Giving up my car

I am 75 and have no plans to give up my car. I still love driving even long distances and fortunately my sight is still good.

Can I just flag up for those of you who don't like online grocery shopping that Morrisons does an "order by phone" service which they brought in during the pandemic and is available for anyone needing some help with shopping. There is a delivery charge but it's not a lot. They deliver from your local store the next day if you call in the morning.

This has been the saving grace for my Mother-in-law who had a fall last year and was told to stop driving.
If she wants to do her own shopping she does - getting a taxi home - but this phone service has made all the "waiting in the rain" issues not a problem.
Thank you Morrisons.
I know they must make a profit from it but it's been a godsend for our family and has meant that she is still independent.

It sounds like a good plan to see how things go this winter to see how it feels not to have a car. You are lucky to have a child living close by to take you out on trips etc and also having a mobility scooter that fits in a car.

I think you might need to try online food deliveries as you might find it difficult walking even a short distance to and from the bus stop carrying heavy bags. I have limited mobility and cannot walk around shops without a lot of pain so order online then drive to collect it. At the moment I prefer this to having deliveries as I like driving and it gets me out of the house - very important to me during the lockdowns!

Can I ask what make of scooter you have as I am wondering if I need to get one but I’d want one that I can get into my car by myself - I live alone. I’d love to be able to go and visit places again that involve walking around, I miss window shopping along the high street or wandering around a park.

You adapt-sounds like you have good transport links where you are-and think of the money you'll save each year

Thanks Bluebelle yes, I have bus pass and also my disabled railcard. I am fortunate in that the daughter who lives very close to me does take me out at weekends to national trust places, etc. Also putting my scooter into her car for these trips.
I have arranged for my son to collect me from the station when I arrive and to drop me back there for my return journey. Arranged the latter so I get back to local station after my daughter is back home from work, and my Son in Law will drop me to station for my outward journey. Station is less than a mile away.

My car is booked to have a service the week after next. My thought is to keep it during this coming winter - and try to use it even less than I do at present - so giving me the feel of what it would be not to have a car. I have also been told that now I am 80 years old, insurance companies will raise the amount they charge regardless of the fact that I have not made any such claim for nearly thirty years. That is due next April, and could be the final deciding factor for me.

You should be able to get a bus pass which is my absolute saving grace

My mother gave her car up at about 81, after she became a lot more nervous after a minor accident.

However she was a bit agoraphobic anyway, and ended up staying in far more. We had urged her to take taxis, given all the money she’d be saving by not running a car (never mind the sale proceeds) but she just wouldn’t - in her head they were a great extravagance, only for the rarest emergencies.

If you’re still going to get out and about, and have the means to do so, I can’t see the objection. Train travel is more pleasant* for long journeys anyway, assuming you can rely on a taxi or a lift at both ends.
*outside rush hours, at least.

I’ve never driven never had a car, nor did my parents
Most, not all, but most of my friends have stopped driving around the 75/78 age group and personally that seems wise to me My dad gave his trusty cycle up at 83 when he wisely said he wasn’t feeling as safe as he should I m still cycling but not so far now mostly a couple of miles I will give up as soon as I feel unsafe or a bit wobbly probably not as long as Dad

Since it is on your mind and you seem to be in a somewhat strategically 'perfect' position for all your local needs maybe the time is becoming right for you. I'm in a similar position but not at all ready to release either the wheel or my consequent freedom. My concern is that I may lose my actual driving confidence if stopped. However, this is about you. The train services you have access to sound ideal. Let that driver take the strain and enjoy. The other 'positive' is that with the financial savings of no car you could take a taxi at any whim. Not so instant, I agree, but certainly an option. Very good luck with whatever you decide. It may be an initial wrench but not necessarily an irreversible one.

Like you I chose carefully when I moved. A small town but with all the facilities I need, shops, library, pool, even a minor injuries hospital. So I could manage without the car when the time came.

But I’d really miss the trips out to places that don’t have buses. The garden centre, the National trust and historic houses, open gardens and the out of town places like Dunhelm just to have a coffee and see what’s new.

I know there’s taxis but I can’t see myself calling for a taxi for that sort of stuff and then maybe having to wait till one is available to pick me up again.

I guess you could garage the car for a couple of months and see what it’s like. ?

I was unable to drive fir a while so was dependant on public transport and found that journeys took twice as long as with the car. Waiting at bus stops in the cold and wet is no fun especially when the half hourly service us unexpectedly cancelled and you are there fir an hour. I was so glad to get my licence back. Why not wait til after the winter before making this decision.

You seem to have it all planned out for when you can no longer, or wish not to drive. Cars are convient until something goes wrong then it is a pain and can be costly.

I am like you, mine sits on the drive apart from two definite days ...shopping and social group. Every other weekend i use it to visit AC. Trouble is with my mobility issues i would be really stuck getting to town and the shops and also any social events without it. It would defo mean taxi's or using online shopping services and i would miss the interaction with others if i did that. Life is full of quandrys!!!!

Franbern, I had to give up my car due to problems with my sight. I miss the freedom it gave me but, to be honest, I don’t miss the driving. I do my supermarket shopping onlin. Getting to places by bus isn’t so easy, I live on the edge of a large town and everywhere I want to go seems to involve a bus in to town and one out again. However when I sold my car I put the money into a separate account and I add the cost of tax, insurance, maintenance etc. to that annually so that I have quite a healthy taxi fund. Good luck whatever you decide.

Morning. I gave up my car ten years ago, for health reasons. I dont miss it now. But I did in the beginning. Shopping was difficult. Online shopping is the way forward. Give it up if you wish, you will wonder why you ever had a car. Good luck to you.