Is anyone here living auto free? [Archive]

gimmethesimplelife

1-12-20, 1:18pm

Just curious as I have for a number of years and at this point I could not seeing adding the expense and hassle of a car to my life.

Perhaps in my case it's easier to do so than for many. I do live very close to downtown and have shorts walks to three major bus routes and everything I really need is within reasonable walking distance - amazing in this example of relentless auto based urban sprawl that Phoenix is.

How does anyone else here make being auto free work for them? Rob

bae

1-12-20, 1:35pm

It would be very difficult where I live, as it is quite rural and there is basically no public transportation.

Plenty of people who live within our village manage without cars, but they have to borrow or rent one for any errands outside of town.

I'm a ways out of town, and manage to use my bicycle for most things these days, even for mainland expeditions, but that requires a certain amount of committment.

Teacher Terry

1-12-20, 1:37pm

Our bus system is terrible. We have 2 cars now but if 1 dies we could manage with one. The grocery store walking distance to our house is super expensive. Plus we buy a month’s worth at a time.

catherine

1-12-20, 2:09pm

No way. I can't be without a car in Vermont. That being said, I have two sons who live in Burlington, VT and they don't have cars. One of them takes a bus to work in the winter and rides his motorcycle to work in the summer. The other son can walk to his job in less than 10 minutes. I think Burlington also offers zip cars in case they need to drive out of town--at least they used to.

ApatheticNoMore

1-12-20, 4:58pm

The thread on walking distance made me think about what is possible as far as errands nearby. There's even a gym within walking distance but I like super low key gyms without ridiculous contracts and so go to a different gym ... so we get down to some of the businesses nearby aren't those I'd rather frequent :treadmill:. Others are ok. I've been combining gym with groceries as far as driving.

But that's just businesses and shopping, the real reason no way I'd give up a car entirely, short of a much better public transportation system (!), is about survival, as in ability to get to jobs including to get to job interviews (if you move for jobs you would be constantly on the move and even then hard to move on 2 weeks notice) and seeing people.

Teacher Terry

1-12-20, 5:21pm

If I lived in a big city with good transportation I would take it as I hate driving.

happystuff

1-13-20, 7:54am

We couldn't go car free, but I keep wondering if I'm too old to bike to work (5 miles one way, but part is rural route/busy road). DH is definitely against it, but I still haven't let go of the idea. We'll see. Otherwise, still couldn't/wouldn't be without a car as it really is the only way to see/get together with extended family - a definite "must" in my life.

iris lilies

1-13-20, 9:57am

That is cool, Rob, that you go carless. No doubt you put in many steps a day, good for your health.

A related questions is: how many households here with more than two people have just one car? There is a couple nearby who have had only one car between them.Now they are retired but they did the one car gig while they were working as well.

catherine

1-13-20, 10:31am

A related questions is: how many households here with more than two people have just one car? There is a couple nearby who have had only one car between them.Now they are retired but they did the one car gig while they were working as well.

I don't think my marriage would last if DH and I had to share a car. He likes his "rig" (pick-up truck); I like my Prius. He smokes in his rig; God forbid he smokes in my Prius. I'm very punctual and reliable if I say I'll be somewhere at a certain time; he just goes where the wind blows him and I'd be worried all the time that he wouldn't be back in time with the car so I could be on time for a meeting or an appointment.

No way could we do with just one car. I'll manifest my "simple life" in other ways. NOTE: We did have one car between us for many years and IT SUCKED for all the reasons mentioned.

iris lilies

1-13-20, 10:35am

I don't think my marriage would last if DH and I had to share a car. He likes his "rig" (pick-up truck); I like my Prius. He smokes in his rig; God forbid he smokes in my Prius. I'm very punctual and reliable if I say I'll be somewhere at a certain time; he just goes where the wind blows him and I'd be worried all the time that he wouldn't be back in time with the car so I could be on time for a meeting or an appointment.

No way could we do with just one car. I'll manifest my "simple life" in other ways. NOTE: We did have one car between us for many years and IT SUCKED for all the reasons mentioned.

Yes we couldn't share a car, too much planning required. As it is, we have 4 cars but only 2 at most are driven at any one time! Haha.

nswef

1-13-20, 11:05am

We have 2, but have been using just one pretty much since we retired.If our schedules conflict we then use both. We are near no public transportation. Roads are frightening to me for biking or walking, although on the weekends there are often avid bikers putting their lives in danger on these winding,hilly,no shoulder,low visibility roads!

kib

1-13-20, 11:38am

jrpoole59

1-13-20, 12:30pm

For almost 8 years now. I had a stroke and gave up my driver's license. I'd never pass the driver's license test due to some side effects of my stroke. Now, if I need to go somewhere, I either walk (most common for me. My doctor says I should walk more!), take dial-a-ride (not reliable), or rely on family and friends for a lift. I think my sister might use our trips to run errands as an excuse to get away from her husband for a few hours. Living in town helps, too.

Greg44

1-13-20, 2:41pm

We are a one car family - sort of - I have a company vehicle, that for the most part I rarely bring home. I bicycle commute nearly everywhere, to work, to church, dentist, bank, etc.
When needs be I will also take the bus. I take the express line which is about a mile away, but I like walking so it fine with me. Some of my co-workers think I am crazy, but I really do like cycling. Sure it can be the pits when it is cold, windy and raining - but I dress for it and off I go :-)

I have bicycled for nearly 5 years now and I know I have saved a huge amount of money in car payments, insurance, fuel, maintenance costs, etc. - and I am in better health for it.

I do take the car when I get the groceries, though I could easily walk. When my DW is out of town with the car, I just plan in advance before she leaves or make smaller trips.

Teacher Terry

1-13-20, 3:41pm

He, my dad had a big stroke at 59. He threw away his license because he knew he couldn’t drive both physically and mentally.

KayLR

1-13-20, 4:07pm

I'm seriously considering giving up my car when I retire in 2021, for many reasons environmental, financial, etc.

We'd keep one car between the two of us. I'm accustomed to using transit and also have a bike to get me to the store and back.

jp1

1-14-20, 12:38am

We are a one car family and neither of us uses it for commuting and rarely use it for shopping. If I hadn't inherited it from my father several years ago we would be car free, as we were before getting this car. We drive about 4,000 miles per year. Mostly weekends getting out of the city for a few days and me taking much shorter trips out of the city every weekend to go hiking in the nearby wilderness. If we didn't have a car we'd likely rent them or use zipcars to drive a similar amount each year.

Yppej

1-14-20, 5:36am

Having recently sprained my ankle I would not want to be without a car even if I were retired and did not need one for commuting.

happystuff

1-14-20, 7:52am

I've come to the conclusion that my car is my security blanket. I will never be homeless or entirely at the whim of others if I have an operational car. I have no idea why this would concern me, the situation would have to be dire indeed for me to be unable to buy myself shelter, but the idea is always with me, in my dreams my home has wheels.

I feel the same way. I drive the worse of our 3 cars (4 people) and even though it probably wouldn't make it 100 miles from home, it still gives me that same sense of security.

bicyclist

2-15-20, 5:28pm

My gosh, if there is a thread tailor made for the "Bicyclist", it could be this one. I rely on cycling and public transit unless it's raining or snowing hard. And I have been doing it for years! Things are getting easier to get with the increased availability of home delivery but I still pick up food on a bike mounted with saddle bags. You would be surprised by what you can do. Bicyclist

Tybee

2-15-20, 5:35pm

It is much easier to live auto free if your body is able. For some, including myself at some points in my life, walking to grocery etc, is physically impossible. Some people are able to stay mobile and not housebound because they have cars. This is true even if they have walkers and wheelchairs and oxygen tanks and ankles and knees that do not work correctly.

And God bless those who can walk distances and bike distances and carry groceries, etc. It's just not feasible for everyone.

Teacher Terry

2-15-20, 10:00pm

When one of our cars die we will be fine with one. There is uber.

pcooley

2-21-20, 1:47pm

We were carfree for eight years while our children were young. We hauled them everywhere in a bike trailer, and then graduated to a family tandem and eventually a family triple.

When our oldest got into a charter school way out on the edge of town, we did buy a car.

Personally, it may have been worth it to help them get through their middle school/high school years, but it was much more rewarding to be carfree. And the car is a money pit - last year we paid $6000 for various suspension, oil cooler, etc. repairs. The year before that, we paid $2000 for the computer on the transmission to be replaced. When that went out, the car simply wouldn't go. We still bicycle almost everywhere, but my wife likes the option of being able to drive after those eight years of not having the option.

I'm ready to let the car die and pass it along to public radio, but I keep nudging it along.

dado potato

2-22-20, 7:54pm

DW and I share one car.

I made a recommendation in December to reduce the miles we drive it each month. It is not a "burning desire" for her. The 1959 film, Signal 30, shocked me in "Drivers Education", back in the day. I wonder if anybody has made a shockumentary like that for retired baby boomers ...

Tybee

2-23-20, 8:32am

Oh goodness, don't get me started on those driver's ed movies.
I guess they could show them at the over 55 party room at Sun City.

BikingLady

2-9-21, 5:16pm

I consider myself a bicyclist for transportation, car is for if I am lazy. I have logged 550 mile so far this year in MI on my bike(s). I have driven gosh not sure but not much, I have a hybrid Honda. This is a choice I made and have made over and over for the last gosh 15 years. Something always comes up that makes me have to drive, last year was dad in nursing home 45 minutes away. (he passed) I live 2 miles from grandchild I care for daily. I have a very nice tow behind trailer a Burley. I made a bag of 6 cups of dried peas and microwave them for 4 minutes, bundle the 18 month old up, cover in blanket, put peas under her seat, secure the zip cover, turn on the lights and we are off! She is toasty warm. My threshold is about 15-20 degrees with wind, then I drive her her home.
I fully believe no car is do able if one lives in a city that is hospitable for biking. I have in past lived in county and it is a plan to ride 10 miles to grocery store for sure. I now live in a quaint little city where I can hope on bike and ride everywhere, we choose this location two years ago for this reason.
Husband not a chance seen on bike!

JaneV2.0

2-9-21, 5:32pm

I've been car-free for nearly a year, as some anti-theft locking device activated out of the blue and I'm sure my battery is dead at this point. It's a hassle to get it to a dealership for service as you can't ride along in the tow truck (COVID), so I've just put it out of my mind. I should try to arrange service before I need to get the vaccine. I can't say I've missed it much...

GeorgeParker

2-10-21, 12:28am

The 1959 film, Signal 30, shocked me in "Drivers Education", back in the day.And now you can watch it again on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VKOoenqbOk

JaneV2.0

2-10-21, 10:04am

And now you can watch it again on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VKOoenqbOk

I was so traumatized by the cattle or whatever animal carnage there was that I barely recovered. It may be coincidence, but I've never had a driving accident.

gimmethesimplelife

2-11-21, 12:52pm

It's true that I am now making better money than I have in years. I probably could afford a lower end very used foreign car.

No Thank You. Who knows what's next for the American economy? Under this roof we don't need the constant bills a car would create. Just no. Money much better saved!!! Though this is easy for me to say living in Central Phoenix with decent transit access - that's also part of the puzzle. Rob

Yppej

2-11-21, 12:55pm

Do you have state inspections in Arizona? Or can you run a car into the ground?

gimmethesimplelife

2-11-21, 1:00pm

Do you have state inspections in Arizona? Or can you run a car into the ground?Inspections for emissions, yes. Rob

BikingLady

11-27-21, 5:41am

Revisiting with my new trial at car free living sort of. My son walks and bikes everywhere as his wife has a car. He had a bad ankle break and 8 weeks cast and then rehab, so I gave him my car to get him to the shop. He seems to be logging a whooping 16 miles a week on it, ha. So I have been car free so to say, I have had zero issues as I bike anyhow, live 1/2 mile from grocery market, online order and transport granddaughter in a bike trailer. Husband drives and we go away on weekends on hiking or biking trips.
So this was the ultimate test for me as I have tried car-free in one way or another many times. Can I/could I? Yes no problems. What I realized is living where I live with no form of public transportation would I feel stuck in one spot, Yes if I want to visit other locations besides my small dot in the world.

rosarugosa

11-27-21, 6:12am

JaneV2.0

11-27-21, 4:57pm

My car is still disabled, and fixing it has become the new Impossible Task. Maybe I'll wait 'til it hits the two year mark.
But I don't need to go anywhere...

GL from QC

12-1-21, 11:20pm

One of the reasons I specifically chose Quebec City as my ultimate (so far, anyway :P ) early retirement destination is that it's incredibly pedestrian-friendly. (Especially compared to some of the other places I lived, such as Fort Worth or Las Vegas...)

I sold my car (a good ol' 2013 Kia Rio) a month after I quit my job in Toronto earlier this year, simply because there was no longer any need for it. Since then, I've needed a vehicle only twice: to move all my stuff to Quebec City, and to move Ikea furniture to my new apartment. :) Both times, a small Uhaul truck did the trick, and the grand total was much lower than a single month's worth of insurance + registration + cost of the parking spot, etc.

I'm somewhat of a nomad, so I understand that this approach is not for everyone. (I have it on good authority that most people enjoy staying in the same city for years - even decades. What a strange concept. :P ) But if you've got some wanderlust in you, consider moving to a town or a nice major city (so once again, not Fort Worth hahaha) where everything is within walking distance or there's reliable and efficient public transit. :)

LDAHL

12-3-21, 1:55pm

I need my car. It’s the only place I can listen to jazz without being hassled.

Rogar

12-3-21, 2:10pm

I could probably come close between cycling and a little uber, but I have friends and family out of town, go fishing in the mountains occationally, and use the truck to haul things. Since covid I think my annual mileage is less than 5,000 a year. I might save a few bucks on insurance, but as little as I drive, getting rid of the car is sort of a mute point.

Tradd

12-4-21, 9:30am

Hah! My 2018 Escape (bought new 3 years ago in January) has almost 72K miles on it. Even though I was employed for 4 months last year and then worked from home for 8 months, I drive a LOT to dive. Just replaced the original tires a few weeks ago at 70.5K miles. I have a 40 mile round trip daily commute. I love to drive. I’m in the far out burbs. Almost no public transit here, outside of dial a ride for seniors and the commuter trains to downtown Chicago.

Teacher Terry

12-4-21, 3:32pm

Since retiring I only put about 4K miles a year in my car. It’s 13 years old with 63k miles. I am the third little old lady to own it.

BikingLady

2-17-22, 5:24pm

I fell over a week ago on my bike and it put a damper on my biking everywhere, well for a week at least. We had 8 inches of snow and 3 days in the house did it for me I hopped on and rode 5 miles and headed back, I knew it was dumb, I know 100% it was my poor choice that caused it. I was very lucky I know, I hit the curved rail road tracks not straight on and with the snow I went down. Main Street in town at school pick up time. I really was not sure if my pride was more hurt or my bouncing hurt more. I had full snow gear on which helped. Nothing broken thank goodness.
Anyhow to get back on bike for the first time was difficult, admitting I am older was difficult. Admitting 100% my fault.

razz

2-17-22, 5:36pm

So sympathize with the need to get out. You were not dumb but simply learning something new or at least that it what I tell myself when things don't go as I had hoped. I confess that I admire that you were biking through 8 inches of snow to start with. I struggle walking through that much especially if 1/2 tons have plowed their way through leaving deep ruts.

dado potato

2-17-22, 11:17pm

BikingLady,

I am happy to hear that you are back up on your bike after the mishap. I had one bad encounter with railroad tracks on "Old Watch and Pray" (my bike, which is in storage for the winter). In my case, every bit of damage could be repaired in the bike shop. And I learned something.

My Old Dad used to say, "Every experience teaches you something. And the experiences you learn the most from are the ones that almost kill you."

Vitalis

4-14-23, 10:01am

I have a car license, but I don't own a car. I briefly had one during a couple of years, but it was so expensive to keep (and my salary too low) that I ended up selling it. I live in a mid-sized city near Barcelona, in Spain, and since I can go to almost all places on foot (groceries, family, friends, leisure) or on public transport (work, family, leisure), I don't really miss it that much.

The only thing I miss the car for is to be able to go visit my native village in the countryside. It takes 3 hours to get there on train+bus, and I need to spend the night there, but it's not impossible to do. Moreover, since you have to plan to stay for at least a day, you are less rushed to return, so a simple 1-hour car trip turns into a kind of "slow" and meaningful experience, which wouldn't otherwise be.