Do you not drive?

northernneil

Smokin Joe wrote:

I like cars, love motorcycles and have had tremendous enjoyment out of both.

It's a personal thing, each to their own.

Aye I love driving and cycling, my job takes UK wide and just this year I have driven to Brighton, Dundee, Bridgend and Norwich

still not as good as driving to the alps with the bikes on the roof to watch the tour which I did in summer !!!

guinea

I passed my test at 25. My girlfried lived in Brighton and I was in London. The amount of time and money we spent in trains and tubes made getting a car a very economical desicion.

I upgraded to a mroe economical new car a few years later, and just traded in that one. My new car has 7 miles on the clock and hasn't moved in two weeks.

I never drive it through the week in London. It's used for holidays and long weekends away only. I do 16k miles a year driving home to the Isle of Skye or heading to the Alps. A car is not essential to my life, but it would be a lot less interesting without it.

I didn't have a car until I was 25 and didn't mind. I'd sure miss it now.

Homer J

The morning of my 17th birthday i was nagging my dad to to take me out for a lesson in his "ahem" Mk4 cortina. Got my ticket 3 months later, it was the best thing in the world at the time. Did the motorbike thing some years later and had loads of fun on that. Drove hgv's for a few years, which was nice . Now that i'm a few years down the road cars do nothing for me, but if i see a duke or an eddie stobart..

ceeque

never *really* driven, tried once or twice but never got round to it fully, wish I had though, have missed so many rides that I would have loved to have taken part in because of it ... I tend to ride everywhere but it too can be a problem with lugging anything around with you ...Having sat in the passenger seat all my life its been an interesting experience watching how drivers behave at the wheel ... and it ain`t good, THAT I can assure you of .....

MarcBC

I have recently moved into the middle of nowhere and have driven over 3,200 miles in the last six weeks. A car is not an option for me, but a necessity. Yes, when I lived in town, perhaps not, but out here? No choice.

unixnerd

A mate dated (and later married) a girl who's father was a chief driving examiner. On his first visit to their house the gentleman gave my friend his first driving lesson. At the end of it he told him that he would never pass his test and should let his daughter do all the driving. And he did.

Another mate's wife was so sick of him not driving and her being the sober one whenever they went out that she got him driving lessons for his 30th birthday. Ironic as his initials were BMW!

bigeuan82

I sold my car about a year ago as it was costing too much to fuel and repair (Vauxhall Signum 2.2), it had cost me about £3000 in repairs in the two out of warranty years that I had kept it and never managed to get over 25mpg from it.

With the proceeds I bought myself a bike, I had been cycling a bit on a bike that was at least 3 sizes too small but thought I'd get myself a 'proper' bike.

The result? I'm fitter than I've ever been and 5 1/2 stone lighter than I was at the start, I enjoy most journeys into work now and money is nowhere as tight as it once was.

I should say that I also have a work van that I use maybe once a week to get some shopping but in between selling the car and getting the van I had two months of freedom from the car and managed fine. i suppose it depends on where you live, I live 2 minutes from a train station and work in Glasgow so even if I didn't cycle the train is always there.

BigLee1

I only started driving so I could throw my mtb in and head into the lakes for the trails more, that was 22 years ago I then got well into cars and motorbikes. I`ve now got a Volvo V70 D5 and rarely have the rear seats in as it`s either got a mtb or road bike in it I cycle part way to work, 12 out of 18 miles as I work shifts so need a car anyway, public transport is pants round here and I can get to the local trails faster in the car lo!

Done a few trackdays on my motorbike and did the Nurburgring this year on it too 8)

tlw1

I love driving, so wouldn't be without it.

But admit there is a relationship between the quality/reliability of my car & cycling - as I cycle a hell of a lot more when I have a sh1te car then when I have a fun car"

rjeffroy

I upgraded to a more economical new car a few years later, and just traded in that one. My new car has 7 miles on the clock and hasn't moved in two weeks.

I never drive it through the week in London. It's used for holidays and long weekends away only. I do 16k miles a year driving home to the Isle of Skye or heading to the Alps. A car is not essential to my life, but it would be a lot less interesting without it.

Is it really worth owning a car just for that? Wouldn't you be better off hiring one when you needed it? Just curious - I'm definitely on the hiring side of the hiring / owning trade off.

ColinJ

I don't drive, never have done, and probably never will - I am in my mid 50s.

When I was a teenager, I had pictures of a Lotus 7 on my bedroom wall (I was a Prisoner fan!) and I fantasised about having one when I was older. When the time came, however, I was either too poor, too pissed or too busy to get round to having driving lessons.

As the years went by, the roads got busier and busier and I decided that I'd be a prime candidate for road rage if people did to me when I was driving, the kind of crappy things that they do to me when I'm on a bike. I'd end up using the vehicle as a battering ram and be dragging drivers out of their crushed vehicles to finish them off. Better for me and for them for me to stay on 2 wheels...

I thought about getting a motorbike but decided that I'd probably end up killing or maiming myself.

It's walking, pedal power, public transport, taxis and the occasional lift for me.

How do I cope without a car? Well, I chose to live near where I worked, or with access by public transport. I shop locally or buy over the Internet. My social life is organised around cycling and walking (though I am cadging a lift to a ride tomorrow! I'd normally ride there and back too, but I'd rather not do the extra 50-odd miles this late in the year).

Driving is a lifestyle choice. You choose what kind of jobs you do, who you socialise with and where you live/visit.

When you think about it, only a small percentage of all humans who have ever lived have owned cars, and the rest got by okay. We car-less people are actually part of the majority, just not in the modern developed world.

NWLondoner

I am 31 and have never held a full licence.

I did start lessons at 17 but stopped after a few as I did not like the feeling of being behind the wheel. I then took up lessons again a couple of years later and again the feeling of being behind the wheel of a 1-2 tonne potential lethal weapon made me decide to stop.


Now, I thankfully live in London so do have a great transport network and I live within walking distance of work so owning a car is not worth the expense.

I will concede that I not having a car means that it is not possible for me to attend most cycling sportives etc which is a pain.

I have thought about getting a motorcycle licence but the area where I live is too high risk to have a motorcycle/scooter left outside. Although once my new home is built spring 2011 it may be more secure so worth thinking about then. Although i would have to decide if the running costs would be worthwhile as it would obviously affect my cycling budget

ademort

I have a license but dont own a car. I get a company car or van when required for work but manage quite well without a vehicle also. I prefer to cycle, work 16Kms but sometimes i need equipment for assignments and with the distance involved a bike just wont do it.But i would prefer to cycle everywher if it were possible. As somebody else posted earlier for the amount of times i need a car for private use during the year it,s just not worth it.
Ademort

unixnerd

When I was young I was a car nut, despite my parents not having one. When I was a student I made some money out of a computer game I wrote and bought my first car. Later I bought my first BMW and was hooked, I started a website for them (before BMW had one) and at one point had five older ones- I've never liked the modern ones.

These days I have a nice old summer car and a slightly more modern winter car, Highland winters are no place for classic cars. I have to make a 30 mile trip on Sundays with my wife and an 80 mile trip once a week, public transport isn't an option. If it's a nice day and my wife isn't coming I sometimes do the 30 miler by bike.

I work from home and ride for pleasure as many days a week as possible. But I do need a car. When it's proven to be vital is for all too frequent trips to the hospital in Inverness at odd times of the night.

verylonglegs

unixnerd wrote:

I work from home and ride for pleasure as many days a week as possible. But I do need a car. When it's proven to be vital is for all too frequent trips to the hospital in Inverness at odd times of the night.

I considered that point also, if you need to get a sick child to A&E at some horrendous hour of the night a car is a godsend, especially with out of hours GP services such a mess now.

richk

I've got a car & wouldn't be without it, though I'd hardly say I enjoy driving but there are times when cycling (or walking) isn't practical nor fits in with (our) lifestyle (so we use the car), and there are times when cycling & walking does fit, so that's what we do. Horses for courses I suppose.

unixnerd

Horses for courses I suppose.

Horses, even more expensive than owning a car :-) Had a girlfriend who was horsey once, unbelievable how much time and money they soak up. And then you need the horsebox.....

scwxx77

I'm 33 and started to learn once when I was about 20 but it didn't last long.

I'm planning to start learning again as I'm tired of the tedious shits you meet on public transport. I'd like to be able to get to far flung places without having to rely on other people.