Officially Car-free!

[Peanut Butter]

I finally sold my car! For only $975, but then it was the first car I bought in high school and was definitely a "beater." And now I'm going to get a sweet refund from my insurance company as well. And no more oil changes even though I'm not driving it. Hooray!

[Exflyboy]

Nice.. Not sure how one actually manages that in the Willamette Valley (I'm in Corvallis) but you have my admiration..:)

[Peanut Butter]

Nice.. Not sure how one actually manages that in the Willamette Valley (I'm in Corvallis) but you have my admiration..:)

I'm in Eugene, so the busses are OK (though my bicycle is my primary way of getting around.) If I need to take longer trips, there's either AmTrak, or the ski busses to Bachelor/Willamette Pass, or borrowing one of my mom's cars. (usually at the cost of returning it full or taking it for an oil change or getting it washed or something.)

[greenmimama]

Congrats, I admire anyone who can buck that trend, and think of how much healthier you are by riding your bike!

[marblejane]

That's awesome- congrats! How long is your daily commute, and what other things did you consider to make the choice to go car free?

[Peanut Butter]

That's awesome- congrats! How long is your daily commute, and what other things did you consider to make the choice to go car free?

My commute is a little less than 3 miles one way, all flat. There is a huuuuuuge hill that I have to get over that only has a 55 mph road on it between me and the college where I'm taking classes, but students get free bus passes, so I just take the bus to class.

The main thing that I kept thinking about was all of the investments I could make with my insurance premiums. I only drove my car once this year - to visit my folks for Easter. They live about 20 miles out of town, so going to visit them on my road bike isn't a huge deal. My car was also too old to take advantage of "per-mile" insurance. So it was really a huge money sink. There is also a car-rental place less than a quarter mile from my apartment, so that's an option too.

If I do get a car again, I will probably get an economy pick up or something.

[kms]

Congrats. I've been down that road for almost five years now after having sold my car in early 2009. Since my wife and I live in an inner city area we have pretty much everything we need within walking distance. Also, I've noticed that many of our friends have sold their cars too in the recent years because they simply didn't need them anymore.

I've taken a short detour now since I've been given a free car for the winter (a 1993 Mazda 323 hatchback with 40€ worth of fuel for the almost obscene price of 50€) but I might end up selling it again next spring and even make some money in the end ;)

[Peanut Butter]

Nice deal on the Mazda! When I'm in a place again where it makes sense to have a personal vehicle, I'll probably go for something similar - a trusty hatchback or economy pick up.