Selling my car

Zombie_donkey

I've settled right in to biking to work so I have no need for my Ford Focus.

I have a gas guzzling V6 coupe for weekends so the Focus is for commuting and other dreary business so I can do without it.

I may regret it come winter but that's ages away.

Zombie_donkey

Oh yes, this means the bike has already paid for itself many times over.

lardboy

Well done! That's a quick result!

londonbairn

I got rid of my car a while back, don't have one anymore and don't need one

Any savings though have probably went on bike parts...but feels great not having to waste £x on insurance, tax, petrol etc...

iPad

I'm thinking about selling mine too.

All it does is sit on the drive all week costing me money.

The only problem I have, is that when I do take it out for a blast I f*ckin love it..!

But it's a lot of money for what is effectively just a toy.

We have two cars at the moment, but only need one. Mine is the better car, but less practical (and absolutely does not work in the snow).

So I’m in a dilemma as to whether or not I should sell them both and by one fun but practical car, or sell mine, keep hers and by a cheaper toy.

iPete

Mine is sitting on my driveway, head gasket is on the way out, not sure what to do with it, should get some scrap money for it before the insurance runs out!

Not driven a car this year and not particularly missing it! I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Headhuunter

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

desweller

One of the downsides of living in Gloucestershire is the distances I have to cover just to meet my mates down the pub. Tried doing without a car for a year or so, result was just that my social life died a spectacular death! Hey ho.

rjsterry

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

W1

rjsterry wrote:

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

Yes - I'm on my second.

Do it, they're great cars!

craker

Zombie_donkey wrote:

I've settled right in to biking to work so I have no need for my Ford Focus.

How far is your commute?

I did start trying a 16 mile each way commute (with LOTS of hills) to see if I could go car free but after a few days I just felt wiped out at work. Doable with more training, in nice weather methinks...

MrChuck

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

I'm coming up 40 and I've never owned one, but I do rent them sometimes. Car ownership just makes no financial sense at all for me, but I guess a lot depends on your circumstances.

Headhuunter

MrChuck wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

I'm coming up 40 and I've never owned one, but I do rent them sometimes. Car ownership just makes no financial sense at all for me, but I guess a lot depends on your circumstances.

Exactly but then I live in London, only a 6 mile ride from work, haven't got kids to ferry around etc

Stevo_666

W1 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

Yes - I'm on my second.

Do it, they're great cars!

Seconded.

Fantastic fun cars and great on track where they can be used 'properly' :twisted: You can even rent them from Caterham cars....

Renting the occasional 4 wheel toy is a great way of getting it out of your system if you're a petrolhead at heart, without the cost and b@llsache of ownership.

iPete

Oh a Caterham is on my list of things to buy but a long waaaay off with my current finances but would be ideal, I don't need a car but I do need the odd petrol blast

iPad

W1 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

Yes - I'm on my second.

Do it, they're great cars!

Do they take much effort to keep them running?

Could be a tempting idea as a run around, but I'm useless under the bonnett.

Eau Rouge

I still need a car, I have too many journeys I can't make by bike.

However, my current car (old BMW) is dying on it's wheels and although I'm still a massive car snob, I'm seriously considering buying something small and fairly cheap to replace it, simply because I only use the car once or twice a week now

W1

iPad wrote:

W1 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

Yes - I'm on my second.

Do it, they're great cars!

Do they take much effort to keep them running?

Could be a tempting idea as a run around, but I'm useless under the bonnett.

Basically - no! They're pretty simple, insurance is very cheap when you consider the performance and depreciation is tiny. There are also plenty of good specialists around. However in my opinion they are a summer car - you can use them during the winter but the roof, harnesses etc are more of a pain on a daily basis.

W1

Stevo 666 wrote:

W1 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

iPete wrote:

I would love a Caterham or something for the weekends though :twisted:

Isn't a Caterham basically two recumbents nailed together + an engine?

Yes - I'm on my second.

Do it, they're great cars!

Seconded.

Fantastic fun cars and great on track where they can be used 'properly' :twisted: You can even rent them from Caterham cars....

Renting the occasional 4 wheel toy is a great way of getting it out of your system if you're a petrolhead at heart, without the cost and b@llsache of ownership.

You can even rent them and take them on track from bookatrack.com

They ususally eat all the exotic metal around most UK circuits, but the twistier the better.

Stevo_666

iPad wrote:

Do they take much effort to keep them running?

Could be a tempting idea as a run around, but I'm useless under the bonnett.

I think they are cars for people who like to tinker as they are easy to work on as cars go. You would probably need to choose carefully to get a one that needs minimal spannering.

iPad

Stevo 666 wrote:

iPad wrote:

Do they take much effort to keep them running?

Could be a tempting idea as a run around, but I'm useless under the bonnett.

I think they are cars for people who like to tinker as they are easy to work on as cars go. You would probably need to choose carefully to get a one that needs minimal spannering.

That's what I suspected, better stick with something japanese (MX5 / MR2)

tailwindhome

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

If your license has gone past the expiry date then you no longer have a valid license and if you were to drive you would be commiting the offence of 'Driving without a License'. This would also invalidate your insurance (depending on the policy) and result in a further offence of 'Driving without insurance'

More importantly if you too far out of date you need to resit your test.

You never know when you might need to drive so this may be worth checking

Some of this may have happened to a *ahem* friend of mine, who then suffered earache from his wife for months.


*waits for lawyer to correct some detail

Stevo_666

iPad wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

iPad wrote:

Do they take much effort to keep them running?

Could be a tempting idea as a run around, but I'm useless under the bonnett.

I think they are cars for people who like to tinker as they are easy to work on as cars go. You would probably need to choose carefully to get a one that needs minimal spannering.

That's what I suspected, better stick with something japanese (MX5 / MR2)

Not so fast - if you get a factory built version (rather than a kit that someone aseembled in their garage) and stick to engine specs that are not 'tuned to the nuts', then they should need no more work than a normal car for the mileage you drive.

That said, let me whet your appetite with a highly tuned version, just don't look at the price:
http://www.caterham.co.uk/assets/html/showroom/superlightr500.html
Ok, a bit pricey but 263bhp and 500kg gets my juices flowing 8). Seriously I've been in a few of these and even the 'lesser' models are a total hoot, just so light and flickable.

Alternatively, Westfields are cheaper, you can get one with the engine from a Suzuki Hayabusa (fastest production motorbike for a long time). 11,000 rpm and 6 speed sequential gearbox anyone?
http://www.westfield-sportscars.co.uk/SErange/megabusa.html

You know you want one :twisted:

AndyManc

My car is on the driveway .. and hasn't moved for 2yrs .. it's now a skip for all the junk I plan to recycle .

To be honest I would like the use of a vehicle now and then, buying stuff for the garden or decorating materials but there is always a way round it.

Not having a car has also saved me even more money, in the past during the sales I would have driven to the shops to see what bargains I could buy ..... no car , no buying stuff I don't need

.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Caterhams - wild cars. Great fun, but you need access to roads outside the sprawling metropolis to enjoy them.

Elise: a more sanitised and refined version of the same basic idea.

If you're interested in one, get one before you get family-ed up. Two-seater rockets are really family-outing-mobiles. With a mate I had a play one weekend last year in the Beacons with an Elise and an S2000. OMG, best fun EVAH!

Once you're on the family track, four-seater fast cabrios which will accommodate anything other than midget amputees in the back are thin on the ground.

jimmypippa

TailWindHome wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

If your license has gone past the expiry date then you no longer have a valid license and if you were to drive you would be commiting the offence of 'Driving without a License'. This would also invalidate your insurance (depending on the policy) and result in a further offence of 'Driving without insurance'

More importantly if you too far out of date you need to resit your test.

You never know when you might need to drive so this may be worth checking

Some of this may have happened to a *ahem* friend of mine, who then suffered earache from his wife for months.


*waits for lawyer to correct some detail

I seem to remember my license being valid until I was 70...

tailwindhome

jimmypippa wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

If your license has gone past the expiry date then you no longer have a valid license and if you were to drive you would be commiting the offence of 'Driving without a License'. This would also invalidate your insurance (depending on the policy) and result in a further offence of 'Driving without insurance'

More importantly if you too far out of date you need to resit your test.

You never know when you might need to drive so this may be worth checking

Some of this may have happened to a *ahem* friend of mine, who then suffered earache from his wife for months.


*waits for lawyer to correct some detail

I seem to remember my license being valid until I was 70...

Yes and no

Your licence must be renewed every 10 years


http://www.yourdrivinglicence.co.uk/wha ... pired.html

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/arti ... -expire.do

tailwindhome

No doubt my layman's eye for detail will soon be corrected

NGale

I couldn't part with my car, not least because I only have four payments left on it and it's all mine, but also because the commutes from Dartmouth to Exeter are a bit much on a bike (I park my car at my parents house and cycle from there mind)

Also I use it far too much to get rid of it. Next month I have a drive to HMS Raleigh, this month I have done two jaunts to SCTC Weymouth, I couldn't do them without a car.

The idea is nice, the reality is another things altogether.

roger_merriman

TailWindHome wrote:

jimmypippa wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

I'm 37 years old and I've never owned a car in my life. I've got a licence (except I've lost it somewhere at home) but haven't driven a car since 1996. I haven't even sat in a motor vehicle (bus, car, van etc etc) of any kind for about 2 months now....

If your license has gone past the expiry date then you no longer have a valid license and if you were to drive you would be commiting the offence of 'Driving without a License'. This would also invalidate your insurance (depending on the policy) and result in a further offence of 'Driving without insurance'

More importantly if you too far out of date you need to resit your test.

You never know when you might need to drive so this may be worth checking

Some of this may have happened to a *ahem* friend of mine, who then suffered earache from his wife for months.


*waits for lawyer to correct some detail

I seem to remember my license being valid until I was 70...

Yes and no

Your licence must be renewed every 10 years


http://www.yourdrivinglicence.co.uk/wha ... pired.html

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/arti ... -expire.do

modern ones yes, older ones like my first one expired at 70, but as time went on, the address needed changing etc. the 10 years is to do with photos.

Zombie_donkey

mr_si wrote:

Zombie_donkey wrote:

I've settled right in to biking to work so I have no need for my Ford Focus.

How far is your commute?

I did start trying a 16 mile each way commute (with LOTS of hills) to see if I could go car free but after a few days I just felt wiped out at work. Doable with more training, in nice weather methinks...

4.5 miles each way, so I should have done it years ago.