Car Ownership

[pfreyre]

I’ve been wanting to survey everybody here… who owns an automobile? If you wish, you may disclose the city/town/region you are living in, as this will provide more info about your decision.

I recently spent 4 years in Chicago until 2009, and didn’t own a car while living there. I really preferred getting around on public transit, besides car ownership is more of a hassle than a reward in big cities. I am now living in Minneapolis, and I sold my gas guzzler in December 2011 - it was a 22 year old, 6 cyl Mercedes that ran on premium, and cost a lot to fix. I get around pretty well on public transit and on bike, plus there is a car-sharing program called Hour Car about 4 blocks from my apartment.

On the bus to work today, I noticed regular selling for $3.49 out in the suburbs. Also today’s ASPO USA front page shows a story by John Hofmeister, a former president of Shell Oil, who predicts gasoline will possibly hit $5/gallon this summer. For me the high cost of gas, parking, insurance, repairs, etc made car ownership pretty undesirable, and I am highly considering NEVER owning a car again.

Am I one of the select few here who is carless, or are there others? If you do own a car, is there any point at which you would consider living without it, if you can?

[Pops]

Good!

I own 2 pickups, both full size. One is an old relic of youth that is started rarely and then just to lube the cams and smell the fumes. The other is also full size... it rarely leaves the property either but that is because I work from home and don't go to town much.

Even if I were to move to town and use public transit regularly I would want to have some kind of a vehicle stashed somewhere - just a mental crutch I guess, the illusion of choice or freedom.

[basil_hayden]

While it would be impractical for me living in a rural area to even consider not owning a vehicle or two, I've tried to consider it.

What I realize is that I LOVE TO DRIVE. I thoroughly enjoy it, even taking cost and traffic into account.

Gallivanting alone is my primary reason; commuting and the ability to haul people and freight is secondary.

Tear my steering wheel from my cold, dead hands.

[dinopello]

I could easily go car-free but my local government wants me to, so I won't do it! Ha, just kidding but I have one 10 year old car and it has almost 50K miles on it so I don't drive much. I do love to drive like Basil, but only out in the countryside. Around here the car is more of a pain in the neck.

[Roryrules]

I don't own a car yet as I can't afford it, but I hope to own one in the near future. Using public transport is such a complete nightmare that I quite simply can't wait to get behind the wheel!

[GASMON]

39 year old Rover 3.5 litre V8 in the garage - don't use it much these days, but it's such a beut I can't bear to sell - maybe she will end up in a museum !!

Also a 12 year old Ford people carrier - 2.3 litre petrol, 28 mpg, and a 15 year old VW Polo saloon - 1.6 litre 35mpg - gets used most these days.

I will run old cars from now on, for 2 main reasons.
1. I'm retired and we don't do a great annual mileage these days.
2. Depreciation of cars value in the UK is a killer.

I looked at a 12 year old Jaguar S type 3.0 litre auto last week. 28 mpg, 80,000 miles (just run in !!), 2 owners, full history, fully loaded, sat nav etc, cost £1700 - a steal. Cost over £45,000 when new. Boy I'm tempted !!

Yes, my cars are not exactly eco friendly. But I guess I drive less than 100 miles total / week, wife included, so not too bad (yet).

BTW petrol here is £1.34 / LITRE, Diesel £1.40 / LITRE. Bloody expensive.

Gas

[AgentR11]

18 yr old truck
10 yr old van

Have no interest in purchasing another vehicle.

I do not have a commute, bicycle most of my local trips, and generally refrain from non-commercial driving as much as possible. I do require this combination for work though, so I doubt I would get rid of them. Bicycle doesn't do to well at [ring/ring] "Hey AgentR11, need you (and gear) in Blah, BS an hour ago."; "Aye me Lord."

I do suspect they'll last a very long time. (I keep them well maintained)

nb: I absolutely HATE driving.

edits: I clicked submit before I was done, thus the edits, and the editing of the edits.

[Serial_Worrier]

My primary commuter:

[AgentR11]

I don't own a car yet as I can't afford it, but I hope to own one in the near future. Using public transport is such a complete nightmare that I quite simply can't wait to get behind the wheel!

Have you considered that maybe you're using public transport where a bike would be better? Not a cheesy Walmart one, but a bike meant to be ridden hard for thousands of road miles... I know when I lived in the city, I tried to use the bus service, then got a bike; once I figured out what each was good for, it really was pretty easy to get around. (less than 15 miles r/t, take the bike; more than that, take the bus).

[dinopello]

I know when I lived in the city, I tried to use the bus service, then got a bike; once I figured out what each was good for, it really was pretty easy to get around.

This was in our local news today. Bus [1] : Bike [0]

[Milret2]

I have a 2004 Volvo V 70 sedan and a 2004 Prius, the first purchased new and the second purchased used in 2005 at 13 K miles. I have about 78,000 miles on each with 26 MPG on the Volvo and 44 MPG on the Prius. I use the Volvo for long trips and the Prius for in town trips mostly. No complaints about durability and paying for gas at the current rate here in central California or even at five dollars a gallon would not be a problem for me. My wife and I are both retired though and very comfortable. I know that many in this world, country, and state have very different realities and I suspect it will not be getting better any time soon or maybe forever.

[AgentR11]

breaking-news-metrobus-hits-cyclist-on-glebe-road

Wow. You mean people actually die in vehicle accidents?
I would never have guessed.

Just a few years ago, a high school girl got smushed and killed by a bus in Houston... she was driving the biggest SUV sold that her parents bought her to keep her safe.
Bus still smushed her flat.

Houston also has the most lethal layout of light rail I've ever seen, sooner or later, its gonna smush a whole metro bus full of people, and they'll ALL die.

Traveling is risky. Riding a bike, vehicularly, sober, and with proper lights is just about as safe a mode of transportation as you can find, short of walking to the bathroom. But you can still end up dead doing either.

[dinopello]

Wow. You mean people actually die in vehicle accidents?
I would never have guessed.

It's actually more common than most people realize. Our hyperlocal blogs have started reporting on every accident where someone is injured (to the extent it can). If the national news did that, like they do with child abductions, - it would be all they report on.

[SeaGypsy]

Every 2 weeks more Americans die on the road than died on 9/11. Nobody goes to war on the car over it though???

Haven't owned a motor with more than 2 wheels for the last 4 years. Would buy another RV, love my scooter. Setting up an e-cargo-bike at the moment, should be going by Easter.

[The Practician]

I do not own a car, but I do have access to one as my girlfriends parents subsidize her, so she has one. I think it's ridiculous, she doesn't need it, but whatever. I use it. I lived without one for years, I'm happy to do it again when it's not possible. I don't plan on ever owning a car or truck unless it's necessary for work. Not commuting. Work. As in makes money not costs money.
I do admit I like cars though. They are mechanical marvels that make it possible to travel at great distances at incredible speed in comfort, and you get to control it! Too bad it's just not sustainable or practical in a post peak world. I switched to bicycles, they're vastly simpler and provide similar freedom of movement (if you aren't a wuss-ass Couch pototato).

I should mention I live in temperate Victoria, B.C. So riding year round isn't impractical and we have decent public transportation. A car is not such a necessity as in some places.

[vtsnowedin]

I've owned over thirty five vehicles over the years. Some new, some junk of the month. I used to commute 40k per year to work as I'm in a rural area and the first pavement is five miles away. At present I have a 2011 Nissan Frontier I like very much and SHMBO has a 2010 Toyota Rave 4. The daughters are driving a Camry, a Corolla and a Honda Accord. I expect the Nissan will be the last new truck I will ever buy as by the time it is worn out we will be out of oil for commuting and I will be sick of being working retired.

[Hoops_Mckann]

My guilty pleasure is my BMW 335i. It still gets 30-35 mpg on the highway with the twin turbos. Do wish more diesels from Europe would be available.

[Unconventional Ideas]

I'm 49, and have been car-free since last June.

I will never buy a car again. Life is better for my wife and me without one.

If you want to go without a car, you can, and chances are you will enjoy the adventure like we are enjoying it.

[SeaGypsy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce_your_Car!_(book )

I highly recommend this book. Mainly it uses micro and macro economic arguments against car ownership, steering away from a moralistic tone.

Divorce your Car! Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile (New Society Publishers, ISBN 0-86571-408-8), written by Katie Alvord and with a foreword by Stephanie Mills, proposes that automobiles have lost their value as a convenience and have become a hindrance, even an addiction. "Today's relationship with the automobile inflicts upon us pollution, noise, congestion, sprawl, big expenses, injury, and even death. Yet we continue to live with cars at a growing cost to ourselves and the environment." [1] There are several arguments for her thesis presented throughout the text as well as some suggestions for how to wean one's self from automobiles.[2]

[SILENTTODD]

Middle Grade (91 octane) gas costs $3.97 a gallon as of yesterday in Tustin California where I live. I still own a 25 year old Nissan truck with a 4 banger engine and 321,000 miles on it. I plan to keep it another 5 years so it will probably be the last auto I own. I have been using my bikes around town, live only a mile from where I work. May get a motor scooter with 70mpg milage in the future for longer trips over 10 miles in range. I fully expect gas in California to go to over $5 a gallon this year never to go lower again.