Jump to content

Help: car lover looking to own a car in London


Mr. M
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

Let me first introduce myself. I'm an international student studying in Central London, so conditions for owning a car aren't that great to begin with. Thank goodness that my halls of accommodations has parking lots, so I have already reserved one. So parking's settled.

I thought that was going to be the end of the problems I'll be having but I realised there is more than that. Insurance. Insurance is really, really expensive in the UK. I was shocked when I got a quote of 16k/year for a car that's only worth 10k quid.

I do realise that my age (turning 21 in two weeks) is a problem and so is my driving history in the UK (basically none, though I have held a driving licence from Singapore for about 2 years + already).

I am actually quite keen on a MkI GTI: 1989 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.8 GTI 5DR 8V

But so far I haven't gotten a reasonable quote with anyone yet.

So I'm willing to consider almost any car that is insurable. Do you guys have suggestions for my predicament? I know it doesn't make sense to own a car in London but I think as car lovers, you guys would understand why I still want to own one. Ownership is a very different experience, and I believe, an enriching one as well, compared with rental. I will not be driving regularly in Central London, that would be just daft, but I'll drive the car out of the city on weekends or holidays which I will have more time. And also, I'll probably drive during the off-peak times if I really need to to escape the congestion charge. So really, I'm not really contributing to the congestion in London. :)

Would appreciate any help. Thanks.

M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barclays Cycle Hire | Cycling | Transport for London

Streetcar

Zipcar : Organizations : Westminster Car Club

Car Hire Club | UK Leading Car Sharing Club | City Car Club

London Car Clubs

The 1st option is valid, and all the others are car clubs.

Say you find a car for £8k, then have £4k insurance, £2k fuel / service / road licence per year. Thats £6k pa + deprecation on the car.

For £6k you could hire a car every other weekend at £200 per long weekend !

or there's the car clubs, pay and go.

It seems silly to own your car when the UK stacks the odds against you. I'm also pretty sure that if you count as student resident and are wanting to drive for 3 years in the UK- you will need a UK driving licence.

And welcome- Mr M (which is so close to another member Mr Me- although he lives in a land where English isn't spoken and the locals are under dressed all year round).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome +++

I've not had the pleasure of living in London and i've always managed to avoid driving through central London so can't add masses except for, 16k pa for insurance :eek:

Where did you get the quote from and can you get a sensible quote out of somewhere like confused.com for your circumstances?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just discovered City Car Club a few weeks ago, and have joined and used them a few times during the week and in the evenings.

Brilliant idea if you live in London and want to get away at the weekend.

other than that an Oyster card is essential.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Barclays Cycle Hire | Cycling | Transport for London

Streetcar

Zipcar : Organizations : Westminster Car Club

Car Hire Club | UK Leading Car Sharing Club | City Car Club

London Car Clubs

The 1st option is valid, and all the others are car clubs.

Say you find a car for £8k, then have £4k insurance, £2k fuel / service / road licence per year. Thats £6k pa + deprecation on the car.

For £6k you could hire a car every other weekend at £200 per long weekend !

or there's the car clubs, pay and go.

It seems silly to own your car when the UK stacks the odds against you. I'm also pretty sure that if you count as student resident and are wanting to drive for 3 years in the UK- you will need a UK driving licence.

And welcome- Mr M (which is so close to another member Mr Me- although he lives in a land where English isn't spoken and the locals are under dressed all year round).

Thanks for all of the links. I have actually thought of signing up for a car club but I am leaving that as my last resort; ie. if I really cannot find any solution at all to buy a car.

Your sums certainly make sense, no doubt about that... Actually, cars seldom make financial sense, especially from where I'm from where government tax on cars can double or triple the actual worth of the car. Believe it or not, it is still cheaper to run a car in the UK, factoring all costs in. I just find it really ridiculous to be paying so much insurance for a car that's worth not that much.

I am intending to convert my Singapore licence to a UK licence, so that won't be a problem.

Thanks for the welcome as well! :)

Welcome +++

I've not had the pleasure of living in London and i've always managed to avoid driving through central London so can't add masses except for, 16k pa for insurance :eek:

Where did you get the quote from and can you get a sensible quote out of somewhere like confused.com for your circumstances?

I got that quote from Confused.com (surprising that you mentioned it), and it was for a used BMW 320d.

Just discovered City Car Club a few weeks ago, and have joined and used them a few times during the week and in the evenings.

Brilliant idea if you live in London and want to get away at the weekend.

other than that an Oyster card is essential.

Yes, I do have an Oyster to get around now, and public transport is actually pretty alright in London except for when the Tube goes on strike.

I really want to get out to the countryside though. I miss driving, I haven't been away from driving for such a long time.

Perhaps a car sharing scheme like mentioned above is the best alternative.

M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...