Originally Posted by ScottCommutes

I didn't read the whole thread.

I don't own a car for my own needs, but my wife certainly has one.

I will warn you that biking is expensive for a lot of reasons. Prices are higher because they don't sell as many bike parts as car parts. Parts aren't as durable because they have to be small and lightweight. I would look at an older bike that you can learn to maintain yourself and still easily find parts for. I would highly recommend a second entire bike just for redundancy when you are waiting on parts or repairs. My first year without a car I probably spend $1000 US on bike stuff that I didn't expect - winter clothes, rain clothes, tires, winter tires, tubes, a repair stand, tools, lights, safety gear, repair work, parts, racks, etc. The calories to power biking have to be paid for. Crashing a bike can be more expensive than crashing a car if you account for the possibility of more lost time at work.

Biking does get cheaper once you get the hang of it. Many things only need to be purchased the first year. In addition to doing repairs myself, I've learned how to scour sales for discount gloves, discount tires, discount chains, etc.

I would suggest that you do it. Bikes today have never been better - LED lights, computerized route finding, lightweight frames, e-bikes - so many advances. You can also get most stuff delivered right to your door so you don't have to lug as much stuff home. There's also Uber and such nowadays.

The bike will also force you to save money by simplifying your life. You won't meet up with a girl and spend a bunch of money on dinner and drinks because the ride will be a bit too far. Instead, you'll stay home cleaning chains, adjusting brakes, and patching tubes.

One downside - if you have tons of free time and marketable skills, the bike will make it harder than the car to work more jobs and earn more money.