Originally Posted by
InOmaha
I'll give you that. I got the car for free and my company paid for the gas to go to and from a project site for a couple of years so my commute costs were zero. The overall cost was higher but not to me. I sold it for what I spent on repairs and some of the insurance. 8 cents a mile at 15,000 miles was roughly $1,200. That was my out of pocket non recouped cost of ownership for 3 years.
However, I'm not here to pursuade anyone to get a car, so I'll stop. $1,200 would buy a nice bike.
In my absolute best case scenario, we'd still need a car (or to rent one) and drive 2 to 3 thousand miles a year based on how we travel to see family. But there isn't a living car lite forum.
Well, I give you credit for your heroic thrift. I'm not here to persuade anyone to give up their car, either (it wouldn't help to preach to the choir, and ILTB, anyway). I'd just like to poke people into looking at the true cost, and considering that their budget might be freed to do more important things for them without a car, or with one instead of two. It's pretty much impossible, though. You might as well tell them to live in the woods and eat berries.
I have a $1200 bike. I don't know if it's nice, but it serves me well, and has for many thousands of miles (300 in one day last year!).
