Commuting - Getting paid $45k to ride your bike?

I worked the numbers. Ouch. The payments and running costs on my car amount to $45k over the next 5 years! This is assuming gas prices don't go up. No, I didn't run out and get a BMW 7-Series, it's a humdrum vehicle. The running costs are almost half of it - and I don't think my running costs (gas, insurance, the odd carwash) are high, if anything lower than average.

$45k is the downpayment on a house, heck it's paying off all my other debts *and* the downpayment on a house. It's free time. It's art classes. It's a lot of really cool bikes. Wow.

What would happen if a lot of people started working their numbers out? I've just realized I've committed to put a lot of sheer life into paying for and running this thing. I'm going to work on getting out of it ASAP, probably pay it down enough to sell it back to the dealer (least hassles/cons and they'll pay me over book) and meanwhile keep the mileage low. Maybe really low!

About right. AAA estimates $0.56 a mile, but they don't factor in parking, which is quite a bit for me. And their price of gas seems to be low.

This is *after tax* income, so if you assume a 20% tax rate and 50K of income, this hypothetical person is dropping more than 20% of their take home on basic transportation. Flat out *insane*. They are working almost 2 hours a *day* for their cars!

http://www.csaa.com/global/articledetail/0,,1008010000%257c5210,00.html

This year, AAA estimates it will cost an average of 56.1 cents per mile or $8,410 per year to own and operate a new passenger car, compared to $56.2 cents per mile or $8,431 annually in 2004.

For me, since I don't drive and usually use public transit, it works out to about $300-$600 saved (depending on weather -- I'm a cold weather wuss). Unfortunately, I spend about $300-600 on tours. So it's all good. :D

Gave up my car years ago. Once upon a time, I had a Toyota 4x4 x-cab, long bed with camper which I actually used for off-roading and camping quite a bit. But, looking at the cost of gas and costs to environment, I felt guilty enough to give it up. However, I still have a need for speed, so that's where my motorcycle comes in :)

Still, I put more milage on my bicycle than I do on my motorcycle. (I use around 2 gallons of gas a week).

It's difficult to see so many people puff up their chests and proclaim it's their right to drive environmentally polluting vehicles, consume as much as they could while the rest of the world has so little, and pay, and pay, and pay for the privelege of being slaves to the oil corporations and their politicians.

Funny, I don't have children, but I'm thinking about the future of the planet. I wonder about others.

I though AAA's estimates were 6K for a new car and 4K for a used one. Still. It's alot of money to pay for transportation and that's what it really is. I suspect maybe 10% of driving is for pure enjoyment.

i love my bike commute but i noticed that my riding is not necessarily saving money.

well, when you take depreciation into account it may start to tip the scales, but I've been buying lots of gear. hopefully now that i'm getting pretty much everything i need for commuting (all maintenance gear, clothing, etc) I might really start to save loot.

Im saving about $700/month as a bike courier vs the car courier I used to be AND making the same amount of $$.The math is hard to argue with.So I dont have a car, big deal.Yes the transition was a little weird at first, now its no big deal, matter of fact I cant believe I didnt do it sooner and wish I had.I ride a bike that cost me a $100 plus some parts as I went along, bikes dont hold up well riding 15,000miles/yr.Have to factor in the extra food though too, I went from 2000cals/day to around 4000cals/day.The one thing few realize is cars generally have no equity at all, you end up losing $$ on the deal if you drive very much at all.However,fitness is its own equity, health is important.I know one thing for certain, the US isnt ready for more guys like me, the system would go into shock from lack of $$ coming in LOL.The automobile and related industries prettymuch rule the US, without it 1/2 the country would be unemployed.

My automobile is incredibly cheap to operate.. Its an old diesel mercedes that I run on homebrewed biodiesel (which costs about .50 cents a gallon in materials), and maintain myself. It almost never breaks, and is easy to fix. Insurance is cheap too.

However, the bikes are still cheaper! Its easy to get sucked into a gear buying frenzy, but I've spent very little on my bikes, and do quite a bit. Its amazing to me to see the lists of some people's 'essentials' when it comes to cycling. Just get a bike, a helmet, and go. You'll figure out what more you need as you go along, and you can usually get a solution much easier and cheaper (and sometimes more effective) than the 'cycling specific' solution which is guaranteed to be expensive. Just be creative with it!

peace,
sam

I remember going from *motorcycle* to bicycle only and liking the extra money that stayed in my pocket. And running a motorcycle you buy used and do most of the work on yourself is very cheap! But, bicycle only is still a big step in saving money.

I suspect maybe 10% of driving is for pure enjoyment.

You mean like the people who drag-race or go off-roading? Because driving places in the city is rarely, if ever, enjoyable. You must be constantly vigilant so as not to get hit by one of the countless terrible drivers and traffic is always slowing you down, and red lights take so much time to just wait... where does the enjoyment come in?

I currently spend 45% of my income on my car. I only work part time, sure it's a small income, but that still works out to be about 8K/year on a car that spends most of its time sitting in my driveway. Sick.

Disco that's how most low-income people live in the US. Sick, indeed.

Driving "for fun" is often a real drag. I've done a very little driving around, exploring this area, checking out Santa Cruz and Pescedaro etc but I spent a lot of that time looking at the back of another car, and worrying about getting back home in time, getting a bit lost, etc.

Did it once or twice and that was enough.

The only people I can think of who are having fun with their cars are the people who are "customizing" them and have a peer group where they show off to each other on the road and show off to other groups. But they're probably spending 45% of their income on their wheels too.

Disco that's how most low-income people live in the US. Sick, indeed.

Driving "for fun" is often a real drag. I've done a very little driving around, exploring this area, checking out Santa Cruz and Pescedaro etc but I spent a lot of that time looking at the back of another car, and worrying about getting back home in time, getting a bit lost, etc.

Did it once or twice and that was enough.

Shoulda kept the motorcycle ;).

When you need to cover more miles than you can do on a bicycle, nothing beats a dual-sport motorcycle for go-anywhere, explore-the-countryside practicality, and *fun*.

I've considered getting rid of my Ford Ranger several times (I haven't run the numbers to see what it's costing me, but I don't put that many miles on it, and it's paid off. So it's probably costing me a lot less than most people spend on their vehicles. OTOH, current blue-book on it is around $8k. I could pay a lot of bills with $8k.), but I wouldn't want to give up my KLR 650, not unless I replaced it with another motorcycle that is.

-Trevor

I save $50 a month when I commute every day. The price of a bus pass :D

4 years ago, I lived in a $280 a month, two-bedroom apartment. I had to pay the electric only as water was covered in the very cheap rent. Total cost of my housing at that time - around $350. I also mowed the lawns for the landlord and received credit for $150 every other month taken out of my rent. Meaning that 6 months out of the year, I was only paying $100 towards rent and electricity.

4 years ago, my girlfriend-now wife, convinced me to buy us a 2001 Ford Focus, that cost us $360 a month, and $125 a month in insurance. We spent about $200 a month in gas. Total in vehicle expenses - $685.

That's a reality. Now, after having some huge financial setbacks, and getting back on my feet and my family and I being a lot more smart in our spending and bills, I have a 93 Oldsmobile Cutlass that's paid off. Only reason I can't get rid of it is my wife drives it to work (she literally works 1 mile from where we live) but she's also 7 months pregant and we have a 4 year old son. Our new reality is that the car only gets driven about 14 miles a week, period. I ride everywhere, and usually force an additional 5-10 miles out of every ride.

My car is only used:
For my wife to commute to work (once she gives birth, she'll start walking there and back).
For her doctors appointments
To go grocery shopping.

It's interesting what people are spending on their car lifestyle. I'm seeing more people with new cars driving this summer with their windows down! Have you noticed that?? The price of gas being so high, using the air conditioner of a car will just burn through it like water. I guess people discovered that having the windows open durning a hot day saves money on gas.

I can't think of anything more uncomfortable than driving in 90 degree heat with your windows down. Having to drive without any A/C during the summer is like taking a bath inside the car. I used to do it and it was not enjoyable at all.

Myth-Busters showed it was more fuel efficient to have your AC on and windows up. Then AC off and windows down.

Which sounds reasonable to me. As cyclist I'm sure we all know how much wind resistance can suck up your energy.

Probably it is because (if your summer is anything like the one we've been having) the weather has been uncommonly comfortable... so it's really nice to have the windows down. I have also heard that the A/C is more economic than the windows.

I love the A/C in the War Wagon, and I'm starting to need it as the weather gets warm, funny how a really hot day still feels great on the bike though!

I think just because the warm weather's come later this year, people are luxuriating in the feel of the air. That's a good sign - maybe some will realize they can luxuriate in the feel of the air even more on a bike!

I tell people I don't have a car or want one..they look at me like I'm crazy. I tell them I save $4-5k a year minimum by not having a car, they still think I'm crazy. *sigh* The price people pay for a bit of "convenience" and "comfort". sheesh!

if you ever get over to HI, especially Oahu, drive around the slums and you'll see multiple late-model souped up cars, trucks, SUVs in front of every shanty and hovel

interesting to note that HI had the highest bankruptcy rate several years running, a very obese population, and lots of born again christians

the car is a very big status symbol

I second the motorcycle if you do need a MV, a ninja 250 will do everything for $2500 new and $60 a year ins. while getting 40-50mpg and outperforming most cars, get a honda standard with hard bags for a little more used and get a removable flatbed sidecar if you want to haul stuff around w/o asking for help, you can do most things you could with a car, they even make specail MC bike racks, although I know people who have made their own cheaper and better,

what would be nice is if an area w/ alot of BC commuters could get together and form an organization with a loaner vehicle or two or some kind of timeshare or partial ownership of a vehicle for a small number of people, the only time you might get into trouble is during holidays but not everyone goes away and a deal might be had with a local rental company,

the group could be set up with an initiation fee to cover the cost of the vehicle, while the monthly fees would cover ins. maintenance storage AAA and some kind of emergency fund or one that goes toward the purchase of a new vehicle, GPS could also be added if needed for mileage so that users can pay based on use as well, also now there are many cheap ways of adding electronics to promote personal responsibility in larger groups, since the small groups will tend to know better who is a little rougher on the car, and also have more invested in taking care of the car, also if more than one of the members are mechanicaly inclined all can participate in the maintenance and save signifigant $$

just a thought, it would bridge the gap betwen the hardcore no car commuter and the person who just needs a car for a few times a week visit the kids/parents and dates, also non bicyclists could benefit, like one car families where the stay at home parent needs a car once or twice a week for shopping/apointments or a retiree or with more companies with work at home programs something much larger could be done but I imagine half a dozen local bicycle comuters could set up something decent,

what would be nice is if an area w/ alot of BC commuters could get together and form an organization with a loaner vehicle or two or some kind of timeshare or partial ownership of a vehicle for a small number of people, the only time you might get into trouble is during holidays but not everyone goes away and a deal might be had with a local rental company,

the group could be set up with an initiation fee to cover the cost of the vehicle, while the monthly fees would cover ins. maintenance storage AAA and some kind of emergency fund or one that goes toward the purchase of a new vehicle, GPS could also be added if needed for mileage so that users can pay based on use as well, also now there are many cheap ways of adding electronics to promote personal responsibility in larger groups, since the small groups will tend to know better who is a little rougher on the car, and also have more invested in taking care of the car, also if more than one of the members are mechanicaly inclined all can participate in the maintenance and save signifigant $$

just a thought, it would bridge the gap betwen the hardcore no car commuter and the person who just needs a car for a few times a week visit the kids/parents and dates, also non bicyclists could benefit, like one car families where the stay at home parent needs a car once or twice a week for shopping/apointments or a retiree or with more companies with work at home programs something much larger could be done but I imagine half a dozen local bicycle comuters could set up something decent,

If you live in Boston, New York, or DC this service already exists - it's called Zipcar (http://zipcar.com). It's allowing my girlfriend and I to drop down to a single shared car.


If you

Mooncricket you hit it on the head about things in Hawaii. It's really like that! I'm reminded of Nauru where there are hardly any roads, like a mile or two of road, and they buy cars to drive up and down it.