Living Car Free - My truck is dead, in the parking lot behind Kragen

I thought it was the battery, or so I was told. Spent 90bucks on a new battery today, still won't start. I call AAA as I pace around the lot then I realize, "wait, no shops are open on Sundays" so I cancel the order. I will call in the morning. I started to walk home, and I started to think. This has been a good truck to me, but it has 224k miles on it, and has been costing me alot lately to keep up. Is it worth it anymore? Probably not, but I can not afford a new car right now, someday down the road maybe. My mind starts to wander....

Hmmmm, work is only 5 miles away, mostly on bike paths in Berkeley...

Shopping is all within 2-3 miles

Local bars can mostly all be walked too, or taken BART too....

I really need to get in shape, this would certainly force me in the right direction...

So, I have decided that tomorrow morning I will have the tow truck driver tow my truck to my work parking lot where it shall sit untouched so I can try this experiment and see how long I can last. Fitting it is the start of a new year, sort of like a resolution, I will keep you informed on how it goes :)

It sounds like you have a nearly ideal location to try living free of the car. Or truck in your case. Let us know if you need any ideas or moral support. :)

Sounds like a plan. Good luck

Check with your employer if you can leave your truck there before parking it there. In some cities businesses hire tow truck companies to keep their parking lots clear. The towing companies love it because they impound the vehicles and demand huge fees for storage and towing charges.

The weather in Berkeley should make it easy to go car free at least for the length of your experiment.

check the cables, then the starter solenoid.

Sounds good. Why not just sell it or donate and then put the money you save in a separate fund?

OK, on another thread people were saying Berkeley is "not mainstream". Is it so? If so, is it "not mainstream" in the direction of easier or harder to be car free? Your post makes it sound easier than your average US town. I've never been there.

Berkeley is very bike friendly, and close to public transportation. I think "not mainstream" has more to do with the far left liberal mindset that is associated with Berkeley as a whole.

Ok I puckered. Took the truck to the shop. My friend there said it's an easy fix. They need to bypass an old alarm system that apparantly never got fully disabled.

THAT said though, I have decided to leave my truck at work full time, and go car "lite" and only use it when absolutely necessary.

Hmmmm, work is only 5 miles away, mostly on bike paths in Berkeley...

Shopping is all within 2-3 miles

Local bars can mostly all be walked too, or taken BART too....

I really need to get in shape, this would certainly force me in the right direction...



It's a no-brainer. In fact, I'm envious.

Gerv,

The company I work for's headquarters is based out of Johnston/Des Moines. I have been there a couple times during winter for meetings. I could not even imagine commuting there full time, I am impressed if you even bike some of the time!!

CCCCCCCOLD

Ok I puckered. Took the truck to the shop. My friend there said it's an easy fix. They need to bypass an old alarm system that apparantly never got fully disabled.

THAT said though, I have decided to leave my truck at work full time, and go car "lite" and only use it when absolutely necessary.

If you decide to keep the truck, you should make a list of everything you absolutely need the truck for.

Then, next to each bullet point, try to figure out an alternative. For example, if you occasionally move furniture or building supplies, do some research on the cost of truck rental. If you use the truck to haul groceries, try to calculate the weight of all the groceries you carry in a week.

All this research might convince you to keep the truck a little longer (or not...), but it will help focus you mind on your particular transportation needs... something many folks never do. It might also help you focus on another, future stage of your life... where you might evolve your transportation solution a little.

Good points. Actually I am already convinced I don't want a new car/car payment. If I can cut down my need for a vehicle considerably, there is no point in getting something "new". Just make do with what I have for the times I actually do use it.

Gerv,

The company I work for's headquarters is based out of Johnston/Des Moines. I have been there a couple times during winter for meetings. I could not even imagine commuting there full time, I am impressed if you even bike some of the time!!

CCCCCCCOLD

That's why I mention the "envy" thing. You are in an ideal situation for going carfree.

Biking the last two winters has been an ordeal here. What I do is try to mix biking in good weather with taking the bus when ground conditions aren't too good. Although I have to fess up to the fact that sometimes I drive to work. Never in Spring, Summer or Fall and about 40% of winter.

Maybe I should move to California...

True. It is easy to take for granted just jumping in a car and going, especially seeing and hearing about others who live car free or almost car free in far worse weather conditions than what we have here.