The " war on the motorist"
Discussion
6cylGolf said:
Nigel Worc's said:
Compared to when I started, in 1977, petrol was 75p a gallon, and I earned £16 a week, it is much cheaper now.
hmmm 75p in 1977 is £4.72 now. £16 is £120it was cheaper then. you just didnt earn very much.
Did you live in a cardboard box in't middle of't road too?
6cylGolf said:
Nigel Worc's said:
Compared to when I started, in 1977, petrol was 75p a gallon, and I earned £16 a week, it is much cheaper now.
hmmm 75p in 1977 is £4.72 now. £16 is £120it was cheaper then. you just didnt earn very much.
£16 was ok for a 16 year old, my 12 month old Honda SS50 was £65.
I can't remember the average wage then, although we can probably look it up somewhere.
Motoring was much more expensive, not everyone had a car then, it was easy to park on the road in residential areas, and I lived in Brum.
It is very rare now for most households to have less than two cars.
Agree with OP, as much as we Brits moan the UK roads are not bad, motorways have much less tolls than the French, as others have said used cars are cheap due to finance on newer metal and "Keeping up with the Jones'"ers, insurance is reasonable once you are past your first few years with some no claims. Modifications are not too much hassle compared to a lot of other countries. If you're on a motorbike you are especially laughing, insurance for sub £200 on most bikes, tax under £100, free parking, free/cheaper tolls on motorways.
My only real problem with UK roads and drivers is the lack of concentration and at times basic driving skill you see a lot.
My only real problem with UK roads and drivers is the lack of concentration and at times basic driving skill you see a lot.
Mound Dawg said:
He's right. In 1977 I was in school and working Saturdays in a bookshop for £6 a day. In 1978 I left school and walked into a dogsbody job in a concrete company at £30 a week.
Did you live in a cardboard box in't middle of't road too?
That's what a "barrow boy" at the market earned, for the couple of months after I left school before I disappeared into the RAF, you didn't earn much as an apprentice there either, things changed for the better once trade training was completed. Did you live in a cardboard box in't middle of't road too?
Nigel Worc's said:
6cylGolf said:
Nigel Worc's said:
Compared to when I started, in 1977, petrol was 75p a gallon, and I earned £16 a week, it is much cheaper now.
hmmm 75p in 1977 is £4.72 now. £16 is £120it was cheaper then. you just didnt earn very much.
£16 was ok for a 16 year old, my 12 month old Honda SS50 was £65.
I can't remember the average wage then, although we can probably look it up somewhere.
Motoring was much more expensive, not everyone had a car then, it was easy to park on the road in residential areas, and I lived in Brum.
It is very rare now for most households to have less than two cars.
Read someone that the average brit spends a 1/3 of their income on the whole car package.
It was not much more expensive back then. There were less cars because there were less people and more locally based social and work infrastructure.
On any comparble salary I think you could probably afford a nicer house and more desirable car from 1977 to 2014.
Edited by 6cylGolf on Tuesday 16th December 22:01
Americans on average spend roughly 4% of their monthly income on petrol
Brits on average spend roughly £60 a week on petrol or £3120 per year
The average annual British salary is £26,500
That works out at 11.77%
So Brits spend 11.8% of income on petrol
Americans spend 4% of income on petrol.
Than we have VED on top.
So motoring is is around 300% more expensive in the UK than the USA... not forgetting how much cheaper it is to buy car's and maintain them stateside as well.
Brits on average spend roughly £60 a week on petrol or £3120 per year
The average annual British salary is £26,500
That works out at 11.77%
So Brits spend 11.8% of income on petrol
Americans spend 4% of income on petrol.
Than we have VED on top.
So motoring is is around 300% more expensive in the UK than the USA... not forgetting how much cheaper it is to buy car's and maintain them stateside as well.
Edited by skyrover on Tuesday 16th December 22:02
skyrover said:
We are ripped off
Because the US has a lower average and minimum wage than the UK or because of their exorbitant schooling fees, not to mention medical insurance? I realise the thread is about driving but I hardly think we are much worse off, more than likely level pegging or better off.Eski1991 said:
Because the US has a lower average and minimum wage than the UK or because of their exorbitant schooling fees, not to mention medical insurance? I realise the thread is about driving but I hardly think we are much worse off, more than likely level pegging or better off.
The US average wage is $51,939 or £32,984.16 Schooling is free, unless private
Medical insurance is relatively cheap. (I paid approx £30 a month)
$3.5 dollars per US gallon, one US gallon is 3.78 litres.
3.5/3.78=$0.93/litre.
£1.20 per litre here, so $1.89.
Average US driver covers 16,500 miles per year, average UK driver 7,900.
So, if we allow 8 miles per litre of petrol the figures should be:
US $2,021
UK $1,866
So we pay less than they do in the US.
3.5/3.78=$0.93/litre.
£1.20 per litre here, so $1.89.
Average US driver covers 16,500 miles per year, average UK driver 7,900.
So, if we allow 8 miles per litre of petrol the figures should be:
US $2,021
UK $1,866
So we pay less than they do in the US.
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=983...
We spend 3 times as much as the yanks on petrol as a % of household income.
And the highest tax on fuel in Europe
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107374/Fu...
the most expensive in the world?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/445315/3-500-a-ye...
apologies for the mail and express links
We spend 3 times as much as the yanks on petrol as a % of household income.
And the highest tax on fuel in Europe
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107374/Fu...
the most expensive in the world?
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/445315/3-500-a-ye...
apologies for the mail and express links
Then the Yanks are using very, very inefficient cars in terms of MPG - which is their own choice.
Taxation is used to drive behaviour change, which would appear to have worked in the UK as our cars are much more efficient (apart from mine, which isn't).
Taxation is used to drive behaviour change, which would appear to have worked in the UK as our cars are much more efficient (apart from mine, which isn't).
Edited by Dammit on Tuesday 16th December 22:19
skyrover said:
The US average wage is $51,939 or £32,984.16
Schooling is free, unless private
Medical insurance is relatively cheap. (I paid approx £30 a month)
By schooling I meant college/university, sorry for the confusion. That is not the average wage, that is the average household income, which is £10k less than in the UK. You like your percentages so could you let me know what the percentage difference is for medical insurance in the UK vs US? £0 against £360PA?Schooling is free, unless private
Medical insurance is relatively cheap. (I paid approx £30 a month)
Eski1991 said:
skyrover said:
The US average wage is $51,939 or £32,984.16
Schooling is free, unless private
Medical insurance is relatively cheap. (I paid approx £30 a month)
By schooling I meant college/university, sorry for the confusion. That is not the average wage, that is the average household income, which is £10k less than in the UK. You like your percentages so could you let me know what the percentage difference is for medical insurance in the UK vs US? £0 against £360PA?Schooling is free, unless private
Medical insurance is relatively cheap. (I paid approx £30 a month)
You do have a point on University tuition fee's... they are very high.
Dammit said:
Then the Yanks are using very, very inefficient cars in terms of MPG - which is their own choice.
Taxation is used to drive behaviour change, which would appear to have worked in the UK as our cars are much more efficient (apart from mine, which isn't).
On the other hand the Yanks focused on improving air quality rather than Co2 nonsense, thus they avoided the trouble with diesel's emissions, along with associated maintenance and reliability issues. Taxation is used to drive behaviour change, which would appear to have worked in the UK as our cars are much more efficient (apart from mine, which isn't).
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