Questioning owning a car any longer

[StudEbiker]

I would go the middle ground; dont renew insurance or plates, dont fix expensive stuff, quit using that car at all, see how long you can go without it.


If you like the new "no car life", you are 2/3 done---If you change your mind and decide you need a car, just get plates and insurance and fix anthing important, dont have to go car shopping.

I have a car and dont like to use it. but I needed it for Dr visits and bad weather days.

once the gas prices go up another fifty cents, lots of people will understand not using a car even if you have access to one.


my two watts worth

d

This is good advice. What I did, was park the car last winter as much as I possibly could and committed myself to taking the bike to see if it was feasible to exist with only the bike. I found that even on the worst days I was able to take the bike so things didn't seem to bad. It was costing me around $150 month to maintain the car and that was without any major repairs. Almost immediately I had two friends (and even my landlady!) tell me if I ever need to borrow a car just ask. As far as picking up free things, that is a good point. I probably do miss out on a few things like that, but if I'm paying to maintain a car just to get free things, they aren't really free. Besides, I did find that good deal last year of the nearly free Bike-E and Sun EZ-1. I just asked one of my friends that had offered to let me use a car if he'd help me go get them and he did.

[MikeFairbanks]

I could probably do away with mine, but I keep it anyway. I'm lazy, and am allergic to cold and dark mornings.

[veloman]

I would go the middle ground; dont renew insurance or plates, dont fix expensive stuff, quit using that car at all, see how long you can go without it.


If you like the new "no car life", you are 2/3 done---If you change your mind and decide you need a car, just get plates and insurance and fix anthing important, dont have to go car shopping.

I have a car and dont like to use it. but I needed it for Dr visits and bad weather days.

once the gas prices go up another fifty cents, lots of people will understand not using a car even if you have access to one.


my two watts worth

d

This is good advice. What I did, was park the car last winter as much as I possibly could and committed myself to taking the bike to see if it was feasible to exist with only the bike. I found that even on the worst days I was able to take the bike so things didn't seem to bad. It was costing me around $150 month to maintain the car and that was without any major repairs. Almost immediately I had two friends (and even my landlady!) tell me if I ever need to borrow a car just ask. As far as picking up free things, that is a good point. I probably do miss out on a few things like that, but if I'm paying to maintain a car just to get free things, they aren't really free. Besides, I did find that good deal last year of the nearly free Bike-E and Sun EZ-1. I just asked one of my friends that had offered to let me use a car if he'd help me go get them and he did.

I'm already at this point. I've biked through the winter, in rain, in 35 degrees and it wasn't that bad. I got decent rain gear, fenders, etc. Yeah it's not as fun riding in 35 degrees, but it's doable for those few days. I continue to look for excuses to take the bike out, it's so much fun. I love coasting when I pass bus stops, flying up hills at 20mph, taking the lane when I need to without much worry.

I put 480miles on my car since August, and nearly all of those was in the fall on unnecessary trips. I really don't need the car unless I need to go far, fast. 2300 miles on the ebike since August. That means my battery is now paid off.

The issue for me is socially I feel being car-free is a problem. I don't want to be completely anti-car. Unless you live in a big city like NYC, if you're an adult and don't own a car, something is wrong with you to nearly the entire population.

Just watched the Borat clip. I love that part, haha.

[deardancer3]

Veloman, You are where you need to be. You Own a car but dont use it unless there is a big reason to. turn off the insurance, and dont use it. if you need to use it, call your insurance company and turn it back on.

you are where you need to be. some call it 'car lite', for your 'car very lite'.

Nose around to see if anyone you know feels the same way, and can share the car (and expenses).

do you own a car? Yes.

do you use it? only when i need to. like my credit card.

thats the best part of car use.

[jonescg]

I have been car free ever since I moved to Perth 9 years ago. Perth is probably the most car-centric city outside of Los Angeles, but I managed to get by for 2 years on a push bike and public transport. After this I bought a motorbike which I'd use for long trips - anything over 10 km really. I've been through a few motorbikes, but the Blackbird is my keeper. Put 70,000 km on it and it's never missed a beat. Punt it around the racetrack on occasion too. I met my wife in Vancouver, and we both got around on bikes there. We've been together for 3 years and still have no desire to get a car. And this is after we rode across Australia and back together!

I built a trailer for moving crap on the cell_man e-bike, and it's perfect for things a car would normally do.

And if we REALLY need a car, we can get a cab or hire one for about $30 a day.

Go car free man. You will love it!

PS I also have lived without TV and its pretty good too .

[veloman]

I'm much more productive without TV. Only watch a little at my gf's occasionally or rent a Redbox movie.

I pretty much am car-free, except that I have all the car ownership costs still.

I would literally not leave my house half as often if it weren't for bikes, particularly my ebike. I love going downtown to get lunch or stop in the little grocer for lunch meat, do errands, buy bike parts all over town, go to the parks. Car life would not be conducive to do that. All the rich people who drive to Whole Foods and battle getting a parking space and getting out - I don't get it. I do see more bikes parked there than any other business in this city of Austin.

[Brentis]

I wish I could be car free.
Here in the frozen north, it is tough to go without one.
Weather aside. I live north of Toronto.
This area is just to spread out and has poor to non existent transit.
If I was in the G.T.A. is would be alot easier.
Plus trying to get my lady to ride to the grocery store in February is a tough sell.
So we recently split a new car.
2011 Ford Fiesta. As per Top Gears advice.
It's alright. She liked it. 6.9l per 100km avg. real life.
Pick your battles boys.

Ironically I had to use rock solid reliable "Ghetto", today to go pick it up for warranty work.
A Ford with a bad EGR valve. Imagine that.
Snowing lightly, 0 - +1, shit eating grin as I arrived.

Ghetto in front of the Boss.JPG (79.43 KiB) Viewed 307 times

Boss 302. Sweeeet..JPG (98 KiB) Viewed 307 times

2011 Ford Fiesta.JPG (73.15 KiB) Viewed 307 times

Ghetto getting a ride home..JPG (65.13 KiB) Viewed 307 times

To bad I didn't have DoctorBass' school bus towing bike & a trailer.
I could have towed the Ford home.
The dream is to be personally car free soon.
What my partner decides it up to her.
Not that I'd be shy to use it to go into the City.

[veloman]

That's a decent choice if you were to buy a new car, I think....

I think it's okay for a couple to own a car. We do live in a car-based world. My gf will always have a car, and I think that's a good thing. I wouldn't want her on a bike getting around everywhere, it's not that safe. (I'm heavily into improving the bike infrastructure) I myself can handle traffic with my ebike, but my gf is on the other end of the spectrum.

[Brentis]

Well said & good point Veloman.

I like the car.
We had an 06 Smart, before this.
40hp turbo diesel 660cc. got 4.2l per 100km.
Slow but handled like a go kart.
only 1600lbs manual steering.
The Mercedes-Benz dealership treated me like ass.
The worst customer service I have ever experienced.
They held my car hostage twice, for a combined 4weeks for a simple computer flashing.
Unreal. No customer car, no rental, & it was still under warranty.
I didnt spend 100+k on some new Benz so they could give a Frock.
Anyways she hated the car from the beginning.
But I was a commuter @ the time and gas hit 1.50 or something crazy.
It made sense @ the time
We basically drove straight to the Ford dealership from Benz.
A little detour to test a Mazda2. Handled a bit better.
But NVH was not as good as the Fiesta on which it is based.

My benchmark for a good commuter couple car was my
1993 Mazda Miata L.E.
Bilsteins, lowered, 12lbs 14"B.B.S. wheels, limited slip.
Black on red leather. 5spd, rear wheel drive 2000lbs.
Fuel efficient and stone reliable. And I beat it hard for over 100k.
More fun than anything else. So controllable, flickable.
I gots some wild stories from that car.
I love/loved it more than anything I have bought or built or tested yet.
I hope "ScootBike" does it.

[motorino magnet]

Thank you my friend.

I was having a bit of a bad day dealing with our new Canadian fascist government and you put a smile on my face and reminder ed me that one day i may be fortunate enough to find a girl who loves me too!

hey if aussie jester can find a woman who can fill a Y pedal shirt -so can I!

eh?

my moms a veteran and over 90 ND shes been gettin shucked by our new dictator-aka Harper

So nice to be able to drive an ebike to go pick up your car in the middle of February

is global warming good or bad

also a friend of mine was thoinking of buying a new smart and i told her we should wait

was thinking of buying this for her till we the people can get a good deal on a nice car...

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z353295240

he even has an electric scooter on his other posting that i get since im putting in 5 Grange

amost even cheaper than your ford and all yor ebikes?

just jesting ya

cant get any money for a 96 Jag VDP or an 03 Camry in cash

so nice to see you and yo gal evjoyin and lovin.


nice ford ,eh?


PS-you didn't post the best picture?

yo and the wifely with the sh!t eaten grin -picking up the forty because erg's are like holes in the water...


thanks ,friend already read this post and smarts are dead and fords and RX-8 GT 's and scooters rule!

[MattyCiii]

I'm "mostly car free", just about at the 1 year mark. Good riding gear makes it possible to ride in temps as low as 8 degrees F (it's been a mild winter, I suppose I can go colder but have not had the chance).

My bike is not electric (yet), but it is a folding bike. My commute is 60 miles door-to door. 7 miles to the train station, fold the bike, keep it with me at work (inside), then the reverse. In real bad rain or on occasion where there's a bad mechanical problem, I've taken the $35 cab ride (equal to 4 days parking) or the $2 bus (all RI busses have bike racks). On the one hand I'm commuting 3.5-4 hours a day. On the other, I'm reading ES/web surfing 2 hours of that on the train, and getting at least an hour a day cardio exercise.

I still own my "non-sport utility vehicle", al old Ford van.

Here's the measure of whether you're mostly car free or not: You wince at putting $500 into new brakes for the car, but don't bat an eye dropping $1000 on bike parts!

[motorino magnet]

"quote"
My bike is not electric (yet), but it is a folding bike. My commute is 60 miles door-to door. 7 miles to the train station, fold the bike, keep it with me at work (inside), then the reverse. In real bad rain or on occasion where there's a bad mechanical problem, I've taken the $35 cab ride (equal to 4 days parking) or the $2 bus (all RI busses have bike racks). On the one hand I'm commuting 3.5-4 hours a day. On the other, I'm reading ES/web surfing 2 hours of that on the train, and getting at least an hour a day cardio exercise.


you got all the figured out !

wish yo worked for the guvernmont so we the people could be looked fter by somebody who knew what we were doing.

you need a grant for some batteries!

[Brentis]

A little off topic,but real quick thought/rant on Government.

Beyond the municipal/local level.
Whether you vote or not, doesn't matter.
Who you vote for doesn't matter.
One side is as bad as the other.
Because it is all corrupt.
Self interest groups (Corporations) have infiltrated all parties.
What we have is the dissolving of democracy & freedom.
Worse in the States, than where you are.
Make no mistake, if you are reading this,
Corporate greed, corrupt money grubbing families, Lawless militaries,
are coming to your country, if not already in control.

Part of my depression,
has been the realization, of a world corrupt.
I consider my self lucky, being born Canadian.
It offered Health, Education, Diversity, Peace.
Slowly but surely degraded all.
We need to all open are eyes to reality.

The spread of wealth is unacceptable.

Buy as local as you can afford. Really think about it.

Peace is an answer to life.
The spear is used to gain/maintain.
We must share & care for our brothers&sisters. The world over.
We all share the bond of Earth.

[Zoot Katz]

First, I wouldn't want a woman who doesn't ride a bike. It cuts through a lot of crap when you're getting to know each other.
All of my girlfriends have nice bums and ride bicycles. If a girl is afraid to get sweaty and her hair messed up, it is a bad sign.

My last car went to charity in 1997.
After screwing around with transit for a few years I brought down the bikes.
They'd been stored since '86 when I was a daily utility rider.
Bikes again are able to fill all my transportation needs. There are a few times that friends with trucks have offered their service for moving big loads.
I was in a car co-op for two years before selling my share. I didn't use the car as frequently as I'd anticipated.

For urbanites, using bikes to replace a car becomes more realistic with cargo bikes and electric power.
If you've got storage space, trailers are handy too.
Le Béte is regularly hauling more stuff than many of the scuds we scoop.
Car-free parents have my utmost respect.

One reason why I think cars make people stupid is that they become unable to figure other ways of doing things.

[MattyCiii]

ZipCar helps. When I shed the car (van) completely, ZipCar is there, by the hour, insurance included.

It is definitely getting easier to be car free.

[HAROX]

.

[Nehmo]

maybe if you did the work on the car yourself it would not cost so much. they are easier to fix than the ebikes.

I was going to start a thread on this subject. I recently replaced the brake pads for a car for less money than the same job on a bike. It also took me less time (I have plenty of mechanical repair experience). I'm not sure what this means.

110 for a battery is kinda insane..

I've never bought one, but a nice spiral cell Optima sealed lead-acid (SLA, or to use the new term, VRLA, valve-regulated lead–acid) will cost more than that.

But I'm over with lead-acid, myself. I don't even think they're appropriate for car starting. When I get my next car, which will be in another country considering my license difficulties, I'm going to put together something non-lead-acid.

Oh, and regarding the OP's predicament, I advise keeping the car. Even if you have a good e-bike, it's an unusual lifestyle that wouldn't benefit from a car.
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[Kingfish]

I still have my truck, but I haven’t driven it since April 2009. It’s stored up on blocks and I run the motor for about 30-45 minutes twice a year to keep the moisture out of the block and the seals lubed. The A/C faded away; a couple of years before I had replaced the entire system with the friendly refrigerant. The battery went T.U. after the first 6 months; it takes a jump to start the motor. The drivetrain is solid having been entirely replaced the year before going into storage: It starts up without a hitch and begs me to take it out for a romp. It’s a good truck, been a good truck, and in good shape all around. I’d never get my money back selling it, and I am the original owner. I like my truck and I am keeping it, for now… in storage.

Presently I have one pedal bike, one ebike, and two feet that can take me where I want. Public transportation works well enough; I’ve become used to it and do not think less of myself got taking a mode of transportation that costs significantly less than operating my truck over the same distance.

The pedal bike requires a pump to inflate the tires; it is rarely used, but is great as a backup strategy.

The ebike suffers from the fate of all ebikes dependent upon foreign manufacture: Quality Control. The rusted hubs have converted me to public transportation. But that is a lame excuse because I now have the parts to finish the repair; I just hate doing it outside in the rain… which is every day.

I don’t mind riding in the rain though. Prefer sunshine. I remember what the sun looks like too from last summer. I hope to see it again soon.

Until then, I don’t drive.
~KF

[Brentis]

First, I wouldn't want a woman who doesn't ride a bike. It cuts through a lot of crap when you're getting to know each other.
All of my girlfriends have nice bums and ride bicycles. If a girl is afraid to get sweaty and her hair messed up, it is a bad sign.

...

Sage advice.

[gogo]

I own two full size RWD paid-for Buicks and insure them next-day for less than $100/6 months as-needed using an online form. By having that insurance and a AAA membership, I get nice discounts at Hertz. Tomorrow (Friday) they are going to pick me up at 11:30 AM and take me to the rental location to rent a Toyota Corolla using a $40 discount. I'll take my folding ebike in the trunk on Monday and pay $15 total for the 4 days. I could have opted for a Chevy Aveo for $8.

[dnmun]

i pay about the same in insurance for two vehicles, but for full time coverage. that doesn't seem like such a good deal. especially in iowa, maybe in the city but rural is always cheaper. imo

[gogo]

i pay about the same in insurance for two vehicles, but for full time coverage. that doesn't seem like such a good deal. especially in iowa, maybe in the city but rural is always cheaper. imo

My city is only 21 sq. mi. and 45,000. I'm using Progressive, who's your insurer?

[dnmun]

state farm, and they are the most expensive. i think nationwide has the best rates and may go with them yet but i get long term discounts with SF.

[REdiculous]

Holy mufflers are super-easy to fix - all you need is a soup can and a couple automotive hose clamps. If it's happening often I'd just get a cheapie welder though.

[dnmun]

a soup can wasn't big enuff for the hole in my muffler, i used a section of 6" duct, and the entire can of muffler goop, wrapped in the two places with wire to hold the sheet metal in the muffler goop as it set up and to hold it together. lasted 4 more years now. sounds like a performance muffler now!! brahahaha

the guy at the discount muffler shop wanted me to believe it was too rusted out, needed a new system from front to back.

like he knows better than me!! hehe

as in too cheap to care.