Is having a car worth it?

[cakeismysaviour]

Obviously for those who need it for longer journeys/work etc, it is. However, I only use mine for short journeys in town and I am wondering whether it is even worth having it.

I do love my car, but I wonder whether I am chucking money down the drain to have it. I do struggle with the idea of getting rid of it because I am so used to having a car!

DP has a car also and we have one DC (and one on the way).

Has anyone got rid of their car? Any regrets/problems?

I am hoping to have my car until the day I am forced to give it up!!!
It's not only about going to work but the amount of freedom it gives you on days off.

I live in Lancashire and love knowing I can go to the coast, or the mountains, or Scotland at a drop of a hat because I have a car.
I couldn't do that with public transport.
If I were you I would be looking for the minimum size and the cheapest to run/insure than getting shut.

I was forced to give up my car when splitting with my ex (shared car, he kept it) and I was far too skint in the first 6 months to contemplate replacing it - I was gutted about not having it any more, didn't know how I'd manage without it long-term and thought I'd replace it as soon as I'd got back on my feet.

A few years down the line, I'm still using the local buses and the occasional taxi (honestly, it's cheaper to occasionally take a £30-£40 taxi journey than to run and maintain a car all year round), and trains to visit family who live a few hours away (tickets aren't cheap, but neither is petrol). I've switched to getting my groceries and other big purchases online (works well for us as DH works from home, so there's always someone in to take in deliveries).

I'm starting to see car ownership as a luxury rather than a necessity, for us in our current circumstances at least. I do quite miss being able to do stuff on a whim (visit local attractions, friends in next town, that sort of thing) - travelling now involves much more forward planning and usually takes about 50%-100% longer to get anywhere. We'll have a family soon(ish) and I feel this will change everything. Until then, it takes much lower priority than the other costly stuff we have queued up (deposit for our house, holiday, OU course, and getting our finances in order ready to start a family).

My biggest fear about being car-less was having an emergency at home and needing to get somewhere in a hurry, but we faced this a few weeks ago when DH fell through a plate glass window and needed to go to A&E, we took a taxi (wasn't quite bad enough to justify an ambulance), and we had absolutely no problems - it was prompt (prob due to us giving A&E as the destination!), driver was friendly and really helpful, and we didn't have to worry about getting lost or parking etc. I no longer worry about emergencies like this, I know we'll be fine.

If you're uncertain how it will affect you, can you take your current car off the road when the tax expires, and just see how things go? Maybe put your usual car monies (tax, insurance, petrol, MOT, parking expenses, etc) in a savings account, deduct your bus/train/taxi expenses from it, and see where it leaves you? If you decide it's not working for you it won't take very long to put your car back on the road.

It depends on where you live and your lifestyle. We live in a rural area and are currently having to travel to the local children's hospital a lot. Without a car this would be exceedingly difficult. Also, OH's family live in a remote part of the country with poor public transport links, so visiting them would also be difficult. Travelling to work by public transport takes me 1.5 hours, by car it takes 25 minutes.

Taking DD to the doctor and dentist requires a car, visiting friends not in our village is easier by car.

For me it is a no brainer, but we chose to live where we do on the basis that we both drive.

Try going carless for a few weeks before actually getting rid of the car to see how you fare.

I was carless in London for years and managed just fine, but now DD is 4 I find having a car so convenient for quickly getting her to activities or going off to the seaside/countryside/out-of-town friends on the spur of the moment. It's nice, too, to go to a garden centre or shopping centre and load up the car with eg plants/compost (as I did this morning).

Since getting the car we're holidaying much more in the UK too.

Of course you can do most things using public transport or taxis or hiring cars when you need them but I love the convenience.

Depends so much on your lifestyle and where you live, and what the public transport is like. I'm totally lost without a car. I spend a lot of time taking my (3) dcs places, and, although I do do a lot of short journeys, over the course of a day, there aren't the hours to walk all of them or wait for buses.

After having been without a car from a September when I started my full time course, it has been an absolute nightmare without a car.
On many occasions throughout the winter, I have sat at bus stops, waiting for a bus that just will not show, dd cold and whinging in her stroller, and me
Being absolutely on the edge of exhausted tears.
No thanks to buses ever again.
I just bought a car a couple of days ago and I am SO HAPPY ! It is the best thing I've ever done for myself