Have you ever pack up car driving?

[pinkmonkey]

Never learnt and mum and dad can't drive.
But El Jugs drives. I probably will have to cave in and get a car soon - El Jugs dad is starting to get on a bit and I think we are going to have to travel up there much more frequently in the future. I caught the train up there on Friday. It was expensive and it was an awful journey, negotiating the tube station, then the stairs at Finsbury Park with a shopping trolley, backpack and a dog. The dog is so terrified of trains I daren't subject him to it that often or for very long journeys.

But I don't think I'd use a car for the sake of it - we use El Jugs dads car when he's away and he always expresses surprise at how little we've used it. It's no fun driving in London. I'd rather cycle.

 

[zenie]

I love the freedom that not having a car gives you.

Whereas I love the freedom that having a car gives me

I love trains but they're expensive...

 

[Badgers]

really?

Seem to have a failing when it came to cars and the law.
Can run a home and a company but not a car.

I think I managed just over 16 points, 2 bans and thousands of pounds in fines in my short driving career

If I want my license back now I will need to give (costs about £100) blood samples and pay hundreds of pounds for the replacement license.

Drink driving is fucking stupid as am I

Have no desire to own a car again but if my hand was forced I could do it. I think that I will one day have a go but probably in a hire car.

 

[marty21]

Seem to have a failing when it came to cars and the law.
Can run a home and a company but not a car.

I think I managed just over 16 points, 2 bans and thousands of pounds in fines in my short driving career

If I want my license back now I will need to give (costs about £100) blood samples and pay hundreds of pounds for the replacement license.

Drink driving is fucking stupid as am I

Have no desire to own a car again but if my hand was forced I could do it. I think that I will one day have a go but probably in a hire car.

i didn't realise it cost so much to get the licence back...my dad got banned for drink driving in the 70s, it was way more common then

 

[Badgers]

i didn't realise it cost so much to get the licence back...my dad got banned for drink driving in the 70s, it was way more common then

I don't spend much time dwelling on the past but it was not my finest hour (twice over) and does restrict me a bit with work and visiting family.

The first time I got banned for DD I was blatently over the limit and following a drunken row with ex I decided to drive home. One wall and one written off BMW later I was fucked on all counts.

The second time I had two pints, waited an hour and then headed off.
Police car driving behind me and mobile rang so I pulled over to answer it.
Poilce thought the pull-over was erratic so pulled up behind.
Blew just over so was nicked and put on the machine.
The policeman actually apologiesed saying I was probably 10-15 mins off blowing under.
Mandatory three years for Badgers and never driven since.


I am a walking advert for the stupidity of DD and could bore you all to tears with it....

 

[100% masahiko]

I not driven for ages until I bought me new car a month ago.
Fuckin' loving it. It's a beautiful machine. Driven to Wales and back just cos it was such a smooth/fast ride. Shame it runs at 20-23.9 mpg.

But I love cycling too. Cycle pretty much every weekday and looking forward to do my charity ride.

 

[roryer]

Never owned a car, although I did learn to drive at 18.
Once you get used to being car free you plan your life around it, and apart from saving money, in comparison with friends who do have cars it seems to be loads better just not to have one.
For commuting if the journey is under 10 miles, as I think somewhere like 80% of commutes in the UK are, a bike is generally quicker and more fun than being stuck in traffic, if you need to take a train and a folding bike it means I get to read teh paper on teh way to work
At weekends and for holidays I find the journey by train and the cycling afterwards to be part of the enjoyment, in that travelling is at least as important as getting there.
For me at least, I find being stuck in a car a fairly unpleasant experience, not much room to move about, a restricted view in that you have to look at the road if you're driving, and can't read books, papers or surf the internet or drink alchohol.

As for different cars, my brother who once owned a Ferrari points out that the buzz of driving a new car wears off in a couple of days and then it feels much the same.

 

[ringo]

Sold my Beetle when I moved back to London 11 years ago. Got given a couple which I shared with some mates, the first was written off, the second stolen. Didn't have one for years, was very pleased to be green & got on fine with bicycle, cabs and public transport.

Oddly I still enjoyed Top Gear, just didn't actually want to own one.

Now my other half has a car from work & it's useful for shopping, visiting family, buying large items but I'm happy not to use it too much.

 

[Badgers]

Oddly I still enjoyed Top Gear, just didn't actually want to own one.

This ^ ^

Curious isn't it?

 

[marty21]

, and can't read books, papers or surf the internet or drink alchohol.

.

you can't do that when you're riding a bike tbf

 

[fredfelt]

This ^ ^

Curious isn't it?

Agreed. Especially as I am a self confessed sandal wearing lentil munching lycra fans that Clarkson enjoys to ridicule so much.

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm a very intermittent driver / car owner - on the edge between needing a car for specific leisure activities - luxury camping / fishing, and considering car hire a much better proposition in terms of the hassle and pissing my neighbours off by wasting parking space.

 

[pinkmonkey]

We used to hire quite often, but stopped after the pain of cleaning the car before you hand it back. I have a dog cover for the back seat but I still got charged £50 for valeting last time we hired because there was one dog hair on the back seat. I had spent about half an hour with the sticky tape going over it as well. It was good value without the valeting charge, now I just don't bother.

 

[roryer]

Oddly I still enjoyed Top Gear

Yes, it is possible to enjoy Top Gear and not have any interest in cars. Its more of an adventure show theee days.
Jeremy Clarkson is also a great performer, almost a caricature of a extreme reactionary anti-environmentalist, I really doubt he really believes most of the stuff he spouts, so he's actually quite amusing really.

I really don't like the other shorter one on the show though, he really is a nasty peice of work.

 

[pogofish]

There has been times when I've not had a car, a motorbike was my primary transport then & probably overall, still is.

 

[bigbry]

Have I ever packed up driving ?

YES - I had an operation on my knee on 3rd December last year and was told not to drive until I'd had my stitches removed which was 19 December. That's as long as it gets - was I glad to get my keys back.

Public transport's OK, sometimes use it as I have a bus pass but I often find it doesn't go where I want to go when I want to go.

 

[skunkboy69]

We've just bought a car in December.I'd never driven for 12 years because I hated it.It's even fuckin worse now.How some idiots passed their test is beyond me.

 

[jimadore]

On my bike now after not cycling for years? no probelm with it now except the rain ? need some wet weather gear, no rain in my old car no sunroof, short distance the bike is great no parking charge, no tax ,no m.o.t. stress levels low feel a lot fitter. yes a good move so far .

 

[reubeness]

I'm selling my car now, just can't take the stress or expense any more. I will miss it though, I loved my car.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

I've more or less stopped driving, still need it to go see the other half as it's the cheapest way to travel any distance with my bike (oh the irony). All my local trips are on my bike now, i'm not in london but i can actually manage to get into uni faster on a bike during rush hour than by car.

 

[Roadkill]

I haven't driven for a couple of years now. I enjoy driving, but it's not something I get to do very often.

I used to own a car, and very useful it was too when I lived in a small town with friends in various other places around the area and a sparse bus service. I've lived in cities for the last ten years, though, and haven't needed a car even if I could afford one. I'm insured on my mum's car, but rarely take advantage of it.

If I move out of London in a couple of months I might well buy a car again, but I'll be moving to another city and don't expect to have to drive every day. If I do buy one I'll probably buy something old enough to be vaguely classic, but modern enough to make the odd motorway trip. It won't cover many miles.