Could you live without your car?

[tomkat]

Cannot do without my car...public transportation in Alabama is very, very limited, as we have no big metropolis like New York. Even in our state capitol of Montgomery, public transportation is very, very limited at best.

[cercis]

After the hurricane I question whether i would want to be without my car. So many people who couldn't evacuate because they had no car and no means to get one. So sad.

I think I'll keep my car no matter where we move.

[Bruce Wayne]

In Britain this week there have been threats of fuel protests with petrol being blocked from reaching garages in protest to the high petrol prices here at the moment.

Despite the threats being largely groundless there has been alot of panic buying by the public and many garages are running out of petrol.

As this is such a minor situation I dread to think what would happen in a real fuel crisis.

[stone]

I preferred having a car but I recently moved into a city and decided to try life without one. It is not too bad becuase of good public transport but if I didn't live directly within a mjaor city I would most certainly purchase one.

[fultron]

No, but we did cut our car payments in half by selling one car and buying an older car for cash. My wife takes the baby in the new car and I use the 12-yr old strictly for driving to and from work. Not as comfortable, but it gets me where I need to be.

[cicy33]

I really think that unless you live in a large enough city that provides transporation you must own a vehicle. True if you are a SAHM you don't always have to have two of them but most areas don't have public transportation. One of our small towns does have cab service but try getting one! Especially at night. and I think there is only 1. We own 4 running vehicles and one that doesn't. my car, his truck, our van, and he has a 1970 Chevelle that he is going to restore.. someday. We only drive the van when we must take the kids somewhere. otherwise we try to take my car cuz it is the best on fuel.

[stone]

This thread made me think about the hybrid argument. the US is a SUV country, and me myself, I love the SUV for being big and comfortbale and I can move stuff around easily. But following all these gas hikes, I am considering a hybrid. Has anyone switched to a hybrid because of this gas shortage or anyone have a hybrid and not feeling as much in the wallet?

[german0955]

i could but I would have to sell my house and move downtown where I work. then I would have to rely on busses or cabs for shopping. so NO !! Can't do it...

[kashi]

I have to adjust my answer to this question now that I have moved and switched jobs. I take the bus to work now, and it is great! I now live within walking distance of a grocery store (not a great one, but a store nonetheless). I am basically within walking distance of a Target (although that walk would suck in the winter months). So, yes, I think I could live without my car. Will I? No. But it is getting used a lot less these days.

[cicy33]

As sad as it is to say, I would actually be worried about riding a bus and walking in a city. I live in a pretty rural area and we hear such horror stories, but I would be concerned about being mugged or bothered or something. I do love the privacy of my car.

[locolorenzo24]

I might as well, after driving my 84 wagon, but it is still a nice heated private fast thing that transports me. It provides some entertainment when the wipers start going or the turn signals go out, but all part of the joy of owning. I could walk to work, (except winters here in IL get damn cold!), the hard part would be trying to get to school with the work schedule/bus schedule together....Then having to wait for the bus a whole 2 hours, etc.....I guess I could, but if there is ever an emergency around me, I'm outta here, see ya in the forest...tough to get there walking...

[baselle]

Originally Posted by cicy33

As sad as it is to say, I would actually be worried about riding a bus and walking in a city. I live in a pretty rural area and we hear such horror stories, but I would be concerned about being mugged or bothered or something. I do love the privacy of my car.

I spent my childhood on a farm, and then promptly went to college on the south side of Chicago. I've been lucky but I've been aware. Remember that horror stories are often exaggerations; news reports have the rule that "if it bleeds, it leads." And, unfortunately, we hear of troubles in rural areas too.

[cicy33]

Originally Posted by baselle

I spent my childhood on a farm, and then promptly went to college on the south side of Chicago. I've been lucky but I've been aware. Remember that horror stories are often exaggerations; news reports have the rule that "if it bleeds, it leads." And, unfortunately, we hear of troubles in rural areas too.

I will definitely agree with you there! I don't feel comfortable walking anywhere by myself anymore. Isn't that a sad way to feel?

[ender513]

I could live without a car. I actually don't have a car now, but my BF has a car (we live together). His car makes some outings easier, but I still walk or take the bus for work and most errands.

I've thought about getting a car, primarily for convience purposes, but once I look at the cost of a car payment, insurance, and paying for parking it just doesn't really make sense.

Sometimes it can be annoying not to have a car, but it just means I have to plan a bit better. A good example is that I tend to do my grocery shopping on my way home from work . . . I just hop off the bus by the grocery store and then walk the three blocks home.

Also, I've always planned where I live around bus routes and the location of grocery and other stores. I can't imagine HAVING to drive to pick up a gallon of milk, but that's just been how I've structured my life I guess.

[crosses]

I could live without my car, but I wouldn't want to. I guess I enjoy the freedom it allows me that would be lost without one.

[abowers]

I was considering not buying a car (my car was smashed while parked on the street overnight in May)... moved in July... ended up buying a new car at the end of October.

I'm in NJ now -- so I was hoping to get a research job at Rutgers, that way I could take the train from princeton to new brunswick, and not deal with car payments, car insurance, gas, all the fun stuff. But the rutgers position wasn't available as soon as I was hoping, so I took my current job... which is only 4 miles away. But I need a car for the cold months. I rode my bike August through October, but now it's cold. So we got a second car.

[billybob]

I've decided to give up my car. I live in center city philadelphia, and I use it so rarely that it's not worth paying for insurance and repairs. So, I'm gonna sell it, and get like $2000. Then I'm going to sign up for Philly CarShare, a nonprofit group that lets you share cars. It will end up costing ma less per month than insurance, and I get to keep the 2K for selling my car, and not worry about maintenance. Also, I have a little motorcycle that gets me to most places I need to go

[BAGAGT1]

With my current living and work arrangements, I couldn't make ends meet without the car. I work 24 miles from home, and there is no public transportation for me to take. I could take the train to downtown Chicago then make a transfer to the northern suburbs, but that would add another hour to my already long commute.

[CJsoccerchic]

Funny how you think that if you live on a small island, you would think that you would not need a car, but since it's a HOT small island and things really aren't walking distance away, K-mart is 5 miles from me, the nearest store is a 3 minute walk - which is close to the dollar store, the video store, and the health food store. BUT that's the exception, without my car, I'd be lost!! Public transportation sucks when you are on a small island!

[Luv2shop]

We couldn't live without 2 cars. I could live without the car payment though
My kids are in sports and my fiance works all over with his job. I have 3 part time jobs. It would be too hard for us.