Vehicle-free since November 2011...

[beach pointe]

I finally sold my SUV in Nov. 2011, and am getting used to getting around on public transit again after a very long time of having vehicles. I live in a Canadian city of over 1 million people, and just started a new job, so I'm also looking to move closer to my new office. I sold my SUV for two main reason: 1) my quest to live simpler :D; 2) it was too expensive. For the most part, I am happy that I got rid of the vehicle. There is a part of me, that sometimes misses having the convenience of a vehicle.

Have you recently gotten rid / sold a vehicle, and what was your experience?

[razz]

Just wanted to say congratulations on getting car-free. I am out in the country so it is not doable but I do admire those centres that have good transit.

[beach pointe]

Well, Calgary is not a centre to be admired for good public transit. The popular consensus here is that Calgary Transit sucks! It's slow, often unreliable, and the train system we have certainly doesn't fair well during our cold snaps. And during the thick of rush hour...ggrrrrrrr!

[Dhiana]

My husband and I went car-free in So Cal and really benefitted from the experience. We specifically moved to a neighborhod that made it possible to walk to everything and also an area where multiple bus lines intersected.
Loved that we didn't have to worry about repairs, gas prices, etc. We spent the time on the bus reading books so it wasn't wasted time for us.

We rented a car a total of 3 times in the year we were there. Once when his parents came for a visit, once when we had several errands to complete in a single day and once to transport my art installation for setup.

We do have a car now but I've driven it twice since Sept. We just don't think about the car as our primary means of transport, I forget I even have access to a car most of the time. I just automatically walk to the bus stop/hop the train.

I know I rec'd a lot of strange looks and comments about not having a car but as people got to know me, they just never thought about it any more because they realized I was still capable of getting where I needed to go on time, get errands done, etc. I sometimes think they thought I was going to ask them for a ride :)

The no-car lifestyle worked for us, hopefully it will continue to work for you.
Stay warm at the bus stop :)

[flowerseverywhere]

Good for you. We live with one car, and since DH accepted a contract job for six months I have use of a car one day a week. Luckily it has been a great winter. Often too cold to bike, but I can still walk three miles into town if I need something. The closest bus stop is about a mile so I can always walk there, but if the bus is late I think it is probably better just to keep moving.

The best thing about it is you constantly assess how much you need something and you become very well organized. I keep a list by the back door and every trip I make, car or not means multiple stops. If you have to walk or bike three miles each way it puts things in perspective quickly.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Congrats on getting rid of the SUV and for making it work! I have not had a car for a good number of years myself and I find that not having a car really makes me slow down and prioritize and I cherish that.....Just think of not having to deal with payments and insurance and repairs and constantly rising gas prices! Sounds like a lot of incentive to me to try being car free. And something else I find interesting is that I have been reading that very young people are not as attached to the idea of having a car as previous generations were - I find some hope in this, I really do. Rob