Pistonheads paints actor Daniel Craig’s pass on a free Aston (any Aston) as some sort of prima donna-ish behaviour. After all, A FREE BLOODY ASTON, MATE! “The actor reckons it doesn’t make sense to drive an Aston in London – which seems rather a churlish excuse considering Aston has reportedly given him a set of keys to its toy cupboard. ‘I could drive faster and more furiously on the track than anywhere on the road. I live in London and it doesn’t make sense to drive an Aston Martin there. I’ve nowhere to park it,’ Craig recently told reporters. Has our Mr Bond lost his mojo, we wonder?” Oh please. As our Adrian Imonti wrote, “Driving in London just for fun is as sensible as rollerblading on the autobahn.” And as I pointed out in March, London now charges £120 ($202) for a parking ticket. That’s if you don’t get towed. And don’t forget the congestion charge. Or insurance cover. Or the cost of parking. And road tax. Yes, yes, Craig can afford all that. But the hassles are immense, from actually finding a space to remembering to pay for everything. And then’s there’s the traffic itself. It’s much quicker to walk, hop in a limo or take a taxi (God forbid a celeb should ride the Tube). A free moped. Now that would be a different story.
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I’d find a way to make it happen. Maybe he can take the car, then give it to me? Give it to a charity to auction? Come on Mr. Craig…
Doesn’t this guy have enough money to take the car and NOT drive it in London. Park it out in the country, a vacation villa or something. Hell send it to me I’ll take real good care of it for him, lots of roads without London congestion to drive them around here.
Or does he just not want the antigreen label attached with owning such a car. Isn’t he the antigun nut who’s a hypocrit playing a homicidal 007 shooting just about everyone. Oh well at least he moved up from that puny 380 to a real 9mm.
London sounds like a good place not to live.
To be clear: Aston’s offering Mr. Craig the use of any Aston he chooses. Not ownership.
NYC is not far away in fines. I got $185 for standing and being in a car. To add insult to injury no one offered Aston Martin or even Yugo.
Daniel Craig – you’re somewhat famous now – move to LA. They are currently having a discount on houses, and almost every property comes with parking included.
Also, it never rains, and valley girls, annoying as they might be, beat out chavs and slags.
Yet another example of a city dweller who has figured out that owning (or even having a free lease) a car while living in a major city is not worth the hassle. He can rent anything he wants for the occasional weekend trip to the country. Smart fella that Bond!
Hmmm… when I was working in London last year I didn’t think the traffic was that bad, for a large European city. But Craig is right.. it is cheaper to walk, tube, and take a cab to get around town.
Not to mention that Daniel Craig probably doesn’t need an Aston to bag most girls he wants.
I mean, he’s James Bond.
This is a perfectly sensible choice by an individual who chooses to dwell in a large city.
I am sure he will take Aston up on their offer in the event he chooses to zip up north to the Lake District or out west to Bristol and environs.
Craig seems to be a regular sort of guy, with a keen interest in that thing called street credibility. If you’re a status-conscious actor in LA, you need big wheels. If you’re an actor who’s made it in London, you need a limo and an inconspicuous bodyguard. The only thing an Aston does for you is to cause people to call you a toff (when they’re sober) or a wanker (when they’re drunk).
I have friends in London who live in style in the country, use the train into town, have scooters parked at the train station, and spend less time commuting than do people who live inside London and work in London …
Must confess I’ve done what’s mentioned above. Got rid of my two cars and now use a car-share company for those rare occasions where I actually need a car.
Horner up above has it on the dot:
Yet another example of a city dweller who has figured out that owning (or even having a free lease) a car while living in a major city is not worth the hassle. He can rent anything he wants for the occasional weekend trip to the country.