I'm about to start a new job that has a long commute. I know, I know... there's not much I can do about that now, so ignore that while I ask a question about how to be Mustachian about this commute. Right now I live in a city and don't own a car, and the new job is in a small town. So, I'm trying to see if I can get away with remaining car-less without sacrificing quality of life. Here's the details:
Driving:
It's 41 miles each way. I can make it in about 50 mins door to door. It's only $35 for a parking permit in my city to park on the streets for the year. It could take anywhere from 0 to ~20 mins or so to find a spot at night. I would have to buy a car, and would of course buy a used Scion xD or Honda Fit hatchback. Then gas money, maintenance, etc.
Train:
I'm 1.3 miles from the train station where I live, and my office is 0.8 miles from the train station on the other end. The train runs very infrequently: there are only two trains in the morning that get in a reasonable times (7:46am and 8:41am), and a few trains in the evening that leave at reasonable times (4:46pm, 5:43p, 6:46pm). The train is 56-65 mins. I can get a monthly pass for $191, and it looks like this would be pretax money because of a commuter benefit from the new job. Walking that 1.3 and 0.8 miles is of course doable, but that 4.2 miles/day even walking really fast is at least an hour. I could bike those distances, and take my bike on the train with me (a bit of a pain but doable). The overhead time of getting my bike out of the back yard/locking it up at the other end is non-zero. Or I could use a Razor A5 scooter I just got on sale to help with my current commute.
I want to maximize my time with my 6 month old daughter and wife, and minimize my commute time, all while being a good Mustachian. There's a good chance I would have to rent a car once a month or more when I have meetings that last later than the last train. There are Zipcars at the lot right at the end of my street, but I hate spending money on that. We spent a little over $1k on rental cars last year to visit friends and family on holidays, birthdays, etc. that live within a couple hours drive but not close to public transit. So, the money boils down to:
Driving: ~$6k for a used hatchback + gas for 82 miles/day*4 days a week (I will be working from home 1 day/week)*50 weeks/year * 0.60/mile (not sure what a good per mile gas/car maintenance number is?) = $9840
Train: (annually) $191*12 = $2,292 + renting a car for work 1x/month at $100 + renting a car for family/friends/trips to Home Depot 1x/month at $100 = $4692
I can probably get the rental car numbers down a bit, and of course the car would last me more than a year, but either way the train is cheaper but equals less time with family. Any suggestions here? Math I haven't thought of? Fact checking on actual cost of driving help?
Thanks!