Where Do Most People Pcsing to Raf Molesworth Live
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| jhxetc | #1 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 4:02:46 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s) | Does / has anyone worked on RAF Molesworth or RAF Alconbury? I was wondering if it's possible to live off base and take a bus to either of these bases or would buying a car be advisable? | ||
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| Knight | #2 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 4:10:28 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Thanks: 242 times | Bussing is possible but you might want to take your car if it is a newer model. They are a bit rural. Are you military or civilian? Will they ship your car? You could buy a British car but you would most likely sell it before coming home and to me that was not a good investment. BTW: Do you have pets. Unless it has changed the UK rules are 6 months quarantine before you can take them to their new home. | ||
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| jhxetc | #3 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 4:29:17 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s) | Thanks for the reply. I am a civilian and I do have a car that they will ship, but I was really hoping to sell it and avoid driving altogether or buy a used British car for making short trips. A friend of mine told me you can buy used British cars in relatively decent shape for really cheap from people who are PCSing. Of course, as you said, I will probably end up selling it really cheaply before coming back. I will have to live off base so do you have any suggestions as to what town I should live in? I was looking in Huntingdon since that seems to be the closest to both Molesworth and Alconbury, but I really just want to live somewhere that I can easily catch the bus from. I do have pets, but they no longer require quarantine if you keep up on rabies vaccinations. You do have to buy a really expensive blood test though to prove proper immunity and it has to be done six months after the most recent rabies shot. Luckily, I'll have enough time to get all this done and avoid quarantine. | ||
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| Knight | #4 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 7:57:24 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Thanks: 242 times | Good. It was in the '80's that I was in the UK. Are you traveling during the summer? I mentioned your post to a friend and he said that some airlines will not fly pets in the summer. Something to check on ahead of time. Driving in the UK is not bad, I enjoyed it. I even drove the troop bus a few times. Driving in Greece was terrible but hey you are not going there, I'm just rambling. I would wait until I got there and checked out the area before deciding on where to rent. I lived in a few UK villages and towns and here is what are pluses. Bus routes or trains. I drove to work but trained in to London. Small villages are quaint but they can be slow to warm to you. One neighbor took a year to warm up to me and only chatted me up the day I packed out and left. Go figure. Find a nice pub (local bar) to hang out and get to know folks. Play darts and Aunt Sally or whatever silly game they do at your local. Learn rugby and football (soccer and not American Football) and at least understand that Cricket is a sport. Jump in with both feet. I did 6 years in the UK and it is like my second home. | ||
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| TRW | #5 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 8:21:34 PM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 3 time(s) in 2 post(s) | Both Molesworth and Alconbury are in fairly rural areas. You should be able to find nice housing within a short commute. Ask if they have any DoD housing available. They should since Alconbury has downsized considerably since I was there. While there may be bus routes nearby, they don't have access to the bases. Alconbury is fairly large since it has a flightline. Molesworth is smaller and more compact. Cars in England (and gas) are very expensive. Gas for military/DoD civilians used to be rationed based on your engine size. If you exceed your monthly limits then you have to buy it off post. If you have a late model American car, in good condition, I would bring it. Enjoy. I think Molesworth sounds like a really interesting assignment. | ||
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| Knight | #6 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 8:34:51 PM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Thanks: 242 times | I'd forgot about those WW2 style ration books. I remember that alcohol and tobacco was rationed too. That was for black market reason but hey it is all fun. Dang, I am thirsty for a pint of cider now. Or a black and tan or a snakebite. Cheers mate, gotta find me a pub. Knight2010-06-29 04:41:00 | ||
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| TRW | #7 Posted : Monday, June 28, 2010 8:49:48 PM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 3 time(s) in 2 post(s) | More info: Cars and insurance are very expensive in England. Rule of thumb is you'll pay in pounds (£) what you would pay for the same car in dollars in the US, i.e. a car that would cost you $6000 in the US would cost $8700 in the UK because of the higher cost of living, VAT, etc. Late model used sedan US Price: $6000 = $6000 Late model used sedan UK price: £6000 = $8700 (exchange rate of $1.45) The VAT last I heard was about 20% and is a tax on all goods and services and is applied at all steps/points of the manufacturing and sales process. Welcome to European style socialism with all it benefits and drawbacks! Another cool thing about England is you'll get a really unfiltered view of American history, lifestyles, and politics from the BBC. The BBC is excellent TV, with no ax to grind, and within six months you'll never want to watch American TV again. Don't forget to pay your TV tax or big brother will come knocking! Make sure your electronics will run on 50 hz as 220v/50hz is the standard in England. You should be able to buy transformers form people leaving once you get there. I was able to get by with one 1000W and two 500W transformers while I was there. Test them before you buy them! Unless you have a PAL or multisystem TV already you'll need buy one once you get there. American NTSC TVs are useless there unless you want to just hook one up to a VCR/DVD player just to watch American VCR/DVDs. | ||
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| jhxetc | #8 Posted : Tuesday, June 29, 2010 12:32:02 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s) | Thanks for all the great info! I will be working on Molesworth but from what I hear, everything (BX, Recreation, etc.) is all on Alconbury. So my wife will definitely need to be able to get to Alconbury. | ||
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| Knight | #9 Posted : Tuesday, June 29, 2010 8:25:46 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Thanks: 242 times | The best American stores is at the Lakenheath and Mildenhall bases. They are a few hours away and have bigger BX and DECA facilities. We used to go there once a quarter to do some real shopping beyond the basics. | ||
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| S B | #10 Posted : Tuesday, June 29, 2010 5:14:18 PM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered | jhxetc, FYI: As for car prices, its like most other things... "it depends". You can pay as little as £1000 (approx $1500.00) and get a very basic, cheap UK spec car to run back and forth to work... and use the trains, buses, etc for longer distance travel (London, Manchester, Cornwall, etc). Alternately, you can spend £5000 (approx $7500) for a good, "dependable" UK spec car that you can drive most anywhere on the island and maybe even over to the continent. However, I would recommend trains/planes for travel to the continent. (Then maybe rent a car there.) Be advised... no matter which car you have --- you will have to pay annual fees for "road tax" and the "M.O.T. inspection" --- both of which are mandatory (and the MOT can be expensive) --- and failure to comply carries a very hefty fine if you get caught with out them!! However, if your car is US spec and less than 3 years old, you may not have to have it "MOT'd" for the first year. We shipped our US spec, 2 year-old, Audi A6 over here and sold it soon after arrival to someone who was returning to the States. In its place we bought a 1998, UK spec Audi, for approx £3000. Much easier to drive (as the steering wheel is on the right side --- literally & figuratively). We sold the US spec car due primarily to the abuse and damage it was experiencing on the narrow, rural roads here that are full of potholes, with no curbs ("kerbs") and hedges and braches that grow and hang over right into the road in these rural areas. It is NOT unusual to have your sideview mirror smacked off by a passing car --- as the roads can be quite narrow!! Its happened to us twice and seems so common that most folks dont even think twice about it --- in fact, I know people who fold in their "off-side" mirror (while driving) to keep it from getting smacked off! The main highways (or "motorways" or "A" roads & "M" roads) are fine... as are most of the streets in the cities; but these smaller, country towns and roads ("B roads") can be a nightmare! Whenever, we plan to go out of the area --- especially to somewhere we've never been, we always rent a UK spec car to drive. As for other military installations in the area... RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall are not far from RAF Alcombury --- maybe about a 1 hour drive with traffic... (just head down the A1 to the A14, then over to the M11). These road terms may sound strange, but believe me, you will get used to them! This is a very exciting and beautiful part of the world --- and you will want to take every opportunity to get out and see its sites and attractions and whatever else it has to offer... just to experience it for yourself, first-hand!! Good luck and enjoy...!!! sundown2010-06-30 01:37:29 | ||
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| kerry1 | #11 Posted : Saturday, July 10, 2010 12:25:45 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Newbie Groups: Registered | We are also looking at relocating near Molesworth and face the same question over whether or not to pay to ship our Honda Odyssey or use that money to buy another van over in England. We are not being offered a lot for shipping and have been quoted up to $2500 to ship our car from NY. We will not have to ship a vehicle back to the states., so we are fine with buying a car there. Are there lemon lots on the bases nearby and are there cars available to buy in US$? Thanks | ||
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| jhxetc | #12 Posted : Tuesday, July 13, 2010 1:22:11 AM(UTC) | ||
| Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s) | I've gotten some good info from some AF buddies that were stationed at Lakenheathe. I know for sure Lakenheathe has a good sized lemon lot and from what I hear Alconbury has one also. Since UK speced vehicles can't be shipped back CONUS (at least not without some hassle), my buddies told me that you can buy a pretty decent vehicle for 3-5k US$. They also said to insure it with USAA as British insurance would be twice the price. | ||
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Where Do Most People Pcsing to Raf Molesworth Live
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