Anyone got rid of car and used hire cars?

[Smithagain]

We have a 10 year old car which is beginning to need a lot of money spent on it. In fact at the moment, I am waiting for a mechanic to come and work out why it won't start!

I've just booked a hire car for this weekend, because I'm booked on a conference in a location that I can't get to by public transport. I did look. I'd have to leave here the night before to get there on time!

The hire car is only costing £40 for the weekend and now I'm seriously thinking that we should get rid of the car and hire something for the few times we really need it. This is something we've talked about doing, once the car dies. But have never actually done the sums. And it's beginning to look as if the car is, indeed, dying now!

DH normally cycles to work. I may use the car once or twice per week, but if I'm honest many of those trips could be done by other means. We are in a small town, shops are walkable, railway station and buses are nearby (although services not that brilliant). And we have bikes. School is right next door.

We camp - so we'd need to have transport to get kit to site. But potentially we could hire a big car/van for holidays, and something cheap and small for the occasions we need one.

Has anyone tried it? How did the costs work out? Did you come unstuck in an emergency? How much did you miss those spontaneous moments of "let's go out", where you need a car to reach somewhere?

We have considered it
It would be cheaper for us but a huge hassle as our kids still need car seats
We only use the car once every 1-2 weeks

Have you looked at car clubs?

We don't have a car - I hire a car when I absolutely need one - maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

Can't comment on the relative cost as we haven't owned a car since before the DCs came along. I suspect it's not comparing like with like anyway, since not having a car cuts out "casual" car journeys - i.e. you probably travel less.

It does limit your horizons a bit (I'm just not willing to travel 20 miles up the road to go to the shopping mall, I buy things locally in our small town, and there is no way the DCs are taken to attractions for the day unless they are easy to get to by public transport). I usually "save up" my journeys, so when I have the hire car I might visit a friend in the country, pop into the city centre to look at bikes, and nip to Ikea on the way home - uses up the whole weekend.

In the current cold snap we have been walking to the shops instead of cycling, and I must admit the shopping is VERY HEAVY if it's not in a cycle pannier. But all depends on your lifestyle - when DCs were little and we walked into town every day with the pram, shopping was bought daily in small amounts and went home in the pram.

I love being car-free - you could always try it if your car is truly dead, seems like the natural place to start! Then you can count up the costs as you go along, and compare to the cost of owning your car.

I have no experience of car clubs but they could be the way forward.

Or Zipcar in London

This is something we've also thought of doing when our current car dies.

Thought it would be a bit hard to do right now - esp for me as I do all the school runs & ferrying to after-school activities. But definitely something to consider when the dcs are older and more independent.

I have heard of car-club schemes in some areas where you pay to join a club and then just pay for how much you use the car - think there was one running near us at one stage, the idea being that there would be several cars parked in designated areas and you could just go along and take one when you needed it, whether it was for an hour or a day or whatever.

Have you tried getting your shopping delivered Cruella?

Oops, ahem, just read your message again.

Emergencies: depends what you think is an "emergency". I have taxied a boy to hospital (not life-threatening); some things I just can't do, e.g. I couldn't go and help my extended family at short notice.

Re car seats - I tend to collect the car and then bring it home for car-seats, luggage etc. Obv this means someone else must take charge of the DCs for half an hour or so.

Also the social side is a bit of a pain - no spur of the moment days/ evenings out with the girls unless I can get a lift - who tend to lift-share anyway but it would be nicer being able to do my bit too. I pay for the odd taxi.

The one thing that would mnake me change my mind is if the DCs couldn't get to proper, structured activities. DS1 was interested in golf for a while and I thought we would end up buying a car to take him to different golf course - however he went off it so nothing doing there. But it was a bridge I would have crossed.

We have a car share with a neighbour - actually, three households (us: two adults, two kids, the other households: one adult each) share a car.

One neighbour technically owns the car, the rest of us are on the insurance as needed, and chip in on MOT, maintenance, whatever.

It works pretty well, once in a while someone is away with the car when we could use it, so we use a taxi, or rent a car. We should join a car club for those times, really.

Interesting insights, everyone. Thanks.

I have looked at car clubs. I think that could be an ideal solution for us, but there isn't one close enough at the moment. However, the County Council is v. keen on sustainable transport at the moment and has offices in our town so I'm hoping they might introduce something at some point.

Sharing with a friend would also be great, but we are in the heart of Surrey Mummy-ville and I think all my friends think I'm mad enough as it is! Can't think of anyone that might be up for it.

I think we could manage shopping, with a combination of online stock-ups and local top-ups. We get milk and veg delivered anyway. And I'm the mail order queen for clothes etc.

After school activities could be a tricky one. At the moment they are within walking distance, though, so it could be a good time to try it out.

Both children are on boosters - one with a back, but could legally use a backless one - and there are two car hire firms within 5 mins walk, so I'm sure we could cope with carrying two boosters along the road if necessary.

I'm running out of excuses, aren't I!

Cruella - you are quite right. We could give it a go. It feels like a huge step, but you are right that it doesn't have to be forever if it doesn't work out.

As it happens, DH has just managed to persuade the car to start. But I feel like we might be on the verge of something. If it starts working again for a bit, it would give me time to do a bit more costing and thinking, before taking the plunge.

We did without a car for a while but camping became a problem - we needed a roof box, and when I went back to work it became virtually impossible to return the car after a weekend because it needed to be done on Monday morning.

like so many things, it's a trade off against time as well as flexibility/spontaneity.

We belong to a car club - Streetcar. It's fantastic.

As there isn't one located close to you, you can offer your home as new location for a car or request one is located close to you. The car club will then have a look and see if they think it's a viable location.

Oooh - our nearest Streetcars are about 6.5 miles away. That's probably still just a little bit far to be practical, but definitely closer than any others I've found!

Have put in a car request. Thanks Turtlesmum.

we've never had a car. used to use 1car1 to hire from - cheap, cheerful, gave you slightly battered cars so if you took them down a country lane and a bramble scratched them you didn't have to pay £90 for touching up (grrr at mainstream car rental).
Then that went bust.
So joined Streetcar - we're in London, there are LOADS of cars nearby. Theoretically excellent for short trips etc., but in 6 months we've only used it once for a short trip. We have used it for holidays though, but it's REALLY expensive. It's also insanely expensive for a night away at the weekend visiting family.
It's also ridiculously difficult just to pick up a car what with car seats. We don't have any immediate neighbours who can just watch the children, so it involves getting 2 car seats and 2 children AND a pushchair (road too busy for toddler to walk along) to the car. All just fine with 2 adults or no children, but a nightmare on my own.
So... going in the other direction from the OP, we are going to have a car on a trial basis for the next 6 months (relative's old one). And keep notes on how much it costs, what we use it for, whether we enjoy it etc.
It feels SO like selling out...

Hm - useful experience from jamsandwiches, if not entirely encouraging! What a shame that it hasn't worked.

I've just established that our local car hire place has 4x4s with tow-bars, suitable for hiring for a camping holiday. But I'm guessing that the cost would add up if you did it more than once a year!

oh dear, i don't mean to be a cold water thrower AT ALL, we are hoping to get back to being car free again really soon. Though for various reasons (parents getting more elderly, us having more children) I think it may be harder to step back than we think.

I do think the car club thing will be a good option for us once we don't have 2 stage 2 car seats to get to a car - as I said, that's the killer! I need to get Streetcar to put a car on our street, I think...

It's OK - a bit of reality is not a bad thing. Glad you're hoping to get back to it, though. And you're right - it seems a much more reasonable proposition now we are on booster seats.

We recently sold our car and switched to Street Car. So far it has worked well. We were paying a lot of money to keep a car sitting in the road, as DH cycles to work and I walk.

We only need a car for food shopping or to take the cats to the vet.

Street Car is expensive if you're going to Cornwall for a week, say. Better off hiring a car then.