Living without a car?

[One Half Full]

I know that a lot of us "might" lose their cars, or thing they will definately lose their cars in Ch 7. I am going to lose mine. For a long time, I have been thinking "green" really. I've been considering chucking the whole car business. I will (hopefully) start college for my masters, so this is a whole new lifestyle.


When I look at the prices I would need to pay (post BK) for a new car, I start to think that I really want to avoid getting another car. I am moving to more of an inner city apartment. I would need to pay parking. I get away with not paying parking at work, but I have had a car stolen, and parking at the meters is not always a sure thing. They have night "entertainment," and "sports arenas" here and some times, you can't find parking.
This is the cheapest I can get:
150.00 cheap car payment.
50.00 gas
60.00 auto insurance (it is probably more for many of you)
70.00 parking
330.00 total monthly for "car"

Going without a car would cost maybe 50$ for bus passes per month. Even with a few cab fares, It would not be anywhere near 330.00. Going carless would also mean more time spent commuting. I would need to do more planning as far as shopping is concerned. As long as I can only go into areas with bus service I am okay (later after I graduate college in 2-3 years, I can get another car if I want).

[AMISLANDER]

When I used to live in Brooklyn, I had no car. There was no need. And watching everyone scramble to deal with "opposite side of the street" parking after I got off the train just cracked me up.

I would feel that if you had either great mass transit and/or could use your bike, why put $330/mo on a car...damn, you could be leasing a BMW in FL for that price & park it in your driveway!

Anyhow, back to reality, If you don't need it for the next three years, take 1/2 that cash & stash it in preperation when you might actually need a vehicle.

[Bandit]

You could just ride the train & bus for awhile. That does not mean you have to go carless forever. The only people who can even think about doing that are the ones living in very big cities.

You will need an umbrella, a duffle bag/back pack & maybe some other things for the trips but people figure that part out in just a few days.
How about a bike? (not me, but I know someone who rode a bike for several years thru rain, sun, sleet & snow). That would probably be best for people in the south.

Yes I went carless one time for a good six months & walked the entire 6 months of winter. It was a very rotten & hard time.

[Cali]

Where I live at you can go without a car easily. You can take the bus, trolley or bike almost everywhere.

[One Half Full]

The city I live in does not have "trains" but it has decent bus service, but only in limited areas. Its one of those places where everyone "needs" or thinks they need a car. I would need to keep my "neighborhood" to the area serviced by busses. I've identified several areas where you can get virtually everything you need on a regular basis fairly close by. Pet vet checkups would be harder, as I would not be allowed on the bus w/ a dog. For emergencies I would take a cab. Many things can be delivered, bought online. Netflix for movies, buy clothing and books online using paypal streight from bank account.

Since I will be a college student, I will not want to waste time anyway, and so will probably spend most of my time working on my school projects.

For longer trips, I suppose I could rent a car. Not sure how to do that without a credit card.

I would get a baby pram like wheeled cart for groceries I get from the store.

As I said somewhere on a diet thread, I tend to eat more rice/beans and other things I can buy in bulk.

I have a bike already. The thing about the bike is that I bought it 3 years ago, drove it three times, crashed, and broke my leg. That's what really got thi BK in motion. This bike actually scares the bejeebers out of me. I have tried to ride it again but have a Phobia about it. It is a good bike, ridden 3 times. Possibly I will sell it at the big garage sale. I need a girl bike.


I'll miss things too. I won't be able to just "tool around" and waste gas because I feel like driving. I think and drive a lot. I need to find another "safe" spot to think.

[HHM]

Yeah, it really depends where you live...aside form the North East and certain cities, the US is really not well designed for people to live without cars, but it can be done.

But it does take some transitioning. You can't buy as much at a grocery store (so you end up going more often), and the temptation to eat out is greater which can really cut into the money you are saving from not having a car. Thus, you probably want to invest in one of those little push carts. Also, time management becomes more important since you can't just get up and go whenever you like, and that takes a while to get used to.

When I traveled overseas for 9 months, I was without a car for MOST of that. But the places I went were largely designed to accommodate not having a car. The only country I really ended up needing a car was Greece (and a few spots in New Zealand). And I lived in Washington DC for a time, and did not have a car. The only drawback is when you want to "Get away", not having a car is annoying...but you can treat yourself to the occasional rental for a weekend getaway.

But, where I live now, it would be very hard to not have a car. (I could probably manage with a Bike, but still, things are a little too spread out to not have a car).

[One Half Full]

I think when you are saving 300+ dollars per month you can set aside some for occasional rentals.

[danaf]

If you have a debit card with a visa logo - you could rent a car when you want...I think.

[FLBK7]

If you have a debit card with a visa logo - you could rent a car when you want...I think.

You can, BUT there's a big caveat! The car rental company puts a huge hold on your checking account, for more than the anticipated cost of the rental. Example: You rent a car for a day and expect your total bill to be $100. You hand over your debit card which is tied to your checking account. When the car is actually booked, the car rental company will freeze $200 or $300 or more. When you return the car, the company will adjust the billing and therefore your bank will release the "hold" on the extra $100 or $200 or whatever -- and debit your account for the $100 the rental actually cost.

This happened to me shortly after my discharge when I had to travel for business and didn't have a credit card. It was one of the reasons I was desperate for a CC and ended up with my first Crap1 card.

FWIW, if you pay for gas at the pump with your debit card, your checking account will be momentarily debited a huge amount, since the gas station has no idea how much gas you're going to pump and they have to make sure they get paid. After you've completed your transaction, the extra money will be "credited back" to your account. Problem is, depending on your banking institution, this could create overdraft fees if your balance is low.

[robivi3]

My corner Shell does that! Absolutely true!

[Genenco]

I find that operating without a car, to be a bit of hassle.

I take the bus, however, this is later in the day. If I work OT ( have to start at 4am. This is well before any bus starts running. So, I have a nice (Sarcasm) jaunt of 3 miles in the morning, do 10.5 hours and then trek to the bus stop.

When shopping, I use the store bags, but am looking at getting a "Upright" cart for bulk buys. However, this might be after my moving to another apt. Live with 2 others and suspect one is about to start "Borrowing" stuff not their's and so rather then have major arguement, would prefer to live alone.

Pretty much same cost as now.

[Flamingo]

You can, BUT there's a big caveat! The car rental company puts a huge hold on your checking account, for more than the anticipated cost of the rental. Example: You rent a car for a day and expect your total bill to be $100. You hand over your debit card which is tied to your checking account. When the car is actually booked, the car rental company will freeze $200 or $300 or more. When you return the car, the company will adjust the billing and therefore your bank will release the "hold" on the extra $100 or $200 or whatever -- and debit your account for the $100 the rental actually cost.

This happened to me shortly after my discharge when I had to travel for business and didn't have a credit card. It was one of the reasons I was desperate for a CC and ended up with my first Crap1 card.

FWIW, if you pay for gas at the pump with your debit card, your checking account will be momentarily debited a huge amount, since the gas station has no idea how much gas you're going to pump and they have to make sure they get paid. After you've completed your transaction, the extra money will be "credited back" to your account. Problem is, depending on your banking institution, this could create overdraft fees if your balance is low.

I travel a lot to NC and use Enterprise frequently to rent a car (usually travel weekends) and they will take a debit card only if the car that is rented stays in the State in which it was rented and there are certain other restrictions. And, yes, as you state there is a "hold" put on the card (make sure the cash is available in the checking account) as they would do for a regular credit card at a hotel or car rental; that hold is usually for $300 - $400 or more). Enterprise usually has half price weekend specials and there are more perks for folks who use them a lot and register with them.