Living Car Free - Should I sell my truck?

I almost never drive it. The only time I ever drive it is either to take my recumbent trike down to Ventura to ride with a recumbent bike club or to maybe once in a while haul something. Mostly I never drive it because I can't even start it because the battery is always dead.

I have this little thing plugged in to the battery that is supposed to keep it charged up, but it doesn't seem to work. So most times when I want to drive my truck, like to go on a job interview without messing up my hair, it just won't start.

I keep thinking about selling it but I hesitate because what if it turns out I need it? It's fully paid for. Will I be sorry when someday I need a car? What about car insurance? Will I be penalized for not having any if I get rid of the truck? I have a Vespa and that's insured. That's what I use when I don't want to use human power to get somewhere.

Should I sell my truck? Will I be sorry if I do? What's your experience?

You answered your own questions. You never use it. Sell it.

If you can afford to keep it then keep it. If you would prefer to have the money you would save then sell it. How many times per year do you need to have your hair look good for job interviews? Would it be cheaper to rent a car or use a taxi for those days? Rent a minivan from a car rental place or get a cheap truck from U-haul to transport your recumbent to a group ride.

I have lived without a car for over a year in Montana. Sometimes it would be more convenient to own a car.

Since you have a scooter you really have it easy. If you always have a motor vehicle insured you shouldn't be penalized for selling the truck and dropping the insurance for it. Just call an insurance agent who will let you know how it works for his company.

I intend to get another car someday. Right now I like having the extra $6000+ per year stay in my bank account.

Well, I have no idea if you should sell it, but if you unhook the battery if you know its going to sit for more then a few day. The battery won't drain. :) I do this for my car if I'm not using it for more then 3-4 days. What kind of truck is this?

If you use it no more then about once or twice a month, sell it and rent a car for a day at a time. It'll save you a headache if the truck were to break down. Engines/drive trains (rubber gaskets and seals mostly) like to be used, meaning they last longer if oil gets to flow on and against them often. If not then they will get dry and eventually leak and fail.

Looks like you're going to have to make a choice: Drive the truck 50-100 miles a month to keep it operational, mothball it, or sell it. The reason the battery is always dead is it's been discharged so long that it won't hold a charge any longer; you need a new battery. The truck will continue to deteriorate with lack of use, so why not sell it and rent a truck for the few times you need one? Or join a membership car rental organization like ZipCar, if they're in your area.

We figure let the rental car business maintain and insure the cars for us. We use a car once every other month, and rent one when we need one. Renting is also great because you can always get a car the fits your needs...driving in nice weather? Get a compact...hauling something? Get a truck...winter? Get a Subaru. Renting is by far the most convenient and cheapest option if you use a car less than once a month. Otherwise, hold onto the truck, but oyu have to drive it at least once a week.

What about car insurance? Will I be penalized for not having any if I get rid of the truck?
I am told that joining a car share group keeps your insurance record "alive"

Do yourself a cost analysis. How much can you get for the truck? Add to that how much you spent last year on insurance and maintenance. How much rental time can you get for that? How often do you really need to rent? A vehicle that is not driven is going to deteriorate faster than one that is driven regularly, and quite often will cause a problem just when you need it most.

You do have the Vespa, keeping that insured and keeping your license current should negate the no insurance effect.

I would also inquire about the possibility of a non owner insurance policy. We have one of those for my son, he was listed on our policy as a occasional driver, but now has a policy of his own. To the best of my knowledge he hasn't driven in over 3 years, he also maintains his ZipCar account.

Aaron:)

You could probably rent a lot of cars -- or a truck at Lowe's, which offers them cheap if you only need it to haul something -- and come out ahead, once you do the math.

Insurance is a killer down where I live.

I gave my truck away and never looked back.

I almost never drive it. The only time I ever drive it is either to take my recumbent trike down to Ventura to ride with a recumbent bike club or to maybe once in a while haul something. Mostly I never drive it because I can't even start it because the battery is always dead.

I have this little thing plugged in to the battery that is supposed to keep it charged up, but it doesn't seem to work. So most times when I want to drive my truck, like to go on a job interview without messing up my hair, it just won't start.

I keep thinking about selling it but I hesitate because what if it turns out I need it? It's fully paid for. Will I be sorry when someday I need a car? What about car insurance? Will I be penalized for not having any if I get rid of the truck? I have a Vespa and that's insured. That's what I use when I don't want to use human power to get somewhere.

Should I sell my truck? Will I be sorry if I do? What's your experience?

Diane, Welcome back! I missed you these last couple years. What you been up to? :)

I say sell the truck. Put the money in the bank, and save it to buy another truck if you need one. If you haven't spent the money in a year, you clearly don't need a truck. Then you can use the money to buy a new catrike.


http://bikerescue.org/gallery/bike_id_227/returned/2007%20Catrike%20Road%20(blue).jpg

My uncle has an old pickup that everyone in the neighborhood uses when they need to. Everyone chips in for repairs and has access. It's like neighborhood car-share.

Only you can answer the questions you've raised. I also own a truck that's paid for and don't drive very much--about 72 miles a month or 4 round trips into town (by comparison, since adding electric assist to my bike in July, I've ridden it over 470 miles). That said, I have no intention of giving up my truck. Why? I buck and split my own fire wood--8 cords a year (this saves me considerable money, I have a forced air propane furnace, but propane here is high; it only cost $5 a cord to get a permit to cut from the forest service while all the "woodsmen" in the area charge over $150 a "truck load" and don't deliver a true cord); I pay for county dump services in my property tax so I haul my own trash rather than pay $35 a month to the local garbage collection company (I have large bear-proof barrels that take me 9 weeks to fill so I don't run to the dump that often), I have a fairly good range of large tools (table saw, etc.) and like to help friends and some of the not-for-profit groups out if they need it, I can put the tools in the truck and head out to lend a hand. I'm also in a rural area that has no mass transit so I need transportation of my own (there are no rental car companies here either--its that way for many people in small communities across the country). Good luck in making your decision. Just be completely honest with yourself when weighing the pros and cons.

nwmtnbiker - makes a lot of sense for someone in your situation to have a truck. In cities, it's easier to do without a car and it costs more to keep one. In rural areas, insurance is less, parking is probably free, labor-cost for repairs may be lower, etc. In rural areas, it's also (often) easier to make a few eco-friendly choices aside from the choice whether or not to own a car. Local food, heat from sustainable heat sources, etc.

I am told that joining a car share group keeps your insurance record "alive"

What happens when your insurance record is no longer alive. When ever you get another car- don't the insurance companies consider you high risk as if again you were a teenager.?

What truck is it? Year, make, model, trim?

Use a battery tender. They're one of the most well known trickle chargers out there. What brand trickle charger are you using now?

What happens when your insurance record is no longer alive. When ever you get another car- don't the insurance companies consider you high risk as if again you were a teenager.?

Insurance regulations vary so much by state and country that you really need to check with a local agent with specific questions.

If you almost never need it but yet you still want the cargo capability of a vehicle, it'd probably be wise to downsize to a car. Otherwise, if only you rarely need cargo capability, it would probably be most economical just to rent the vehicle you need when you need it. Vehicles tend to cost at least $3000 / year adding it up, and if you find you only need something 12 times a year (I need it about 1-2 times a year, and even then, I get a friend to do it.), a rental at $100 still puts you at least $1800/year ahead.

One of the nice things about large metropolitan areas is that tend to have vehicle sharing programs where you can rent a vehicle you need *very* cheaply. In my case, since I would only need it twice a year, I end up paying something like $80 for the year which is far cheaper than paying the insurance for a car for a month.

In regard to the battery, you may need to replace the battery due to it being used up (sulfated), recharge it if it just happens to be empty, or find out what is drawing power when the truck is turned off, and fix it. There could also be a possible connection issue, so check for terminal corrosion.

Note, if the battery has been dead for a long time, it's very unlikely you can revive it as lead batteries sulfate beyond repair when empty. In that case, you'll need to replace it.

I agree with the folks that recommend selling your car and renting when you need it.

The advantages are obvious. You can rent quite a lot simply with the money you will save from insurance, not to mention car payments and maintanance. I have a car that sits for months at a time like yours. Whenever I go to drive it, some maintanance issue pops up. I just sank another $600 in to it even though it almost never gets used!

Another advantage is that you can rent the type of automobile you need at that time. Sometimes you need a fuel efficient car for road-trips. Sometimes you need a truck for hauling stuff. Sometimes you need something sharp for a special evening. Sometimes you need a van for hauling groups of people. Renting gives you that flexibility.

Rember, however, that if you get rid of your car and cancel your automobile insurance, you will need to buy both the liability and the rental car insurance options which will add to the cost of the rental buy about $35.00 per day.

If I could afford and have a place for it I would keep it.
I would have a lot of money so losing 2,000 a year would even worry me.

I would take it camping if I owned one.

Nice to see you posting again.

You could probably rent a lot of cars -- or a truck at Lowe's, which offers them cheap if you only need it to haul something -- and come out ahead, once you do the math.

Insurance is a killer down where I live.

The only problem I've had with Lowe's is that they wanted some insurance when I rented for the two-hour haul. I don't think you can actually buy insurance with them.

I've got a philosophy in life that says: Once you've added a tool to the collection, you never give it up.

This is driven home about five years ago when I started cycling again, and realized that I'd given away my specialized bicycle tools to a kid who was starting his first job wrenching for a bicycle shop. At that time, I figured I was completely into motorcycles and would never touch a bicycle again.

Surprise, surprise.

A pickup truck is a tool. I've got one, a '96 Chevy S-10 with 145k on the clock. It gets used every two to three weeks, minimum, taking the trash to the local transfer station (three miles away - no, I'm not interested in doing repeated trips with a bicycle and trailer) and often bringing back a new toy for refurbishment (today's was a NordicTrack in very nice condition, so my workouts this winter when I can't cycle are now covered). I haul motorcycles when necessary, firewood, mulch, lumber, etc., etc., etc.

It's also transportation when I can't use a bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle - and don't want to take my car (it's a Porsche, yeah, I like a few toys) - because the weather is too lousy, the roads are too bad, or conditions are such that I'm only willing to go out in the one vehicle that won't make me cry if I wreck it.

According to a few opinions here, my truck use is such that I should be able to rent a vehicle for when I need it. Well, I need a truck often enough (there's that every two week minimum, and it's not always on the same day like clockwork) that going through the rental procedure is a pain.

Nah, I'll keep my tools. And in the case of the pickup, the minimal insurance, stabilized gas in the tank, and automatic use often enough to not worry about the battery going down, fuel injectors gumming up, etc., the cost is worth it.

Yes

I tend to look at it from the perspective of cost. If I didn't use my pickup enough to validate the ~$200/year in smog/reg/maintenance, plus the ~$30/month in insurance and whatever in gas when I actually use it, then I'd sell it or if I couldn't get enough from that (total beater) mothball it. I don't think you should sell it primarily because the battery looses a charge, since you should be able to get a float charger and two good used batteries from a junkyard for ~$60 or less, but if the costs of owning it outweigh the costs of renting another vehicle for your rides in Ventura and moving stuff, then I'd sell it if I could get decent money for it or PNO/mothball it if you think it would be worth having later and have the space to store it.