Giving up your car

66Mustang

Has anyone done this, whether through choice or circumstance (like disability), doesn’t matter, I’m interested.

Most interested in people who had a car and gave up, rather than those who have never driven in the first place, but all are of course welcome to post.

Was it easy to give up? How did you cope?

I have a car and I do about 15,000 miles a year so well over average but I think I could live without one. I do drive a fair distance to shops and things but only because I can, not because I need to. I could live off of the shops in my home town as we have an Asda for budget shopping and an M&S for treats.

I have a Motability car but I am coming up to my PIP reassessment and the chance exists that I lose my vehicle so I am interested to hear how people coped without one.

My main worry is that I go for a drive almost every day. If we don’t need anything from a shop then we just go out for a drive and come back home again. I don’t have a lot in my life and am worried about losing this little luxury.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

janer1967

I had to give up driving 5 years ago and was devastated I felt I had lost my independence 

Could no longer just get in car to go anywhere 

Has impacted my life a lot can't get to appts without hospital transport can't take toby anywhere 

We use taxi which are expensive 

If I had the option and could still drive I wouldn't give it up but I do get your point as you say you don't need it 

But think of future as well if you lose the skill and need to get confidence to drive again If your circumstances change 

From financial point you will save a lot of money 

Very hard decision 

66Mustang

I think all good points @janer1967. Especially this “But think of future as well if you lose the skill and need to get confidence to drive again If your circumstances change”. I know a couple of people who gave up driving “temporarily” but never went back because of confidence.

My car is on Motability so I only pay for the petrol, so if I lost my PIP I’d just save the petrol cost so not as much as one may think but still significant. I fill up twice a month for £60 so £120 a month which is a fair bit. If I lost my PIP I could get a used car privately again, just about, but would have to make some big sacrifices to be able to afford to run it.

Like you say a difficult decision. Compelling arguments for both sides!!

@teddybear12 thanks for the response. That’s an interesting experiment trying to go without a car while yours was being repaired. I totally understand where you are coming from not wanting to give up driving.

My parents do have a car but it is not the same as having your own and I wouldn’t want to feel like even more of a burden. I think I could be put on their insurance if I offered to pay for the policy but would probably only be able to drive it once a week or so.

janer1967

If you don't lose your PIP you will gain financially as you will no longer be paying for the car lease 

You could give up the motability car and use the money to finance buying your own car 

Obviously if you lose the pip mobility then yes you will only save the petrol 

Personally I would wait till you have had your PIP review and take it from there 

If you go on your parents insurance make sure you still get no claims credits 

66Mustang

Yes that’s true of course but if I don’t lose my PIP I think I will just keep having a Motability car so no change

I think that’s a fair shout though to wait till I have the results from the assessment and take it from there.

66Mustang

Thanks @woodbine

Interesting points and can well imagine you would have been devastated after doing that kind of mileage.

I guess the public transport links come into it a lot, some people are luckier than others with where they live and what links are available (and how accessible these are!) I guess.

I think that your point “how do we manage, we just did” could be applied to many things, not just driving. Becoming disabled, losing one’s job, etc.

I really want to respond to the last bit you wrote in detail but have dinner now so will post up later.

Thanks again

leeCal

I lost my licence for a while when I was in my early twenties and it severely cramped my style when it came to finding a girlfriend! In those years girls expected you to have a car, especially as I lived in a small town.

These days my eyesight is getting iffy so it’s only a matter  of time before I voluntarily stop driving. I use the car for visiting local areas of interest and shopping so it will be very inconvenient. 

Lisatho11987777

I gave my disability mobility car back and just brought my own  couldn't cope without a car I drug everywhere lol

Lisatho11987777

Drive not drug lol

chiarieds

Hi @66Mustang - I loved driving both cars & vans (apart from a very big VW van we had), but decided to stop when my pain increased when sitting as I was concerned this might negatively affect my concentration.

It's not been too bad as my son & his wife live just around the corner from me, & both drive. I would still like to jump in a car & go for a run into the countryside, or pop to the shops tho.

About 3 years ago, not having driven for 11/12 years, my ex husband came down with a car he'd had for about a month as he was having problems starting it......I perhaps shouldn't generalise, but males tend to ignore reading instructions (& car manuals in his case!). After checking the manual & showing him how to start the car first time, as where I live it's a private road, & I was still on his car insurance, he said to give it a try, & said I drove the car better than he'd been able to do.

This led to him saying carry on driving, & we'll just use quiet country roads. After a while he said take this turning, which I thought was wrong (it was), & ended up on a very busy road notorious for many car accidents. As you can see, I lived to tell the tale, & thoroughly enjoyed it.

I hope your PIP reassessment goes well, & you keep your mobility car as I know how much being able to go for a drive means to you.

66Mustang

Many thanks for the replies, everybody. They are really helpful.

@chiarieds thank you for the kind words and for telling that great story. I’m glad you enjoyed the drive in the end!

I don’t know what it is about instruction manuals that mean people don’t like reading them but I have several family, mostly male, you are right, but a couple of female too, who ignore them! Often they will spend ages trying to make something work that could have been found out much more quickly by reading the instructions.