Bundle of Transport Questions (Cars, License, Moving)

I have a job offer and have little time to decide. Since I'm not 20 and have pets and a large house, there are so many logistics to take into consideration. A few questions:

Cars & License:

1. Will anyone give you a loan for a car? Or should you expect to have to pay cash for a vehicle on arrival? Will they sell to you without UK license or bank account or anything?

2. How much does a license cost, with respect to taking driving courses, etc.?

3. Can you keep your US license or do you need to relinquish it?

Moving a House:

1. I'm guessing most people sell the majority of their furniture? We have big American stuff that probably wouldn't fit well in a smaller UK home.

2. What are the popular companies? We are in Texas and would be moving to the Midlands area.

Hi,

Congratulations on the job offer! Not sure what you mean by your next line of not being 20? are you around that age or much older? not that it makes too much difference !

You'll not get a loan for a car rightaway, or credit cards or any kind of larger scale borrowing as you don't have a UK credit history. That said, there are some companies that specialise in arranging finance for those who have bad credit histories, county court judgements etc. There's adverts all over the national media and the one that springs to mind is http://www.wheels4sure.com/

It's not possible to say how much getting your license will cost as no one knows how well and quickly you'll learn and adapt to the UK roads and driving conventions. You might need none or very few lessons, or you might need many more.

Lots of topics on this forum about license requirements if you are American coming to the UK, you can drive using your US licence but after 1 year of being here you must obtain a UK license in order to continue driving.

Furniture is often moved with a house move, some people move everything, some move nothing and purchase new again. If you have big items of furniture, I'd say sell them off over there as you don't know if they'll fit into whichever property you live in here. On the general level, UK houses are much smaller than US ones as you already mention. There's plenty of places to buy furniture here!

Look in the moving section, there's mentions of various shippers and companies. Depending on how much stuff you have and wish to bring, the quotes will vary. I'd add to the furniture to leave/sell in the USA things like big screen TV's, fridges and white goods etc. Bring bulky or heavy things which have sentimental value if you wish, but the less you bring the easier and cheaper your quote will be. Almost all the everyday, living and comfort items you could wish to have are available here.

What field of work and expertise are you in ? Lots of areas around the midlands too many of which are lovely.. others, not so !!

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Hello!

I am older...my comment was that it is easier to pick up and move when you're younger! As you get older there is so much "stuff" and responsibility to think of!

I am a university professor and would be moving to the Coventry area.

You can buy a car without any proof of license, but you'll need insurance to drive it away so that's where the license comes in.

Good secondhand cars can cost very little here, I drive a 14 year old Toyota valued at £1300. Its in great cosmetic shape, has done less than 100k miles and should go on for at least a few more years.

You may not need very many lessons to get you through your test, but do have some to ensure that you pass the test. And take it well before your 1 year on your US license is up, otherwise you won't be able to drive unless accompanied by a UK license holder.