Practising driving- buy car with cash or Zipcar, etc?

Just my opinion but you will be better off buying a block of lessons for £15/lesson than buying a car before hand. Usually you can pass within a block of 10 lessons and then its much easier to sort out insurance ect.

Just my opinion but you will be better off buying a block of lessons for £15/lesson than buying a car before hand. Usually you can pass within a block of 10 lessons and then its much easier to sort out insurance ect.

That's still my feeling too, especially given that you don't have a licensed driver with you now.  It sounds like a tonne of worry and concern where it doesn't need to be at a much larger expense.  Once you have the full license, then you can look at if you want to buy a car.  You'll be far better off having your practice with someone who can help you fix bad habits and get you used to having someone watching so your nerves don't get the better of you when you have the actual exam.  Most people here learn that way. 

Not to mention that your driving abilities may have little relation to the timeframe of when you can pass.  I started my process of getting my license around this same time of year and it was about February before I was able to get it, and I passed on my first test.  I didn't procrastinate anything--every step of the way took much longer than I thought it would.  Even the theory exam took forever to book as the testing centre was full. Then when I scheduled exams, they kept moving my dates back due to an examiner that was on sick leave. 

I pushed hard, completely convinced I'd have no trouble finishing before the end of the year, and I nearly lost my job because I didn't have a license after November.  It was a nightmare.  If you are renting parking space and paying for car expenses and insurance, it could add up quickly if you end up taking longer than you plan and have a car you can't use.  I just really think you'd be wise to wait on buying a car.  They are more expensive than the purchase itself--car, road tax, insurance, petrol, maintenance, repairs, parking fees, congestion charges, etc all add up fast. Or you can do as the last person suggested and just buy a group of lessons and practice for a lot less with someone who will better prepare you.  You'll need the lessons anyway as knowing how to drive and knowing how to take the test are two different things.

As to buying a car . . .

One thing you can do when it comes time to buy a car is ask around with people to find a reputable garage.  It's more hassle, but my mechanic has a service where he'll give cars a run-over before you buy them to see if there are any obvious problems that have been hidden from you.  You can do that before buying, if you are worried--then there is more peace of mind. 

If just going on your own, pay attention to how it sounds, is it sputtery?  Is it smooth?  how tight is the clutch pedal--replacing a clutch can be very expensive.  Is the MOT pretty new?  Don't get one that doesn't have most of the year on it's MOT--they could be hiding something and then you end up paying more than the car is worth to repair it or buying a new one with clean MOT.  Also, don't rely on the MOT as a bill of health.  Don't stress about it though.  I bought my first UK car on my own where my dad had always helped before.  It was scary, but I got him to knock £140 off the price!  It was a little junker too, but served me well for a couple years before it failed MOT and was too expensive to fix.  I just looked at it as having got my money's worth out of a cheap car, then I sold it to one of those buy any car websites for £120.  Of course there were lots of other expenses in-between, but it worked out okay.

Just my opinion but you will be better off buying a block of lessons for £15/lesson than buying a car before hand. Usually you can pass within a block of 10 lessons and then its much easier to sort out insurance ect.

Hmm....the thing is, I need to buy a car anyway. The sooner I buy it, the sooner I have 'freedom' to take lessons with whoever whenever I want- and I can potentially find a friend or acquaintance to drive with me in addition to lessons. I do plan on buying lessons- of COURSE! Its just not the only practice I want- I think I'm going to want to practice much more than the hours I can afford lessons. I'm hoping I can bribe (maybe with dinner?) someone with a full license to drive around with me- I don't haev any close friends, but probably some acquaintances.

Also, I can become familiar and comfortable in my own car and take the actual practical test in my car as well, right? Otherwise do you use one of theirs? I'd much prefer to have been driving the specific car I'm taking the test in for a while.

But your friends will not be able to drive your car.  Auto insurance does not cover other people driving your car.

But your friends will not be able to drive your car.  Auto insurance does not cover other people driving your car.

I didn't mean that. I meant friends that have held a UK license for 3+ years riding along with me while I practice.

You can take the practical exam in your own car, but most people don't.  It's pretty uncommon.  You will usually take it in the car you've been having your lessons in--so it's one you are used to already.  Some people will take it in their own--for instance, if they only get an automatic license and didn't have an instructor that had an automatic car.  If you do this, you'll need to do a few things like buying an extra rear-view mirror for the examiner, making sure you have L-plates, etc.  I thought about taking the test in my own car since I was driving a car already on my US license, but after driving my little cheap Peugeot around for a while and taking lessons, I realised, it was actually easier in my instructors car that I had paid for lessons.  His car was smoother, had power steering, etc.  I had practised all my manoeuvres so much and had them down to a science in his car.  I just found it easier, and it was part of the price of my lessons to use his car.

Having said all that, you can totally decide what to do for yourself.  I just can't imagine paying to keep a car in London (or even having a car in London for that matter) when you can't even drive it without begging for help from who knows who.

Ok, I bought 2 lessons took one in his car one in mine. I have been driving in it (brand new fiat 500) for about 6 months. I then bought the L plates and mirror for my test since my instructor said I was much more comfortable in my own car. But you will need the correct insurance etc and a UK passenger. Just thinking if you bought a car you will be in the same boat as just paying the £99 for 10 lessons in an insured car. Not to mention 10 hours with an instructor is worth 50 without. They will take you on the route(s) and what you can do to fail using them. £100 is going to be insurance for the first month on a car...... just a no brainer IMHO. You can't lose doing lessons first car later.

Just reading through this thread and a thought occurred to me- does my US license become invalid in the UK (during that first year) once I get my UK provisional?

And I concur with Cadenza and others who say that having a car in London is hella expensive. It would be a total waste of money, especially if you can't even drive the car you're paying all that moolah for!

Just reading through this thread and a thought occurred to me- does my US license become invalid in the UK (during that first year) once I get my UK provisional?

No, it becomes invalid after your first 12 months in the UK, regardless of whether you have a provisional or not.

You will need the provisional in order to book and take the theory and practical tests, but you won't need to use the provisional for driving until after the 12 months is up - you can still do everything else using your US licence.

I'll clarify more on my personal situation since everyone is talking about how crazy it is to have a car in London!

I'm an avid equestrian and competitive 3-day eventer. I sold my horse when I moved to the UK, and right now am getting by riding 1-2x a week at a London riding school accessible by public transport, rather than my preferred 3-5x a week. Having a car is something that will allow me to drive out to a horse-share outside of London and  actually offset some of my existing costs and allow me to ride more often. (My existing costs are just plain silly... I will  be able to loan a horse and ride 4-5x a week for the price that it is to take one lesson per week in a London riding school!)

Starting in January, I am going to be working 3 days a week in Milton Keynes (which happens to be a very horsey area), so it is likely that at that point the car will be kept full-time in Milton Keynes (I would take the fast-train up from London and then use my own car to get around the town), which should help have slightly lower insurance and I probably won't have to pay for parking at all, or at least not near as much as London.

So, anyway, buying a car is inevitable, and it will likely long-term end up being kept outside of London in Milton Keynes to allow me to get around the days I'm up there and drive out to a horse which is a massive priority of mine. I understand the costs of a car include initial costs, upkeep, petrol, insurance (pricey as I am a new driver here), and potentially parking, as well as tax and MOT. I'm a big girl and owned my own car and paid for all its expenses for 10 years in the States, in a big city. I know they ain't cheap!

But I am starting to think I should maybe wait to buy one until I have passed all my tests, due to the reasoning that many people seem to take lessons in their instructors cars anyway, and that I may not be able to drive it that much beyond lessons anyway due to my lovely breakup with my UK licensed boyfriend :*(. It probably would be simpler with insurance to just wait until I have my full license to get a car. I'm just worried I'll need way more driving hours to be comfortable than some people might and the cost of lessons might start to get out of hand!

Seems well thought out.
Happy trails!
Cheers

The arguments weren't solely about a car in London. It was more about that expense and hassle when you may not have the ability to use it at all since there isn't someone to go in the car with you. Once you have a license, it may make perfect sense to have a car.

Of course, only you can decide what your needs are, and I can see that there are reasons for some to have cars in a big city.

I think the best thing you can do is ask around for good instructors instead of just signing up for one through a database. It can make all the difference. I found someone with lots of experience, and he made a huge difference in calming my nerves and teaching me little tricks that made the manoeuvres easy for my exam.

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