Ozrider

I have an '05 Madone 5.2 that I keep in top condition. I have upgraded many of the components. It is worth around $3,500 to $4,000, I have been told. Carbon fiber frame and fork, Dura Ace, etc.

I drive an '00 Toyota Camry that has a blue book value of around $3,500. Great car, but it has dings and dents and the rear brakes need replacing.

I guess that tells you where my priorities are.

Anybody else in the same boat?

Machka 

For 7 years I didn't own a motorized vehicle at all.

I've owned one now for about 10 months, and yes, my main bicycle cost more than the car did. but if I could figure out a way to manage without the car ... believe me, I would!! Maybe in a couple years I can be car-free again.

pedex

what is this car thing you speak of?

Step Down

I have an 98 volvo which has a blue book value less each of all 5 of my bikes.

Percist

That which transports the bike to and from out of town group rides and races.

06 Madone 5.2 cost about the same as my 95 Saturn SL2 (loaded, perfect cond.) is worth.

branman1986

I've got a P3 and a '91 POS Ford F150...

it's not my normal driver, does it still count?

ElJamoquio

Last three vehicles purchased, in total, is within $50 of my bike.

smoke

reminds me of a bike ad that used to be in the magazines. i forgot whose ad it was. it had a great-looking bike on a roof rack attached to a clunker. the ad began:

"if you own a car and make payments on a bike..."

always struck me as funny. okay, i guess you hadta be there

ivegotabike

no car

Machka 

Oh .... you mean "airplane"!!

grebletie

My car's roof rack is worth more than the car.

531Aussie

count me in: 1992 Aus EBII Ford Fairmont, 4.0L

I'm too scared to find out what it's worth -- it'd depress me.
Maybe $3000 Aus if I'm lucky. In 1995 the car was $20,500, but loan interest and
wheel & lowering mods meant the total cost ended up being about $27,000 !

Ernesto Schwein

The vehicle I drive the most in the winter months is bluebooked less than any of our 3 bicycles.

pedex

aaaaaaaaaah, oh that, ya friends have those but I'm glad I don't, I think I rode in one last summer sometime, its been awhile

VegaVixen

*raisin' hand*

The purchase price of my '06 Scott CR1 SL (bought at discount in '07, mind you) is greater than the Blue Book value of my '93 Honda Accord SE. Thank goodness the city/county doesn't have a bicycle tax!

smoke

this was true until last fall, when the timing belt broke on my '94 honda prelude

Patrickag

Don't own a car atm, does that count?

Jay Gloab

Kelley says my '97 Mazda 626 with 193K miles is worth $1840; I paid $1350 for my '06 Felt F55 a month ago. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this.

Wasatch

OK--for those of you who don't own a car, I gotta ask: How do you go grocery shopping, to the hardware store, etc? Do you have to bother a friend or family member for a ride, or do you live close enough to those things that you can walk home with two hands full of grocery bags? Just curious.

pedex

3300 cubic inches

Machka 

During the 7 years I did not own a car ....

-- I lived about 1 km from the nearest grocery story. So I walked up, bought as many groceries as I could carry, and walked home again. It was a great way to keep my weight down because I might be tempted to buy junk food, but if I needed real food and then couldn't carry the junk food, I didn't buy the junk food.

-- Once or twice a year, I would make use of a shopping service or take a taxi home with a larger quantity of groceries. That's when I would stock up with things like large buckets of laundry detergent, big bags of kitty litter, massive quantities of toilet paper, etc.

-- Occasionally (like maybe once or twice a year) I would rent a car for a particular weekend so I could participate in a particular event out of town, and I'd stock up on groceries that weekend too.

-- I lived on two bus routes. One took me around to a collection of big box stores where I could pick up other, non-grocery stuff. The other took me to a small mall which didn't have a lot of stuff, but I'd visit it once in a while. I also learned the bus routes for the entire city so I could go anywhere in the city if I wanted. My LBS was 20 kms away on the other side of the city ... I'd cycle there, drop off my bicycle for some work, and take the busses home. Then a couple days later, I'd take the busses to the shop, pick my bicycle up and cycle home.

-- For out of town trips, if the destination was less than about 100 kms, I cycled. More I might rent a car or arrange to carpool. Even more, I'd fly. I'd often cycle up to beaches about 100 kms away, go for a swim, then cycle home again on a hot summer day.

-- During those 7 years I re-furnished my apartment. I talked a friend into helping me pick up my TV. I used the delivery service when I bought my sofa and deep freeze so I didn't have to bother any friends. I brought my kitchen table and two chairs home on the bus ... in two trips that evening ... one for the table, and one for the chairs. I brought home lawn chairs the same way, and three large ficus trees. When I brought home the chairs the people on the bus were all joking with me about bringing my own chair on the bus instead of using the bus benches.

-- I also have cats, one of whom is diabetic and I needed to take him to the vet quite frequently in the early years of those 7 years. I used a pet taxi service for a while, and when that was no longer available, I used regular taxis.

It may seem daunting at first, but once you get into the swing of it, and become aware of what services are available to you, it becomes quite easy. And adding up the few taxis, car rentals, and busses I used, the total didn't come anywhere near what it costs to own a vehicle!!

Right now my job is 20 miles away ... in the summer that's not bad, and I've started commuting out there by bicycle, but in the winters here, I can't cycle that route. It's way too dangerous. And there are no busses or any form of public transportation out there. So I'm pretty much forced into a position where I have to own a vehicle. In the fall my commute will become about 100 miles each way. I won't be able to cycle that each day even if the weather was good, so I have to keep my vehicle for a little while longer. But my hope is that soon, I'll get back into the situation I was in for those 7 years.

ovoleg

my car is worth more, and its also used quite a bit.

I need my car to get me to school and work and it carries books and all sorts of stuff I need.

Pasqually

I bought a new van today, vw t5 multivan tdi. You guys in the USA dont have the t5's yet, if ever. The base model t5 is around $68-70K and you can have them up to around $95k on the road.

So the answer is no for me. But cars are dirt cheap in the USA, 2nd hand ones are almost gifts.

My bike was about the same as my last (used) peugeot car though.

urbanknight

There's a key word there. Not only is her bicycle worth more than her car, but she has a COLLECTION of bicycles on top of that.

My car is depreciating more quickly than my bike, but it's still worth more according to KBB

vic32amg

well t depends. I have a BMW M3 but Never really drive it because my sentra has a hitch and bike rack. so yes my bikes are easily worth more than the sentra. Should probably sell the M3.