Here's my situation. My wife and I are seperated. We have a 4yo daughter. We live in a pleasant surburb just north of Chicago. I usually bike to work or to the train when I need to go into the city and use the family car for shopping and taking/picking up my daughter from preschool.

She's going to get the family car, which is fine with me. I've been biking more and more and it's feeling really good (haven't used the granny gear in weeks!), but I'm worried about winter coming. For those of you not the Chicago area, winters here are long, cold and snowy. Last year I biked to work until mid-December, then used the car until late March. I predict I will want to do the same this winter, so I'm thinking about buying a cheap used car for myself. I just don't know if I want to shell out a payment every month.

Anyone want to talk me out of it? Talk me into it? Should I look into renting a car during the winter months? What are some of you doing in this situation?

Many thanks in advance.