PotatoSlayer

I threw this in there and I figure my motorized friends are going to hit me pretty hard for my rant

https://www.facebook.com/note.php?sav...id=85221004316

Feel free to leave comments and add me to your buddy list if you see fit.

Going car free within a week!

PotatoSlayer

Here it is...

Here we go again..

Not nearly as bad as last year but still bad nonetheless. People *****ing about gas prices, people hoarding the station that is 3 cents lower per gallon, idling their cars waiting in line getting -ZERO- miles per gallon. And why?

I am on the verge of going car free. I realize I may be a bit extreme in my views but over the course of the past few years I have learned to really really hate cars. Not that I don't see their purpose, and not that I won't travel in one, but it is the most inefficent mode of transportation out there.

Within a week I will have either sold my car or junked it, and there is no in-between. I cannot explain the feeling I get when I think I will no longer have to worry about that piece of crap and worrying about oil changes, insurance, maintenance, and $100 an hour labor charges to fix the damn thing. I honestly feel like it's the ultimate diet plan, losing 2000 pounds in one day.

Maybe it's because of the amount of driving I've done. Maybe it's because of all the bull**** I've endured as result of cars over the years, or maybe it's just the fact that cars are the most inefficent and expensive way to travel. HANDS DOWN. (okay, maybe an airplane is worse, but someone else drives it) Sure, you can go fast in a car -- but how much time to you spend every year just paying for your car? How much of your paycheck goes just toward getting around?

I've been thinking about this because I've been looking into the cash for guzzlers program and I've actually considered buying a new car because of this. I looked at Hondas, Toyotas, Fords, GM's, and Dodges before I finally asked myself "WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?" Yeah, I can afford to buy the car, but then I have to register it, and insure it, and maintain it. How much would it cost? IF I go by monthly payment conservatively talking $300 a month to finance something that loses a lot of value. I might get $4500 from the government, but then I'm buying an $11000 pain in the ass.

To live the American dream of sitting in traffic getting pissed off, being slave to gas prices, and being at the mercy of those who know more about these motorized cages than you do.

I see all these pointless car commercials with the image of a car on an open road. Talk about fantasy land. The reality is that you'll use that car to sit in traffic, sucking in smog getting pissed off because you're not moving. Or getting pissed off about the price of gas. Or getting pissed off at the ******* in front of you whose turn signal has been on since 1955. Or sitting in a waiting room at Midas waiting for yet another oil change. Or being pulled over for speeding because you drove the same way they do in the commericials. That's the reality. And you're paying how much for the privilege?

If I want to pay to get pissed off and frustrated all the time I'll just subscribe to a podcast of Rush Limbaugh.

I get my bikes back tomorrow and that can't happen soon enough. I'm sick of driving, being a slave to gas prices and insurance companies. I get premiium parking wherever I go, excellent gas mileage, I never get stuck in traffic, get good cardio daily, lose weight without much effort, and overall feel less stressed. No matter how frustrating things get at work, it doesn't bother me on the days I ride in.

I'm not doing this as a 'holier than thou' moment I just honestly wish people would realize what a waste of money and natural resources owning a car really is. And honestly, not everybody needs a car. I constantly hear people *****ing about money and I will flat out ask them "Do you own a car?" "Yes." "That's your problem."

buy a cheap bike, walk.. hell you need the exercise, fatso!

Complaining doesn't lower gas prices. Neither does picketing. Protest in a way that is heard, WITH YOUR WALLET! DON'T BUY GAS! You hate the oil companies, you think they're gouging you? Then why do you give them so much of your hard-earned money.

Let's do a spreadsheet to get my point accross

The average hourly wage in the US is $12 an hour. multiply this times 40 hours a week X 4 weeks in a month = 1920.. and factor in 18% of that will be taxed -- $1574

Car payment: $300
Insurance: $100
Maintenance : $50 (if nothing major goes wrong)
Registertation: ($60 per 12 month period) $5
Gas - 1200 miles per month at 25 mpg - 48 gallons at $2.50/gal = $120

Total : $575

That's more than my current rent. And this is just so I can get to work? I could buy a workable road bike brand spankin' new every month for that.

I'm getting a ballpark figure of 36% of take home pay. Or maybe a better way to look at it, after taxes, $12 an hour is closer to $9.84. So in otherwords, that would mean you'd be spending about 58.5 hours a month just paying for transportation, what a rip off. That's a week and a half of working.

By comparison:

I have spent, including purchasing two bikes (one used, one new), all weather gear, maintenance, lights, reflectors, and a pair of shoes -- $900 in the past 12 months.

Maybe my point is that if we are truly in the such dire straits financially, people should reconsider the 'white elephant' in their budget.


Energy Independence requires energy intervention.

Roody

Yes you have the zeal of a new convert.

But maybe somebody will read your rant and realize that theri car isn't as valuable as they think it is.

n8ked_rider

I commend you. Your thinking correctly. I wish you success if you make the decision. I appreciate you putting the time into your facebook article as well as posting on here. Every article I read about car free get's me that much more closer to going free as well.

Good job!

gerv 

I'm amazed that so many new posters here are just saying "get rid of my car!" There's no cautious wait-and-see-what-it's-like or let-it-rust-in-the-driveway attitudes.

PotatoSlayer, has it just occurred to you that you are spending way too much money or are you just sick of being stuck in traffic? What was the straw that broke the camel's back?

PotatoSlayer

too much money? stuck in traffic? none of the above.

My car has been sitting, rotting, and leaking oil for a year now. It's rusted out, falling apart (there was a different recent thread where I wasn't sure I should keep it or not) and really does serve much purpose to me... THEREFORE I am getting rid of it. My wife has a car and I will have access to that if I need it.

I have been working on going more and more car free since last June and tomorrow is the day that I will make the jump.

KurtAV

Several problems with your "speadsheet":

• People making $12/hour don't pay anywhere near 18% in income tax; many pay no federal income tax at all unless they're part of a multi-earner household (they do pay payroll tax of 7.65%);
• Median 2-earner household income in the U.S. in 2007, for this purpose a better measure than the mean hourly wage of production workers, is ~$69,000/year;
• If the median cost of car ownership is ~$6,000/year/car that's 17% of income (there are some assumptions on my part for the $6K figure but I think it's pretty close);
• Using an effective tax rate of 19%, including Social Security, car ownership is about 21% of median take home income vs. the 36% you calculated.

Is 21% too much? For some, clearly yes.

Can you own a car or cars for much less than 21% of your after-tax income? I do; my cars cost me about 9% of my take-home.

Could I earn the money I do without a car? Not in the field I'm in.

Are the cars I own a net positive income-wise? By a big margin.

Is it worth it to me? At present, yes.

There are two sides to every coin.

mondaycurse

I don't think the people making $12/hour are getting cars with $300/month payments, although I'm sure there are exceptions.

Either way, have fun with a ton of extra money.

PotatoSlayer

the roughly 18% was the rough estimate of what has come out of my checks over the years -- which include Federal, SS, Medicare, State and Local taxes.

- I picked up a figure of $11.95/hr rate for 2007 for single earner income, that is where I got that. I was only looking at ballpark figures but I am fully aware income levels are highly subjective.

My main point is and has always been that cars are NOT a necessity, they are a luxury. Many people are set in their belief that you have to have a car, no matter what. And they use it as their only mode of transpotation to go two blocks down the road instead of walking.

I've never said cars aren't without purpose, I just think people abuse the privilege.

Platy

So today is the day. Wishing you fair skies, comfortable weather & moderate tailwinds both coming and going!

Roody

Pugdawg1

It must help to have the safety cushion of having a wife with a car. It's not totally cold turkey. I have a car, a little 97 geo metro. Paid off, insurance is tiny, registration is minimal, and very very economical. I do use it, but often I don't. Most times I tend to ride my bike to work, and for errands. It really doesn't cost me that much. It is an older car and if it does get something serious wrong with it, I probably wouldn't fix it or replace it. Still kinda in the process of 'weaning' myself off of it. I'll probably get there.. these threads help. Thanks for sharing.

lyeinyoureye

Or at least that PotatoSlayer paid out the nose when they had an auto.

KurtAV

There are way to many variables for blanket statements such as, "cars are not a necessity, they are a luxury" to be at all accurate.

And when did owning a car become a privilege? At whose discretion is the privilege granted?

PotatoSlayer

I'm coming from the viewpoint that "everybody" must have a car. That's the general view point of my co-workers, regardless of how far their commute is. Some live within a mile of work and still drive.. in that case it is a luxury pending you are able-bodied and able to walk it.

Or there are the cases where people chose far away homes making driving a necessity when if they were able to find a closer place would be wouldn't be victim to the rising costs of owning a car. You choose your commute, your commute doesn't choose you.

My old job had me travelling the lower 48 states travelling near 2000 miles a week in some cases. In this case, yes, a car was a necessity but in my off time I wouldn't drive it unless I had to. Hence, using the car in my off time was a luxury I had available to me, as I was able to walk or bike wherever I needed to go.

And "Abusing the privilege" is a figure of speech... would it have been better if I said "I'm not saying cars don't have a purpose... just some people use them more than they really need to."

I-Like-To-Bike

Translation: If YOU use a car when you wanted to it was a necessity, if anyone else used a car for something else it was a luxury.

PotatoSlayer

Translation incorrect, try again.

In the case of a realtor or a travelling salesman, or a contractor that has to carry equipment it IS a necessity. When I traveled for that job I couldn't have done it without a car, and I acknowledge that.

But unless you are in an occupation that requires ready, on-demand transportation that can carry heavy loads and travel long distances, chances are you could go car free or at least car lite. Or maybe just carpool.

Eirenna416

I couldn't get the FB link to work, but thanks for posting the rant here. I am actually just in the process of starting a car-free life myself, and monthly costs are a huge part of it! Although, being 370 lbs and living in a windy and often frozen section of wyoming, it is going to have challenges! Hoping to get a bike by this weekend!

Platy

Welcome to the Living Car Free forum! I'm well into the clydesdale range too, plenty of us on BikeForums.

gwd

Well, in drivers ed back in high school that is what the instructor taught us. The
privilege was granted at the discretion of the state. You had to be quite a flagrant violator of the rules to have the privilege revoked, but it could be revoked. I think revocation is easier today than back then with the stricter drinking and driving rules.

Pugdawg1

Ouch that would be hard... I used to live in Wyoming and remember those winters. We lived on a farm northeast of Moorcroft. My dad worked for a coal mine outside of Gillette. Winters could be long and brutal!

tadawdy

I sold my car when i moved to chicago a year ago. couldn't be happier with the decision. My gf does have one, but I haven't had an instance of actually needing it. Being car free is much easier when public transit is widely available. Those living out in the middle of nowhere would have a much harder time, i think. i live pretty near everything i need on a daily basis.

My gf was talking to another student about how she bikes to school almost every day (she takes the train otherwise). It's only about 3 miles each way, but it still counts. His response: "You're riding on the road?" and he lives about one mile, which he drives eac h day. Parking permits alone are $600 a quarter.

cerewa

People who think everybody must have a car should check out the living conditions of the 90% of the world's population that is car free. It's not as miserable as you might think!

Roody

Not to mention, check out the 20% of people in big American inner cities who are carfree--whether by choice or not. Somehow they seem to get by--and surveys show that except for the truly impoverished, they are just as happy as people living the high life wit three SUVs.

gerv 

I have friends -- a couple in their 40s -- who moved to Chicago a while back. Seems like they still have a car, but it spends most of its time being parked on the street. With snow clearing and just the general problem of always keeping an eye on the car, I'm suprised they kept it. Still, people evolve differently. Your girlfriend's friend, for example, just can't see the light of day.... and probably doesn't understand how easily walkable a mile is.

Everyone evolves, but only the fittest endure.