Author Topic: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?  (Read 2281 times)

urover

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18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« on: May 24, 2018, 05:38:23 PM »
TL;DR: Should I transfer my car lease or keep it?

Quick timeline:

- Jan 2016 Moved to Canada.
- Found job in May.
- Discovered life in Toronto sucks without car. Can make do, but quality of life is better with car.
- Didn't have enough cash for Certified Used. Wasn't qualifying for 12K finance.
- Cars for cash 2-5K were mostly a miss - poorly maintained / shady people / car already sold by the time I got there / etc.
- Finally qualified for 5-year lease (15K) on a Corolla. How? I have no idea.
- Leased in Sep 2016.

Fast forward to May 2018 and I've put a measly 6000km on the car. Paying 250$ for the car every month doesn't seem to do justice for 6000km/20months = ~300km per month of use.

Plus, insurance in TO started out at a ridiculous cost, down to a still high 200$ per month.

Til date, I've paid 12,999$ for all car costs which brings my cost per km to 2.13$.

My typical use is grocery-runs every weekend to 3-4 stores and occasional trips to the family doctor and a rare late-night trip to Metro for maybe, icecream. During the summer, we drive to nearby parks, the usual Niagara falls, and have used the car to drive family when they visited.

I seriously don't "need" the car, and would have relied on alternatives but:
- My locality has a Zipcar 500m away. I've used Zipcar and I don't like them much, but can tolerate them.
- Hertz 1.5km away. Availability is a hit or miss depending on season/time of year.
- Subway is end of line here so have to take bus for anything further west or north-south. TTC bus schedule is garbage.
- Bus stop is 400m away.
- I have to drive 11km west or north for the nearest Indian grocery store.
- Biking infrastructure in Toronto is nearly non-existent, especially here in the west-end. Biking in TO feels more dangerous than crossing a road in India.
- Nearest grocery store is 1.7km away.
- Bread store is 1km away.
- Small corner vegetable store is 1.1km away.
- Winter makes everything worse - including walking to a rental car or the bus stop or what-have-you.
- I very much hate the seasonal tire swap.

I've considered moving as one of the options - but I've discovered walkability comes with higher population density, noise, more traffic, less-safety, and more. I like the current condo unit I'm renting for various reasons but I know it's also not close to amenities.

What do you suggest? Have I no other option but to suck it up and continue to pay for the lease or should I find a better owner for the car, transfer the lease, and tolerate a life with far less freedom of mobility? Or, maybe actually just move?
« Last Edit: May 24, 2018, 06:01:45 PM by urover »

gooki

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2018, 02:56:49 AM »
Ditch the car and uber to the Indian supermarket once a month.

frugaliknowit

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2018, 09:41:27 AM »
~300km per month of use.

No way you should own a car.  Explore shopping closer or moving to a more central location.  Either way, yikes, no way you should own a car driving that little!

urover

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2018, 06:52:22 PM »
Ditch the car and uber to the Indian supermarket once a month.
Thanks, but why do you say I should ditch the car?

~300km per month of use.

No way you should own a car.  Explore shopping closer or moving to a more central location.  Either way, yikes, no way you should own a car driving that little!
My issue is with Indian grocers which are always away from central locations. I guess I can somehow manage that exception.

I'm curious to know how much everyone else drives - especially those that don't commute.

bacchi

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2018, 08:43:21 PM »
I'm curious to know how much everyone else drives - especially those that don't commute.

I drive about 3200 km/year now. It's mostly to the grocer, when it's too hot to bike, and to the sports fields on the weekend.

The car is 15 years old, though, and I used it to commute for the first 8? years of its life. At this point, it's cheap to run. I really should get rid of it, though, since there is another car in the family, and replace it with an electric-assisted bike.

Jouer

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2018, 11:29:21 AM »
Quote
My locality has a Zipcar 500m away. I've used Zipcar and I don't like them much, but can tolerate them.

Can you explain the issue with Zipcar? You practically live next door to one. As far as I can tell, if you use their service, all the other issues you listed go away.

urover

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2018, 12:12:05 PM »
Quote
My locality has a Zipcar 500m away. I've used Zipcar and I don't like them much, but can tolerate them.

Can you explain the issue with Zipcar? You practically live next door to one. As far as I can tell, if you use their service, all the other issues you listed go away.


The issues I have with Zipcar:
 - Lack of cars when I need one.
 - Price of cars on weekends is higher, and availability is worse.
 - Having to check the car for damage for every reservation, and reporting it. Yes, I used to have full-waiver, but that doesn't remove fault.
 - Can't make sudden changes to itinerary or spend some time checking something out because someone is waiting for the car at the end of my current reservation. This is the biggest and most frustrating issue to deal with. I've had to drive 'spiritedly' on a couple of occasions just to make it back on time. If I'm lucky, the car is free and I can extend the reservation.
 - I've occasionally run into making a reservation and not finding the car there.
 - This is complainy-pants like, but walking to/from the Zipcar location in the winter has made me wonder if it is worth the hassle and I ended up choosing the slower bus option. If I have to endure the cold, I might as well endure it for the cheaper bus.

gooki

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2018, 10:47:44 PM »
Ditch the car and uber to the Indian supermarket once a month.
Thanks, but why do you say I should ditch the car?

To get out of a lease on a vehicle you won't be using, so you get more money in your pocket.

Kyle Schuant

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2018, 11:06:43 PM »
Til date, I've paid 12,999$ for all car costs which brings my cost per km to 2.13$.
Out of curiosity: how much are taxis in your town?

Here in Melbourne during the day they're AUD4.20 as soon as you get in, and AUD1.622/km thereafter. So if I had a car costing me AUD2.13/km, any journey of 10km or more would be cheaper by taxi.

I do about the same driving as you, but I have two kids to schlep about so it's a bit different. As a childless single I'd not bother with it.

urover

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Re: 18mo 6000km. Keep or lose car?
« Reply #9 on: August 18, 2018, 10:26:09 AM »
TD Insurance decided to increase my car insurance rate even though nothing has changed with regards to my location or risk profile.

4 months ago, I installed their MyAdvantage app that shows a 21% possible discount on my insurance. I've not yet done the 1000km required for the discount to kick in. However, it appears TD increased my rate in anticipation of the coming discount. I can't think of any other reason.

I'm so pissed.

Now seriously considering getting rid of the car.