So far two and a quarter months of being essentially bike only. I have taken a Zipcar twice when in a bind. My wife is moving back to the states in mid-April and we'll see how she adapts to our car free lifestyle.
Funny thing we had heard, one of our friends is moving back to Taiwan due to their contract ending with their current employer. They had bought a Mercedes C300 for $48k, drove it for two years, sold it back to the dealership for $28k and paid off the loan with a few grand left over. They said that we should lease a vehicle, it would be cheaper than rent. I ran some calculations on their car, and their payments, before considering the need for full coverage insurance, were at least $1,000/mo. It just simply amazes me at how expenses cars can be if you just go with the "American Dream", especially the stereotypical high tech worker buying luxury cars. This is the same person who complained when their rent went up by $20/mo to just around $1,200. No wonder they said leasing would be cheaper than rent when their last car was possibly more!
Running the costs I figure if Zipcar keeps our transportation costs below about $400/mo we are winning with not taking on the burden of car ownership. Under $300, though, is probably where it's easier to argue that with my wife. Below $200 and I think it's a no brainer. At the most optimal rate of $74/day we could take a car once a week for a full day and be at $300/mo. For those not familiar with Zipcar, they include gas and insurance in their rates.
I'll leave my calculations for my journal.