Low mileage Give up the car ?

All depends where you live in relation to your social activities , can you access these with public transport / taxi . Do you need it to visit relatives ( if this occasionally could you hire a car), shopping can be delivered so what you save in petrol it would pay for itself. Prices on used cars are the highest they have been for a while due to a shortage of new cars so you might get a good price for it at the moment. Something to consider.

I only seem to drive a few thousand miles a year

We’ve had our (secondhand) car for 8 years now, the mileage is only 29000.

We don’t go out much, but public transport is poor round us.

I understand most car hire companies have an upper age limit (usually 70yr) which does seem a bit harsh!

I am in the same situation. My plan is to not use my car for a month and see if I really miss it.

The only problem I can see for me is not being able to do tip runs.

I rarely drive anywhere as my husband usually drives us in his car and we just don’t go out much now. I’m dreading the mechanics seeing how few miles my car has done since the last MoT. But there’s no public transport and I find my husband’s Range Rover very intimidating to drive. Pathetic I know. So I have the same dilemma and can sympathise. For me my car represents the only way to get somewhere on my own.

Grayling

I understand most car hire companies have an upper age limit (usually 70yr) which does seem a bit harsh!

We’ve been having the conversation. We use my little old car for most things but need a bigger car for long journeys to see and do our bit for my mum.
But will be be able to hire a car in a couple of years time?
We do live in a village with an abysmal bus service.

I could manage without my car as I have very good access to bus and train services but lugging heavy shopping home on the bus puts me off getting rid of it. And I just enjoy driving and having the freedom to go anywhere I want, whenever I want, without planning a timetable.

I wouldn’t worry about the feelings of the mechanic! I’m sure s/he is glad to have the work.

As for low mileage, aren’t we all supposed to use cars less? (Not that I do), though I don’t drive on motorways, too scared. I get the train for long journeys.

If your car is useful and you can afford to run it then keep it. I would, but then I love my little car and do a relatively low mileage myself; I am retiring soon and will be doing even less mileage but my car stays with me!

I know people in our village who don't drive any more. They have to rely on friends and family to take them to medical appointments or get shopping. Public transport exists, but is not good enough to get into town and back at sensible times.

If I lived in town (heaven forefend!) then I'd walk or use public transport.

I'm 100% with Chewbacca on this.

Depends on your access to transportation without it.

My car is 5 years old and only 30k miles. I blame covid for that

Where we live I would be lost without a car even though I do very few miles
My husband suggested we could manage with one car Not likely I thought can’t see him in my little 1600 Astra so that would mean I would have to drive his beast about no thanks

My DH also suggested recently we no longer need two cars. I told him, until I was unfit to drive, I would never be without my own car. His decision to sell his car and ‘borrow’ mine on the rare occasions he would use a car suits us both.

I am really not ready, for so many reasons to give up the freedom and independence having my car allows me.

I was talked into using my OH’s car rather than buy a new one. I was sceptical but it has worked out extremely well and I save a lot of money. ?

Jaffacake2, I'd work out exactly how much the car is costing you. Include everything, depreciation, servicing, tax, insurance, petrol, parking, MOT etc. People reliably underestimate costs.

Kalu, I've never had a car - but plenty of freedom and independence, nonetheless. I tend to go out on 'round trips' - where returning to a parked car, then finding another parking place, would be inconvenient.

You don't need to consider public transport as an alternative. There are cabs in most areas.

Sometimes, it’s not all about the money. It’s the convenience of being to jump into the car and go where ever and whenever. My neighbour who is my age had to give up driving, on medical advice ( she takes strong medication). She pops in almost daily and she says what she misses most is her car. I go out almost daily. If I took a taxi, it would cost me at least £12 daily. And waiting for a bus in Winter is a no-no, not with my chronic lung condition…..so my car gets my vote ..

You should be proud of your low mileage, and pat yourself on the back for doing your bit for the environment.

Take some time to weigh the pros and cons of vehicle ownership vs taking taxis or public transport. Perhaps even invest in an electric bicycle if it works.

I am 2 years away from retirement and own an eleven year old car. I am debating buying a new one before I retire and paying for it, driving this one until it falls apart, or own just one vehicle (DH's vehicle is new, but I don't really like driving it).

I put around 400 km on my electric bike this year, which I normally would have driven.

Why bother about what mechanics think! It’s none of their business how far you drive. Over the last couple of years I have driven fewer miles anyway because of the pandemic. Indeed, I had a small refund from my insurance company. I live in a small village with a pretty hopeless bus service so a car is required. OH has a car but we tend to use mine. Since he has been on some strong medication I do most of the driving. He has had a few hospital appointments recently where I would have had to wait in the car. So he has used our local taxi. In fact I had to use them when I went for my knee op in the summer. There was no way OH could drive me in to Oxford at 7 am! For the moment we will keep both cars.

Grayling

I understand most car hire companies have an upper age limit (usually 70yr) which does seem a bit harsh!

That had us worried but this website explains the different upper age limits imposed by various companies:-

indigocarhire.co.uk/senior-car-hire/

Never a better time to be selling a car than now, of course it will mean giving up the independence to gives you. If I was living in town close to shops and other infrastructure I would take the plunge. A mobility scooter is perfectly adequate for local shopping trips, using public transport and taxis for longer trips will cost far less than a car to run.

We have good transport links here, and as I've always walked daily, I can still get about easily. I tend to use free public transport in the summer, but cabs in the winter.

Somebody tell me, honestly, exactly how much running a car costs? (People don't seem to like revealing just how expensive it is.)

£60 per week? Cabs are about £2.50 per mile here - so that's quite a lot of trips:

www.nimblefins.co.uk/cheap-car-insurance/average-cost-run-car-uk

When I stopped working ( 5 years ago, early retirement at 60 ), we did talk about selling my car and just using MrLP's. I also do very low mileage, mainly a supermarket run once a week, and maybe a couple of other small trips if we really need something.
MrLP is still working, so this would mean that I was at home without transport. The main worry was if my lovely Mum needed me quickly, how would I get there? In the car, it took 10-15 mins to get to her, on the bus it took at least an hour, probably more.
So we kept my car, and it was invaluable towards the end of her life, when I was visiting every day, sometimes twice a day.
However, when MrLP retires in a few years, we will definitely consider just going down to one car.
Take care x