snowbunny

Just curious.... are the costs of the cars themselves comparable?

I find motoring to be a cost-effective way to get around; it's not much more than the trains if you want to travel a lot, and especially if you're like me and want to explore old villages (for family history). Everyone there thinks I'm nuts for not just taking the trains AND for attempting this since I'm American but nuts to them!

anotherlimey

What about the exchange rate?

20c = 12p ????

snowbunny

Yes, and 18p = 1.5 times 12p. If I'm doing the calculations right, the USD cost of 12k miles would be about $2,400 using the above figures; the UK cost then would be $3,600. Significantly more, yeah but on the other hand I doubt UK drivers drive nearly as many miles. And it certainly isn't the exorbitant difference of things like *only* petrol, booze, cigarettes, and other sins

anotherlimey

Perhaps 12p is a bit much, it's probably more like 10.5p these days.

I drive about the same amount as I did back home, but then I don't have kids to take to school.

Bob

Cost of buying cars in the UK is higher too...

snowbunny

Thanks for answering my question, Bob

Pulaski

Er, ..... since when is payng interest on money you have borrowed "daylight robbery"?

ImHere

What about it? Where do you live? I cant see that the exchange rate has much effect on the cost of motoring for a native American who lives in America do you? It still costs them about 20c per mile.

I wish people would realise the exchange rate is complete nonsense unless you are buying something in one country and taking it to another or are on vacation in another country.

Bob how can you say the cost of buying cars in the UK is higher too? Unless of course you are going for the exchange rate argument again. Personally i paid $24k here for my car and the last car i had in the uk was about the same price in pounds. But I live here and work here in US Dollars so its 24k. Now if i'd bought it here and then shipped it back to the UK then it would be cheap.

If you're going to use the exchange rate you may as well call up someone in Turkey and tell em its really cheap there....it may be to a Brit holidaying there but it aint to a Turk living and working there.

I actually look forward to the (maybe) one day when the pound crashes and the exchange rate reverses....then everyone can stop complaining that Britian is so expensive.....oh and I'll spend all my dollars on all the cheap stuff there then too

Englishmum

To I'm Here:

Most of my rellies in the UK now prefer to drive cars with a diesel engine....you get so many more miles to the gallon on diesel than with a petrol engine - eg. 40-50 miles per gallon is not unusual.

Brit'n'TX

personally, the 1/2 share I have in a house in the UK is looking incredibly healthy, thanks! long live the weak dollar!

englishnurse

it just appeared to be alot of money. once you have started to get overdrawn it can be very difficult to get back in credit if you are being charged an awful lot! its very easy to slip into a pit of debt, which some banks are being accused of assisting customers to do. many of the banks in england have recently been forced by the government to reduce charges, especially cashpoint charges. our local garage cashpoint charge you £2.00 per withdrawel to get at your own cash which i dont think is particularly fair as the money belongs to you in the first place! however the thought of having to pay high bank charges does make me very careful with balancing my finances so i suppose i could thank them for that.

anotherlimey

?????

The exchange rate matters when you're comparing the cost in one country against another. You can't say 20c is the roughly the same as 18p.

It's 12p vs. 18p per mile, which means, if I'm driving the same miles here as I did back home, it costs me 33% less; right or wrong?

But.... you can really only say it's one or the other when you calculate the percentage of your income you are spending on motoring rather than cost per mile.

londonerdanny

Firstly, -thanks to everybody that replied to my post
I have been to MO (twice now -albeit on vacation [ooops I mean holiday :P]) and it does seem like a very nice place. We've stayed in St Louis (personally I think it sounds nicer pronounced St Louie) but most of the time was spent at my fiancées home about 200 miles from there. It's a small place - pop 3500 - and that REALLY appeals to me, coming from London where I have to fight for my 70sq feet of living space for £120,000
I want a pace that is closer than an hour from work - I want those 10 hours a week spent on the porch in the sun rather than stuck under somebodys armpit on the Underground (I've heard all of the posts about the problem everybody is having getting a job on this site - good luck everybody) fortunately I'll be able to buy 6 -12 months rent for very few UK pounds so a little buffer will be in place, hopefully it'll be enough.
I know I'm going to miss the UK despite it's faults - my lifelong family and friends are here after all, and I'm used to the little things, like the BBC (it's worth the licence money alone !!) but I really want to be with my love, Rosie, and so I'm going to make my bed and lay in it (in my huge bedroom in my huge home ! )
I'm hoping the K Visa is less hassle than the Green Cards - has anybody had the experience to compare the bureaucracy between the two ?

Be happy everyone

Danny

Pimpbot

The K visas end with a green card(assuming you are approved) anyway, so the bureaucracy never ends I'm afraid. If they made it easy, every Tom, Dick and Harry would try to get one.