Car, or bike???

[mattgt]

OK, listen up. I have decided to tour spain starting next month. I want to know people's opinion on this little problem I have. I'm 19 and have honda nsr derestricted. If I were to go on me bike, I would probably buy something more substantial and restrict it. OR, go for my car test (havn't passed yet) and buy a £500 banger. The car is by far the safer option, but a hell of a lot more expensive and not half as fun. There's also the difficult problem of overcoming (if i take a bike) the whole visor tan, he he. Does anyone have any advice? The trip would last 5 months or so...

[Fire_Eyes]

I was gonna tell you go for the bike untill I read "5months". I think thats a long time. If something happened to the bike would you know where to take it? Would parts be avaiabe? I think you should go for the car.
____________________
Kawasaki ZZR 400 | K5 GSX-R 600

[Ste]

How long have you been riding and what license do you have?

I'd be slightly wary of doing your car test and then going off touring around Spain for five months just after passing.

Fire eyes, Would you know who to take a car to in Spain and know enough about it to not get ripped off? At least with the bike (hopefully) you'd be able to do basic things to it yourself and have half an idea about what the mechanic is talking about if you take it to a garage.

Would you be going on your own?

[mattgt]

yeah, but parts for car 2... i dunno really. it sounds trampy but i could sleep in the car if funds get really low 2. at the mo im going for car just coz it might b more reliable (parts etc) and less worrying with loadsa mad pissed spanish driving around, no offence to them.

[mattgt]

Yeah, I have a restricted licence and have been driving for 1 1/2 years. Driving that much just after passing the car test is also a problem, which is why I'm so stuck...

[G]

What is the aim of the trip?

Are you doing it for the touring it's self, or to visit places etc?

I expect the bike could turn out more expensive as you can do less your self.
For instance you've got a much smaller capacity for buying food from supermarkets and making sandwhiches later etc.

[mattgt]

well, touring and seeing to be honest, coz that's what im studying. i totally agree with the food point, a car is more homely than a bike. cheers

[G]

A bike will probably be more fun for the actual riding (/driving) bit; you will be more involved with the landscape and scenery.

However this also means, hot, wet and cold at various points probably.

[mattgt]

yeah, the scenery totally has to be taken in. though probably the car will be so shite that it wont have a roof or something and there'll be no problem with taking it in! the problem will be keeping it out, ha ha! maybe bring a helmet to bring in the car...
no, im trying to rent my mum's coz shes getting a sports car. Mid life and all that.

[Johnny GSX-R]

Having done both on several occasions ( i have family out there) i would be almost sure to take the car...
The bike is cool for a few weeks but it is NOT practical and the weather is so changable that you'll be safer in the car.
The first i went abroad was on my own in a Fiesta XR2 when i was 21, i went again on my ZX10 having only had my licence about 3 weeks so as far as terms of experience go i wouldn't worry.
There's no guarantee that you'll pass your driving test so get that done before you decide.
Just be mindfull that the roads are dangerous and the Spanish drivers will not give you an inch.
Enjoy it you lucky bastid!!!!!! I'll be there on my Blackbird in June for the GP.

[strag]

I would not go round Spain for 5 months in a "£500 banger" asking for trouble imo. Would you get european cover having just passed your test?
____________________
carbon bling

[Bendy]

[El_Bandido]

a £500 vehicle of any description is not going to last you 5 months of proper travelling

It might be awkward carrying all your kit on a bike. Are you backpacking?

Its a hard choice. bike would be 10 times more fun if you can seriously do it and if you dont mind only having 2-3 changes of clothes and living out of a bag. just make sure you have enough warm stuff. and a phone!

Id say do it on the bike. i went around NZ in a car and it just doesnt feel the same. its like your watching it on tv or something.

[olliec769]

deffo a bike no questioned asked
____________________
๑۩۞۩๑ όζζιε ? ๑۩۞۩๑

[G]

You can get a pretty good car for £500. Korn's mondeo cost him £500 I believe and has lasted him pretty well.
My laguna was £700; 1.8 petrol in pretty good condition apart from two minor external cosmetic blemishes. It had around 85,000 miles on it and I've put another 5000 on that; had no major problems (well, not that a squirt of redex solved).

Getting a good bike for the same money is quite a lot harder, but do-able, providing you aren't expecting anywhere near the shinyness of a similar car.

[Johnny GSX-R]

[El_Bandido]

no chance but:

[mattgt]

hmm... i think to be honest its the dream vs. safety and relative comfort. yeah, a decent bike would cost more just to be safe.

Example: spare tire. I'm not gonna carry one as pillion all 5000 miles or something. That's just as likely as me running straight into some dodgy spaniard selling nsr tires the second I get a flat.

being a biker (ok, a young one) driving a car doesn't give the same pants filling experiences as a bike (ie excitement) but it's 5 months to be sure. and wearing just 3 sets of clothes might get a little, well, unfashionable to say the least for all types of weather. i just drove from a hospital in north london, trying to remember the way home. a ten minute journey lasted about 40 minutes coz i was just driving around lost, but did i care? nope.

[zip70]

get a campervan or a plane and bus/train it

why go on bike or car it will cost loads and r u gona meet anyone
____________________
gixer 6

[Toady]

Plus on a bike you are not going to be able to bring back nearly as many Duty-Frees as in a car!!! You've got to think about these sort of things!


Signed,

a slightly drunk and slightly something else ,

Toady.
____________________
I can see paradise by the dashboard lights....................or at least the speedo on my NSR!

[natv4]

I've done both (last year bike, year before car). These are the advantages/disadvantages I noticed.

Car:
+Cheaper, no need to stay in hostel/campsite every night.
+You can take more kit with you, car becomes living/bed room, kitchen etc.
-Because you don't have to stop as often, you don't meet as many people. I like hostels, meet so many people, very worthwhile.
-less fun driving
-more back ache? depends on car. Go for anything escort or bigger as they have better seats.


Bike:
+fun fun fun. (I will do it this way every time out of choice).
+You can go places cars can't go (depending on bike)
+You meet more people, its a good talking point.
-You cannot carry as much stuff.
-you get cold/wet. (i enjoyed the feeling of achievement though).
-you are worried someones gonna break/take it.
-Because of accommodation - more expensive.

I did it car first, then bike. I would probably advise in that order. If its your first time then a car is easier, if you get in difficult situations you will not have to worry about the weather/accommodation, but you do have less to be proud of.

I think you should def. get euro breakdown (if you can afford, 5mths may cost a lot) and don't worry too much. People on the whole are friendly, and will help out. The situations/problems you encounter will be one of the main things you remember in the future. The most testing times are some of the most worthwhile.

The main thing is enjoy it! You lucky lucky person!
Oh yeah, 5 months? then at least see a bit of the azure (the roads from marseille through Monaco and North Italy are Fantastic! Car or Bike. The last tip - Talk to people. Don't be shy, just walk up and say Hi, my names .... where are the good places to see? etc.
____________________
Travelling around the world...a bit at a time. Where am I now? / Visit my BLOG
Bike: Blue Honda VFR800fi (*NEW*) Mileage: 22k Countries visited: GB/F/D/CZ/PL/E/I/B/A/HR/H/Rus/E/MA
West Europe...2004, East Europe...2005, Russia/France...2006, Morocco...2007

[mattgt]

he he, i cant believe im in so early this morning

i like the duty free idea, ha ha!

well, i have a few people dotted around to stay with so plane is out of the question. would rather do it myself than be stuck in a tube (as opposed to box) going only where the driver wants. its also a freedom issue, go where you want when you want coz ive been told this could be my only chance at this. bugger that, if i enjoy this im gonna do it again and again! 9 to 5, 7 a week isn't really living, is it to be honest.

i really like the idea of go up and talk. question though, natv4 (what does this mean?), when staying in car using as house kitchen etc, how do you stop being really smelly? my idea is to stay in a hostel every couple of nights, or even persuade the young girls behind the counter to let me use the room for an hour to shave / shower. have you a better plan?

[Annabella]

When I went to Morocco, most of the journey was backpacking, and sleeping on streets and beaches.

However, we hired a car for a couple of weeks, and this meant that we got to see some amazing, unreachable parts of the country. The car was brilliant, it was somewhere to sleep away from the mosquitos, it was somewhere to lock belongings away safely, we ate well and cheaply for that period (markets and road-side stalls).

As for washing etc. We stayed in a 'hotel' (?) once every week or so to shower (most of the places in Morocco didn't have hot water, soap or even showers so it was quite normal to be stinking filthy). We returned to Spain on a ferry, and got around Spain very easily with public transport - it is so easy. However, it is not so easy to sleep out on the streets, we were almost arrested whilst kipping down in a public garden in between some vines by police looking for a mugger; they then did just give us a lecture about it being "Daaanjjurrrrus"!

If you make sure you are near the coast for a while you can get pretty clean using the beach showers that you find on most Spanish beaches, and the sea water in some places is very clean too (in fact the best shower I had all trip was on a beach in Cadiz!)


There are many advantages to having a car, but they can be a pain if you want to visit, and stay in larger cities. Out in the countryside they are great - and you will make friends by offering lifts etc. I personally wouldn't want to make such a large trip on a bike, you are much more exposed and have no real security (if the car breaks down, at least you can sleep in it). There are many pros and cons to consider.
If you go for the car route, get a spanish car - like a Seat
____________________
Avast! Pirates ahoy!
I did Cadwell!
www.bikepics.com/members/bella

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Go on the bike, you will regret it if you dont go back!

How much stuff do you realistically need to carry? It's Spain for christsakes, not the Amazon. Get 2 soft panniers and a bag to lump on the back, and a mid capacity single enduro if possible (a CG125 would cope, if you dont beleive me look up the 2 Dutch guys riding around Africa[I think, maybe the world] on modified C90's to take more weight!).
The weathers hardly going to be bad all the time and if I can camp in a small tent (takes 15 mins to set up) in a random field you can do it in warm sunny Spain.

And so what if your dirty and smell bad, all the backpackers are the same and staying in hostels is part of the fun. You get to shower with all those lovely young ladies! Hostels are basically places to shag, that's common knowledge!

P.S. I'd consider going into Porugal too for at least a few weeks, the people are friendly (I know a few over here and over there) and it's pretty similar to Spain. The driving is probably worse though.

Check out https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ For all your riding needs and read Ted Simon's "Jupiter travels", even if you dont go on a bike!

Most of all have fun! Im riding Europe ASAP (maybe by pushbike! ) so am looking forward to that!

P.P.S. Make sure you go to La Tomatina, and perhaps a Bull run or two
____________________
Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[mattgt]

that's a great web site, thanks

yeah, i might regret it, but its my first trip, on me own proper like, "where dya wanna go" style

if i fail my test, well then buggerit ill go by bike, but at the mo im afraid im leaning towards car, just for security. can't remember who said it, but yeah, if it does break down at least i can sleep in it! ha. i hate cars and love bikes. mayb that's me next trip