Could You Give Up Your Car?

J

JakeStratham

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Oct 28, 2009
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Like some of you, I own a bunch of stuff - watches I don't wear, a television I don't watch (though my family does), and a car I can't imagine living without.

A post by Leo at zenhabits got me thinking about the car:

This past summer, my family (my wife, me, six kids) finally gave up our car. It was a liberating and scary experience.

We’ve been dependent on our automobile for so many years that giving it up was unthinkable. If you own a car, it’s probably unthinkable to you too.

We drove everywhere: to and from school and work, to music lessons and recitals, to soccer practice and all-day-long games at the soccer field, to family events (which were numerous), to grocery stores and malls and restaurants and movie theaters and bookstores and beauty salons (not for me, I’m bald … er, shaven), to pay bills and run errands, to go to the beach and the parks. To do anything.

How could we get rid of our car?
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I'm attached to mine, but Leo makes a compelling argument for getting rid of it. Though I've been moving toward a minimalist lifestyle for awhile, this is a sticking point for me.

Have any of you done this? If so, how long ago did you do it, and what would you suggest to someone thinking of doing the same? If not, have you considered it?

There are lots of threads about owning a cool ride. This obviously goes in the opposite direction.
 


How would I take my daughter to school? Or get grocery's.. there are some things in life to minimize but a car is not one...

If you can afford a car then it makes no sense to not have one.. now a boat, motorcycle etc I could see doing without.
 
get rid of a car.. no way.

I wanna get to where im going comfortably, quickly, and also safely. Id rather have a car then use public transport, a bike, or bum a ride.. no thanks
 
I have a friend that owns a taxi business. Since I've met him, I don't drive anymore. He gives me such good rates I doubt anyone would drive in my place. Besides, the only places I really need to go are the grocery store and to pick up supply for my business (I work out of my home obviously). And I don't like driving. It's a boring mundane task. You've got to worry about idiots on the road, gas, your car needing maintenance, etc. I'd rather worry about shit that matters.
 
My neighbor doesn't have a car and he comes over to my house from time to time for a ride to the store to get cigarettes or beer. One night I almost shot him because it was late and I'll be damned if I'm answering my door late at night without a gun.

Like papajohn56 said if you live in an area with a good transit system go for it. If not don't give up your ride. If you do give up your ride just remember you created your situation and don't be a bum.
 
I got rid of my car a year ago, but only because I live in Chicago and its more of a pain in the ass to own a car. People fuck it up, get tickets for no reason, bullshit permits, etc.
 
When I lived in New York, it was doable, but not in Southern California since everything is so spread out and not set up for mass transit. Just not practical in most places outside of urban areas.
 
Underclassmen aren't allowed to have cars at my school. I lasted until Thanksgiving my freshman year before I flew home and found a way to keep my car here. Its beyond terrible not being able to go and eat somewhere or go to the store on your own time. Then again, I know people who have been fine all 4 years without a car, so it just depends on the person.
 
Well, I couldn't give up my car because I just love to drive. I like to take a long ride and listen to my favorite tracks when I'm mad, it really relaxes me.
I guess it depends on what are your day to day necessities.
 
I was a trucker in my younger days. I've backed up more miles than you kids have driven forward. :)

These days I really hate to drive anywhere !
 
My girl is really into the minimalist thing. She reads a ton of blogs about it. Has friends who do it. And everyone who has given up their car seems to have gone through these stages:

Stage 1: "Get rid of my car?! You stop that crazy talk right now!"

Stage 2: "Alright, fine. Let's try it for a few days. It's there if we need it."

Stage 3: "Hey, this ain't so bad. Hardly miss the darn thing."

Stage 4: "This is awesome! I can't believe I used to deal with the hassle of owning a car!"

I'm at Stage 1. The beginning of it. Sounds like a few of you have made it to Stage 3. You're making it sound pretty good. Kinda like the author of this article:

Giving up my car was best decision ever - CNN.com
 
It's impossible to not have a car where I live. You'd have to spend thousands a month on public transportation costs (not to mention all the wasted time) to get anywhere, that it just doesn't make sense.
 
No car here, 4 years and counting. I generally love it.

I've been living in places where the public transport is pretty decent - boston, paris, seoul -- although sometimes it's a bitch to get to the airport. I plan to stay this way and just rent when I need to drive someplace. No fucking way would it work in some cities though.
 
I've been a minimalist-in-training for the last few years but I haven't fully given up the car yet. I want to, believe me.

The problem is that America is spread so far apart... If you live in Japan or Europe you can take public transportation anywhere you'd need to go, but over here it's silly to contemplate life without a car unless you are able to move to a big city of 8 Million plus people.

Portland seems to be the minimalist Hub from the blogs I frequent. Kinda like a little europe. But true minimalists try to own 100 items or less (like John Reese recently attempted and failed to do) and can therefore "Live" in Portland this week, NewYork next week, even London the next... Spotting all their minimalist friends at the airport in passing.

I yearn for that lifestyle in fact but I'm getting to old now. Travel is harder on some of us, especially those of us with really long legs (Damn airplane seats) and no patience for the new mindset of TSA.

So I'm stuck with a car for now. -If only I'd known about minimalism while still young. Perhaps if I can afford a private jet though, hmm...
 
lukep said:
I've been a minimalist-in-training for the last few years but I haven't fully given up the car yet. I want to, believe me.

The problem is that America is spread so far apart... If you live in Japan or Europe you can take public transportation anywhere you'd need to go, but over here it's silly to contemplate life without a car unless you are able to move to a big city of 8 Million plus people.
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yeah exactly - if you live in a small town or suburb, you have to frequently drive to other small towns or suburbs to get everything you need, and there's not a lot of public transit between towns.
 
It all depends where you're living. My neighborhood is situated in a way where it would be unsafe to bike or walk out of. The only way to safely get anywhere would be to drive
 
A lot of my friends in London don't have cars... it's just too much hassle / cost owning one.

When my annual bunch of car bills were coming round this year, I considered getting rid of it. If there was a car club nearby I probably would have.


Agree - depends where you live. UK much smaller than US, so more practical here.
 
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