If it were down to me I'd ditch the car ...

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Zippy

New Member
... fuming I am, but what can you do?

Service, MOT, oil change and swapping out the front brake discs and pads; a total of £352.22. I can buy a decent recon' bike for that!

If it were me I would ditch the car and use the released income to buy a really decent bike or bikes to suit every need and use taxis for carting big stuff around and getting to more remote places.

To make it worse I have been on car maintenance courses and could have swapped out the discs and pads and done the oil change myself, but I couldn't stamp the log book so any potential buyer would have no history to go on. I'm over a barrel!

Then of course if you have a smash up the insurance company want to know who did the service on the vehicle and when they find out it is the owner they potentially have a reason not to pay up.

Then if one of you don't drive you lose no claims bonus years and blah blah blah ...

My OH goes to projects that are off the beaten track and is scared of road cycling and not fit enough to do much mileage anyway and we rely on the car to head off with the dog to the coast and of course the weekly shop, but it is a high price to pay for such luxuries.

As I say - if it were me I would be car-free and find work-arounds for those trips I couldn't do on a cycle (not many). Sod it.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Isn't your car rant indicative of something else?
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Well there might be other issues in your life that are contributing to your rage against your car. If the car is such an issue for you then get rid of it. Or are you angry over the cost of the service? Had it been £30 then you might well be pleased with your decision to own and run your car.
 
OP
OP
Z

Zippy

New Member
I'm angry over the cost of the service initially, followed by the frustration that public transport in my area is not sufficient enough to ensure I can do all I want/need to do, followed thirdly by the fact that my partner is not fit or confident enough to take to the roads on a cycle like I do. In that order.

Had the bill been £30, I would have suspected the service and MOT had been done by a cowboy.

If it were down to me alone I would be car-free but I have a partner who is not there yet.
 

karan733

New Member
Zippy, I feel your pain. Although this has not happened at this moment in time, I think the whole car system is geared towards giving the driver a massive pounding, starting with the insurance companies. They are geared so you dont want to make a claim when you have a problem, but its a legal requirement to pay up anyway?! Or you can get a car warranty, which will pay if a part explodes, but not if its a normal failure?

Biggest bunch of crooks out there IMHO
 

AndyCarolan

Do you smell fudge?
Location
Norwich
I think that for most people's addiction to car ownership to come to an end, the public transport system needs to be greatly improved. Roads need to be radically altered to be more in favor of alternative modes of transport such as bikes and provision for secure cycle parking in city centres needs to be a priority.
 

hobo

O' wise one
Location
Mow Cop
Maybe you should get a older car which you dont have to worry about a service history. I used to work at a dealership and used to 'borrow' the dealers stamp for my car's log book and i saw the price of parts for these new cars.
Its a big con new car ownership, we all used to run 10 year old run arounds for pennies before all the Jones's got their flash shiny motors on hp.
Do your own thing dont keep up with the Jones's.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Zippy said:
I'm angry over the cost of the service initially, followed by the frustration that public transport in my area is not sufficient enough to ensure I can do all I want/need to do, followed thirdly by the fact that my partner is not fit or confident enough to take to the roads on a cycle like I do. In that order.

Had the bill been £30, I would have suspected the service and MOT had been done by a cowboy.

If it were down to me alone I would be car-free but I have a partner who is not there yet.

I read what you write but the blame seems to be with everyone but yourself. Is your main problem simply a lack of money or simply priortising your budget, discussing it with your other half? Did you have a bad night's sleep? Cars are an expensive expense. If your cash flow is seriously reduced maybe you will have to get rid of your car and then you will have to manage without it. Perhaps your perpective might then change. Perhaps you should think about getting a cheaper car and one that is cheaper to run?
 
OP
OP
Z

Zippy

New Member
I read what you write but the blame seems to be with everyone but yourself.
Ouch! I don't intend to blame anyone Crankarm. I was merely expressing annoyance that the cost of running a car is making me question whether I would own one were it not for those errands that are more challenging by bike.

Is your main problem simply a lack of money or simply priortising your budget, discussing it with your other half?
My main problem is not a lack of money or the ability to prioritise. If anything it is because I know I could do a lot of the work myself for the cost of parts but the insurance companies would take any opportunity to blame an accident or vehicle failure on my amateur maintenance. That alone makes it essential for me to have the car serviced at a rubber stamping garage.

Did you have a bad night's sleep?
I slept fine thank you and I don't have a mood on.

Cars are an expensive expense. If your cash flow is seriously reduced maybe you will have to get rid of your car and then you will have to manage without it. Perhaps your perpective might then change. Perhaps you should think about getting a cheaper car and one that is cheaper to run?
One area where I can't complain is vehicle tax. Our Peugeot 206 HDi attracts tax of £35 pa and was one of the major reasons for its purchase.

It is a used car so I don't have the falling equity of a new car to consider. I guess you could say things could be a lot worse so thanks for helping to shift my perspective Crankarm; even though I did feel a little trolled at first.
 
If it helps, be glad it's only £352.22

Bought my dream car when it was 6 months old. Perfect history. Treated it like a newborn baby. Everything done on time or when required, no corners cut. And I'm no loony driver.

Just had new backbox =£245.00
Just had new front tyres =£320.00

MOT and repairs necessary =£200.00 - gladly paid.
Hmmm, what's that low down rattle? - Quote for Service, engine rebuild, new steering rack, new clutch, OSF brake pipe, new cam cover, new ignition module = £3400.00

Current value of car =£1400.00

Bye-bye :-(
 
OP
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Zippy

New Member
I think that for most people's addiction to car ownership to come to an end, the public transport system needs to be greatly improved. Roads need to be radically altered to be more in favor of alternative modes of transport such as bikes and provision for secure cycle parking in city centres needs to be a priority.

Andy - this is more my point. If I were to be taxed by another £500 per year with a guarantee of improved public transport, cycle and alternative road priorities and secure cycle locking and dare I suggest - showering and changing facilities - then I would consider that money well spent and it would perhaps be a third of what I send every year on running a car.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Zippy said:
Andy - this is more my point. If I were to be taxed by another £500 per year with a guarantee of improved public transport, cycle and alternative road priorities and secure cycle locking and dare I suggest - showering and changing facilities - then I would consider that money well spent and it would perhaps be a third of what I send every year on running a car.


I guess Camborne is a pretty rural area of Cornwall yes, not exactly a city? Why would you want numerous trains or buses running through your patch? As soon as a new train line or numerous bus routes are anounced the NIMBYs are screaming not in our back yard as it will destroy our beautiful rural idyll. Anyway why should tax payers in the cities subsidise a transport system for those who choose to live out on a limb? I'm not saying you shouldn't have a good public transport network, just that may be you should consider what it might entail in terms of genuine cost, practicalities and whether it would indeed be well used. Have you travelled on a bus with the great unwashed? Yuk :biggrin:!
 
Crankarm said:
I guess Camborne is a pretty rural area of Cornwall yes, not exactly a city? Why would you want numerous trains or buses running through your patch? As soon as a new train line or numerous bus routes are anounced the NIMBYs are screaming not in our back yard as it will destroy our beautiful rural idyll. Anyway why should tax payers in the cities subsidise a transport system for those who choose to live out on a limb? I not saying you shouldn't have a good public transport network, just that may be you should consider what it might entail in terms of genuine cost, practicalities and whether it would indeed be well used. Have you travelled on a bus with the great unwashed? Yuk ;)!

Crankarm, stop trolling. You hate it when people do this to you. The guy's just letting off a bit of steam about his car expenses, ffs.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Rhythm Thief said:
Crankarm, stop trolling. You hate it when people do this to you. The guy's just letting off a bit of steam about his car expenses, ffs.

I suggested this but he said he wasn't ;). Instead something to do with not having a comprehensive public transport system outside his front door that he could rely on if he got rid of his car. If he was just mad about how much his car service cost him why didn't he say :biggrin:? I'm not trolling.
 
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