Car Owners

[#1]

Do you really need to own a car ?

If you do a lot of driving then the answer must be yes but if you total up the cost of a car, including servicing, petrol, tax and all the other things it must come to well over a thousand pounds a year and in some cases the letter s could be added to the word  thousand.

Such a sum of money would cover a fair number of journeys by taxi and with the expansion of uber cabs access to transport via a phone call is easy done.

Even the hiring of a van if large items need moving is not all that expensive.

So be honest do you really need your own car ?

[#2]

yes - living in the country it is essential

[#3]

If you want to be free to travel when and where you wish then yes.

Third party transport just doesn't cut it and can easily reach thousands as well.

It comes down to time. If yours doesn't matter then wait for a bus.

[#4]

@billnotben wrote:

It comes down to time. If yours doesn't matter then wait for a bus.

So, all the people who work their backsides off for a living on barely any money and cannot afford a car, their time is worthless eh?

[#5]

The question was "Do you really need to own a car ?"

Those that can afford to choose.

I would like a Roller but I can only afford an old banger.

[#6]

Yes, I do need a car,.... to transport me, from my door to anyother door,   in particular, hospitals, and dentist and doctors and supermarket.....  and I am sure that my running costs are well worth the comfort and convenience to be able to do that......

A motoring myth.... "it matters, what kind/make of car you drive"....    Bulls poo !.

It doesn`t matter two hoots of a sleeping owl,  except to the person behind the wheel,...

seriously, ... no matter what you have around you, in front of the steering wheel, or behind the back seats... they are only a mode of transport.. and legally, have to comply with the same rules of the road as any other "mode of transport" on the roads... i.e. 70 mph max speed on motorways..

. so what is the point of having a maserati, or other super duper sports car that potentially could do twice that speed..?

.  if you are driving it "that" fast, then nobody will see you, or be jealous of you in your tin box,...

   you will just be a blur in the mirror, or hidden behind the blue flashing lights trying to keep up with you,  

So , if you have a fast car, and want everyone to notice your stupidity in paying 3 to 5  or even 10 times more than my skoda, or billnotben`s old banger, (plus the horrendous insurance costs )..  to travel at the same speed as us,

drive it slowly... ! 

[#7]

I only recently passed my driving test (I am in my mid 30s!) and was an advocate for public transport before I could drive. But since having my son it became a priority to drive. Getting to the hospital used to take almost an hour.. now it takes 15 minutes. Taking my boy swimming on the other side of Sheffield involved an hour bus ride and then 25 minute hike.. now only takes 20 minutes. I no longer have to walk to the supermarket with a backpack, just put it in the boot and I can get more... the list goes on and on.

I still use the bus to get to work as it's easy in the morning and it pretty much drops me off at the door - not to mention its a lot cheaper for parking/petrol. It was only recently that my little boy slipped on something and cut his mouth on a toy. It was horrendous and scary for all of us, blood everywhere, screaming toddler, upset wife... but we just got in the car and got to the hospital very quickly. It wasn't serious enough to get an ambulance but if neither of us could drive, we would have had to get the bus or a taxi which would have taken a lot longer and only made things worse.

[#8]

---

@gleneagles wrote:

Do you really need to own a car ?

If you do a lot of driving then the answer must be yes but if you total up the cost of a car, including servicing, petrol, tax and all the other things it must come to well over a thousand pounds a year and in some cases the letter s could be added to the word  thousand.

Such a sum of money would cover a fair number of journeys by taxi and with the expansion of uber cabs access to transport via a phone call is easy done.

Even the hiring of a van if large items need moving is not all that expensive.

So be honest do you really need your own car ?

---

So if I have to hire a van twice a year at an average of £60 per day then 1/10th of the money saved is gone already - on just two outings. 

Buses are not cheap and neither are taxis when you have to use them multiple times a week. 

So yes I would say that a car is a necessity especially if you live in the country or a very large town where everything is spread out. 

[#9]

Although I asked the question I must admit the answer for me is yes.

You have only to be without a car for a few days when you realise how important they can be.

I used to cycle to work (7 miles away) for a number of years as I simply could not afford a car and the first thing I could afford was a old mini van with the sliding windows, to be able to get to work in 15 minutes without the need for a coat in wet and windy weather was sheer luxury for me.

Even now there would be many places off limits to me if I did not have access to a car.

Whilst I largely agree with shutter that it hardly matters what you drive comfort is important to me and some cars have seating so low that on a long journey it would cause me back pain so the higher the seating the better.

[#10]

Living in the country a car is essential. Like a lot of you I have a free bus pass but only use it once or twice a year. It takes too long to travel by bus.

[#11]

I am on a low income, if I was to use the bus, a 2way journey to the shops would cost £6 (for 2 people).
I don't know how much taxis cost as I have never used one here.
My car (a banger) costs me 70p for the same journey.

Add to this I can tow my caravan and have holidays (average cost is £14/night), this I would not be able to do without a car.

We did try without a car but after a month gave up and bought another.

I know tax/insurance/fuel adds up but overall we can't live without a car. If we lived in a large city maybe but in rural living just not happening.

[#12]

Seems to me owning a car is a bit like having broadband.

You could say neither are essential but without them you lose lots of opportunities for bargains as well as broadening your horizons, and as said convenience.

[#13]

Living in the sticks definitely need a car. There is a bus service to the nearest shopping centre but one in the morning and one back in the afternoon.

Taxis here are quite expensive and charge double after midnight so a late night would be out of the question.

[#14]

Taxis here are expensive too.

A few months back I got one back from the hospital after being in there for yet another glitch. The little fella was in bed which mean Miss 7up couldn't come to pick me up. We're literally just a few minutes away from the hospital - a mile maybe two at most and it's alone a dual carriageway so you can get there rather quickly.

It cost over £7.50 

Thats doesn't sound like much from that £1k saving mentioned at the top but add that up after multiple trips and that £1k won't last long.

As @jaread83 said, the convenience of a car makes life so much easier.