Commuting - Commuters with cars: What do you use them for?

If you ride your bike to work (daily or occasionally), do you also have a car/SUV/van/truck/motorcycle?

If so, what do you use it for? And how often do you use it?

I have a car, but it usually just sits in the driveway not being used. I use my bike (and sometimes public transit) for everything in the city/surrounding suburbs. The only time I use my car is if I have to haul something or go somewhere outside the metropolitan area.

I have an '84 Toyota Corolla (called a GT in the US, Sprinter in Aus and AE86 in Japan - as in the Initial D Anime (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D4x6-8PIq4&feature=related)). I've had it since new and love it to death. It drove less than 1500km last year as I cycle pretty much everywhere - if I'm going somewhere on my own I almost always cycle there. However, I have three children under 10 who all need to be ferried places like netball, scouts, hockey, ballet etc ... so we still need the sprinter.

The part of Sydney I live in has pathetic public transport, and if you believe this article, (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sydneys-drivers-worst-for-bike-rage/2008/08/01/1217097533825.html) it has the most aggressive drivers on the planet - so cycling with the kids is still strictly recreational - however, we allow our 10 year old son to cycle to/from band practice which isnt all that far. (Although Sydney drivers are bad, I personally doubt they are the worst on the planet - I've seen some crazy aggressive stuff from the US on YouTube).

So ... my car is for me to muck around in drifting on wet days and ferrying the kids to whereever... If I have the option, however, I almost always cycle.

Car and license free, though mite get my license soon for "emergency's" and for insurance in the future, i.e.. can say i have been accident free for 3 years (only cus i don't drive). Being license free is good though, never have to be the designated driver :D

I ride my bike everywhere 6 days a week then I drive an SUV 1 day a week to go to Oakland since there is no bike lane on the Bay Bridge. I drive an SUV because i need the cargo room. I also Travel cross country a lot though thanks to current gas prices i have been unable to road trip for a bit

I use it for grocery shopping and allergy shot days. (I'm not supposed to exercise on days when I get a shot because I could have a generalized reaction...anaphylactic shock and all that. Not really a good thing while riding a bike.)

We have a full-sized station wagon--- a toddler, and a pregnant wife. A car is still useful. I really need to buy my wife a mtn bike, however. It is actually faster to bike to the beach than to drive and find parking. We also drive to our summer home. It is possible to bike to the ferry, but we need to take so much stuff with us that we drive. (I've been known to bike while she drives).

I cannot remember the last time I drove to work.

We usually walk to the grocery store.

I have a small truck. I use it to carry things and when the weather is bad or I'm hurt. Hard to carry demolition debris on a bike. I usually end up commuting with it one or two times a week when I have other long distance/heavy errands. I live a good distance out from "civilization."

2002 Windstar.
I use it for:
Groceries
Picking up my son from grandma's house when need be.
Trips to club rides and organized rides.
Misc sudden errands that I do not have time to bike to.
More often in winter.

It moves at least once a week. Sometimes less. Sometimes more.
I hated being car lite with a kid in day care and his two parents working full time. Work for both of us is spread throughout the metro.
I could have made it work but I could not stand turning riding into a constant chore.

I have a Hyundai Elantra 5 Door.
Basically anytime I want to go somewhere far or quickly with the kids. Cottage, Costco, buying lumber. The car only gets used on the weekends. My wife walks to the grocery store during the week with the kids on their bikes.

i live alone and am embarrassed by how many vehicles i own. 2 sedans and a motorcycle.

i drive to work 1 day per month (evening meeting 40 miles from home). but i only fire up a car when i have to travel more than 20 miles 1 way AND i don't have time to bike it

88 Bronco. I use mine depending on the situation. I get called in to work at all hours and when that happens I need to be there as quickly as possible. e.g., 3 weeks ago at midnight I had a yard driver immediately removed for a safety violation. That time of night I'm not going to get someone else in. It is all up to me to get in there as one person is 50% of the shift. Also, when someone calls off at the last minute.

I also use it for my 'heavy' grocery runs. I don't do 'tap' water, so hauling all my drinking water on the bike is not practical.

I still manage to fill the tank only every 2-3 weeks.

The wife uses the car mostly (Honda Fit). I have an MGB that has done less than 100 kms this year. We also use it when we visit her grandparents (about 45 miles), my parents, when someone wants to go out to eat on a whim. In semi-rural areas it is A LOT harder not having a car than the city.

Driving :lol:

I do not live in a bike friendly place. My kid will not be on the streets I ride till that changes. Car is a necessity.

1970 LeMans Sport Convertible (think Lance Armstrongs GTO its same year same body). Hobby car that is being restored. The motor thats a about to find a home in it is about 340 hp. In a couple years when I change out the heads it will be about 450hp. :p

1986 Toyota 4Runner. General driver. If I don't need it my wife drives it. Its a 4cyl gets 24hwy It gets about 5000 miles a year on it toting the family around town. More if I go solo camping cross country. It will be in West Virgina this month and OBX camping on the beach at the beginning of oct.

1988 3/4 ton 454 powered Suburban... It can pull a house off its foundation and drag it down the road. Its a beast. Love the 10 mpg :love: :roflmao2:

Pulls our vintage 1959 Airstream camper. Its the wife's driver if I have the 4Runner. Gets about 1500 miles a year on it not counting when its pulling the camper. About to sell it becasue it is way overkill for our current needs. It was pulling cars and trucks around for a while. I plan to replace it with either another Suburban (with a 350 and over drive) or a Toyota Land Cruiser for a little better mpg and 4wd.


I drive what I like and I generally like older vehicles. I'm not a believer in any of the whooo ha becasue I understand their was the same temp change on mars and Jupiter as there was earth negating a lot of the BS that people claim have happened. I remember the "global cooling" scare of the 70's as well. I also understand GW was from sun spots that have been on the decline for the last 7 years. I also understand MAN has prevented normal occurrences like forest fires that would burn for months over 100,000 of thousands of acre's and easily matches what man has done. The opportunistic self absorbed POS Al G can suck my left one. :lol:

I do believe in controlling pollution though just becasue it is the right thing to do and make the the world a better place to live. Thats why I live 4 miles from work and limit the use of the gas pig I do have.

I use mine to carry my kids when we are going further than their bike range.

I have a Nissan Xterra. I use it to haul my boat up at the cabin, and I use it to go play hockey. It mainly sits in the driveway now, and gets used once a week.

Lincoln LS that just...sits...

Going to get rid of it, hard to justify the payments since I spent about 330 days on bike this last year. My old beat up Toyota PU is coming home to roost for those car days.

One motorcycle left out of 4. Hasn't moved in over a year? Prolly part it out.

I'm really liking being back with bicycles and what they do for me. As much as I'd like it, going car free in Denver with my shift work hours and all just won't work. I have one of those jobs you have to show up for even when the blizzards hit and everyone else goes home/stays home.

That being said, I'm good for commuting in up to 4-5 inches of fresh snow, depending on type, and past that I need a car. PUblic transit doesn't work for me unfortunately...

i have 2001 jeep cherokee lifted 4.5" 33" tires locked and loaded... i drive more than commute lately due to a broken hand.

but i generally drive more anyway because it's 15 miles and i like to ride my bmx bike as much as possible before i get too old to. so it's easier to drive that bike and all my friend around to the skateparks and street spots

I ride home from work for my part-time job (helping build suburban sprawl :( ), after getting a ride to work with my bike in the back of my dad's truck. I save an average of 60 km of driving a day (which is about 8L of fuel, or ~$10 at today's prices) that way. I ride everywhere in the city unless I have to haul something.

I use my truck mainly for my main job as a wellsite geologist. Outside of that, it gets filled up roughly once a month.

I've got a Jeep XJ that sits in my garage most of the time.

Friday I drive to work because of a cross-town meeting I have to attend, so I take the opportunity and re-load my locker with clean clothes for the week.

Some weekends I take the dog out hiking, or go camping with my friends. The XJ gets us to trailheads where my friends' cars would be highbottomed the second we turned off the pavement.

If you ride your bike to work (daily or occasionally), do you also have a car/SUV/van/truck/motorcycle?

If so, what do you use it for? And how often do you use it?


My car is paid off and I maintain minimal insurance on it.
In VT and PA I drove it when the snow was fresh and deep.
Here in FL, its been covered and I cant remember when the
last time I drove it was. It actually feels good to ride in the
rain here so thats not an issue. Ive only registered it once
just to keep something that looks like an official tag on it so
I save money that way, too.

A mint condition 93 Miata LE which is my "daily driver" when I choose to drive. A '72 Porsche with a modern 3.2 conversion which is my race car for when I choose to drive FAST. The wife drives a '94 E320 on a daily basis. She was a daily bicycle commuter until she was 34 years old. Yes, I'm a car guy and a bicycle guy. Although I tend to trade cars every couple of years for various classics, I keep bicycles forever.

Later,
HB

If you ride your bike to work (daily or occasionally), do you also have a car/SUV/van/truck/motorcycle?

If so, what do you use it for? And how often do you use it?

I have a pickup. I tend to need to haul heavy objects around town, either for myself or for friends. Houston is not a very bike-friendly city when it comes to going across town (which will take up to an hour by car). I take a trip or two out of the city (150 miles round trip) to go shooting out on my family's land in the "country".

I typically drive once a week...

My boyfriend has a car, but he's just started a new job and will be working from home. I don't drive and will be taking lessons very soon, but I either bike or take the subway to work. The car may have a lot of time on its hands in the foreseeable future.

We're members of the local astronomical society and we go to meetings, which are once a month in the summer and twice a month the rest of the year. The meetings are in a lecture hall in a museum that's fairly far from home, and they end after dark, and then we tend to all go for dinner at the pub (that's called the gastronomical society). By the time we're done it's 11:30 or midnight, and it's quicker to get home by car than public transit. So the car usually goes to those. On a related note, if we're going observing somewhere, we need the car to carry telescopes.

We also have a camping trip or two during the year (in a comfy campground with amenities and parking), we have friends that we visit in a nearby city, we have organizational meetings out of town for a science fiction convention, and if we foresee being very busy we might do a big grocery run with the car and take bottles back to the beer store while we're at it.

I think we may be settling into a lifestyle where the car is only used rarely, and everyday life does not require it. W00t!

I just use it for big stuff like 13lb cat litter, 3 gallon water jug, or to visit distant friends. Other than that it's bike, bus, or train.

i use a honda cx ('93) for commute sometimes, trips with limited time and extended dst. weather plays into this as well, with monthly grocery-ing ! the truck, dodge ram 50, gets even less use. i try to fire it up once weekly, usually for grocery, kayaking, or hauling...

I have a sedan, mini van and scooter. I cycle as much as possible and ride the scooter to long distances or at night. I haven't driven my sedan in nearly 3 months, the van comes out when I need to haul things, drive people around or to transport my bike. I try to use public transportation in addition to cycling as much as possible.
I do not miss driving my car but will not sell it because it is the car that I have always wanted.

I've used solely cars for transportation since I first got my license. I can't imagine life without a car. Commuting, shopping, or long distance errands would be so much more time consuming, and nightlife would be kinda silly (who wants to roll up to a party or club 30 miles away sweating and dressed all wrong?).

Not to mention I love to drive. I autocross (http://www.nybmwcca.org/autox.php) my 1999 Miata regularly and am a member of the local BMW car club.

That said, since I've rediscovered biking, it's a new favorite hobby of mine. I rely on my bike more to commute (I take the car if I have a meeting or if the weather's bad). I take the bike to the local store for small things that don't require a car. But I still couldn't (and wouldn't want to) be without a fun car.

Car free and loving it! I had a car all last year that I put a total of 1,000 miles on it last year, so I sold it. The only reason I drove it was when i was feeling lazy! I am much happier, healthier, and wealthier now!

I have a big, petrol swilling domestic pickup with a monster V8. I also have a government car, so the pickup is mostly for hauling my motorcycles and fun trips with the friends and family on the weekends.

The GF and I take a few road trips a year, and haul our trailer & motorcycles all over the US, so it's worth it to me to have that functionality, despite the apocalyptic fuel prices. Also, on the few days a year when snowstorms cripple the city, I am good to go.

http://volksdragon.net/images/07SV05web.jpg

I have a 97 Neon ACR that I drive when I need - typically to a friend's house which is a bit too far to ride (and is all uphill home. . .no excuse but when coming home LATE after working on the race truck or whatever, that's a bit daunting to me. :lol: ) - gets good mileage and it's fun to race her as well (rallyx)

I have a 97 Ram 2500 Diesel which gets driven VERY rarely - only when I need to haul more than I can stick in the Neon. It is handy, though. I mean, there's very little it can't haul/pull/uproot/whatever.

I have an '03 Royal Enfield Bullet that I take to meetings, trainings & general back road cruising. Gets 70+mpg. The 95 Saturn wagon failed its annual inspection & wil most likely be replace with a 95 Camry wagon. Goes to the dump, groceries, when I do overnights & need to cart in pillows, blankets & whatnot. Out to eat with the wife, she was born with a right arm that ends above the elbow & riding onehanded doesn't work. Said she'd join me on the bike if I get her a $9000 state of the art prosthetic. She hates wearing them & its her way of saying go ride & I'll meet you there. hauling my step-daughters stuff back & forth to college. My doctor is an hour away, he figured out my stomach was bothering me cause I sprained my ankle so I'm staying with him. Also do investigational med studies (asthmatic) in the same town as my doc. Hauled the rear deck & front steps home on the roof of the Saturn.
Still not unusual for the car to sit for up to 2 weeks at a time.

My wife uses ours the most. She occasionally runs or bikes to work. We just have the one and I really only use it to get out of town (since the nearest one with anything worth visiting is 40 miles away.)

97 Saturn wagon, to haul anything over 100 lbs (i.e., heavier than the weight limit for a Burley flatbed).

Otherwise, it works really well as a large surface for me to place stuff while working on my bikes.

95 falling apart Saturn sedan. Gets average millage ~26 mpg but I use it for winter and grocery shopping. When I go to the grocery store I get quite a load including some large and/or heavy items.

I've got an 1984 VW Vanagon camper van.

It's only used for camping/moving or Ski trips. Outside of that it's in storage (inside) :)

My 02 Passat sits in the driveway 6 out of 7 days but once sat for 3 weeks without moving! (Unfortunately, a family of mice decided to move into the engine compartment about that time.) Day 7 is used for shopping/visiting in-laws/running errands. Visit family in NC about 4 times/year. When I don't ride my bike to work, I take public transit (bus/metro).

My 02 Passat sits in the driveway 6 out of 7 days; day 7 is for errands/shopping. Once, I didn't drive for 3 weeks! I also have family who live 6 hours away so I drive to see them about 4 times a year. When I don't bike to work, I take public transit (bus/metro).

I use my truck for long trips, when I have to carry a lot of items, or large items, and on the weekends. I commute to work on the bike.

Circumstances:
2 adults
2 toddlers
1 dog
DFW
Wife in nursing school
Kids in preschool

2004 Honda Element 95K miles
Bought new. Primary people-mover. Vehicle of choice when moving kiddos and/or entire family. Long trip vehicle.

1997 Nissan Ext Cab Pickup 150K miles
Bought new. Formerly (before wife & kids) primary vehicle. Now relegated to any serious hauling duties and/or backup auto in case one of the others is in the shop or out of commission some how. My vehicle of choice if I am traveling solo and leaving behind the Element. Our house was built in 1960 and I am always working on it. I have only pined for more (stuff) hauling capacity a few times.

1995 Nissan Altima 110K miles
Bought used. Wife's primary school auto. Bought because we needed two vehicles to lawfully carry two children back & forth from pre-school or the baby-sitter while my wife is in nursing school. The Nissan pickup has jump seats that the kids would fit just fine, but my state requires that all children up to some rather large weight and/or height be in a child seat. Or I would get fined $200 per child per incident.

-------------------

When my wife gets out of nursing school, we will likely scale back to two vehicles by selling the Nissan pickup and Nissan Altima and buying a four-door full-sized pickup (hopefully with one of the smaller diesels Ford & Chevy are developing). I will keep an eye out for a used FOrd Excursion with the 7.3L diesel, though. I suspect that their resale is tanking and would likely cost me 1/2 what a new four-door pickup would. You can buy a lot of fuel for $15K, even at $4+/gal.

I have a Honda Fit that I use once a week to go play soccer (too far away to ride) and large runs to the grocery store or if I need to move something "big". My wife uses it to drive to work most days (though she is starting to bike commute more and more).

87 VW GTI and an 80 VW Rabbit Truck. both are out of commission at the moment. I would love to be able to use them if the need arose, however.

I have an '04 accord. Used mostly for larger items (I'm single, so larger is a relative term) and vacations/transporting myself and my gear to backpacking places. I have a motorcycle, but its been out of commission for a while.

It's my closet.

I fill it full of clothes and drive the bike to work on Monday morning, then park it in the underground garage at work. On Friday, I load the bike back on it and drive to the cleaners, then home.

2003 Alero - The wife drives this to work.
1993 Audi 100 - The kids drive this if they are not biking.
1998 Expedition - Stays in the driveway mostly but is used to pick me up if a t-storm catches me at work.

hey, same SV650s that I have, even color matches. :)
Anyway I use my motorcycle to get around in general. I use the car to get my road bike to races, and if I need to do a bunch of shopping and carrying tons of stuff.

I have a big, petrol swilling domestic pickup with a monster V8. I also have a government car, so the pickup is mostly for hauling my motorcycles and fun trips with the friends and family on the weekends.

The GF and I take a few road trips a year, and haul our trailer & motorcycles all over the US, so it's worth it to me to have that functionality, despite the apocalyptic fuel prices. Also, on the few days a year when snowstorms cripple the city, I am good to go.

http://volksdragon.net/images/07SV05web.jpg

I live alone, and have two cars... a 2001 Kia Rio that I bought new, It's paid off, and gets 33-36 mpg. I also traded an elliptical trainer for a 1997 Thunderbird. It's got a V8, and only gets 20 mpg. I don't spend much on gas anymore.

I bicycle to work most days. Most of my grocery trips are on the bike. I have the cars for picking up my daughter on the weekends she spends with me. I also use the cars for trips to Michigan to see family.

My daughter is 16, but isn't really into biking. She has a bike, but can't ride more than a few miles. The closest lake to swim at is 16 miles away, so I have to drive to take her there. I may consider a tandem for next year, if she's still interested.

I'm also using the Thunderbird to teach her how to drive... the Kia is a 5-speed, and she doesn't want to deal with that.

Oh, and her mother (my soon-to-be ex), drives a minivan, and doesn't own a bike.

92 dodge dakota. I drive to work once a week for when I play hockey that night. Plus, I drive to hockey on the weekend if the wife isn't going. If she's going, she drives.

I didn't drive my truck for almost 3 weeks and the battery went dead. But it still had 1/2 a tank of gas! woohoo!

Vying for space in my garage with 5 bikes is a 1998 Jeep Cherokee, 2 door. It usually sits there during the week, but gets me to trailheads for mountain biking, and primitive camping on public land during weekends and vacations. Not a mileage champ by any means, but I can nurse 25mpg out if it in warm weather. It's easy to work on and parts are relatively cheap. Thinking of replacing it with a small used crossover like a RAV4 that's better at carrying passengers, though. I've put 4800 miles on it in 8 months; nothing to brag about as far as being car-light goes, but a lot better than the 20,000 miles a year I used to drive with commuting and long road trips.

Not to mention I love to drive. I autocross (http://www.nybmwcca.org/autox.php) my 1999 Miata regularly and am a member of the local BMW car club.

That said, since I've rediscovered biking, it's a new favorite hobby of mine. I rely on my bike more to commute (I take the car if I have a meeting or if the weather's bad). I take the bike to the local store for small things that don't require a car. But I still couldn't (and wouldn't want to) be without a fun car.

I was going to say that, except I don't have a Miata. I love cars and motorcycles and hope to continue enjoying them. I still want a classic 911 in the stable someday, etc.

Besides, I have kids to drag around, or days when I have to run errands or carry a bunch of stuff, and everything is pretty spread out around here.