Owning a car in central London
Discussion
nurseholliday said:
Hey now, I lived in Tottenham for a year, this was before it's mild gentrification of recent years, nothing ever happened to my car.
However that was mostly because I befriended the biker gang that lived at the end of my road, they told me they were keeping my "s
t" safe.
I jest. Tottenham is benefitting massively from investment in new housing and being downstream from the gentrification of Dalston/Haggerston.However that was mostly because I befriended the biker gang that lived at the end of my road, they told me they were keeping my "s
t" safe.North London isn't really my bag, but it wouldn't be the worst place to live.
cb1965 said:
WhiskyDisco said:
The appeal of owning a car in London is limited to getting out and about at the weekend and visiting family outside of London. I had a Metro when I first moved to London from Swindon. I lived in Ealing and caught the tube into the City every day. One Sunday I go to use my car and discover the doors unlocked and seats totally reclined. The car stank to high heaven and had various items of dirty clothing in it - some bloody tramp had clearly been using it to doss down in for a fortnight!
That's what living in one of the world's greatest cities gets you 
The aftermarket sunroof was broken and after a week of it being parked up in SE London I went to use it and it was full of used chip wrappers.
I live in Clapham and have a 350z for the weekends. Cheap to buy, ULEZ compliant and compared to stuff of similar performance they are cheap to run. Having a car is good for doing trips out of London, or trips from one part of greater London to the other during weird off-peak times. You could happily live in most parts of London without a car - you have to weigh up if the cost of insurance, parking, tax and maintenance is worth it for your hobby. For me I think it is, but it's not the clearest of decisions. I absolutely would not advocate driving into London, especially during peak hours.
The ULEZ seems restrictive at first - I love alot of 90s cars which fall foul of it. However the Euro 4 Petrol requirement really isn't actually that restrictive and you'll find alot of interesting stuff is still available; 350zs, M3s, VXR8s, Type Rs, S2000s, etc etc. Beyond that, for weekend useage, £12.50 to use a 90s car which you love isn't the end of the world.
The ULEZ seems restrictive at first - I love alot of 90s cars which fall foul of it. However the Euro 4 Petrol requirement really isn't actually that restrictive and you'll find alot of interesting stuff is still available; 350zs, M3s, VXR8s, Type Rs, S2000s, etc etc. Beyond that, for weekend useage, £12.50 to use a 90s car which you love isn't the end of the world.
Integroo said:
What about a RX8?
Could buy a ULEZ compliant 2006 with a duff engine, have it rebuilt and sorted for 5k....
Sounds like a good plan.Could buy a ULEZ compliant 2006 with a duff engine, have it rebuilt and sorted for 5k....
A long time ago I lived in Spitalfields for a few years and I didn't have a car for the whole time I was there. I had a fantastic time but eventually I did start missing driving, so when I moved to a different area that had easier on-street parking it was good to have a car again. However, insurance and all the rest makes it expensive so in reality the only reason I did get a car was that I am a petrolhead who desperately missed driving. Were I not such a car nerd I would happily have lived a lot longer with no car.
It might be a good idea to live without a car for a while to wean yourself off using a car for everything. You'll save a lot of money and hassle and can use Zipcar whenever you actually want a car. Then, if/when you decide you do want your own car it will only be for pleasure and convenience - not being reliant on a car makes car ownership and driving so much more pleasurable. Getting accustomed to going places on foot, or by bike, or public transport and even Uber/taxi - it can feel very refreshing if one if used to using a car for everything including getting a bottle of milk or visiting the pub.
I found insurance to be a real hassle but I've managed to get myself in a very good position now.
Where I live is one of the worst postcode ratings, but I pay £600 for both cars.
10 years NCB on the MX5 and it's on a competition car specialist policy
3 years NCB on the Volvo and it's with one of the normal insurers.
2 years ago I was paying a hell of a lot more.
Where I live is one of the worst postcode ratings, but I pay £600 for both cars.
10 years NCB on the MX5 and it's on a competition car specialist policy
3 years NCB on the Volvo and it's with one of the normal insurers.
2 years ago I was paying a hell of a lot more.
I lived in Borough and worked around Liverpool St, but I hated the tube so much, so I bought a car I loved and enjoyed spending time in the car on the commute in everyday (even though I hated the job). It was convertible so on sunny days I’d put the roof down and it was great. I loved driving around London in the evening / at night too, it’s a great way to admire the beautiful parts of the city and you soon learn the quicker routes to get around.
I found a flat which included an allocated parking spot and found a private parking spot to rent near my office, only cost around £120 pcm. Then just the congestion charge, but I was inside the zone so that was just about £20 per month.
For me it was a must have and I hate being without a car, but a lot of people in London seem fine without, however as you are on PistonHeads, maybe you will need one for your sanity!
I found a flat which included an allocated parking spot and found a private parking spot to rent near my office, only cost around £120 pcm. Then just the congestion charge, but I was inside the zone so that was just about £20 per month.
For me it was a must have and I hate being without a car, but a lot of people in London seem fine without, however as you are on PistonHeads, maybe you will need one for your sanity!
Pericoloso said:
Depending how close to London bridge you are ^^^ that should be walkable.
Different people have different attitudes to walking anywhere though, and getting in the car is the default for even short trips.I walk from Waterloo to the City every day, and if I’m not too busy on a Friday lunchtime, I’ll walk from there to Brick Lane and back to browse in a record shop there. I couldn’t imagine driving instead, and I’m sure it would take at least as long, but each to their own.
coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
You should try getting The Thameslink from London Bridge.coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
Same for me. West End or City is fine, but even then I’d try to avoid the Liverpool Street end as it is too far to walk from Waterloo daily. For my current office in the City, it is actually as quick to walk as it is to get the W&C Line at rush hour.
CW connection is too unreliable at the moment, and definitely not walkable!
RJG46 said:
coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
You should try getting The Thameslink from London Bridge.coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
It's not always joined up the right way but sure some combination of Circle and Central Line and walking gets you close? It oft amazes me that some of my London 'burbs homies struggle to navigate back from central London! Like when we were out in Holborn and they were trying to get Ubers and I had to explain the bus routes to Waterloo and they were "it's really quick isn't it". I see the car as complimentary to public transport but it's handy to know all the little routes around instead of relying on one way to get from A to B.coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
I remember turning down a job at Salomons because it would have meant a change on the tube. Took a job that paid less in Mayfair instead as it was a 15 min commute on the Jubilee. The bds then moved to CW before the Jubilee was extended!!!!fido said:
It's not always joined up the right way but sure some combination of Circle and Central Line and walking gets you close? It oft amazes me that some of my London 'burbs homies struggle to navigate back from central London! Like when we were out in Holborn and they were trying to get Ubers and I had to explain the bus routes to Waterloo and they were "it's really quick isn't it". I see the car as complimentary to public transport but it's handy to know all the little routes around instead of relying on one way to get from A to B.
Trust me, I know public transport in and around London like the back of my hand having worked in London for the best part of 20 years. At the moment I get an 18 minute fast mainline train into Waterloo and walk 10 mins to work across the bridge. Trading that for multiple tubes/buses just isn't an impact on my quality of life I am willing to trade in. sealtt said:
I lived in Borough and worked around Liverpool St, but I hated the tube so much, so I bought a car I loved and enjoyed spending time in the car on the commute in everyday
Wait... you drove the mile from Borough to Liverpool St every day? You drove, instead of spending 20min walking or 15min on the Tube?That's absolutely mental, and incredibly selfish.
coldel said:
I actually actively avoid getting a job in certain parts of London due to the failure of public transport. Places like Farringdon although cool and hip and popular with start ups etc. is a PITA to get to from west London!
WTF? Farringdon station is less than 10min walk from Chancery Lane, which is on the Central Line... How lazy are you?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff