Most economical car for £1k (or less)

MikeHiow said:
But we're not discussing commuting time, I stated I would be spending 4 hours a day in the car, and nothing else?
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If you go back and read the thread it's clear everyone is talking about commuting times and trying to tell you what an absurd idea this is. Either way, you won't get from Southsea to Central London in 2 hours on anywhere near a regular basis in peak times.
 
MikeHiow said:
It is not ideal, but then life rarely is.
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If you're prepared to travel this much then I'm sure you'll be able to find something much nearer though? Even if it's Basingstoke or something you'll be saving a heck of a lot of time. I'd rather do 5 days a week in Basingstoke from the IOW than 3 days in London - you'll be shattered and the time with your family won't really be quality time.
 
MikeHiow said:
I'm a Web dev, EddScott.

Train costs make it completely unviable, as are living costs for staying up there during the week (I do not like this idea, regardless).
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Everything makes it unviable. It's just a stupid idea. It's a heck of a lot more than 12 quid a day for fuel as well, you are NOT doing to get 60mpg+ commuting into London at rush hour! 40 is being kind, and at 40mpg from Southsea its over 20 quid a day!

Where is the cost for keeping the car parked in Southsea? Where is the time to walk to where the car is parked because it isnt going to be parked on Southsea Seafront is it!

It's time for a new job Mike.
 
MikeHiow said:
6:00, get up
6:45, Hovercraft
7:00, Southsea
9:00, London

5:30, Leave London
7.30, Southsea
7.45, Hovercraft
8.00, Ryde
8.05, Home.

All for about £12-15 a day in fuel and a season ticket for the Hovercraft. Simples.
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London as in Central London?

Is the traffic that good coming in from the A3/M3? I go into London down the M40 every so often - I can get from Cheshire to the bottom of the M40 in the same time as it takes to get down the Westway and through to London Bridge.
 
Job done, Fareham is only about 25 minutes from Portsmouth and Southsea station as well.

Told you it was time for a new job Mike.
 
[TW]Fox;18309808 said:
Job done, Fareham is only about 25 minutes from Portsmouth and Southsea station as well.

Told you it was time for a new job Mike.
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Oh, I'll be looking. This is a last resort, as there is no guarantee I'll find a job within the allotted time.
 
You are mad to even consider this, the commute that is. Even if you leave Southsea at 7am and manage to make it into London for 9am you won't be sitting at your desk at that time, and what about the evenings when something really important comes in and you have to stay that bit longer, ignoring that you won't be getting from London to Southsea in 2 hours leaving at 5.30.
 
Morba said:
It would probably be better to rent a room off someone for the days that you need to stay up there. that or book b&b early on to get good rates!
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B&B would work out a lot cheaper than travelling costs. Plus it wont be as taxing on the £1k car :p

Although if he has a wife/family they wont be too happy.
 
You say I am mad for considering this? What would you do if it came down to your only other option being unemployment?

Jobs are hardly available in abundance these days, much less IT jobs, or even those that pay well enough to keep a family of three comfortably.

As for a B&B - I don't see how that'll be cheaper than travelling? I mean you have to travel there the first night, travel home on the last night, pay what, £30 a night at an absolute minimum for a B&B, plus travel costs from the B&B to work each morning and evening (I doubt I'd find anything even remotely reasonable in EC1).
 
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I'm sure there's a better option than travelling to London and back for a job, I really am. Even 'these days'. That one posted above is just one idea. You won't even realise you have a family of three with such daft hours and commuting arrangements, believe me.
 
MikeHiow said:
You say I am mad for considering this? What would you do if it came down to your only other option being unemployment?

Jobs are hardly available in abundance these days, much less IT jobs, or even those that pay well enough to keep a family of three comfortably.
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I don't know how much they're paying you for this job, but look at the info Fox put up about how much of an effective paycut it is. And this ignores the non monetary impact this kind of commuting would have on you and your family. I think your timings are extremely optimistic, and even 3 days a week of this will be brutal.
 
You have 5k kicking around as a car fund. That will keep you going for several months, and you can string your current situation out for at least another month giving you 3 months to find employment. It doesn't have to be it to start with, take anything then keep on the lookout for what you really want.

As I have explained you are effectively taking a 10k pay cut with this silly idea anyway.
 
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