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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 2, 2022 15:44:02 GMT
What do we have ?
Mine went to the Saab dealership in the sky and so far I'm doing without, using the boss's on the rare occasions I need to go somewhere.
Following a Zipcar made me wonder about my options
Walk. Not much good for me as even the Doc about 30 minutes away. Post office a bit further. And back again of course.
Bike. Fine for a few miles unless the weather is rubbish. My usual bike loop is 25 miles so I can do a reasonable distance. Problem is usually nothing to lock it to and even a rubbish bike can be nicked.
Motorbike. Used to be fun. Unlikely to be so now
Cadge a lift from a neighbour. Can't see I could do that often and if I need to take a dog or two to the vet they might not be keen.
Local taxi. Might be best. Dog friendly preferred
Local car or van hire. Need to do the figures and find one closer than the one that comes to mind. Need to cycle there
Uber. Not sure we can get one here, from what I have been told, bit far out in the sticks
Zipcar. Never heard of it until my niece came to see me in one
Public transport.
A good 2 miles or more to a bus stop. No idea what they are like.
Train stations are a few miles away so have to get there first
Any I've forgotten ?
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Post by MartinT on Apr 2, 2022 16:00:05 GMT
Give up and buy another car. With your low miles, perhaps a used electric?
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 2, 2022 16:05:12 GMT
I need a car so rarely had been considering doing without for a few years
Usually had to put the battery on charge as it had been weeks since I last used it
Can try doing without and see how it goes.
Closest Zipcar seems to be Twickenham which is too far to be sensible
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Post by MartinT on Apr 2, 2022 16:11:12 GMT
You and Sally could share something like A Renault Zoe. Inexpensive and sufficient range. No road tax, cheap to run.
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 2, 2022 16:15:15 GMT
Have the use of her Saab
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Post by MartinT on Apr 2, 2022 16:44:35 GMT
I was thinking of when that one breaks.
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Post by naim1425 on Apr 2, 2022 17:48:47 GMT
here you go then,you might like this.
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Post by naim1425 on Apr 2, 2022 17:55:55 GMT
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Post by naim1425 on Apr 2, 2022 18:47:51 GMT
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seanm
Rank: Trio
Posts: 162 
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Post by seanm on Apr 3, 2022 5:47:17 GMT
I think that this is a very good and timely question, I have been living in Qingdao in China for 2.5 years. I do not have a car here and I have no need for one. The city has a metro which is growing all the time. There are a number of uber like services and I have a fold up bike which can be taken on the metro. Importantly, while the climate is "overall UK like". It is much more predictable with much less rain which helps!
The metro costs me about 30p to go "down town" about 7km. It is harder to spend much more! I recently heard of friend who spent £1.50 on a single metro journey... honestly that is crazy money! However, the trip was end to end and took nearly 3 hours! Buses are cheaper. Everything is app based and with a little thought you can turn up at a random bus stop and have an instant idea of when and where the next bus is
Didi is the equivalent to uber. most of my journeys are around £2.50. Again all app based and they generally arrive faster than I can get from my apartment to the front gate. You can book different sizes and types of cars... i.e. luxury or > 4 seats etc. Many of the cars are electric or hybrid. Often the locals will speak to the driver and a single car will drop people off along the way home for no real extra cost.
My reason for pointing this out is that it is seriously making me consider my options when I return to the UK. For example, I live within walking distance of a large mainstream car hire place. While it is not quite 24/7, it is open long hours and easy to access since it is in an industry park. Obviously, a service like zipcar or similar would potentially improve on this. Supermarket deliveries and online shopping have also reduced the need for regular/frequent use of a car.
About 7 years ago, I saw Renault Twizzys in use in Portugal. While I accept that these are odd, probably ugly in most people's eyes and a lot less than "a car", I do feel that one would be adequate for many of my short journeys. I would then only need to hire a proper car for long journeys. My mum is 210 miles of motorway away, this is still probably an awkward distance for the current generation of small fully electric cars. Realistically, I would have to stop (I think? maybe that has changed???)
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Post by stanleyb on Apr 3, 2022 7:44:26 GMT
You could get some skates or a skateboard.
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 3, 2022 8:46:44 GMT
I was thinking of when that one breaks. That's not allowed to happen ! |
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 3, 2022 8:55:41 GMT
I think that this is a very good and timely question, I have been living in Qingdao in China for 2.5 years. I do not have a car here and I have no need for one. The city has a metro which is growing all the time. There are a number of uber like services and I have a fold up bike which can be taken on the metro. Importantly, while the climate is "overall UK like". It is much more predictable with much less rain which helps! The metro costs me about 30p to go "down town" about 7km. It is harder to spend much more! I recently heard of friend who spent £1.50 on a single metro journey... honestly that is crazy money! However, the trip was end to end and took nearly 3 hours! Buses are cheaper. Everything is app based and with a little thought you can turn up at a random bus stop and have an instant idea of when and where the next bus is Didi is the equivalent to uber. most of my journeys are around £2.50. Again all app based and they generally arrive faster than I can get from my apartment to the front gate. You can book different sizes and types of cars... i.e. luxury or > 4 seats etc. Many of the cars are electric or hybrid. Often the locals will speak to the driver and a single car will drop people off along the way home for no real extra cost. My reason for pointing this out is that it is seriously making me consider my options when I return to the UK. For example, I live within walking distance of a large mainstream car hire place. While it is not quite 24/7, it is open long hours and easy to access since it is in an industry park. Obviously, a service like zipcar or similar would potentially improve on this. Supermarket deliveries and online shopping have also reduced the need for regular/frequent use of a car. About 7 years ago, I saw Renault Twizzys in use in Portugal. While I accept that these are odd, probably ugly in most people's eyes and a lot less than "a car", I do feel that one would be adequate for many of my short journeys. I would then only need to hire a proper car for long journeys. My mum is 210 miles of motorway away, this is still probably an awkward distance for the current generation of small fully electric cars. Realistically, I would have to stop (I think? maybe that has changed???) Living in big cities a car is a pain. Smaller cities must be almost as bad. Out in the sticks a car is much more useful, except I rarely need one. I'm trying out being carless, but I want to work out my preferred option now rather than when I need and maybe short on time, what is best, compare prices etc That Twizzy is a weird one ! There is another benefit not having a car. I don't have to go to certain family do's  |
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Post by Barrington on Apr 3, 2022 8:57:53 GMT
You and Sally could share something like A Renault Zoe. Inexpensive and sufficient range. No road tax, cheap to run. I agree with all that Martin except the inexpensive bit , I think it's way way too expensive . We looked at electric cars but at the moment they are a rip off . |
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 3, 2022 10:37:05 GMT
You and Sally could share something like A Renault Zoe. Inexpensive and sufficient range. No road tax, cheap to run. I agree with all that Martin except the inexpensive bit , I think it's way way too expensive . We looked at electric cars but at the moment they are a rip off . Stunned me when I looked at 2nd hand Teslas a couple of years back Started at £40,000 and went up from there I watch the EVMan on YouTube with interest Here's a taster |
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Post by MartinT on Apr 3, 2022 10:50:14 GMT
Teslas are overpriced. Used earlier gen cars are not so bad. You pay more up front and vastly less on servicing and fuel.
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Post by petea on Apr 3, 2022 10:52:20 GMT
We have no car here in Babelsberg as the public transport is superb (and cheap) and most shops etc are within easy walking distance. In the UK, it would be a struggle without one as the village has no shop and the nearest is a couple of miles away. Having said that I use a ancient Nissan Micra for most of my journeys although I do have a nice restored an upgraded Series III XJ6, but that spends most of its life in a cosy secure storage facility. When in the UK, I don't go far and so the Micra is fine and a I only do a few thousand miles a year. I like to think that offsets flying back and forth to Germany in terms of environmental impact and I will do that less often in these post-Brexit times.
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Post by MartinT on Apr 3, 2022 10:53:05 GMT
My mum is 210 miles of motorway away, this is still probably an awkward distance for the current generation of small fully electric cars. Realistically, I would have to stop (I think? maybe that has changed???) Friends with electric cars tell me that they just build the recharge stop into a coffee break or lunch. That seems OK to me, I never drive longer than 2 hours without a break, anyway. |
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