I sold my car for scrap. No replacement. So far so good.

[T.Orso]

A while back I decided that next time I had to fix anything on my car, that would be it. I wasn't fixing it.

The car was seventeen years old and had no resale value. I wasn't paying much for the insurance, and less for gas because it was a small car and I was hardly driving it anyway. Still the costs add up, and money was tight.

Most of the time I was fine getting around by bicycle. Driving in the city is not much fun. I used the car for grocery runs, visiting friends, getting out of town.

Then the fateful day arrived. I hit an enormous pothole that reconfigured a rear wheel. This was the repair that I wasn't going to pay for.

That was it. I junked it. I decided that considering the money I would be saving, I could take cabs whenever I felt like it, and rent cars for trips.

I am a car-free person now.

So far so good. I discovered that I don’t actually like cabs that much, and I don't use them often at all.

 

[T.Orso]

Time passes, life events happen, circumstances change.

I fell in love. It had happened to me before, but then I always had a car. How do you get around together?

Turns out she's the type who gets carsick. She learned to drive, got her license, and never drove again. She manages somehow. She rides a bike.

We're still together. So far so good.

 

[T.Orso]

I changed jobs a couple of times. I got a good job with good company.

My company transferred me to their office in the suburbs. Several people said, "I guess you have to get a car now."

The truth is I am stubborn and I didn’t like the idea that I would get a car just so that I could drive to a job in the suburbs.

I negotiated to work from home part of the week. I bought a second-hand bike that I could leave at the suburban commuter train station. I rode my bike downtown, took the train out of the city, and rode the other bike across to the office. It made for a longer commute, but the ride was pleasant enough.

 

[T.Orso]

We bought a house! An old house that needed some fixing up. Several people said, "I guess you have to get a car now. When you have a house you always have to pick up stuff.

Maybe so. We'll see how it goes.

It turns out that a lot of places like lumberyards will deliver, so it has been all right so far. I have rented a van now and then. It doesn't seem that having a house makes you need a car.

 

[T.Orso]

We had a baby!

Several people said, "I guess you have to get a car now. When you have kids you have to take them everywhere. You need a car."

I don't know. Maybe so. A lot of things are pretty close by.

We'll see how it goes and if it turns out we need a car I guess we'll get one.

 

[T.Orso]

We had another baby! I don't think we need a car.

It seems to be working out.

 

[T.Orso]

We made it official. Booked a limo. Two flower girls.

 

[T.Orso]

July 11 makes it twenty one years since I sold my car for scrap.

Older girl is able and willing to ride her own bike all over town when we need to get somewhere. I am still hauling the younger one.

So far so good.

 

[davent]

It can be done!

We've been married almost 33 years, neither of us have ever owned a car.

dave

PS, And i now see congratulations are in order!

 

[Mick]

I guess I make up for a few folks with my 7 vehicles

 

[Rhody]

Congrats you can take uber around if you have it where you are

 

[Intrigued]

Cool story! Really like how you managed to get it to work for you.

But I need a car.... 'cause I'm too impatient to wait around for someone to come drive me somewhere.

 

[T.Orso]

Congrats you can take uber around if you have it where you are

We do have it, but I can't. Another of the modern conveniences I am not paying for is a smart phone. I don’t imagine I would take Uber much if I could, as I have had little need of taxis either.

We do public transit sometimes. I hardly ever take it if I am on my own.

 

[T.Orso]

I guess I make up for a few folks with my 7 vehicles

In my teen years my family had 1.5 cars per person, and my brother has a fleet.

Thing I miss most is driving standard, but that is no reason to have a car.

 

[Mick]

In my teen years my family had 1.5 cars per person, and my brother has a fleet.

Thing I miss most is driving standard, but that is no reason to have a car.

The wife's car is a 400 hp 6 speed manual

She lets me drive it sometimes.

 

[snowman]

Can get by without a car in the city, but I hated city living. Too loud, too smelly, and I miss the big sky and open water when I'm away from them for long.

 

[riverstyxxx]

Here in southern california, I can get by on a bicycle and public transportation. Everything is within a close distance, six food stores a mile away. It's been saving me piles of money for the last 10 years, and I get some exercise.

 

[Doraemon]

I live in a place called Midtown in Tokyo. Anything I need is within walking distance. There is a nice park with a playground, gardens, pond, jogging course, and basketball court. There is a good grocery store (though a little overpriced), a good bakery, two Starbucks, a Dean and Deluca, and many good restaurants (three with Michelin Stars). The National Art Center is 3 minutes walk, the large shopping complex at Roppongi Hills is less than 10 minutes walk.

As I work from home, I don't really need to get around too much. For fitness and errands I ride my bicycle. I have three, my old team-issue racer which usually hangs on the wall, a high-ended folding bike which is very light, folds small, and can go fast. This bike I can take on the train or bus to other cities, it's very convenient. The third is a power-assisted shopping bike which I can use to take my daughter to school, and run errands with.

My wife often wishes we had a car. Getting out of the city is rather difficult, and once outside the city, transportation is a little more difficult to find. Life in the city can get stressful at times. Tokyo is a clean and safe place to live, but it is very crowded, very noisy, and very busy. Outside the cities, Japan is full of beautiful mountains, valleys, forests, and nature. And the roads going to these places are well maintained. But the cost of owning cars in Japan is high.

Here is a breakdown. First, to register a car in the city, you need to prove you have a parking spot within walking distance of your home. Parking in our apartment building's garage is almost $500 per month. Next, one must pay an annual road tax which is based on the engine size of one's car. For a family size car capable of getting out of it's own way, and climbing hills without shifting down, you need at least a 3 liter engine. This size is taxed at about $700 per year. In Japan cars must undergo an extensive inspection every other year. Besides checking for mechanical problems, even cosmetic items are checked. Faded paint, dents, torn seats, or a broken lock knob can result in failing an inspection. Inspection costs cary according to the type of car. Figure about $500 every other year for an inspection. Insurance is another $500 per year.

Then there is the cost of driving. Gasoline is heavily taxed, and costs about triple what it does in America. Road tolls are outrageous. Just to get outside of Tokyo you'll need to spend as much as $70 in tolls. You can drive local roads to avoid the tolls, but the traffic on these roads is heavy because everyone does it. Highway speeds are much slower than America, speeds on surface streets are even slower. And Japan still uses timers to control traffic lights, so you have to stop randomly even when there is no traffic.

Lastly, getting a license is not easy. The cost runs about $3000, involves many classroom hours, and many hours behind with wheel with an instructor. The driving test is absurdly difficult (the written test is insane), and everyone is failed on their first attempt (meaning you have to spend another $20-something to retake the test). Some people never pass, even after a dozen attempts.

Traffic laws are severe. Accidents are not considered "accidents", they are considered to be crimes. If you are driving, and someone runs out between two cars wearing black clothes in the middle of the night, and they are hurt, you will be arrested. Car drivers are considered automatically to be at fault in any accident involving a pedestrian or bicycle. I was once hit by a scooter while I was riding my bike, my bike was forced into a car which was stopped at a traffic light. The car which was stopped was considered partially responsible for the accident. It's crazy, but it does keep drivers on their toes, and accidents are very rare here (I say this as a former THI officer who spent 10 years working in American law enforcement).

Though I don't really need a car, and owning a car is inconvenient and expensive, I often find myself wishing that I had one. When I was young man living in Southern California, my car was a door to the world. Mountains, deserts, oceans, different cities, and even different countries, all I needed was gasoline. And in those days gas was cheap.

 

[Legion]

I have not owned a car in over five years and don't miss it. It doesn't snow where I live, I don't have kids I need to transport, so IMO not using my own energy to transport myself is just being lazy.

 

[BSAGuy]

Well done, T.Orso. Going car free can save a lot of $$ over time.