If you live in a city, you can (and probably should) get away with not owning a car. Not only is it unnecessary to get where you want to go, but due to property prices, parking is a gigantic hassle and expense. Walking works well for anything within a mile, biking for anything within about 5, public transit or a cab for the metro area, and car rentals (or borrowing a friend’s) can fill in for anything else that absolutely requires your own vehicle.
Not owning a car saves a significant amount of time and money and makes the math better for living in a more built-up area.
I’ve lived car-free for several years now and I think it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I’m saving a lot of money, staying in great shape from biking, and avoiding a stressful commute. Most people think I’m an eccentric for this, but I’m okay with that.
True, some cities are much better built for that sort of thing than others. I had San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Valencia in mind specifically—less so Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Agreed with the lifestyle part, though—it’s really a question of how often you need to do things that require a car, and how expensive the next-best option is (taxi, car rental, ride-share, borrowing your neighbor’s). If you want to drive three hours to see your Mom every weekend, you probably don’t want to sell your car.
If you live in a city, you can (and probably should) get away with not owning a car. Not only is it unnecessary to get where you want to go, but due to property prices, parking is a gigantic hassle and expense. Walking works well for anything within a mile, biking for anything within about 5, public transit or a cab for the metro area, and car rentals (or borrowing a friend’s) can fill in for anything else that absolutely requires your own vehicle.
Not owning a car saves a significant amount of time and money and makes the math better for living in a more built-up area.
I’ve lived car-free for several years now and I think it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I’m saving a lot of money, staying in great shape from biking, and avoiding a stressful commute. Most people think I’m an eccentric for this, but I’m okay with that.
It depends on where you are—in certain places, public transportation sucks.
That very much depends on a particular city. And your lifestyle, of course.
True, some cities are much better built for that sort of thing than others. I had San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Valencia in mind specifically—less so Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Agreed with the lifestyle part, though—it’s really a question of how often you need to do things that require a car, and how expensive the next-best option is (taxi, car rental, ride-share, borrowing your neighbor’s). If you want to drive three hours to see your Mom every weekend, you probably don’t want to sell your car.