find an alternative to owning a car

Currently I live in a area where owning a car is almost a necessity. I want to find an alternative. I’ve owned about 5 cars in 3 years with all lemon-like problems. I’ve spend well over $20,000 not including the cost of insurance and it seems that most of the time I’m working just to cover the cost of owning the car and going back to work. I don’t want to be a slave to my car and it’s costs anymore. I am technically borrowing my dad’s car for getting groceries on the weekend, but other than that I have not been using the car, I’m hoping I can increase my lack of reliance to an absolute zero in about a years period when I move to a new location. Wish me luck!

...in Detroit?
This will require some creativity i think.

As of tonight I am no longer a car owner. I sold my 2000 VW New Beetle, which I got brand new nearly seven years ago, to a co-worker. Flexcar meets my needs when I run errands, visit friends and family, and travel around the area.

I thought for a while about this decision before proceeding. From a purely economic perspective it made a lot of sense to sell my car: I don’t drive very often, so many months I was paying hundreds of dollars for parking, insurance, depreciation, and maintenance to just have the car available on a moment’s notice. Now I can save much of that money and I don’t have to worry about maintaining a car of my own. Some of the people with whom I discussed Flexcar were offended at the thought of not owning a car. It seems un-American not to own a car, and to join a car-sharing program seems so collectivist it might as well be Communist.

I’ll be following my own progress to see how the transition goes over the next year. Today also marks the first anniversary of my arrival in Seattle, so it’s as good a time as any to start another crazy scheme.

I sold my car several years ago due to financial hardship. At the time I intended to buy a car as soon as I could afford one, but now I’m not thinking about it at all. Here’s some tips:

• Invest in a good, strong backpack. Since you won’t have a trunk to cart things around in, you’ll need some way to carry items when you go shopping. Do spend the money to get a large, strong backpack. Get one that has chest & waist straps, as they help distribute the weight properly so you won’t strain your back. I have a JanSport because they offer lifetime guarentees, but there’s plenty of other brands that do as well. If you can’t carry a backpack, then consider getting a grocery cart or a rolling backpack/small suitcase.

• Live in an area with good public transportation. I’m lucky enough that my condo is a mere block from the bus stop. The bus here doesn’t run nearly as often as I’d like, but it gets me where I want to go, most of the time.

• Do your shopping as you’re out and about. I do a lot of quick shopping on the way to/from work, stopping in nearby stores. I also pop into the grocery store across the street from my Saturday commitment. Where are the places you go often? Get to know the stores in those areas, so you can stop in them.

• Join a car-sharing program. I’m in Flexcar, and I adore it. It allows me to stay out late if I need to, or go shopping for bulk items, or run about town visiting far-flung stores. The prices are very reasonable, especially since gas and insurance is included! You can use the car for an hour, or for days. Zipcar is another such program.

• Learn to plan ahead. When you have a car, you can easily jump in it anytime you want to do a quick errand. Sometimes you can still do that-I can easily walk over to K-mart or Walgreens on the spur of the moment-but living carless means having to plan ahead. When does the bus come, and how long will it take me to get where I’m going, and what time do I need to finish my errand to catch the bus home?

• Learn to be patient & flexible. Sometimes, even if you plan ahead, things go wrong—you miss your bus by minutes, or you’ve spent time traveling to the health club to go swimming only to find their pool is closed (this just happened to me). It can be frustrating when things go wrong, especially if you have to wait a long time for the next bus/train. What I do in times like these is have an impromptu adventure. If I miss the bus, I’ll catch one to the mall to go shopping or pick up dinner. Or I’ll check out all the stores in a nearby strip mall.

• Have a contingency plan. I’ve been nearly stranded a few times when I’ve missed the last bus by mere minutes. My backup plan is to walk over to the nearby taxi stand and catch a cab. That costs me $20 to get home, though, so I’ve got to make sure I have the funds available just in case. Make sure you have some money set aside for unexpected cab rides. Or maybe there’s someone you can call to pick you up if you get stranded.

• Check the weather forecast every day. When you’re relying on your feet or public transportation to get you about, it’s important to know what the weather will be like so you can properly dress. Do check the weather forecast every day. If you live in a cold climate, know how to dress for it—layers of light clothing work better than bulky coats. Carry extra clothing, just in case. I usually carry a light jacket even in summer.

I work as a designer, and for me the whole car issue is a simple matter of ‘designing’ the need for a car out of my life. I do this by carefully choosing where I live, work, and play, eliminating the need to commute as I go.

And hell, car sharing networks make the decision not to own a car so easy.

I can’t think of a better place to live out the New Urbanist dream than my current home, Vancouver, BC!

I am looking forward to moving to Seattle and signing up for Flexcar. I have been visiting Seattle, looking for a place to live, and I would have used it, but I have a PO Box and not a street address, so I can’t sign up yet. Patience. Patience.

Here’s a copy of a review I wrote to another site back in August. Evidentially, I’m not the only person who has had this problem with this car.

When they say 100,000 miles they mean it.

I bought my KIA around Memorial Day in 2001. The first week I had it the airbag light went on. I brought it back into the dealership. They “fixed” it but guess what? I got into a car accident two years later and the air bag didn’t go off. Those were the only problems I had until this past weekend.

The engine up and died this weekend. I just had the 100,000 mile tune up a couple of months ago even though it hadn’t quite hit 100,000 miles. It was running a little rough but after the tune up it was fine. Then this weekend I was driving along the highway and lost the steering and the brakes. Yeah, that was fun trying to get over to the break down line with minimum steering and no brakes. I nearly hit a sign. Thank God I didn’t crash into anything or anyone. This car has or had 101,000 miles and some change on it. It just reached 100,000 last month. I am thankful that I wasn’t hurt that night.

My mechanic said it isn’t worth fixing. A new engine would cost $3,000.00. This car is just 4 years old!!

Recommended:
No

1. Feet
2. Bus
3. Cab
4. PONY!

Get a motorbike.

To be fair, not having a car is something I’ve planned for, or at least been aware that it would be my lifestyle since I was a kid. My mother drove everywhere, my father boycotted and took transit everywhere. I’m lucky to live in Toronto with this goal. The streetcars/subway and even the buses go everywhere! Good walking shoes have served me well also. Growing up that way helps too, since knowing how to get around was just part of being a kid.