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Bargain-hunter buys a car to drive to Bristol – because it’s cheaper than a train ticket

An entrepreneur has proven that car ownership can be cheaper than public transport – after buying a car and driving to Bristol for less than the price of a train ticket.

Tom Church, the founder of offer-finding website LatestDeals.co.uk, decided the £218.10 rail ticket was a rip-off – and set himself that budget to travel by alternative means.

Church’s first point of call was the online marketplace Gumtree, where he purchased a 1997 Honda Civic for just £80. Though he said the owner was selling the car for scrap, it wasn’t in awful condition. “For £80 I was very surprised,” he said. “The Honda Civic was a joy to drive. The suspension was soft and the gearbox as smooth as anything I had experienced.”

The Civic had 10 months of its MOT remaining. Its small engine and pre-2001 tax qualification allowed Church to purchase six months of road tax for £81.38, while insurance for one day cost him £20.43.

With £25 of petrol, Church’s total for the journey was £206.81 – almost £12 cheaper than the rail equivalent.

Church admitted that it was an extreme example, and the stunt was mainly to make a point about the extortionate cost of last-minute rail tickets. “Buying a car for one trip was still expensive. It was stupid. But not as stupid as spending even more on just one train ticket,” he said in a blog post on his site.

(Reddit: StittaStutta)

“If you really want to save money, buy an off-peak train ticket in advance and use a railcard. You can also get a National Express coach and there are plenty of deals for that.”

However, the car may yet prove its worth. “At the end of the trip, I still have a car. I’ll probably sell it again. After some TLC, I think I can get £200. You get your unused road tax refunded so I might even be in profit! That’s real bargain hunting for you.” said Church.