Cold turkey car free - did you?

[markhr]

Did you go cold turkey car free or did you go car lite before you decided?

[Platy]

I always preferred cycling and walking to driving. Some years I was a bike commuter. Getting rid of the last car was still a big leap into the unknown for me.

[maddyfish]

Car light, I can't think of a good way to ferry my daughter and all her friends around sometimes. Plus I ride the car more in the winter.

[Jerseysbest]

If it wasn't for the family, I'd probably go car-free, or at least deregister and not renew the insurance on the car (pretty expensive in NJ). Even if I didn't have family far away, I'd still not sell the car because I plan on going back to school for my masters.

I recently took a new job and found a place to live, and the train station (to NYC and rest of NJ) supermarket, hospitol, doctor, Rx, etc are all within 2-3 miles of each other.

[Machka]

My Ex had an accident (not his fault), the car was written off. I told him we were NOT purchasing another car. 4 months later we separated ... he bought a car almost right away, I didn't. I was car free for 6 years after that. :)

[Teme]

We had car only a short time and didn't get used to it. It was piece of junk and left us on road couple times. So it was not big leap to leave the car totally.

My wife wants car for good reason. It's quite difficult to go anywhere with 4 kids without car. Public transportation can take us from town to another, but if we want to go vacation to countryside it would require too much effort. Kids are still too young for long bike trips, asking someone else to drive us from the neares bus or train station doesn't work anymore. Oh well - car costs too much. And I don't want one if we just could survive without it. Even renting seems to be quite expensive.

Weekend shopping with bike is pure fun. Last weekend I packed about 10 litres milk and plenty of other food on trailer. During packing the small kid began to stare and then asked from his father:"What is that?" After that his farther dared to ask about trailer and how it affects to riding. This is life style - relaxing and fun most of the time.

Teme

[markhr]

cool - thanks for the replies so far

[donnamb]

At the time I had a car, I began to be medically unable to drive it. That part happened over a 6 month period. Right after I had the surgery that would eventually allow me to be able to drive again, my ancient motor vehicle gave up the ghost. As I was recovering, I saw no need to purchase a car that I could not drive. Once I got my bike and was riding it everywhere, I realized I didn't need one at all. That hasn't changed. So in a way, it was both gradual and abrupt.

So how should I vote?

[markhr]

At the time I had a car, I began to be medically unable to drive it. That part happened over a 6 month period. Right after I had the surgery that would eventually allow me to be able to drive again, my ancient motor vehicle gave up the ghost. As I was recovering, I saw no need to purchase a car that I could not drive. Once I got my bike and was riding it everywhere, I realized I didn't need one at all. That hasn't changed. So in a way, it was both gradual and abrupt.

So how should I vote?

Sorry to hear about that. Anyway, as you're an admin for this site, possibly add "option 5 - other"?

Edit the medical bit not losing the car that is :o

[markhr]

having said that - I tried to make the options so there'd be no long essays about going car free you either have or haven't. Basically, trying to point out that not everyone can but they still visit a useful part of bikeforums. It's basically a result of some of the nuttier suggestions in the utility cycling thread.

[bragi]

I just went cold turkey. I gave my car to a migrant-worker program sponsored by my church, and walked home. After a short period of feeling stranded (I hadn't been without a car since I was 16), it was easy. I walked for a few weeks, then bought a bicycle, and quickly noticed that getting places by bike was usually just as fast as driving, and that it was a lot more fun than fighting over parking spaces all the time. In addition, I also discovered that a major bus transit center, which I'd never noticed before, was three blocks from my house. (You tend to notice things more if you're in your environment rather than driving through it...)
My house to downtown by car: 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic, not including parking;
My house to downtown by bike: 30 minutes, including parking;
My house to downtown by express bus: 15-20 minutes.

[niknak]

I sold my car in January to help fund a bike tour. Now my wife and I share a Buick gas hog she inherited from her grandmother. When we got back from our trip we moved closer to my wife's work so she could ride her bike. I work from home right now. We still use the car occasionally for out of town trips or when we're feeling lazy. Soon, soon we hope to be shedding about 3,000lbs and $3000 of annual expenses!!!

[The Historian]

Did you go cold turkey car free or did you go car lite before you decided?

Cold turkey. At 1:28 PM DST today, when I was in an auto accident. I'm fine, I think. The car isn't. Which way is the commuting forum? :-)

[AStomper]

I lost my license and started riding 75% of the time. Worked it to 99% and now I don't drive, but have a fully legal vehicle (still no license, though this has never stopped me). If I make it through the winter I plan on selling my car and buying a racing bike, or maybe a utility bike.

[Platy]

Cold turkey. At 1:28 PM DST today, when I was in an auto accident. I'm fine, I think. The car isn't. Which way is the commuting forum? :-)
Sorry to hear about the crash. That's car free the hard way.

[Roody]

I've been carfree a few times but the LAST time I had a car it was stolen. Although recovered a few days later, the damage and impound fees made it too expensive to restore it.

A couple months later I had the thought to get a bike....

[billew]

I had a car for a few months back in 81-82, Probably never drove more than 1 or 2 thousand miles.
So I guess cold turkey.

[markhr]

keep them coming folks

[1ply]

I don't drive 5/7 days. During the weekend it's nice to have a car for that 1.5 hour drive to the beach with 5 people in the car. My wife takes it to work some days, while others it just stands and waits patiently in the driveway.

My first commuting winter should be interesting.... I'm buying a winter bike soon:
http://www.khscanada.com/viewbike/419/
and the studded tires are on order. Next will come the clothing and lighting.

Guess my real test will come when I wake up to -20, snowy and windy sometime in January. But cars are so expensive, even if I had to pay for a taxi that day (or that whole month) it would still be cheaper than actually paying for one for a whole year.


Anyone else here live in a climate that includes snow?

[evblazer]

If it snows get up early and go enjoy yourself with your nice winter bike with studded tires.. There is nothing quite like riding on the road on fresh powder seeing all the cars buried under snow. I looked forward to it all year when I was up in Connecticut. I'd even go out and mock commute in the snow when the trains were shut down just to be outside and enjoy it. That and the really steep hills is what I miss about my Connecticut commute.

My wife and I have always had a car. Unfortunately where we have lived sometimes there is no other option for things we'd do. I tried a cab a few times and not only were they obscenely expensive $32 for a 4 mile trip :eek: They too a long time to pick you up. I did have my bike and it woudl be a walk through a bad section of town, I consider a half dozen "random" shootings bad. Poor public transportation in Connecticut and no public transportation at all here in Texas where I live.

Another justification is with 5 dogs there needs to be an emergency transporation vehicle, normal vet appointment vehicle and tranportation to their athletic events (agility, flyball which could be 5+ hours away). Annually a car is very cheap for us as we own it outright and have a good insurance rate due to no tickets, no accidents and excellent credit. For all the public outcry I still think gas is pretty cheap for people who don't fillup more then once a week or aren't driving <15mpg vehicles.

[rhm]

We're as car-lite as we can be, but with two kids and two dogs and living in a place where it's virtually impossible to do grocery shopping by bike or on foot, I'd have to classify myself as a car-free-wannabe.

[halfro]

My wife and I have been car lite for years. I've owned one car and one motorcycle in my life. Before I buy a car I'd get another motorcycle.

We've recently got a flex car account but haven't used it. We live in an area where we can pretty much get everything we need without a car. When we do need one, must of the time we borrow my parents.

[Teme]

Guess my real test will come when I wake up to -20, snowy and windy sometime in January. But cars are so expensive, even if I had to pay for a taxi that day (or that whole month) it would still be cheaper than actually paying for one for a whole year.
Anyone else here live in a climate that includes snow?

Worst part is not -20C, windy and snow. The worst part is 0C or -1C, heavy north wind and rain. Late aumtuns are usually the worst and I might drop cycling during it and change to public transportation.

Teme

[velomatt]

Cold turkey. At 1:28 PM DST today, when I was in an auto accident. I'm fine, I think. The car isn't. Which way is the commuting forum? :-)


Did I read your Blog right ?
Were you really 385 lbs. ?

[The Historian]

Did I read your Blog right ?
Were you really 385 lbs. ?

Yes. And I never rode a bike as a child, so I had to teach myself to ride at age 41 and 275 pounds.
Me at 360, February 2006, after losing 25 pounds:
http://lh4.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR24pYhEwI/AAAAAAAAAEA/m3ii5S5YOto/s400/IMG_1161.JPG

And at 260, a year later:
http://lh5.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR245YhExI/AAAAAAAAAEI/FypHB4V5mr4/s400/NeilSpinbike3.jpg

And at 243 two weeks ago:
http://lh3.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RprbHGjEXuI/AAAAAAAAAXo/VgLg_n0QozU/s400/Pinkjerseyfront.jpg

[gharding]

Sort of. I packed up all my crap into a car when I came to Manhattan. The car was my dad's, so I kept it around for a little while then left it at home. I had been taking the subway for about 2 years before I bought my bike.

[Bikepacker67]

Good job Historian!
Ain't it great to be able to eat pizza with impunity?

[The Historian]

Good job Historian!
Ain't it great to be able to eat pizza with impunity?

Funny, I had pizza for dinner tonight! And I rode 13 miles to get back out to my undrivable car to meet the tow truck driver. :)

[Dwighty83]

Cold turkey.

03VW got Repo'd. Can't go more cold turkey than that. Personal and financial issues caused that to happen. I don't mind though. I love not paying for gas these days.

[rockmom]

I voted other because I never got around to buying a car in the first place. And after several years, it just didn't seem worth the trouble to ever buy a car.

[livingreener]

Yes. And I never rode a bike as a child, so I had to teach myself to ride at age 41 and 275 pounds.
Me at 360, February 2006, after losing 25 pounds:
http://lh4.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR24pYhEwI/AAAAAAAAAEA/m3ii5S5YOto/s400/IMG_1161.JPG

And at 260, a year later:
http://lh5.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR245YhExI/AAAAAAAAAEI/FypHB4V5mr4/s400/NeilSpinbike3.jpg

And at 243 two weeks ago:
http://lh3.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RprbHGjEXuI/AAAAAAAAAXo/VgLg_n0QozU/s400/Pinkjerseyfront.jpg

Amazing congrats man. Yes I quit cold turkey after totally my car and, luckily escaping with no injury. I decided not to get another car and that was 2 1/2 months ago... I love it!!! yay for bicycles. :)

[le brad]

Yes. And I never rode a bike as a child, so I had to teach myself to ride at age 41 and 275 pounds.
Me at 360, February 2006, after losing 25 pounds:
http://lh4.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR24pYhEwI/AAAAAAAAAEA/m3ii5S5YOto/s400/IMG_1161.JPG

And at 260, a year later:
http://lh5.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RhR245YhExI/AAAAAAAAAEI/FypHB4V5mr4/s400/NeilSpinbike3.jpg

And at 243 two weeks ago:
http://lh3.google.com/neil.thehistorian/RprbHGjEXuI/AAAAAAAAAXo/VgLg_n0QozU/s400/Pinkjerseyfront.jpg

You're awesome. For real.

As for me, cold turkey. I lost my license due to a major miscommunication about the insurance on a vehicle I was driving that was technically owned by my dad. I caught a ride home from work that morning and told my girlfriend (who has never driven beyond having a permit). It'll be a year in September. Don't miss it, don't want to go back, don't need it.

[markhr]

great stories and thanks for voting so far folks

[c0urt]

lost my dl for street racing my motorcycle and stunting, spent a bunch a nights in jail when caught driving. loved cycling. it wasnt hard to sell of my cbr

[markhr]

Back Up, More Posts

[Sianelle]

For me selling my car came about after I moved away from the city and to a small country town. I'd been ill for over 12 months and before that I'd been made redundant from what I thought'd been a secure job working as a Social Worker with the Mental Health Service (don't ask :mad: :( it was all to do with funding and management level stupidity at a time when we were all carrying heavy caseloads and were short staffed).

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6640/maeveoo4ck6.jpg

My car was the ultimate in recycling since it was made in 1954 and had done almost 300,000 miles, but despite its utter simplicity, ease of repair and maintainence as well as cheap yearly registration fees due to it being over 40 years old, I was still not really able to afford to keep using it with only an Invalids pension to support me. The only real wrench was the thought of parting with my dear old classic car after 10 years of ownership because I hadn't been exactly using her much and most places I wanted to go to around the quiet country town where I now live were in easy cycling distance.
Oh btw this is what I was using instead of a car for my everyday transport......

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/331/raleightrikepv0.jpg

It's an old 1960s Raleigh Granada I found down in the local rubbish tip and fitted with a tricycle axle kit.

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/7513/trikekitss9.jpg

My balance still wasn't very good and I had to walk with a stick, so a trike was just the job :) Later on I fitted an 250watt electric hub motor front wheel which helped a bit on the local hillocks and on those days when my energy wasn't so wonderful. The big benefit though, - apart from no-cost transport, - was that my fitness level began to improve and I was finding that I wasn't having to go to see my doctor so often. Perhaps nicest of all I found that my clothes were fitting me better, - and I could now wear pairs of jeans I'd given up all hope of ever being able to wear again :)


My lash-up trike conversion was brilliant and I gave it pretty hard service for over a year before the rear axle sheered its drive. I'd even taken a part-time job delivering pamphlets and flyers all over town twice a week which'd done great things for helping to reduce my waistline :)
So my Raleigh trike is presently in pieces in the garage and to replace it until it's rebuilt I'm using a delightfully mock Edwardian ladies tricycle I built up around an Indian made 'Hercules' ladies roadster. No pictures as yet unfortunately, but this is what I started with .......

http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/1963/indianherculesep3.jpg

Great fun to ride and with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed coaster hub it's just that wee bit more versatile than the single speed Raleigh. As my general state of health has improved I've been able to ride a bicycle again and these days I don't always need to take my walking stick with me. Certainly cycling has paid a big part in my rehabilitation and it's also re-taught me the joys of living life in the slow lane. On a bicycle or tricycle there's no problems with parking or having to manover around other 4 wheel motorised lumps on the road with your own motorized 4 wheel lump (Oooo I didn't mean you Morrie!). On a bicycle it's a simple matter to stop as you please and admire the view. You can go as fast or as slow as you want, the sounds and smells of the countryside are right there to be enjoyed. I'd never want go back to living in a city again EVER! I couldn't care less now about having a career and doing the daily commute just to chase a health professional's wage. The money, the 'good' job didn't make me happy - all it did in the end was ruin my health for me. From now on it's the simple life and 'on me bike' for me :D

Cheers,

Annie

[wahoonc]

Sianelle,
Way to go! I too would have had a problem parting with such a sweet Morris, the one that drove me to car free/light the first time was an MGB-GT:p now that I could afford it I toy with the idea of getting another one just to use once in a while...

Aaron:)

[Platy]

Welcome to the forum, Sianelle!

[scattered73]

Cold turkey, I got laid off and could no longer could afford my new car payment, with my new part time job. Called and had car picked up by finance company, I found this very difficult they did not want to pick up the car, even when I assured them they were at the bottom of list to pay. Month later I get a beach cruiser, then two months later get a hybrid, then a few months later get a cyclocross, few months later got a road bike. I now am full time at my job and couple of raises and full benifits and can afford one, but have no desire to purchase a car anytime soon, I just really don't need one where I live and work. Plus I found all this biking really seems to help me physically and mentally. BTW I only have two of the bikes listed above the rest were stolen or sold.

[fuerein]

I went cold turkey. I kept the car for several months afterward, just in case I realized that I actually did need it, but I never used it again until several days before I got rid of it, even then I primarily used it just to make sure it still ran when I went to get rid of it.

[BanffBikeGirl]

Almost cold turkey. I wasn't using it much, and it broke down during a blizzard in January whena friend was borrowing it, so it was sent away. It's been over a year, and I don't miss it.

[Sizzle-Chest]

Historian, you're an inspiration to us all, not just in weight loss but in motivation and determination!

In regards to driving, I recently sold our only car to pay for rent. However, I am borrowing my sister's junker because I have a small child and I have found that owning vehicle is almost a necessity. I have both a cart and a bike seat for her, but she is still a bit small for long bike trips. I would love to go cold turkey, but the reality is that I need to transport my family, not just me. Has anyone ran into this situation?

[The Historian]

Historian, you're an inspiration to us all, not just in weight loss but in motivation and determination!

In regards to driving, I recently sold our only car to pay for rent. However, I am borrowing my sister's junker because I have a small child and I have found that owning vehicle is almost a necessity. I have both a cart and a bike seat for her, but she is still a bit small for long bike trips. I would love to go cold turkey, but the reality is that I need to transport my family, not just me. Has anyone ran into this situation?

Thank you. I've recently had my car repaired. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't maintain a car-free lifestyle living as far away from my work and public transit as I do - I'm in a very rural area, and have some structural problems that keep me from completing a 35 mile a day commute five days a week. I'm still trying to be as car-lite as possible, and will commute to work two-three days a week and use the bike for local trips. And if my physical condition or life circumstances change, I will go car free.

[jakbikesdc]

I voted other. I've ridden bikes all my life. There hasn't been a period of 3 mos. where I haven't been on a bike.
Granted I'm in my third year in college, but straight out of HS I brought my bikes down for college. Last Christmas I discussed transportation means with my dad. I needed either a car or a new bike for the rest of college into grad school. I told him I preferred the latter. so he gave me a good chunk of money and I ended up with a brand new '07 Kona Paddy Wagon fixed gear.

So I've never had a car. I did drive in HS but every day after school I was out on my mtn bike riding the singletrack. That mtn bike( '00 GT Rebound) has now become my SUB with racks and grocery getters. I'm considering purchasing a free radical from Xtracycle for it in the near future. That or buy a trailer?? I dunno yet.

[M_S]

Growing up in the city I've never had much interest in owning a car. Cars are expensive, though granted, I'm only 18. I'll be moving to a much smaller town next year (Missoula) but the University is right next to downtown, students ride the buses for free, and bikes never get stolen there :eek: . Freshmen are pretty much prohibited from owning cars on campus (nowhere to put them) but it won't be an issue for me. The only time I may want a car is when I want to travel back to Portland to visit family, though there are daily flights from Portland to Missoula and back, direct.

Oh, and I simply like biking and exercising a lot better than sitting in a car. The few times I've really wanted one was when dating. I plan on purchasing an extracycle with a seat in back some time in the future :D

So I voted "other" as there's no option for "always been car free."

The only sad part about next year is that I will only be able to take one bicycle, so I've been informed, due to the only storage space being inside my tiny dorm room.


Oh well, I'll just be saving up for a cross build in the meantime.

[markhr]

Back Up, More Posts.

[Newspaperguy]

I've gone car-light but I've done that in stages. At first I used the car for weekends but eventually I've almost cut that out entirely.

Car-light has worked for me because I've made it a game. I see it as a challenge to go as long as possible on a tank of fuel. It's especially fun in winter when I'm one of perhaps 10 people in town who will ride with snow and ice on the ground. If going car-light ever becomes a duty or a drugery, it won't work.

[Artkansas]

Hard to say. I got started as a kid, riding to school and everywhere else. When I moved out on my own I had no car, just a bike. But in later years I owned first a motorcycle, then a car. So I seem to oscillate back and forth, but with only a couple of small exceptiongs, I've always been a bicycle commuter.

Currently, I own a car but have only driven it once in the past two years, to prove to my landlord that it was an operable car. Otherwise I get around by bike and or bus. On business trips though I will rent a car.

[JosephPaul86]

Yeah, i quit cold turkey.

But I do feel I am cheating since I own a moped. I only use it on weekend trips out of town though, not an errand runner.

[paralegal1973]

Cold turkey. My wife and I moved to Albuquerque in 1996 to go to the University. We were never able to afford an auto and we both walked everywhere and utilized the mediocre transit system. In 2004, I was hit by a car while walking. After I received my settlement later that year, I decided to try cycling; I had not been on a bicycle in at least twenty years. I purchased a 2005 Kona Smoke and have been hooked ever since! I'm on my fourth bike now, a 2006 Kona Sutra, and am thinking about purchasing a custom Co-Motion next year.

Living car free has been extremely difficult. There have been many occasions where I've felt like a freak standing, waiting for the bus. People in Albuquerque look at pedestrians like they've NEVER seen anyone walking before. It's slightly worse for cyclists sometimes as I get the, "What the hell is a grown man doing on a bicycle?!" look everyday. Next year, my wife and I are moving out of this dump, and most likely into a bigger dump in Texas for graduate school. She will cash out her retirement so that moving will be slightly easier. We had planned on buying a car with a portion of the funds, BUT, I just cannot see the point of laying out at least $9,000 to get a sort of safe auto when I'm getting nothing out of it! A car is NOT an investment, no matter what the commercials tout! I'm in great health, overweight, but in fantastic health. Why would I want to ruin that in order to buy a Hitler Mobile?

We could do a lot of other things with $9k, so we've decided to give it another go at living car-free in Texas, or wherever we end up next year.