ezdoesit

Thought I would post this here for all to read I found it very interesting article hope you do to.

https://money.msn.com/car-buying/save...-freedman.aspx

I apologize if this has been posted before.

Roody

The typical carfree article tells of a reporter who was assigned to give up his car cold turkey, with no advance preparation and little motivation, who predictably fails and declares that carfree is impossible for the typical American.

This article was a refreshing change, since the writer was carfree of her own volition, and gave it an entire year before judging whether it worked for her.

Overall, I liked the article, although she may have overstated how much money she saved by being carfree.

Dahon.Steve

When I first started posting in 2001, the cost of owning a new vehicle varied between 3 to 5 thousand dollars tops. Today, it's now over 10 thousand dollars for an SUV. Incredible. In just 10 years, the cost went up over 5 thousand dollars so you can just imagine what the price will be in the next 10 years. It's scary to even think of putting yourself in a position where you spend that much money for transportation.

If you're car free, consider yourself lucky.

Smallwheels

I hope millions of people read that article. It would have been great if she had found several more examples of other people living without cars. Telling multiple stories about people who have given up their cars is an effective way to convince people that it is possible, especially if the people aren't all in their twenties living in downtown New York City.

Hippiebrian

This woman just makes me smile...

It was nice to finally read someone state that one of the reasons that Americans think they cannot live without a car is automobile advertising. Advertising is more seductive than we realize sometimes.

dcrowell

Doesn't the cost of car ownership vary a *lot* per individual?

When I was young and poor, I always had a running car, yet there were years I didn't earn $6000. I certainly didn't spend most of it on the car. In fairness, I didn't drive much and gas was cheaper.

A few years ago, I drove 20000 miles per year (at least) and drove a car I had bought new. It was an inexpensive car, but still.... payments & insurance add up. $300 alternators are no fun either.

So an upper-middle-class household with three nice cars including a sports car and an SUV will spend substantially more.

I'm not giving up car-ownership for financial reasons, although many do. I'm doing it as a lifestyle choice. The financial benefit is just an added benefit.

Roody

I believe that more money is spent on advertising cars than any other product. That's one thing that makes them so expensive. I don't thiink automakers would spend that money if they didn't believe it was effective.

bragi

I think the author's estimates of car ownership expenses are exaggerated. I simply can't believe that most people could tolerate spending 8-10 thousand per year on their car. I spend maybe $2000 per year on mine, and I regard even this amount as a pretty stupid (and largely unnecessary) indulgence.

Newspaperguy

Subtracting all the costs of car ownership is only part of the picture. Going car-free means spending money on other transportation alternatives. Bicycles have initial costs and regular maintenance costs. Shoes wear out. Transit passes add up. Taxis aren't cheap. An out-of-town trip by bus or train must be factored in.

If a car costs $10,000 (a figure which seems high for those of us who prefer driving used cars) then doing without is not just a matter of saving $10,000. The actual amount is less.

Roody

I know you to be a rational person, so I'm sure you have a reason for having the car. I just don't know what the reason is.

gerv 

Yeah but bicycle brake shoes cost a fraction of a car's and are pretty simple to install yourself. Likewise, I can get a bus pass in Des Moines for $50 that will get me anywhere on the system for a month. That's $600 a year. Even an old junker that you rarely use is going to cost more than that... and probably a lot more.

I know my bicycles do cost me more that $50, but I'm pretty sure no more than $100

Newspaperguy

Good point, Gerv.

Vancouver's most comprehensive monthly transit pass — the one that covers all zones of the transit service — is $151 a month for an adult. That's $1,812 a year. A lot cheaper than using a car, but there's a cost to it.

If someone ditches the car but gets a monthly pass, the savings must be calculated by subtracting the costs of car-free transportation from the costs of car transportation.

If the car costs $5,000 a year and the costs of transit passes and bike maintenance are $2,000, then losing the car is worth $3,000 a year. That's pretty impressive, but it's not the same as claiming a $5,000 gain. If the car-free transportation includes bus or train travel for out-of-town trips, or if it includes car rentals and taxi fees, those costs must also be considered. Again, car-free living certainly saves money, but not necessarily as much as the author of the article suggests.

I'm using the Vancouver figures since that's the major city closest to where I live. In other cities, the transit costs and the costs of car ownership will differ.

Roody

Here a 31 day bus pass only costs $30, or less than $360 per year. But I don't buy a pass because I don't ride the bus often enough to make it pay. Likewise, the author of the article said "I sometimes use the bus" so she probably doesn't need a pass either.

CarFreeFam4

Bus passes here run $10 per month. Our transit system is quite inadequate (as the price would indicate) so we rarely use it. We set aside $20 per week to cover all transportation expenses. That includes bus/train fares, bicycle repairs, accessories, the odd car rental, walking shoes and rain gear. It's more than sufficient, so our expenses as a car free family run just a smidgen over $1,000 per year. Transportation of any kind is not free, it's just that not using a car for regular transport ends up being significantly less expensive.

bragi

Even rational people make irrational decisions sometimes. I should sell the car because I hardly ever use it, but I don't, because on those very rare occasions that I actually "need" it, it's just so much more convenient than using my wits...

Roody

Then you just have to chalk the car up as a luxury. Nothing wrong with that--as long as you know the price and you're willing to pay it. I bet most car owners don't really "need" a car any more than you do, but they don't understand that they could do without it.

Newspaperguy

Since I cut down on my car use, I've noticed how much I appreciate my own community and region for the things it offers. We're not Vancouver or Toronto or New York, but we have our own cool events and activities going on right here. I'm also noticing how a trip out of town has become a special treat. Even if I'm going 60 kilometres down the road for something, I try to make the most of that occasion.

Roody

One thing I always loved about BC is how the citizens take an interest in the history, geography, and wildlife of their province. When traveling there, I always heard interesting stories and facts about the region. People in Michigan are a like that also, but people in some areas just don't seem to have much appreciation for their state or province.

I remember one time somewhere in southern BC, a guy at a roadside park told me about the tunnel I had just driven through. He said that two road crews dug the tunnel in from both ends and planned to meet in the center. The night before they were to meet, the chief engineer recalculated and discovered that they wouldn't meet, and he had wasted millions of dollars. He was so ashamed that he committed suicide that night. Of course, the next day the wo digging parties did meet as planned, and the engineer killed himself for nothing. That is a very cool story, and just one of dozens of cool stries I heard while traveling in British Columbia.

cycleobsidian

Same here.