Enjoying cycling and saving money

[The One That Got Away]

Nope. MOT costs £40 and my car only failed once on brake pads that cost £90 fitted - didn't have the tools to do the rears myself as needed a winder ! My car is now 11 years old and had it 10 years. £1000 in major repairs over 10 years - £400 air con radiator (damaged by debris) and a new cat recently (600). Just wear and tear parts otherwise

Bank on depreciation being at least £1000 a year after the initial one or two. Bought my car at 10 months old, like new, £7k off list price after 10 months - WTF.

Yeah I was being a bit stupid and thinking the wrong way about it. Good going for your car btw!

 

[sheffgirl]

I got rid of my car 9 months ago (wow that's flown!) and I honestly thought I would miss it more, one day I will get another but it doesn't seem worth it for the 3 mile journey to work.
I bought a new bike with some of the money I got from selling my car. I've just done some maths, and my bike has more or less paid for itself in the 3 months I've had it

 

[Blurb]

My current commuter (basic Merida) paid for itself in saved Tube fares in 6 weeks. Those peak fares are stupid expensive!
Still need to have the car, but a seven year old diesel is pretty much getting to the end of the depreciation curve and ramping up the maintenance curve :-)

 

[dizzi141]

My car was recently stolen, I umm'ed and ahh'd about whether to replace like for like or buy something less costly (to run, insure, tax). I only drive 4-5k miles a year but couldn't live without a car (especially given my propensity for injury and dislike of cold/rain ) - and when I do drive, I like some oomph from my right foot, so bought the same car

Hehe, sounds like me! The oomph bit that is.

 

[I like Skol]

I keep threatening my wife with a sharp lesson in Bangernomics. We usually buy cars for 5 or 6 grand and keep them around 4 years but I reckon we could easily manage with a £1k car, especially as she has a company car and I probably cycle further than I drive nowadays. I'm also really handy at amateur mechanics.

 

[woosey]

I'm new to cycling and use my bike to commute to work (13km's each way) however i couldn't do without the cars (yes 2!) for things like shopping/going to country pubs / travelling round the UK. Granted they aren't fancy cars (Mk1 focus & R56 mini) but they 'only' cost around £1000 a year (insurance, tax & MOTs) the big saving i'm banking on with the bike is the petrol costs, i need to cover around 700 miles to get my investment in the bike back on petrol which is around 87 days.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

If you are saving money, you are not buying enough bikes and kit!

This is the truth ,,, I thought cycling would save money until I realised buying kit and parts at every opportunity was the law.

 

[StuartG]

IMHO Car Clubs are the way to go for occasional urban motoring.

Nice modern well maintained car, no worries about servicing MOTs etc and you feel the real cost on PAYG - as opposed to the disassociation of overhead costs from that tootle down to the shops which makes so many unnecessary short trips in your own car feel almost free.