Car rental needed for traveling around U.K?

[bcedhk]

I am planning to go to the UK late april... First time traveling to U.K, so I don't really have a clear plan yet as to where to go (i will do more readings about the UK later on) ...I wish to travel however to Southampton, and Central London of course, i noticed that traveling to the two destination is 2 hours each way.. So do you think renting a car is a better alternative?

Gonna be traveling with a friend, so we will split the cost of renting, which cost 60 pounds/person for 6 days at almo rentals.. is this a fair price during the late april month? I guess another 50 pounds ish for the gas money for the 6 days?

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

uhhh take the train. it's cheaper, and you can just sit back and knock back a few beers like an english man lol.

i mean unless you really like driving, and want the driving experience, then okay go for it.

but the train system there is pretty easy and they're hardly ever late.

[rouentahl]

I'd suggest renting a car only if you're going to places where train connections suck (eg. Cotswolds, Lake District).

[gars]

southampton is close enough to London that I wouldn't suggest a car. Trains are hardly ever late, and are very cheap if bought in advance.

that said, i've had a few times where public transport (ie the tube, bus, etc) is very late, because delays due to signal failures or faulty trains, has made me a few minutes late for a train, and forced me to buy another ticket at full price, even when i had planned to get to the train station a good hour before it was meant to depart. (sorry run on sentence)

there's definitely something to be said about driving, as it's so much more flexible. I've been stuck in traffic in London though, and it's not fun.

£60 for 6 days is a pretty good deal. just remember that if you actually want to venture into central london, there's the congestion charge during the day, which is £8 a day m-f. if you picked up your rental outside the congestion zone, your car rental company will not cover the charge.

as well, parking in london can be an absolute nightmare.

if you're ok with all that, have fun driving!