Student Car

I will be joining uni this september and was wondering how expensive it would be to own a car. Dont want anything fancy, just something that can take me from point A to point B which is reliable and doesnt cost an arm or a leg to fix.
Just a ballpark figure.. anyone ?

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Reply 1

kikzen

cost of car (£500-?)
+insurance (£500-2000 a year)
+petrol (£20-50 a month)
+maintenance (£500-1500 a year)

something like that i guess! insurance is the main difficulty really. and petrol. and maintenance actually.

Reply 2

sireesh

Damn !!!!
Insurance is INSANE !!!!!!!!!!!
Im used to paying a maximum of 10% of the car value for full insurance. I live in Dubai.
Looks like it is going to be the tube for me.

Reply 3

Ryan

Insurance and petrol are the biggest costs. Insurance on average is around 1700 for most young first time drivers.

Reply 4

L0RA

Thought about where you're going to park it when you're at Uni? Halls charge anything from £300 to £1000 a year for a parking space.

Reply 5

pghstochaj

Depends Lora :wink:

My first year uni halls offered free fairly secure parking, my second year it was contract parking under the building at £1400/year or something. You can guess when i had a car at uni and when I didn't :wink:

Also, private houses don't always fix that problems as often you are limited to two permits per house depending on location.

Reply 6

Geerththanan

I personally think that if you are going to be at Uni within London...don't bother getting a car...tubes and buses are good enough...

I am heading up North to Loughborough hopefully (god willing)...but still ain't bothering with a car...

Too expensive as well...

Reply 7

tomc87

Unless you have the money to spend it seems pointless having a car if you are going to a city university... parking permits are expensive and hard to come by at most places - you're better off sticking to public transport.
In more remote locations permits can be cheaper because they are relatively difficult to reach by train etc..

Reply 8

sireesh

I will be going to Brunel. Any idea how much travel would be required for a weekend outing ?
It is just that i am so used to using a car i thought id probably get one once i get there, but looks like it isnt going to be worth it.

Reply 9

Kingspharm

One place I lived, to get parking permits you had to present proof of insurance and that the vehicle was registered as 'living' at that address. No good if you have the home address of the vehicle registered as your parent's address, etc.

When in Halls of residence as well, we were told not to bring cars - the only parking available was in a public car park at about £5/hour.

Reply 10

*titanium*

Yeah its very expensive, which is why i do not have one. If you try and cheap out when you buy a car and get a real cheap one, you will end up paying more when it fails its MOT

Reply 11

Lib

Original post by G&#949

First years don't get car park passes at Lufs. And as a returner I've paid £100 for mine. Not nice!

Reply 12

Né Stig

How about - no actual London university offers parking places. Even the lecturers don't get a standard plot.

Brunel is in the middle of nowhere from Uxbridge to another little village /town up the road. Tube would not be convenient. I would guess there was only one bus that went that route - or maybe two.

Get a cheap car, depending on where you live of course. Tube costs are a joke, so paying for the car can help you more in your education providing you with more time.

Reply 13

Sabrina1985

I go Brunel, there are a number of buses that will take you to Uxbridge and Hayes. I would say go for a car, but take heed because Brunel are in the process of changing their parking policy which means students on campus can NOT bring a car with them. These is due to their new enviroment friendly approch and it SUCKS....

Reply 14

sireesh

Sabrina1985

But don't they allow postgrad students to park their car on-campus ? i thought i read something like that on the uni website
So you think it is better to go through all the trouble of buying a decent car and then maintaining it rather than just using the public transport ? Coz getting a car for me is going to be pushing my budget by quite a bit.

Reply 15

sireesh

Just got this from the Brunel Residences Regulations web page

"Postgraduate and Research students may apply for a vehicle permit via Student Centre. Vehicle permits are issued subject to availability and are subject to an annual fee (current £36). Parking will be limited to certain areas of the campus, which may not be near halls."

Doesnt sound too bad, if having a car is that much of a necessity.

Reply 16

Angelharpist

Really, I wouldn't advise taking a car to uni, especially in London, unless it's COMPLETELY necessary. Running a car is expensive at the best of times, but it's even worse in London.

For me, I HAVE to have a car at uni, because I'm a harpist doing a music degree and moving round a 6 foot, 35kg instrument can be a bit difficult without an estate car :rolleyes:

. Luckily, Bristol have been entirely supportive about this, and I'll be paying £100 for a permit in halls.

I live in London however, and even the petrol cost here is quite a bit more than down in Deal (by the coast), where we have a second home. Getting work done at a garage is more too, so I tend to go to Deal to get my Skoda serviced and maintained.

Remember that the parking in London is extortionate - I regularly play for hotels and restaurants (plus orchestral gigs) in the City, and even though I'm being paid up to £300, I usually end up spending £20 - 50 for secure parking (where you can safely store a £20,000 harp in the boot!), with large enough spaces for an estate car. Finding a space at halls is one thing, finding parking in town is another kettle of fish entirely...

Did I mention the London congestion charge...? :rolleyes:

Reply 17

sireesh

Damn i had no idea owning a car in London is such a PITA. lol
It is much more simpler here in dubai, no taxes, no extra charges, cheap servicing, parking is an issue though it isnt expensive at all. Only problem is the traffic.
There goes all my hopes of getting a car :frown:

Reply 18

Né Stig

Angelharpist

But really! Brunel is not in London (not strictly speaking).
Its way out, and parking spaces galore whilst parking is not expensive.

Its worth having a car if you're going to Brunel, unless there are precautions care of the university.

Congestion Charge? - Brunel is nowhere near the CC.
Parking Costs? - most expensive in London is SW1 and Brunel is nowhere near that.

Reply 19

Angelharpist

walshie

Yes, but the OP mentions 'weekend trips' to London in an above post, so I'm just pointing out the pitfalls, as a London resident myself. Inevitably as a student at a London Uni you'll want to venture into the city at some point - just advising that public transport is a better bet for inner city visiting/dwelling.

Only trying to be nice...and pedantry/belligerence is really not necessary... :rolleyes: