Petrol is still cheap though, in a way. To get myself, my missus and the nipper 60 miles up the road to our great and majestic capital city this week, if I did that in the car it'd cost me £25-£30 in petrol, but we're taking the train, so it's actually costing us £70.

I hate London, I hate todays public transport and I hate having somebody pull my pants off, bend me over and bugger me senseless over the price into the bargain. So, expect me to be a shade grumpier than usual this week.

But if you visit London in the week it'll cost you £8 to enter it with a car, then you're looking at finding a car-park with space and when you have found a space to park, it'll cost you about £25 to park it. You'll have all the stress and hassle of trying to avoid being hit by a taxi/bus being driven by a Cockney, speed/traffic light cameras everywhere, idiots on bikes, bus-lanes, a plethora of one-way streets that make no sense and take you miles out of your way and hundreds more reasons why in this instance......It's better to pay £70 and go by public transport. And that is from somebody who never uses public transport.............Unless I'm visiting London

I kinda find it's true... Before I passed my test I spent £17.50 and £12.50 on two bus passes to get around and to college. That's a week. I think that £30 worth of petrol is about the same, if not more, especially if I'm giving people a lift for a fiver a week. Obviously that doesn't include the extorionate amount I'll be paying in insurance for the next five years, or running costs, or £120 a year for the tax but I'd rather do that than get a disease every week on the bus. As for city driving... I really want to drive through Paris. Is that abnormal? I'm sure it'll wear off.

I prefer getting the train these days. To visit my family up in Yorkshire costs me around £35 for a return train fare, Hereford to Menston near Leeds. Say £40 with the bus fare from Ross to Hereford. It'd cost me more than that in petrol and I can kick back and read a book while enjoying a couple of beers on the train, as opposed to sitting in a load of stationary traffic on the M6 for most of Friday afternoon. I do enough bloody driving anyway, without taking my car everywhere I go at weekends too.

That's why I'm going on the train, the peripheral costs are too much for a three day stay up there. However, I have to go down to Cornwall next week, and by car it's £80ish in fuel from here, or £200 on the train. Plus at least £40 in taxi fares getting to and from the station with my luggage.

Top tip: for cheap train fares book 2 wks in advance, avoid peak times, and if you have kids under 16 buy a family railcard. Took Mrs + kids up to Edinburgh for £35 last year. Mind you, I got totally rogered by the buffet prices (my biggest pet hate re public transport) so my final top tip is to take a picnic or buy the kids a Happy Meal before you get on the train.

Cheapest train tickets I've found have been at http://www.redspottedhanky.com.

I wish someone would sell "grumpy meals"....cause then there would be nothing to complain about !

I'm fed up of 2cvs. I fancy an Ami or a Dyane or something.

Alright..who snapped up the 50 quid dyane engine and gearbox in working order off ebay just now while i was making my mind up then eh?