Contemplating The Big Plunge

[screamingflea]

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.

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.

[Zzz]

My thoughts:
If you decide to do this, don't go hog-wild spending on things for the bike like a helmet with headphones. It seems like with your income being low you would be better off putting some of that money away for future things that are needs not wants. Wait to spend on some of the other stuff until you see that this really will work.
Since your bills will be reduced by $120 a month, you could start an emergency fund for taxis for times that you can't go somewhere by bike or bus -- possible future doctor visits or vet visits spring to mind here.
You might wish to invest in a fold up shopping cart for walking to the Walmart, if you decide to do go this route. That way you can get heavier things (flour, dog food, milk, etc) without having to carry them in bags.

[Dhiana]

I agree w/Zzz with regards to taking a taxi when you have a fido emergency or your back problems flare up. Car free doesn't necessarily mean anti-car You should still come out ahead financially; even a $10 taxi ride with a montly savings of $120 is 12 taxi rides...3 per week. That's a LOT of taxi rides!!
Maybe once a month you can walk/bus to the grocery store, load up on the heavy stuff like a big bag of dog food, big bag of rice, etc and then take the taxi home It just takes a bit of planning.
I hope you get top dollar for your truck,
Dhiana

[Bastelmutti]

What about selling the pickup and looking for a smaller, cheaper-to-maintain-and-insure, more fuel-efficient car? (Maybe with a little $ left over from the sale/purchase for a future repairs fund?)

[Perplexa]

I don't know where you live, ScreamingFlea, but you might see if there's a car sharing network in your area. Some cities (Portland, OR comes to mind), have for-profit companies like Zipcar. Even better are cities like Philadelphia and Vancouver, BC that have non-profit networks. I was a member of the network in Philly when I lived there, and it was great. They cost a bit up front, usually (Philly was either $50/year or $15/mo depending on the plan you signed up for, Vancouver is a $500 buy in), but then you can get a car for a very good price when you need one. Car sharing only works well if you live in a fairly dense area, otherwise there won't be enough cars nearby guarantee that you'll be able to get one when you need it. (I lived right in Center City Philly...there were about 20 cars within a three block radius, so I could always get one if I needed it.) If it works for you though, car sharing can be a really nice back up for those moments when you really need a car.

[herbgeek]

I was gonna mention zipcar, but someone already beat me to it. I have a thought on the bus rides: could audio books work for you? You might not have to "waste" all your travel time that way.

[screamingflea]

I checked on Zipcar, and we don't have it here. Which strikes me as being very odd, considering the political climate here. No matter.

The library offers free audiobooks, but I'd still have to buy an ipod/mp3. Sometimes I can listen to text on vehicles and sometimes not. It's not so much the type of information as the act of concentrating on something. I've experimented with reading, with needlepoint, with memorizing song lyrics. Simply listening to music as background is fine, but focusing on it isn't. So I'm not sure how the audiobooks would pan out, but there's a whole lot of free downloads available if they do.

I double-checked the BB value, and it turns out that it's actually $4500 for a private sale. I've already decided that $1000 of that will go to my Oh Crap fund, some toward pimping out the bike, and the rest in my mutual fund to grow (?) until I'm ready to get my next car.

And I do have a very nice Burley trailer for the haulage of groceries and whatnot. I already trained my dog to ride in it too, so that will help a whole lot with vet visits.

I'm starting to feel a whole lot better about this!

[screamingflea]

Well, it's official: I posted it on Craigslist today.

2000 Nissan Frontier Pickup

Runs beautifully and needs no work. 140,000 miles

Professionally detailed.

Engine: Automatic V4

Body: Antilock Brakes, King cab

Other options: fiberglass top with liner, 2 folding rear seats, A/C, CD player.

I’ve taken this on a few major road trips and have never had any serious problems with it. The topper is great for travel or camping out.

Drop me an email and have a test drive today!

[ palpitating] It isn't detailed yet, but that's today or tomorrow. Gaw I hope I'm doing the right thing here.

[Wildflower]

Well, since you have a complete plan as to how to live without your own vehicle, and it is going to benefit you financially as well, then I think you are definitely doing the right thing, flea.

[annq]

May I recommend kitty litter bucket panniers?
http://www.commutebybike.com/2009/12...-bike-buckets/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Best...-Bike-Buckets/
Cheapest panniers around. I've been using mine for over a year and they're just awesome.

I took my cat to the vet in my burley trailer. I think she actually preferred it to the car. She was in her carrier in the trailer, so she couldn't jump out.

Just some ideas. Welcome back to car free living!