Weve had six days of snow and the need for 4*4(?) this last week.

A very rough calculation shows that, in order for me to be able to get about these days it has cost me about £100 per day for those six days, for that privilege, without the additional investment at purchase time.

I worked it out very loosely based on 20000 miles at 40 mpg, as opposed to, say, a VW Passat doing 50mpg. So, is it worth it? Probably not, given that 2wd Yetis on winters can get about ok (except that being 1200 feet up some hairy hills ..........).

This doesn't take into account the additional safety (?), or fun going off road etc.

I'm guessing it was a pack of 20 then. There's no way you worked that out on the back of 10 B&H!!

Since you have a 170, you didn't really have a choice Though you can go down this route with any car which has something better than another. What's the point of getting the 3.6 Superb? Because you can and you want to!

My 4x4 Octy cost me about 50% more to buy and uses about 10% more fuel, off the top of my head. I do very occasionally have a use for the 4x4 and it would be cheaper to hire one for that time, but I wanted one, so I got one. If people really only bought what they actually need, most would be running about in 1.0 superminis.

George, how can you put a value on FUN?

I'm guessing it was a pack of 20 then. There's no way you worked that out on the back of 10 B&H!!

I wonder whether George factored in the cost of the packet of fags

If we could all prise ourselves away from car ownership we would save ourselves a fortune, it's true, but given I live in the sticks not very practical.

I'm doing my bit I only have one car now--it's a bit inconvenient at times but think of the money I'm saving

CO(Home) looked up the cost of a day visit to London, cheapest after several hours of poring over different websites was about £90 for the two of us return, no refunds, booked time only. Not including the cost of either parking at the station or a taxi, another £12+. And a tube on from St P.

So the alternative is going in the car, to somewhere like Brent Cross, free parking but a bit of a walk to the tube, and I think a change to get to the desired destination. So 180 miles all in, 4 gallons? £25. Plus I can decide to go on the day, or not go. Come and go at a time I decide so I could stop for a meal on the spur.

Not having to put up with drunks in your reserved seats refusing to move. On the train I can sit a look out the window or listen to some oik rant on their phone, watch people eat - reminds me of life on the farm as a youngster. I would have to drive, but hey I actually enjoy driving, if not necessarily in traffic.

The cost of car ownership is far too high, but the alternative is extortionate.

Funny how different people have different perceptions, isn't it.

I've got to go up to a CSMA meeting in London next month, and I wouldn't even consider taking the car.

Drive to Ludlow.

Train to Newport then Paddington

Tube to Great Scotland Yard

Parking, £2;50

Train, £65.00

Tube, use an Oyster Card so not a lot

It probably is cheaper in the car, but not as easy and definately more restful on the train. No free rail travel but I do try to "blag" a seat in First Class, which normally works.

Funny how different people have different perceptions, isn't it.

I've got to go up to a CSMA meeting in London next month, and I wouldn't even consider taking the car.

Drive to Ludlow.

Train to Newport then Paddington

Tube to Great Scotland Yard

Parking, £2;50

Train, £65.00

Tube, use an Oyster Card so not a lot

It probably is cheaper in the car, but not as easy and definately more restful on the train. No free rail travel but I do try to "blag" a seat in First Class, which normally works.

Whenever I need to make a trip to London I would nearly always choose the train.

The only time I won't is if I don't get much notice and then the train fare can be £160 to £200, in which case I'll usually go down the night before and stay with relatives in Herts and get a train the following morning.

Fuel cost £50 (if driven with a modicum of restraint)

Train ticket £35

With an old duffer's railcard, and setting alerts on the East Coast website to let me know as soon as tickets are released for a particular day, I can usually get from Northallerton to Kings Cross and back for as little as £20; and I travel around London free with my bus pass, with the added advantage over the underground that you can see things (although it can be a bit slow!). Much more restful than driving.

As I said there are two of us so rail costs double, car costs don't. Our local rail provider is Midland Mainline (probably changed since I started) so the casual user has to pay to subsidise the London commuter. I think the turn up and go cost is about £90 return each.

I would think there are quite a few starting points and journeys, which it is more economical to use the train, but Market Harborough is not one of them. We have used it a couple of times to go to Paris on Eurostar, but it costs almost as much to get to St Pancras as from there to Paris.

My Frankfurt living sister can get a ticket to any European capital for €39 or €49, she has sorted us out to go to Berlin on the ICE a couple of times. Nice trip, going past Wolfsburg and the largest windfarm I have ever seen outside Magdeburg. Its actually a fair old schlep. 4 hours at I86 MPH showing on the display. I once did the journey by car in the '70's not something I'd care to repeat.

Just before our floods, we were trying very hard to organise our xmas and new year jolly using highspeed rail. Despite the sales blurb, it is not possible to book a couple of senior tickets to Frankfurt for less than £500. In fact it was quite a bit over. Drive costs would be in the region of £250, fuel and ferries, return. Little in the elapsed time either.

As I said, I do like driving

2 off peak Senior Railcard First Class returns to St P = £51.00 total recently....

....and last Saturday Leicester > St P 'London Day Out' ticket (First Class Return, Full Silver Service Breakfast, Full Day's parking @ Leicester station & 1 day Zones 1-6 Travelcard) = £47.50

Prices do vary & fluctuate greatly though

Hey, what's not to like about being an old fart.

Cheapo rail travel, bus pass, winter payments, free this that and the other.

And still fit enough to race my sailing dinghy without falling in.

Still need the car though (but with cheap old farts insurance.)

Funny how different people have different perceptions, isn't it.

I've got to go up to a CSMA meeting in London next month, and I wouldn't even consider taking the car.

Drive to Ludlow.

Train to Newport then Paddington

Tube to Great Scotland Yard

Parking, £2;50

Train, £65.00

Tube, use an Oyster Card so not a lot

It probably is cheaper in the car, but not as easy and definately more restful on the train. No free rail travel but I do try to "blag" a seat in First Class, which normally works.

Just priced up a trip to London for work and wondered about training rather than flying. Cheapest train ticket £199. Cost of taxi to station £40 each way. Cost of flights just over £100 plus parking at airport £28 for the day. No contest.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

You all should be so lucky. A day return to London by train gives only 4 hours in London out of 17 hours away from home. So when essential, which is seldom, we go by plane from our nearest commercial airport. At our chosen time of day that's £898 for two people, day return.

Hey, what's not to like about being an old fart.

Well, the smell - mainly.

Hey, what's not to like about being an old fart.

Cheapo rail travel, bus pass, winter payments, free this that and the other.

And still fit enough to race my sailing dinghy without falling in.

Still need the car though (but with cheap old farts insurance.)

...and £200 Christmas spending money

...and £200 Christmas spending money

Oh, you mentioned winter payments

I'll get me coat.

You all should be so lucky. A day return to London by train gives only 4 hours in London out of 17 hours away from home. So when essential, which is seldom, we go by plane from our nearest commercial airport. At our chosen time of day that's £898 for two people, day return.

I'm assuming you mean Dundee and then cityjet have a monopoly?

Prices have definitely shot up since the Govt allowed BA to buy BMI, wiped out a whole heap of competition and funnily enough BA's prices rocketed. Wherever possible I Use Easyjet these days even though their flight times are dire.

When I was choosing the model I wanted I quickly settled upon a 4x4. I live at the bottom of a small hill and my drive slopes down towards the house. With any amount of snow our previous cars had become stranded on the drive and, 3 years ago, we had to abandon a FWD car as it could not climb the hill that leads to the top of our road. We also do horsing stuff which means we find ourselves occasionally (but rarely) in a muddy field with limited traction.

I was quite happy to pay whatever penalty there is to carry around a 4x4 system if it meant that it would get me home. Since buying the Yeti, this recent snow has been the first test of its get-me-home ability and it performed flawlessly. We managed to safely collect our children from school and delivery them home; none of our neighbours got their cars home and we passed several stranded cars that had failed to scale relatively mild slopes. I can't put a value on that, but it is definitely worth the fuel penalty, up-front purchase difference and possible tyre wear that happens for the rest of the year. All this on regular tyres (I hate the term 'summer tyres', as this is not a specific season they are designed for, they just happen to not be as good in the winter and dedicated winter tyres).

Funny how different people have different perceptions, isn't it.

I've got to go up to a CSMA meeting in London next month, and I wouldn't even consider taking the car.

Drive to Ludlow.

Train to Newport then Paddington

Tube to Great Scotland Yard

Parking, £2;50

Train, £65.00

Tube, use an Oyster Card so not a lot

It probably is cheaper in the car, but not as easy and definately more restful on the train. No free rail travel but I do try to "blag" a seat in First Class, which normally works.

Graham

I'm assuming your meeting is at the Civil Service Club? Most memorable in my experience for supplying the worst cup of coffee I've ever tasted!

Fred

It is Fred, and agreed, so I stick to the beer!

I'm assuming you mean Dundee and then cityjet have a monopoly?

Yes. But the airport may not last much longer as it now has fewer passengers per year than Benbecula.

I never drive into (Central) London. It will take about 11/2 hours each way, for about 12 miles, the car will average about 25mpg, I would have to pay congestion charge £10.00 and extortionate parking costs etc.

I always get the train. Travel card costs £8.90. No brainier for me.

If I could do my job just using public transport, I would.

Tomorrow, Peckham, Camberwell then Tooting.

I just could not get across London from job to job easily. I could do it, but only do 1 or 2 jobs a day, instead of the normal 3-4. My income would go down by about 50-75%!!!!

So, back on topic.......

It would be much cheaper to run a Citigo 60ps. Would I miss the Yeti.

Yes!!!

Will I change?

Unlikely. I am currently prepared to pay the extra cost of running my Yeti. I will never willingly buy a manual again. So my only option would be currently, a 1.2tsi DSG. Could I live with one after having my somewhat modified CR140. Unlikely.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

What an interesting set of responses to some idle thoughts!

I for one have found it illuminating as someone who would rather stay put than use a train, from here that is. Were I in commuter land like rockhopper I'd train it, too, but for long distance (like my frequent trips to Scotland to see elderly Freshacres) it's the car every time.

Convenience, control, privacy, a dearth of drunken yobs, no strange smells, and so on - all persuade me to use the car.