Public Transport

You need to change up to 2nd to do 30?!
Actually if I stuck to the manufacturer's recommendations at 30 I'd be sat in 3rd. I'm not driving a little Yaris though, although it is small enough to have less seats Mind she isn't the fastest thing out there but a good compromise as still able to return a little over 30mpg (that's around 13km/l for you metric types).
As for maintaining, too right, besides tinkering is half the fun even when Haynes manuals aren't available. Three things you desire when you own a car. A good garage, a good specialist and a good motor factors

As for public transport, who ever heard of a good provider in the UK?

I would say public transport in my area is quite good as i only wait for 3-5 mins for a bus also there is 3 stations within 10-15 mins walkin distance one is turnpike line which is on the piccadilly line hornsey with first capital connect and harringay green lanes with london overground. I have a freedom pass not the elderly one but the disabled one as i have a disability which gives me free travel anywhere in london and i can use tube,bus,dlr,national rail in london area and tram for 24 hours.

Not too bad where I'm from, five buses or six trains each hour, but the bus journey takes 45 minutes to travel 12 miles at peak times, and the trains are always packed and I usually end up standing.

Prefer my car but the engines knackered

An old thread to resurrect, but some bad news for commuters using Southern Rail, as the timetable 'loses 350 trains a day'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36701300

Buses & trains are OK, but a car is much more OK-er