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Old 09-29-2008, 11:51 AM
 
41 posts, read 149,162 times
Reputation: 17

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Hello Everyone,

So I will be moving to Austin in a week from today and I am trying to decide if I need to buy a car right away or if it will be possible to get by without one? Has the public transport at all improved in the past few months due to gas prices et al? I will be flying out there and figure I will need to rent a car at first to get around as well as I don't know anyone there and am moving by myself. But what about after that?
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Old 09-29-2008, 12:11 PM
 
Location: NW Austin
1,133 posts, read 4,187,221 times
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Austin doesn't strike me as a place that you can really get around all that well without a car unless you're a UT student living near campus. Guess it depends how close you live to your work...
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Old 09-29-2008, 12:28 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,280 posts, read 4,292,634 times
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If you live near downtown or within a few miles of the urban core, you will never need a car. The downtown area is very walkable/bikeable, and the central part of the city is served by very frequent buses. Even the outer areas have decent bus service, but if you start talking about the suburbs or the far reaches of Austin itself, a car is required.
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Old 09-29-2008, 12:33 PM
 
Location: SoCal
2,261 posts, read 7,233,328 times
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That's if you live AND work downtown. You'll most likely need a car otherwise.
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Old 09-29-2008, 12:40 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,280 posts, read 4,292,634 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by readymade View Post
That's if you live AND work downtown. You'll most likely need a car otherwise.
Yes, I should have qualified that with the "work" part.
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Old 09-29-2008, 12:41 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,642,308 times
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My brother has not had a car in decades, but he is a bit....'different' . He doesn't mind (at least not much) the time spent on buses, and he deals well with walking in the elements - much better than your average Joe. He has always lived in the city limits, though, never out in the surrounding towns. If you are a patient person and don't mind possibly taking an hour to get to and from work (each), then the buses may work for you. You have to be punctual, too, that is the kicker...the bus doesn't wait for you.
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Old 09-29-2008, 04:08 PM
 
41 posts, read 149,162 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by readymade View Post
That's if you live AND work downtown. You'll most likely need a car otherwise.
How much of Austin is considered 'downtown'? I visited there back in December and compared to what I consider a city (I live in Chicago) there was very little that looked city-like, so its hard for me to judge. I do plan to (hopefully) live and work around South Congress area, but even a mile out from there looked more like suburbs to me.
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Old 09-29-2008, 04:18 PM
 
41 posts, read 149,162 times
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so what about renting a car at first- should i book one before i get there or wait til I am there and see if I need it? It looks like it can get expensive to rent very quickly and I am wondering if I should wing it with the buses for my job and apartment hunt. The buses were very infrequent/unreliable when I visited in December/Jan but I don't know if thats because we were there around a holiday or if thats how it always is?
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Old 09-29-2008, 05:31 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,882,004 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by where_am_i View Post
so what about renting a car at first- should i book one before i get there or wait til I am there and see if I need it? It looks like it can get expensive to rent very quickly and I am wondering if I should wing it with the buses for my job and apartment hunt. The buses were very infrequent/unreliable when I visited in December/Jan but I don't know if thats because we were there around a holiday or if thats how it always is?
Probably should book a car, that way you can maximize your time while you are here. The buses are the same year round, not frequent enough and you still have to walk a long way (poor coverage in many areas).

Here's the way I get the best deal for rental cars, you might give it a try. Go to hotwire and look up the best price for the days you want the car. Then go to priceline and do the name-your-own price thing, bidding about 30% less than the best hotwire price. You might need to try this for a couple of days, but I've been able to get ridiculously good deals on rental cars that way.
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Old 10-01-2008, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Coffee Bean
659 posts, read 1,759,836 times
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I'm not a fan of Austin's "public transportation." I've lived in several large metropolitan areas, which make Austin's pt seem like a joke, BUT if you stay pretty central and pay attention to where the bus lines are, you may be able to limp by for a while. Another service I just heard about is called Austin Car Share: Austin CarShare : The Freedom of Driving with Cars On Demand My husband and I are a 1 car family, so we checked them out. Unfortunately we live north and all the pick up locations are central or south, but if you live in those areas, you could probably make out fine with buses and that car share program. Good luck!
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