Young adults leaving cars behind? (Atlanta: how much, neighborhood, depreciation)

[CCATL]

Originally Posted by Mishap

I've gone as much as 3 months without driving my car purely by choice when I was working from home. My car is actually under 3k miles on the year and I'm honestly debating going to a single car between my fiancee and I. I took Marta to work daily last year and have been taking Marta to the airport mostly this year. Keeping 2 cars for the 1-2 days/month where we're driving places separately seems like a bit overkill. Going completely carless may be more challenging but it's not like my insurance/deprecation/parking/taxes costs aren't greater than ZipCar. I'd venture most house savings in the burbs are immediately consumed by gas/maintenance/depreciation/commute times on their cars. I love my car but it costs quite a bit to keep around even when parked.

I agree, Atlanta isn't as easy to live without a car than most of us would like, but being a 1 car couple/family is completely possible. When I started biking to work, my car sat in our driveway for days on end, and I would take it places on weekends just to move it. After a few months, we decided to try to become a one car couple, and see if it worked- if not, we would get a new car. I sold my car, used one car during the few month test, and we realized there was absolutely no need for a second car. When we went separate places, i biked or took marta, and my wife drives - but that might need to happen once a month. We've had one car for about 8 months now, and have saved a ton of money. I'd venture to say this isn't possible in the suburbs (or even the northern ITP areas). While Buckhead, Brookhaven, etc are technically ITP, they aren't nearly as walkable or bike friendly as from Virginia highland on south on both eastern and western sides of the city. I think traffic is just as bad up there as in the suburbs, which is why we chose to live in the older parts of the city, built before cars.

This is another reason I think MOST, not all, young people would choose to live intown, especially if they work intown.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by CCATL

I'd venture to say this isn't possible in the suburbs (or even the northern ITP areas).

Glad this works for you, but I'd venture to say that regardless of where someone lives in Atlanta that this simply won't work for the vast majority of us.

[Dianna2]

Originally Posted by westau

Atlanta isn't a place where you can reasonably live without a car without making a TON of sacrifices even if you live in the middle if Midtown.

I live Downtown, work Downtown, and do not own a car.

I can shop everything I need from the 24 hour CVS or Publix in Midtown.

I am thinking about getting a car but am having a hard time justifying the cost. At the end of the day, I'm not really sure why everyone here thinks a car is required... Would it be nice? Yeah, but at the end of the day, it seems like a luxury. Of course you need a car if you decide to live in non-connected areas... That's like saying you need an airplane if you live in China and work in Atlanta.

Am I making a TON of sacrifices? Ummm, like what? Am I living unreasonably?

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Dianna2

I live Downtown, work Downtown, and do not own a car.

I can shop everything I need from the 24 hour CVS or Publix in Midtown.

I am thinking about getting a car but am having a hard time justifying the cost. At the end of the day, I'm not really sure why everyone here thinks a car is required... Would it be nice? Yeah, but at the end of the day, it seems like a luxury. Of course you need a car if you decide to live in non-connected areas... That's like saying you need an airplane if you live in China and work in Atlanta.

Am I making a TON of sacrifices? Ummm, like what? Am I living unreasonably?

That's terrific. I'm glad this lifestyle choice works for you and others. I wish it could work for more of us, too.

[Strangejelly]

Originally Posted by Mishap

I've gone as much as 3 months without driving my car purely by choice when I was working from home. My car is actually under 3k miles on the year and I'm honestly debating going to a single car between my fiancee and I. I took Marta to work daily last year and have been taking Marta to the airport mostly this year. Keeping 2 cars for the 1-2 days/month where we're driving places separately seems like a bit overkill. Going completely carless may be more challenging but it's not like my insurance/deprecation/parking/taxes costs aren't greater than ZipCar. I'd venture most house savings in the burbs are immediately consumed by gas/maintenance/depreciation/commute times on their cars. I love my car but it costs quite a bit to keep around even when parked.

Of course living intown isn't ideal for everyone but if you can have a job where you keep your commute to no more than 10-15 miles, your life is so much better in Atlanta. I've been able to keep it short ever since moving intown and having a reverse commute further minimizes traffic headaches. Unfortunately I find myself stuck in traffic commuting in Seattle/Bellevue/Redmond a few days/wk now where they place far more emphasis on alternative transportation but are undergoing some big roadwork projects. If I could find a way to bring my bike back and forth w/o ridiculous luggage fees, I'd bike to work since they have complete paths from Seattle all the way to Redmond.

Depends on where your job is. If you work in Duluth, living downtown will cost you much more.

[Strangejelly]

Originally Posted by CCATL

I agree, Atlanta isn't as easy to live without a car than most of us would like, but being a 1 car couple/family is completely possible. When I started biking to work, my car sat in our driveway for days on end, and I would take it places on weekends just to move it. After a few months, we decided to try to become a one car couple, and see if it worked- if not, we would get a new car. I sold my car, used one car during the few month test, and we realized there was absolutely no need for a second car. When we went separate places, i biked or took marta, and my wife drives - but that might need to happen once a month. We've had one car for about 8 months now, and have saved a ton of money. I'd venture to say this isn't possible in the suburbs (or even the northern ITP areas). While Buckhead, Brookhaven, etc are technically ITP, they aren't nearly as walkable or bike friendly as from Virginia highland on south on both eastern and western sides of the city. I think traffic is just as bad up there as in the suburbs, which is why we chose to live in the older parts of the city, built before cars.

This is another reason I think MOST, not all, young people would choose to live intown, especially if they work intown.

Everyone isn't in a couple and Marta's end times make it hard to party after 1 without a ride. That's unless the only bars you go to are next to you.

[Strangejelly]

Lol, all the people saying they don't make any sacrifices to live car free must never go far from there home neighborhoods or rely on Marta to leave it. That sounds like a heavy sacrifice to never be able to visit a restaurant or a bar/music venue or a friend or a family member without using zip car or a cab. Unless all your friends, family, other bars and restaurants are all on a Marta line or a mile down the road.

If you don't get out much I guess it's all the same if your bare necessities are down the street. Most people need to be able to get to places outside thier immediate neighborhood and on times and places not covered by Marta.

[erick295]

I couldn't live without a car. I can't think of a single neighborhood that has everything I need on a regular basis, and my friends are spread all over the city. I do walk whenever I can, and I love walking (I do it a lot just to do it), but it's not enough.

MARTA works under certain circumstances but the buses are a joke and the trains run so infrequently that I can run an entire errand in the time it takes me to wait on a platform (not to mention the fact that I'd have to carry whatever I buy with me the entire trip home). That's why I only use it to go to the airport or when parking isn't going to be readily available.

Plenty of people live without cars because they can't afford them or they have medical problems which prevent them from driving, but in Atlanta I think you'd have to be a patient person with simple needs to want to live that way. To each his own, but if you're like that, you're definitely in the minority.

Side note: I actually did live without a car during that fuel shortage we had several years ago. There aren't many things I can think of that are less fun than carrying a 20 lb bag of dog food half a mile in the middle of a summer day.

[joey86]

Originally Posted by Strangejelly

Everyone isn't in a couple and Marta's end times make it hard to party after 1 without a ride. That's unless the only bars you go to are next to you.

So you just drive drunk then right?

[Strangejelly]

Originally Posted by joey86

So you just drive drunk then right?

Or you start sobering up before 2 am? You don't keep drinking until the last hour (assuming the party ends at 2)? Maybe you never get drunk anyway? Not seeing your point?