to work, and she needs it as she works 2 days a week and it would take her hours to get the 8 miles by bus + she doesn't do bikes

whome

I have a small car and use it more than I should.

saveswalking

I have a small dick which adequately compensates for the lack of a car
8)

sw

flyswallower

I have a big Citroen XM estate - swallows a complete bike with back seat(s) folded. And I use it as a camper-car (with homemade window black-outs) as it's long enough to stretch out in the back. But I generally do more miles on the bikes than by car, but I wouldn't be without the beloved motor, although I have lived successfully without a car before.

GraemeT

I have slightly more cars than bikes. But then I do have 5 bikes
3 of the cars are back in England awaiting restoration so I only really have 3 at my disposal.

I posted a thread a while ago about how many bikes it was sensible to own and the general response was 'as many as you like' or 'as many as you need for various purposes, eg. MTB, road bike, commuter etc', so I apply the same philosophy to cars.

I have 1 big car for going places, carrying people or stuff. OK it is a 4x4 but I get the same mpg as my everyday runabout, a Mazda MX5.

When I say everyday, I do of course mean once in a while as I commute by bike everyday. I do love my cars though and enjoy having them, which explains my final choice which is my very special one for high days and holidays. (Strictly sunny days only). Was a childhood dream so why not.

Living in Switzerland the public transport is very good, my girlfriend has never bothered to learn to drive, but I still like the freedom of having a car(s) One thing you do notice here is that the majority of drivers are very considerate to cyclists as almost everyone cycles as well.

rampax

I DID own a car.
Finally took the plunge and sold it about 7 months ago.
I have been cycling the 20 miles a day since.
I have noticed a HUGE difference in my bank account.
You dont appreciate how expensive running a car is, until you have the raw cash equivalent.
Unfortunately all this riding has caused me lots of aches and pains in knees and hips.
After lots of investigations with GPs, Ostiopaths and Podiatrists I have finally been told to do less cycling.
This is VERY dissapointing.
I am now considering a "multimodal" method using my brompton and the train to slash the mileage.
Buying a car again will be the absolute last resort.

ColinJ

SecretSam wrote:

So - do you run a 4 wheeled machine as well as a 2 wheeled one?

No!

I have 4 2-wheeled machines, all motor-less, and 0 machines with any other number of wheels .

ColinJ

rampax wrote:

I DID own a car.
Finally took the plunge and sold it about 7 months ago.
I have been cycling the 20 miles a day since.
I have noticed a HUGE difference in my bank account.
You dont appreciate how expensive running a car is, until you have the raw cash equivalent.
Unfortunately all this riding has caused me lots of aches and pains in knees and hips.
After lots of investigations with GPs, Ostiopaths and Podiatrists I have finally been told to do less cycling.
This is VERY dissapointing.
I am now considering a "multimodal" method using my brompton and the train to slash the mileage.
Buying a car again will be the absolute last resort.

Hi rampax. I think it's great that you are trying to do without a car. I never had one in the first place so I don't miss it. From time to time people ask me how I cope without one - I just point out that the vast majority of people who have ever lived didn't drive either!

It's a bit worrying that you should be having to cut down on your cycling due to wear and tear though. 20 miles a day is a nice mileage but it's not exactly an extreme amount of exercise. I know lots of people much older than me (I'm 51) with dodgy joints, but they are still able to cycle, often long distances (hundreds of miles). The one type of professional you don't seem to have consulted is anyone directly involved with cycling. I'm sure that it would be worth having a chat with a good coach or maybe having a proper bike-fit session at a decent bike shop.

My family has a history of arthritis and I had twinges in my hips 15 years ago (early arthritis confirmed by x-rays) but I found that giving up running and sticking to cycling was enough to keep the problem at bay. I also try to keep my weight down and take Glucosamine Sulphate and Cod Liver Oil every day. It works for me.

It may be obvious, but are you sure that you and your bike are a good fit? Is your saddle height right? One thing especially - if you are using clipless pedals, make absolutely sure that you have your cleat position right and have 'float' both clockwise and anti-clockwise from your favoured foot position. If I get my cleat setting wrong by more than a few degrees, I too get sore knees and hips within a few miles. Otherwise I can do 12 hour rides no problem.

Bassjunkieuk

I do have a car but I got it with my job! It spends most of the time outside my house tho as I ride into work when working in central London. Having said that as it's a Prius I can feel a bit better that on the few occasions I do have to bring it into the city I don't have to line Mr Livingstones pockets for the pleasure of sitting in a traffic jam for 75% of the time on the road and also sit safe in the knowledge that I'm not using any of this ever increasingly expensive petrol to!

It is more helpful when I'm working outside the M25 and for personal usage with the family it's great!