Will buying a car be a good idea? - London

[lockedown]

We don't have a car. We live in London so have been able to manage well by just using public transportation and walking to the neighborhood shops.
But in the current situation, I am thinking whether we should buy a car. It's not a problem with office commute for my husband since he can work from home. But I might not feel very comfortable using the public transportation for some time even after lockdown is a bit relaxed. I am also thinking, after the lockdown - when there are still social distancing measures being followed, we could travel a bit farther by car.
Do you think it makes sense?

Owning and using a car in London is pretty pricy. Some things to think about:
Will you need to go into the Congestion Charge Zone? Have you thought about parking costs if you drive to work? Do you have a drive or will you need to pay for residents' parking?

I understand the reluctance to get back on tubes and buses - I feel it myself. I have ordered a bicycle and am planning on cycling to work. Due to the route I have to take, I will be walking parts of it pushing the bike as I am not brave enough to cycle on main roads, but I figure I can zig zag on back roads for most of it.

If even 1% of non car owners think like you then London will be in big trouble. Huge changes are coming to discourage car use and entice people onto bikes. Don’t do it. Hire when you must but otherwise be part of the solution not the problem!

There isn’t exactly plentiful parking in central London...

OP hasn’t said she lives in central London she could be on the outskirts!
Where you are in London changes my answer. Central I wouldn’t bother, other places I’d consider it. I’m outskirts and wouldn’t be without my car. I have been walking a lot more in lockdown so will continue to do it as much as I can after lockdown.

We have parking space (drive in) and are not looking to use it to go to central London. We aren't in Central London, we are in North London. We aren't looking to use it for commuting for office. We have a young child and so might be useful for just driving to open spaces like parks, heaths etc outside our neighborhood (ofcourse when it's allowed). Everyone we know has a car and life is much more convenient for them right now ( with being able to click and collect etc). Also a car might be useful in case of emergency (rather than get an Uber which we would use before that).
Of-course people will use public transportation and taxis as per their need, but I just think it will be nice if we can avoid it for the near future.

I would in your situation. Even just a cheap run around - it will open up so much more for you. Driving to the coast on the spur of the moment (in future obviously), planning days out. Going shopping and buying big items instead of relying on delivery or having to lug back on the bus!

I wouldn't. Expensive, contributes to poor air quality and climate change, is a disincentive to exercise.

Get a cargo bike instead

Thanks @LtJudyHopps. That is what my thoughts are. Just being able to drive around and have a change of scenery and an outing for the family a little far will feel like so much freedom. And yes, helpful to have with shopping. Thanks

Thanks @breadwidow. I do understand about the implications to climate. And under normal circumstances we were doing alright without the car. But it is such a strange time to be in right now. I also think I will feel more confident having one in case of an emergency.
Do you have a car?

I think you should do it if you can afford it especially if it would improve your confidence. Your one tiny car is not going to be the straw that breaks the climate camel’s back, there are millions of them.

I was mulling something similar (albeit I don't drive so I was really mulling on behalf of DH) as we are in a similar position. I think my conclusion is that a car is an expense that we can't really afford right now and I'll just walk anywhere that I need to go (DS is only 9 months so can still happily go in his pram) and not go anywhere that's too far to walk!

I would look at options like a cargo bike and car hire/car club when you need it before you commit to a car. It just takes ages to drive anywhere in London so you'll be paying a load of money every year to go no faster than a bike. And when it comes to shopping I'd much rather the Sainsbury's guy spends time sitting in the traffic than me. (Sorry Sainsbury's guy! But you get paid to sit in traffic, I don't)

We do have a car, bought it for DH to learn to drive a few years ago. We paid £1250. When it dies we won't replace it. It gets used for a few out of town visits a year and the odd run to the tip, and that's about it.

Could you get an electric car if you have off road parking and are only doing short trips?

Get a cargo bike, best purchase ever. Takes you places, guilt free. Ours can fit a couple of weeks' worth of shopping too. They are not cheap (I wouldn't bother buying one that's not electric) but worth every penny.

@lockedown no, we don't have a car. Live in London too, probably further into the centre than you (but south). Car is a trickier option as we have no parking with flat (not even right to residents permit - was a specific condition we had to sign up to on purchase so we knew we were gonna stay car free for a while). Sometimes when wanting to get out of London I want one but every time I feel that way I look at the budget stuff again and see that if we had one we'd have such less disposable income to play with. It would be a lot of money to spend on something that would be driven rarely. We don't have a cargo bike either but have almost bought one a few times. Now kids are older it's less needed. We walk/cycle most places anyway. Before all this I cycled to work and rarely got the tube. We use public transport to get out of London more than in it. I've not really thought much about how we will do that in the future as I don't think we will be able to for a while. But I know our budget and cost of car haven't changed - we still can't really afford one. And the environmental implications of the motor vehicle haven't changed either. To be honest I see climate change as a much bigger threat to humanity than COVID-19

We're also in North London. Sometimes I think life would be easier with a car for the reasons you mention, but I can't bring myself to do it. The pollution levels here are shocking, and tbh pollution is the one thing about London that worries me in terms of bringing up a child.

I would say no. Join a car club and use bikes.

If you've managed this long in London without one I can't really see why you would need one now. It would be cheaper to invest in masks to wear on public transport if you are that worried. I think air pollution is more dangerous to most people than covid is (and who's to say you haven't already had it if you live in London).

I do have a car but it's a hybrid. I do a lot of walking and will do a lot more cycling if it is properly encouraged and drivers slow down and give space.

Wondering the same thing right now. Also live in London and we manage totally fine without a car. Feeling a bit jealous of people with a car at the moment! But like previous posters, I worry about the environmental impact and don't want to be part of the problem. What did you decide OP?

Cycling is a way better option. And I speak as a central Londoner who really likes cars and owns three. It’s only useful to drive if you’re doing long journeys to get out of the city or if you need to do a big weekly grocery shop. Otherwise it all just takes so long and you have to find somewhere to park that it’s utterly unenjoyable.

I started cycling everywhere at the beginning of lockdown and have fallen even more in love with London in doing so. It’s so quick, convenient, cheap and scenic.

Why don’t you hire a car for day trips?