20k Annual Commute

I have the luxury of sitting down on a not very busy train and having driven to work before I think I'd prefer the hour on the train, but only just. It's time I can make use of if I need to and don't have to pay attention to what the prat in front or behind is stupidly/blindly/pointlessly trying to do.

An hour-10 in the car is going to wear you down after a while. I used to do an hour each way a few years ago and ended up moving closer to work.
 
I did a temporary motorway commute for a week in the 620ti, was 70 miles each way and I can't say I had an issue.

On the way to work I was too sleepy to care (6.30am) and considering I had food on the table, the journey home didn't take long. :p
 
I have today gone balistic and driven to my office, i can confirm you need 2 things for stinking London, an auto and the biggest **** off car with big seats you can find.
 
I used to have a very short commute, 5-10 minutes of B road blasting in a RWD coupe and it was epic when the road was empty. Now I do 60 miles a day on the M60,62,6 and 56 and I secretly enjoy it. Ok it's easier and cheaper to do a five minute commute, but I get to enjoy Radio 4 or a new album I just bought, reflect on the finer points in life, like 4cylinder 60mpg diesels with 18" rims.
 
Get something nicer. I recently went from a 8-10k a year commute to a 30k a year commute and I am so pleased I went for something a bit nicer than I had.
 
Skeeter said:
When I first started the commute I thought it would be ok.

Now, I dread it. I dread driving to work. It can take me anything from 50 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic and roadworks and all sorts.

Its 2 hours of my day every day that I loose.

Plus, I have now reached the '2 year or 12,000 mile service' interval in 9 months, spent £3000 on fuel in a year, and totally ruined the driving experience of my Clio as 99% of its time is spent at 50mph in a massive queue behind some lorries or a Honda Jazz.

While you may think you can financially do it, its just not worth it for the time and hassle it causes.

Howcome you are changing? Are you moving or is the job? If its the job is there relocation expenses?

But bottom line, my advice, dont do it. Look for another job.
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Pretty much echo's my experiences

I used to commute from Wakefield to South Sheffield via the M1.

If the M1 was clear, and the rush hour traffic wasn't too bad, it would take 45 minutes. I'd set off 1 hour before my start time to arrive on time. If the traffic was bad on an evenning, it took over an hour.

I now have a 10 minute commute from North Wakefield to South Leeds and would never ever go back to a commute that long !!!
 
Bah, you all think your commutes are bad;

Try driving 3 miles, finding a parking space at a cost of £7 for the day, getting on a hovercraft for 20 minutes, getting off, waiting for coach or 20 minute walk to train. Coach or train for 2 hours, then onto underground from LV to Clerkenwell, which is cattle-market packed and involves a change. Once in Clerkenwell I enjoy a 15 minute walk to the office. It isn't every day, but it is so draining.

Something a little more relevant; I wouldn't even want to attempt the OPs proposed commute in a 1.2 Fiesta. The simple change in my old commute (104 miles and a boat - 4 hours) between the VXR and the ST was huge, and Corsa wasn't even underpowered. It wasn't so much that the VXR was bad, I just felt so much better doing it in the ST - the larger cabin space and bigger, more comfortable seats appeared to leave me feeling "fresher" and less frustrated (traffic) by the time I had completed my journey.

If it was me, I'd be looking at something bigger, with a Diesel engine. That doesn't mean you have to go out and buy a 5 series, but even something like a Focus is going to be a decent improvement.
 
I've commuted 50-60 miles a day for the last 8 years, never had any real problems with it.

Firestar_3x said:
Because not everyone works in an industry which has job opportunities on every street corner, people want to live in the countryside and stay out of more crowded city areas.

Seems quite simple to me.
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Exactly, and it's a compromise people have to make. Also what if you have a partner who has a job in the area too, that can keep you tied to a certain place to live as well. Plus if it's the choice of commute or no job I know what I'd rather :)

I've no hope in hell of getting the right kind of job in Torbay where I live, just won't happen.

But I don't mind the commute, never bothered me.
 
MikeHiow said:
Bah, you all think your commutes are bad;

Try driving 3 miles, finding a parking space at a cost of £7 for the day, getting on a hovercraft for 20 minutes, getting off, waiting for coach or 20 minute walk to train. Coach or train for 2 hours, then onto underground from LV to Clerkenwell, which is cattle-market packed and involves a change. Once in Clerkenwell I enjoy a 15 minute walk to the office. It isn't every day, but it is so draining.

Something a little more relevant; I wouldn't even want to attempt the OPs proposed commute in a 1.2 Fiesta. The simple change in my old commute (104 miles and a boat - 4 hours) between the VXR and the ST was huge, and Corsa wasn't even underpowered. It wasn't so much that the VXR was bad, I just felt so much better doing it in the ST - the larger cabin space and bigger, more comfortable seats appeared to leave me feeling "fresher" and less frustrated (traffic) by the time I had completed my journey.

If it was me, I'd be looking at something bigger, with a Diesel engine. That doesn't mean you have to go out and buy a 5 series, but even something like a Focus is going to be a decent improvement.
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You commute from IOW to Clerkenwell every day?
 
[TW]Fox;17863610 said:
Yours is different Jez due to the nature of your work. Travelling for work is fine, commuting is different. It's done in your personal time at your personal expense.
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Not really? Travel time is in my personal time given that i do normal office hours....

Its not really at my expense as such, but it does add to the day. But it really isnt stressful at all, i almost look forward to the drive. An hour door to door is nothing. I cant even remember the journey by the time i get in the door, i just daydream the whole time/listen to radio etc, you dont even notice that your driving it.
 
It's a bit different when it's a fixed 9-5 job and every penny on the commute comes out of your own pocket.

Doing 100 miles a day in an S430 might be very nice. But few people can afford to run an S430 with ZERO expenses from the employer over 25k a year!
 
Jez said:
Not really? Travel time is in my personal time given that i do normal office hours....

Its not really at my expense as such, but it does add to the day. But it really isnt stressful at all, i almost look forward to the drive. An hour door to door is nothing. I cant even remember the journey by the time i get in the door, i just daydream the whole time/listen to radio etc, you dont even notice that your driving it.
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Normal office hours of what? 40 hours? A full weeks worth of work.

Yet 10 hours in a car (25% of your week added ontop) is 'nothing'?

Yeah whatever. :o
 
Stuff that, I wouldn't commute more than 10 miles unless it was paid for (or my job options were severely limited otherwise).
 
MikeHiow said:
The answer to your question is in the text you quoted.
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Only thats its not everyday however there was no mention of its frequency so we're not sure if its a commute or just a business trip :confused:

Obviously cant be a commute due to your statement about not travelling more than 10 miles unless your job options were severely limited... but then you live on the IOW so I guess they are :p
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Only thats its not everyday however there was no mention of its frequency so we're not sure if its a commute or just a business trip :confused:

Obviously cant be a commute due to your statement about not travelling more than 10 miles unless your job options were severely limited... but then you live on the IOW so I guess they are :p
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I told you it was a commute.

My travel expenses are paid for so the 10 mile thing is irrelevant.
 
Lets not derail this thread by feeding MikeHiow's fantasy life stories again. By now we all know that we cant tell the difference between what he says thats true and what he says that he made up to suit whatever he's talking about on the internet, so lets move on.
 
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