Thread: He went to St.Petersburg by car. Он ездил в Петербург на машине?

Originally Posted by grafrich

Could this sentence actually mean 'He habitually went to Peterburg by car?'

Yes, it can.

Originally Posted by grafrich

Also, I would have thought that he drove himself, so why not use 'поводил'?

Usually, The verb водить (машину) is not used with directions.
Он вёл. — He drove (he controlled the car).
*Он вёл в Петербург. is impossible.

The form поводил has even more specific meaning: ‘drove for some time’.
Я научился пользоваться ручной коробкой, когда поводил «Волгу».
‘I learned to use manual transmission after driving Volga for some time.