Should I get a car?

[GeorgeStorm]

Hey,
As above basically, I'm starting a placement in a couple of weeks (beginning of June) in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire and I'm aiming to go to various events (LANs and a wedding) in Loughborough/Telford throughout the year, and so I'm trying to work out if getting a car, or a laptop and training it around would be a better idea.

I'm aiming to be living within walking/cycling distance of work.

I'm assuming the car will cost more overall, but will obviously allow greater freedom, and would make the journeys nicer etc. (train would take 3 and a half hours by the looks of it, compared to a couple by car, and I'd be limited in when I could get there/come back, especially as for most of them I'll be heading back on a Sunday, where public transport isn't at its best)


If you think I should go for a car, any recommendations? I don't have a strict budget, but I wouldn't be wanting to spend a massive amount.

[Jasp]

Train tbh, looking at the fact you will be within walking distance of work for the few times a year you will use the car the cost will be a lot compared to the discomfort of a train now and again.

With a car you are going to have the outlay, say £600 for a small runner, £600 insurance as a rough figure if not more, running costs including Tax £125? MOT £45 Service £100 that's without the petrol and any breakages during the year.

One huge plus for a car mind is the freedom having said all that above i wouldn't trade mine back for cycling or walking.

[Bagnaj97]

Assuming you're young (starting a placement) and male (Tech forum, George in your username), the insurance on any car is going to cost you as much as a decent laptop. Add in fuel/tax/servicing/purchase price etc and suddenly the laptop and public transport idea is a no brainer.

Another thought is that the kind of events you're planning to travel to often involve alcohol, which you'd be excluded from if you're driving. As for restricted travel times, you could probably stay in a travelodge the odd night if you're planning to stay late and still be under the total car budget.

[GeorgeStorm]

Train tbh, looking at the fact you will be within walking distance of work for the few times a year you will use the car the cost will be a lot compared to the discomfort of a train now and again.

With a car you are going to have the outlay, say £600 for a small runner, £600 insurance as a rough figure if not more, running costs including Tax £125? MOT £45 Service £100 that's without the petrol and any breakages during the year.

One huge plus for a car mind is the freedom having said all that above i wouldn't trade mine back for cycling or walking.

The freedom is the biggie, and of course being able to take my proper pc rather than a laptop .

Assuming you're young (starting a placement) and male (Tech forum, George in your username), the insurance on any car is going to cost you as much as a decent laptop. Add in fuel/tax/servicing/purchase price etc and suddenly the laptop and public transport idea is a no brainer.

Another thought is that the kind of events you're planning to travel to often involve alcohol, which you'd be excluded from if you're driving. As for restricted travel times, you could probably stay in a travelodge the odd night if you're planning to stay late and still be under the total car budget.

I'm 21, 22 in September. I know the car will probably be more expensive, but my biggest issue with the train is probably the fact I will probably arrive late/have to leave early for most of the events :/
Also of course I'd far rather play on a proper desktop than a laptop

I guess I could look into taking some time off on the Friday before and Monday after them so I could stay for the whole event and still use public transport.

[Smudger]

Hire a car when needed?

[jimbouk]

Hire a car when needed?

Second, although consider joining a car club if you're going to use it frequently. For long trips it's no cheaper than a standard hire, but you can just borrow them for a couple of hours to pop to the shops etc.

[Guy]

I was just going to suggest that it might be the best solution to hire transport as/when required.

Plus you'll have none of the running costs associated with a car and will often be in something circa 6 months old that's usually a reasonable place to be, whilst being good on fuel.

[GeorgeStorm]

Hire a car when needed?

Second, although consider joining a car club if you're going to use it frequently. For long trips it's no cheaper than a standard hire, but you can just borrow them for a couple of hours to pop to the shops etc.

Haven't really looked into hiring a car, since I didn't know how easy it would be considering my age etc.

Also I forgot to mention, I'd probably look to sell the car at the end of the year if I were to buy, which would obviously help offset the initial cost somewhat.

[GeorgeStorm]

I was just going to suggest that it might be the best solution to hire transport as/when required.

Plus you'll have none of the running costs associated with a car and will often be in something circa 6 months old that's usually a reasonable place to be, whilst being good on fuel.

Just had a quick look, and an issue with hiring is that being 21 may limit what I can get, and a couple of the companies which are happy to hire to students (sixt for instance) don't seem to have anywhere near where I'll be available to pick up (nearest being 130km away...) :/

[jimbouk]

Just had a quick look, and an issue with hiring is that being 21 may limit what I can get, and a couple of the companies which are happy to hire to students (sixt for instance) don't seem to have anywhere near where I'll be available to pick up (nearest being 130km away...) :/

Google to the rescue: Stonehouse car hire

Minimum age limit is 21 years.

Unlikely a small place like that will have a car club though sadly, there are good ones in Bath and Bristol that I know of.

[Shirty]

Renting's not a bad idea actually, I used to work for a rental firm that did a weekend special for about £40 all in. Pick up last thing Friday, drop off first thing Monday. I'm sure this sort of thing is still available, better that the cars are out making a tiny profit over the weekend than sat depreciating in the car lot.

Your age might be the biggest limitation though, it's 25 in a lot of places despite the fact that they all hire young men in their early 20s to work in the rental places (young men who invariably crash one of the fleet at some point).

[Guy]

Just had a quick look, and an issue with hiring is that being 21 may limit what I can get, and a couple of the companies which are happy to hire to students (sixt for instance) don't seem to have anywhere near where I'll be available to pick up (nearest being 130km away...) :/

Shouldn't be too big an issue most places will have the 'supermini' type categories available to you.
I'm not *quite* at the magical age of 25 yet and I've had several rentals over the years and a few SWB vans.

[hb904460]

If you are thinking of hiring, consider that most car dealerships also rent out cars. I rent from Toyota when i need to and with full insurance its a lot cheaper than the hire car companies (Hertz, Europcar).

[jim]

Ultimately it's a question of freedom. Generally speaking, you can do things more cheaply without a car, simply because of the up-front costs. When you're young, the price of the car, insurance and other associated costs can be phenomenal.

Whether that freedom outweighs the associated costs is your call really.

The first point is to decide what costs you're considering. For example, you could, as suggested, spend £600 on a car. However, it might break down a bit, and it won't have things like air conditioning. So, you might be stranded somewhere, and you'll probably arrive at your destination a little uncomfortably in the heat of summer. Conversely, although trains have a reputation for being constantly delayed, they are, in my experience, generally reliable at getting you to your destination - if a little late. And, you've probably spent the time reading in an air-conditioned carriage, versus bumping along a road for a couple of hours, either boiling or with a jet of air flying through the window. So you might end up thinking, yeah, I'll spend a bit more on a car, get something that's more comfortable. Then, you might be spending £2k on the car, and £3k in total with all the extras.

That buys a fair few hires and train tickets, and the odd taxi on top.

But, it's not the same kind of freedom. With a car, you can decide to go anywhere on the spur of the moment, with no need to book things, plan ahead, or rely on others. For me, that's worth a colossal amount. For you, maybe not. Until you've experienced life with and without, it can be very tough to make a reasonable judgement. What I do notice with you though is that you say you are "aiming to be living within walking/cycling distance of work".

Presumably then, you don't need the car for commuting, which is the main driver usually. All that leaves are the incidental trips. If you think about how often you're likely to make these journeys, you can start to look at how much hires cost, and start working out how many hires you can make a year before it becomes more economical to buy. And don't forget that whatever you hire is certain to be a heck of a lot smoother and more enjoyable to drive than what you can afford to buy.