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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think I can no longer afford to use my car?!

44 replies

ohseriously · 25/01/2011 20:24

Wow - just got servicing bill today which added to petrol costs rocketing basically means I am going to struggle to keep my car on the road!

We live in the country, we need 2 cars because we both work and there is only 1 bus a day in/out of our village. Having 2 cars is becoming more and more difficult to justify - they are older models so tax is more expensive.

I feel I'm going to have to give up my job (there is now work locally btw) because we can't afford to run another car.

AIBU to wonder how other people manage to run a car these days?

OP posts:
fluffles · 25/01/2011 20:26

we live on a bus route, we chose to so that we can just run one car (mileage paid by DHs work).

have you always lived off public transport? i would love to but it's not really an option (as you're finding).

Original poster
ohseriously · 25/01/2011 20:28

I think we didn't seriously consider this as such an issue until now fluffles. We moved here 5 yrs ago but didn't have any public transport at all where we used to live either - was very rural!

I'm beginning to think if I want to work we are going to have to move into a city!

OP posts:
fluffles · 25/01/2011 20:32

you don't need to be in a city to get an hourly bus or train service. just not really rural.. there is some inbetween.

LaWeaselMys · 25/01/2011 20:36

Anything as big as a town or close to a city is usually okay transport wise.

Incidentally, if you do take your car off the road anyone know if you can then cancel the insurance? Or do you have to pay until the end of contract? I know you can get the tax back, for the unused months.

sazm · 25/01/2011 20:37

depends how much your earnings are in comparison to your petrol costs.

we have one car atm,did have 2 cars until we moved across the road from dh's work.

our cars were both older, cost about £40 to insure them both for a month, £30 a week for dh to travel to work,same for me doing the school run. tax for both cars - around £150 per 6 months.
general costs of running -tyres,mot's etc wasnt much as it was spaced out so not bad.

only dh works and im a stay at home mum,if we had cars on finance agreement with monthly payments we would have struggled,but ours are both worth under £1000 ( mines was £800 and hubbys was £200)

bubbleOseven · 25/01/2011 20:37

YANBU - this is going to be a big problem for lots of workers in the very near future - i know a few people who are spending 40% of their net wages on fuel, youngsters on minimum wage, it's very sad.

CarGirl · 25/01/2011 20:38

You can cancel but you don't usually get a full refund. ~Best to phone and ask them first.

CarGirl · 25/01/2011 20:43

I am using my bike more and more and more to save on fuel costs. Fortunately both dh and I can cycle/walk the dc to school and then to walk.

TBH because dh doesn't drive we only looked at places with close walk to shops and work. I am very grateful now!

Original poster
ohseriously · 25/01/2011 20:43

I only work a few hours a week but I love my job and it is nice to get out of the village every once in a while!

Just feel frustrated that I'll be driven to giving up my car (pardon the bad pun!)..

OP posts:
garageflower · 25/01/2011 20:47

YANBU

I don't have children but I have never driven (am nearly 30) due the the sheer cost of it putting me off. Also, was with ex-dp for a long time and he did he a car.

I will do it one day but I'm Shock at the money I hear people having to spend on it.

Also, being stuck in traffic on public transport means that you can 'switch off' and make phone calls, read books, nod off. I appreciate it's different with children though.

sazm · 25/01/2011 20:47

if you cancel your insurance,the charges they give u usually end up costing a fortune anyway,its sometimes cheaper to keep it running!

PuraVida · 25/01/2011 20:47

I feel your pain. We're in a small country town too, where we were bought up and where our families are. We have to have two cars and we have to travel to work. Shit isn't it?

Oh and because it's remote we have only one very expensive petrol station. Great.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 25/01/2011 20:53

The fuel rises scare the pants off me, as does my insurance renewal (one of the most expensive postcodes in the UK, insurancewise) I'd love to ditch the car. It would be difficult in some ways, but the money we save would be great. The problem I have is that I have to have my car to work. No car = no way to work, so I can't afford to stop spending ridiculous amounts to stay on the road.

LaWeaselMys · 25/01/2011 20:54

Thanks cargirl and sazm, I will ring and enquire.

The tax isn't bad as it's old but reasonably efficient. The insurance is cripppling us though, nearly £150 a month for one tiny old car. That was the best offer we could get as drivers under 25!

We won't need it when we move apart from visiting people.

CarGirl · 25/01/2011 21:01

Hmmm your insurance will go down as you accrue no claims bonus. Also is it the cheapest insurance group?

LaWeaselMys · 25/01/2011 21:07

What do you mean by group?

It was the best offer we got ringing around/looking online, then with another 14% tacked up because we couldn't pay in one go Angry

I would keep it for the no claims, but I'm worried about money and it is just costing us so much. Especially once DH will be walking to work.

Megglevache · 25/01/2011 21:09

LaWeasle
What car are you driving to have to pay that kind of money a month! Shock

Original poster
ohseriously · 25/01/2011 21:10

I thought my insurance was high Shock

I think by insurance group it depends on the type of car/age etc?

OP posts:
sazm · 25/01/2011 21:14

la weasel -
i would def try to change your insurance company,either that or change your car for one with a much smaller engine,i take it one of you has a conviction when you are paying that price (or have been driving under a year?)
do you have somewhere secure off the road to keep the car?otherwise it would need to be taxed.mot'd and insured? if you take the insurance off it but leave it somewhere where it could be damaged/cause damage,you could end up worse off.

frgr · 25/01/2011 21:16

well i can understand your position, it's horrible isn't it! we used to run 2 cars (until some yobs stole it, crashed it, and my insurance payout isn't enough to buy an equivalent car - nice eh! First car I ever owned outright and it was only a few months old Sad)...

... and i now have to get 2 buses to work (one into town, one out of it to the business park where i work, plus 15min walk, it's a frigging nightmare... then the same on the way home). What took me 35 mins in the car takes 1.5hrs on the bus, sometimes 2 if the traffic is bad or during bad weather. it's soul destroying.

BUT... finances have improved! I don't know if we'd have got rid of it quite yet but it's opened my eyes as to what a money hog cars can be... all those one off yearly expenses that i didn't mentally count towards the running cost.

as for "how other people manage to run a car these days" - well everyone I know is struggling Sad I'm sorry I don't have any other tips - as i said we're only on 1 car now despite living relatively rurally, the rest of my family live in cities so much better transport. my sister cycles to work. my youngest sister has a company van (she needs it for her tools). so, a mix between public transport being easily available plus alternatives really.

i think we were one of the last families i know to have 2 cars...

tyler80 · 25/01/2011 21:17

What's really irritating for me is I'm meant to have a car for casual business use, but in reality I do about 100 miles business use per year. I don't drive to work ordinarily yet I have to keep a car along with the associated expense.

LaWeaselMys · 25/01/2011 21:26

It's not a big car. A normal 10yo mazda hatchback. The engine is quite small but I can't remember precisely how big, definately not as much as 2l

Itis literally just because we are both under 25, dp is main driver and he wrote off our last car - not in a bad accident, it was a wasn't worth the insurance company fixing the dent on our car because it was worth so little situation.

You should have heard the other quotes £2.5-3 or 4k a year!

LaWeaselMys · 25/01/2011 21:28

dp DH!

PaisleyLeaf · 25/01/2011 21:33

If you're not taking passengers, what about a moped for you to get to work?
What sort of car have you got?

sazm · 25/01/2011 21:33

la weasel - the claim on your insurance is prob the reason its so high though, also the fact your car is a mazda, which are usually high grouping.
TBH if i was you i would buy a small engined vauxhall ( like a 1.2 corsa) or a small fiat (punto 1.2) as they are pretty low (group 2 ) insurance.or at least get quotes and see the price difference.

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