Could you live without your car?

[mungo j rumpy]

Read a book call 'Blood and Oil' by Michael Klare and you might change your mind.

In 20 years America will be importing almost all of its Oil.
Not a powerful position to be in.

Hence Bush's aggressive foreign policy.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by mungo j rumpy

In 20 years America will be importing almost all of its Oil.

Isn't this already the case??

[Ima saver]

No way, could I live without a car. We have 4, 2 are considered antique. I live out in the country and there are no cabs or buses within 100 miles. It is almost 5 miles (one way) to the nearest grocery store. We use to live about 20 miles away from here, and it was 15 miles one way to town.

[shelbylovesmelby]

We can't live w/out a vehicle of some sorts. Though, we buy used because I don't go anywhere too often to bother paying full price & a car payment. Afterall I only fill my gas tank usually 1-2x a month

Dh will be living with out his car this summer. He bought a moped last year.... it gets him to work 3-4 days a week for under $5 in gas. VS paying $40 to fill up the van. In the end the moped will pay for itself by the end of next summer.

[acezz4e_tish]

we dont have mta here, only one private cab co, so i could not. i have to drive kids to school as i live across the street from where they stop. buses dont do dirt roads here. id rather take them anyway i feel more secure watching them walk in and being there for them when they come out. the private cab would charge 5 dollars for each school. this year i have 2 schools, in two years, ill have 3 schools. so right now it would be ten dollars each way, 20 a day in all. i think using my own vehicle is far more frugal. thats 7300 approx a year! egaaaaads. well not quite but my kids do go to summer school too, they go to school from august - july. one month off. so at least 6,500 in expenses over a year. i paid 5,000 for my 98 windstar.lol. ive had 3 expenses other then gas/oil change/tuneup. the serpentine for some reason keeps shifting til it splits and cuts the belt. its not a big expense, 75 dollars in all each time. Dave and my dad do thier own work on the vehichles and helping each other saves time and ummmmm cussing.lol

[ioana]

I do not have a car unfortunately and I have never had

[acezz4e_tish]

why not if u dont mind me asking? its three miles to town for me and i live on a truck bypass, its caled 412, so if you travel midwest, ud know the road, i wouldnt want to walk it. too risky. when i was a teenager, someone clipped my bike, i woke up and didnt remember where i was, two guys with a vw were there and helping me get up, i still dont know if they are the ones that hit me or not, but that was dequindre near the end at yates, ,like 25 mph there,if you can get hit there, a truck bypass at 60 is worse. im very careful in my car, im not a sunday driver,lol, but im always careful. i think im alot safer then walking it or biking it. theres no overpass for walking or nothing, its just str8 blacktop, no sidewalks either. i dont think i could go anywhere w/o a car here.

[simpleselu]

We could due to where we live, but it would be very time consuming to get me to work (I don't drive at all, but DH drops me off). We do walk or use the bus (free) quite a bit now that gas is so spendy.

[pearlieq]

It may be possible, but it would be incredibly costly and difficult.

We live in the quintessential American suburban sprawl neighborhood. It's 10 miles to my grocery store, 5 miles to a restaurant, and about 8 miles to the nearest bus stop.

I would need to rely on taxis quite a bit, which are expensive and unreliable. We have a bus transfer to a train station, so I might be able to find medical care somewhere along the train lines, though it would take me about 2 hours to get there.

I COULD do it, if I had to, but it would be miserable

[getforfree]

No, we couldn't . Neither me or my dh would be able to do our jobs. My job includes driving as part of the work, and I get reimbursed for miles. Dh gets reimbursed for some of his too. We would have to look for different jobs.

[ummabdullah]

I don't have a car at the moment.. and I am miserable. My husband works long hours and when he arrives home at night he is absolutely exhausted. One could say I live near all local shops ... within 1 mile of my home and could walk there in about 10-15 minutes. Yet I have found that without a car I am unable to make major purchases or source cheaper items. That pushing 2 children around in a buggy leaves me exhausted when I arrive home and unable to clean the house. And I am not able to help out my friends in need (such as give them a cleanup for the house or cook a good meal when they fall ill.) Plus My daughter has never been to the library (due to lack of time.. ) and I would love to get her in a playgroup.

I also find shopping really difficult .. because I can only carry so much. And I seem to spend more money.. going to the store everyday.. than when my husband on the very rare occasion can get me to a major supermarket.. I should probably add that shops around here close by 7pm before my husband makes it home.
I would love to take the kids to activities as well. And to have a chance to pursue my own interests. Perhaps dropping the kids off at a friends so they can watch them for free.
On the weekends my husband has to take care of his ill mother and she likes to see the kids at least 1 day a week. We only have 1 day together.. and we have loads to get on with.. HOwever, I try to keep it relaxing so my husband can refresh himself after a long week.

so yes I think a car is a neccessity.. with kids.. and I am definately going to buy one.. even if I have to forego a house.

[tabbycat31]

I couldnt live without my car. We have mass trasnit, but it's expensive. Also I don't feel safe riding in cabs (some of the cabbies are the worst drivers I have ever encountered)

[PauletteGoddard]

I might be able to live without a car. Motorcycle, bicycle, and car-sharing program and buses and cabs. But having a four-year-old practically makes a car a necessity right now: it's illegal for me to take him as a passenger on my motorcycle, and a bicycle just doesn't have storage. Maybe I need a Radio Flyer wagon for our walks to the drugstore and supermarket.

[Ima saver]

I could get by without a car if i had to, and just wait for dh to take me shopping at night. He could not get by with out his work van. all his tools are in it, plus he picks up all his building materials in that van. No van, no work. No work, no eat!

[Koppur]

Nope. Couldn't get to work. I work about 30 miles from where I live, too expensive for a cab, and the buses don't run there. Where I live we have very limited bus services, no train or subway. I'd have to walk everywhere, and some palces, like work, are just too far. And there really aren't any office/professional jobs near where i live...I have to go to a bigger city a bit aways.

[jacquelynrose]

My car is Paid for....It is a 1990 Toyota Camry and I LOVE the way it runs! I am a Single Mom with a Toddler and to BARELY be getting a car at my age (24) it is a nice thing to have...and I am VERY THANKFUL to FINALLY have it! (I didn't get my License until I was 21) So no I couldn't

Jacquelyn