please call usaa -- i'm pretty sure that your rates will drop dramatically. all my friends who work for the military have rates that are simply ludicrous! do it, do it, do it now! :smile:

 

congrats! that sounds like a real adventure.Food for thought:Having driven all combinations of left and right hand drive cars on both sides of the road,I would strongly recommend that you give some consideration to selling your left hand drive car before you go and getting a right hand drive car when you get there.Getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road is tough enough without driving in the gutter to boot!!Passing from this position is downright dangerous without a passenger to tell you if the coast is clear.Classic mini's are a dime a dozen over there and if you think gas is expensive here,wait till you find out what $6 /imperial gallon feels like in a car that only gets 25-26 /gal.Give my regards to the Queen! Peace.

 

I certainly don't want to sell Lucy, but I had not realized how much of a safety issue LHD would be.

I had hoped to commute to work via public transportation, so I wasn't too concerned about gas prices. I am concerned, though, about general cost of living, since the dollar is so weak against the pound right now.

I do remain open to the possibility of selling Lucy. I've no idea how much I could sell her for; I guess I'd be lucky to get someone to assume the loan payments.

(Sigh) It would save me so much money to not have a car in England! This is a very difficult decision.

MINIangelD

 

Angel - I'm sorry to hear you're in such a quandry. I know how much you love Lucy and what sacrifices you made to get her. If you do decide to sell her, I'm sure she'll go to a good home. The bright side is you'll be able to drive her longer before she is sold.

As one of the other members said before, what about a classic Mini? Those body styles were made until 1999 and the late models have all the creature comforts of the new MINI.

 

>>
>>As one of the other members said before, what about a classic Mini? Those body styles were made until 1999 and the late models have all the creature comforts of the new MINI.

Angel,

the_beastmaster makes a good point. The late model minis are nice. I got to drive a friend's late model mini in Japan (RHD on left side road too) and it was a blast. He's actually a M.E. for Honda but loves his mini. Also, you have a wide choice of other cool small cars (both new and older) in Europe that we only read about and wish we could drive. Lucky you! :smile:

 

Really??? When I was thinking "classic Mini" I was thinking, a chassis, some litty bitty wheels, some cheap seats, and not much else. If I could get a late model Mini with some "creature comforts" (like a good working heater!!) then that's a really good idea. And it would be fun to own/drive a RHD car.

And something I was thinking too ... maybe by the time I get back to the states, MINI will have worked the bugs out of the car, and a brand new MINI in, say, 2007 or 2008, will actually be trouble-free from the get-go! Well, I can dream ...

Once I know for sure what Lucy would need done to bring her up to British road-worthy standards, how much it will cost, the true insurance costs, etc, and then if I could hopefully get an idea of how much a classic Mini would cost in the UK, then I'll make my decision on whether or not to sell Lucy. In the meantime, if y'all hear of someone who's interested in buying a "gently used" MCS that has been relatively trouble-free, point them my way.