screamingflea
1-16-11, 3:16pm
After having yet another friend remind me that gas is predicted to hit $5/gallon this summer, I realized that my gas-guzzling pickup is going to be useless pretty soon. Not only can I not afford that kind of price, but nobody is going to want my truck either. So I'd better unload it while there's any kind of market for it at all.
I haven't been car-free since college, and that was involuntary. I've done respectably with the bus and my bike for the last couple of weeks - there's (god forgive me!) a Super Wal-Mart just a few blocks away for shopping. I live right on a bus route. This city is fanatically bike-friendly, and small enough that if I wanted to I could bike pretty much anywhere I needed.
It's a big scary decision for me. Here are some of the drawbacks:
* It really is a Major Life Decision. Right now the truck blue-books at $3000. My income is low enough that it would literally take me years to save up for another vehicle, no matter how crappy. So selling is a major commitment that must be taken very seriously.
* I have lower back problems such that I really can't bike when it flares up. Being completely dependent on the bus sucks slimy river rocks when the schedules don't synch up.
* I can't do any reading of any kind on any vehicle of any kind, or I barf. It's conceivable that I could download books onto my as-yet-to-be-bought ipod, but I don't know how much those would cost. So time on board the bus could be completely wasted.
* Emergencies. Twice I've come very close to selling before. The first time my dog had a crisis and I had to rush him to a weekend emergency clinic. Doing it by mass transit would have been completely out of the question. The second time I got a very bad back injury and could barely get around at all for six weeks. I didn't really need to go out, but the doctor visits and physical therapy were non-negotiable. It took this second crisis to convince me that I did honestly need the truck.
* Personal safety. This town has a frabjous network of bike paths, but for whatever reason they aren't lit at night! Not even reflectors. When you consider that the main bike thoroughfare runs parallel to a big creek, with no guardrails, I think you can see where I'm headed. <splash> Not to mention the obvious attractiveness of such a setting to Bad Guys. The main roads are decently lit, but one good slide in a puddle and <splat> The side roads are quieter, but again with the poor lighting.
All that said, this city is famous for people living successfully without cars. So a lot of people have figured all this out to their satisfaction. I plan to ask around.
One positive is that $3000 is carte blanche to pimp out my bicycle as much as I want. Car-free will be much more attractive if I want to bike. Big fat fenders for rainy days, an obnoxious xenon X-Files headlight, top of the line waterproof rain clothes, big waterproof panneirs, a helmet with headphones for my tunes. It would be great fun shopping around for all that.
And I'd save about $120 a month on gas and insurance, which would make my life much easier. I've already quit my Y membership, but all the bike riding would make it redundant anyway. :treadmill:
I have a passion for road trips. That isn't necessarily out of the picture, I'd just have to rent a car. But if I do I'd have to leave Fido at home. Travel just isn't the same without Fido!
I don't really want to go car-free. It's strictly a financial thing. I can't afford to own it now, not even the insurance. It's going to be rendered worthless very soon, and I desperately need all the cash that I can squeeze out of it.
So that's everything I can think of right now. I'd really appreciate all the feedback you guys can throw at me. Because of the commitment it represents to me, I'm really nervous about all this.
I haven't been car-free since college, and that was involuntary. I've done respectably with the bus and my bike for the last couple of weeks - there's (god forgive me!) a Super Wal-Mart just a few blocks away for shopping. I live right on a bus route. This city is fanatically bike-friendly, and small enough that if I wanted to I could bike pretty much anywhere I needed.
It's a big scary decision for me. Here are some of the drawbacks:
* It really is a Major Life Decision. Right now the truck blue-books at $3000. My income is low enough that it would literally take me years to save up for another vehicle, no matter how crappy. So selling is a major commitment that must be taken very seriously.
* I have lower back problems such that I really can't bike when it flares up. Being completely dependent on the bus sucks slimy river rocks when the schedules don't synch up.
* I can't do any reading of any kind on any vehicle of any kind, or I barf. It's conceivable that I could download books onto my as-yet-to-be-bought ipod, but I don't know how much those would cost. So time on board the bus could be completely wasted.
* Emergencies. Twice I've come very close to selling before. The first time my dog had a crisis and I had to rush him to a weekend emergency clinic. Doing it by mass transit would have been completely out of the question. The second time I got a very bad back injury and could barely get around at all for six weeks. I didn't really need to go out, but the doctor visits and physical therapy were non-negotiable. It took this second crisis to convince me that I did honestly need the truck.
* Personal safety. This town has a frabjous network of bike paths, but for whatever reason they aren't lit at night! Not even reflectors. When you consider that the main bike thoroughfare runs parallel to a big creek, with no guardrails, I think you can see where I'm headed. <splash> Not to mention the obvious attractiveness of such a setting to Bad Guys. The main roads are decently lit, but one good slide in a puddle and <splat> The side roads are quieter, but again with the poor lighting.
All that said, this city is famous for people living successfully without cars. So a lot of people have figured all this out to their satisfaction. I plan to ask around.
One positive is that $3000 is carte blanche to pimp out my bicycle as much as I want. Car-free will be much more attractive if I want to bike. Big fat fenders for rainy days, an obnoxious xenon X-Files headlight, top of the line waterproof rain clothes, big waterproof panneirs, a helmet with headphones for my tunes. It would be great fun shopping around for all that.
And I'd save about $120 a month on gas and insurance, which would make my life much easier. I've already quit my Y membership, but all the bike riding would make it redundant anyway. :treadmill:
I have a passion for road trips. That isn't necessarily out of the picture, I'd just have to rent a car. But if I do I'd have to leave Fido at home. Travel just isn't the same without Fido!
I don't really want to go car-free. It's strictly a financial thing. I can't afford to own it now, not even the insurance. It's going to be rendered worthless very soon, and I desperately need all the cash that I can squeeze out of it.
So that's everything I can think of right now. I'd really appreciate all the feedback you guys can throw at me. Because of the commitment it represents to me, I'm really nervous about all this.