Thanks Avant, Yes entitled to a bus pass now, but have now landed in Somerset, where youngrovergirl is so much happier in her work. I agree lots of lovely rural roads in wales, and a few nice ones here too.

I think you could be right and something smaller and sportier might be nice, (have been forbidden a motorbike) but whatever needs to be .comfy.

Going to edinburgh soon for a couple of weeks then back for a week, then back again but will let easyjet take the strain from Bristol. Train prices are "plane" stupid!

I went through that phase (FPNs).

I walk or cycle for my health when practical. Got a bus pass for when it's raining and use the car when I want.

It works well if you think before leaving!

May i suggest borrowing begging hiring something that sits a bit higher with a nice engine, and the most important of all things, a proper torque converter auto box.

This will probably sound odd but the car that SWMBO and i most enjoyed driving was the 57 plate Hilux 3.0 Diesel auto, we bought it new (the only new vehicle we ever owned) and sold on when no longer needing such a vehicle after 3.5 years, during which time it lost only 25% of its value by the way making ceratin cars with perceived used values look like a dead loss.

That had everything, power when needed, but it was the effortless driving, the instant torque of a 3 litre 4 pot, and the smoothest auto box i've used that compares favourably with our old Benz's box.

OK, i doubt you want something as huge as that, though front and rear parking sensors and a good lock thanks to RWD made manoeuvering a doddle.

Without having to drive aggressively people don't cut vehicles like that up, might be an interesting experiment to try maybe an old Landcruser, another no nonsense which will have the same effect.

I know you usually have new cars ORB, but i suggest at least trying out something a bit more substantial, i suggest you try a Kia Sorento or its sister Hyundai Santa Fe, both of which have lovely auto boxes, not saying you'd want to own either, but being sort of mid range between soft and hard roader might be an interesting test to see if it could be a solution.

So pleased you got out of London hell, i used to love driving there even 20 years ago, but now i really can't stand the place, nor any other big city come to that.

My ex wife many years after we'd parted had grown to hate driving, being tailgated constantly and bullied on the road was horrible for her (not saying this even bothers you but you will have had your share in that london dump), due to tragic circumstances i won't go into we had to travel long distances together, so we took my old Landcruiser on several trips.

She couldn't believe it, not only was it a much nicer vehicle to be in on the open road, she realised she couldn't even see or sense the half wit perched 6ft from the towbar, and as a bonus she wasn't bothered in the least if said twit wanted to impale his car onto it.

Within weeks she'd bought an older 4x4, gave her back some driving pleasure cos she wasn't remotely bothered what the idiots did after, and 20 years later still drives herself around in something similar.

ORB, I would highly recommend seeking out your local IAM group and having an observed drive.

If you enjoy it, you could take it further and put yourself in for the Advanced Test.

A different car may help, but a good IAM observer followed by practice should put the enjoyment back into your motoring whatever you drive.

Sounds like the problem is almost entirely with the car here.

Bad roads, bad traffic, bad parking facilities, bus lanes and the zealous high visibility gestapo are all bad enough. Add that to a horrible car to sit in and operate and you're really struggling.

A nice car makes all of these things a little more bearable. It needs to be a nice place to sit, somewhere you could fall asleep and easy as pie to drive. Something which takes no effort.

You need something British with leather, walnut and a big petrol powered engine.

Fact.

I've got to agree, driving in any big city is no fun, and London especially so. Ride on public transport if its free. I've got to admit though, public transport where I now live is inconvenient and I very rarely use it, despite the 'bus pass'.

I got my first speeding ticket about 1958 when I had overhauled my old BSA Gold Flash, doing up the sloppy fits and properly adjusting the chain. I realised that I had become accustomed to judging my speed by the noise and vibration of the bike. I was riding between Bury and Whitefield about 11:30 pm on a beautiful night after a beautiful day, only me and a moped on the road (I passed him), when I was overtaken by a silent Humber Super Snipe police car. The driver advised me that I had been doing 48 in a 30 zone. I took the opportunity of getting him to check my speedo by driving in front at a steady 30 mph (the police were like that then), it was spot on. Three points, Drat !

I got my other speeding ticket about 1970 in a place now called Kabwe in Zimbabwe. My Vauxhall Cresta had broken down and as I stood looking under the bonnet a kind Zambian man stopped his car and pointed out that the feeble wire between the distributer and earth had parted. I fixed it in no time and as I went through Kabwe I was looking out for him so that I could give him a thank-you wave when I was stopped in one of those new fangled radar speed traps. The police officer was overjoyed to see the device work - I think I was the first victim - and gave me a ticket with a big smile. The ticket said that I was doing 50 mph, but I know I was only doing 40.

I've mainly gone for cars with a big engine and relaxed way of progressing. Presently I've got a mid-range 2.5 Subaru and that eases the burden of driving. I realise that now the 1.2 litre engines have more power than my old Wolseley 6/110, but at what cost to the nerves.

I rarely if ever tailgate but just floor the accelerator and pass.

Then I hope your diesel vehicle is properly maintained. There are quite a few who follow this procedure and vanish into a smoke screen.

If we banned women from driving as in some countries? that would be bliss, along with old men that should be using their bus pass, not driving, you spot them very quickly driving at tickover.

Anyone on here you were thinking of when you wrote that? ;)

Is this a peculiarly British thing? Snobbery? Unwarranted fear of assault or contagious disease?

On my cycle to work I notice the roads are clogged with single women in cars, and virtually empty buses even during peak hours. Why are there hardly any school buses, or frequent well used shuttle buses/trams as there are in other European towns and cities - with easy automatic ticket machines instead of the stupid time-consuming variable pricing [English trains] we have to put up with?

No, It is the crowds and some of the smells too! It was when we lived in London/watford/rickmansworth a few years ago the waiting and changing on buses and underground and the sheer time spent getting to work! (2 hours and then go and do a 12.5 hour shift) (with no firm idea if you can get away on time to spend another 2 hours to recross the capital) and if it out of the "rush" hours there are fewer and slower trains..

we took a decision a few years ago to live within 30 minutes walking distance of work, whic given London house prices meant leaving altogether. And have you tried the boneshaker trains we were getting from west wales to Paddington? Pardon the pun, but no padding on the paddington seats....

Is this a peculiarly British thing? Snobbery? Unwarranted fear of assault or contagious disease?

On my cycle to work I notice the roads are clogged with single women in cars, and virtually empty buses even during peak hours

I think snobbery is over reaching, although outside the metropolitan areas most people still view the bus as being for poor people. There's probably some merit in that, I've never met anybody who took public transport for any reason other than having no choice, but I don't go to London where it seems more common - and too expensive for the impoverished.

I wouldn't bother with public transport because it doesn't go where I want it to, when I want it to. There's not a single journey I make regularly that would be faster by bus or train, because us shire counties don't have the 4 buses every 15 seconds London has and the councils haven't gone to the drastic extremes of London in purposely slowing the car down either. Though they're not far off. I'm amazed by how often I see a bus in a bus lane. Never.

I just can't be doing with somebody else deciding when I can go somewhere and after I've been at work all day I want to sit amongst air conditioned leather and not have to listen to or interact with any other human being. That's my time where the general public can sod off.