Most Common Mistakes Newcomers Make (accent, jobs, single)

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by Aleking

don't listen to people who tell you a car is optional

Really? I would actually say just the opposite: The common rookie mistake is people thinking they need a car. If you live and work near el stops (or even bus stops), you're probably not going to use your car much anyway. It's cheaper and easier to take a cab now and then and rent a car for the occasional weekend getaway than it is to own a car in the city.

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Go ahead and put ketchup on your hot dog; perfectly normal in most parts of the country, but...

Not normal anywhere I've lived. I always thought it was just a matter of basic taste-- Didn't know anyone considered it to be a local thing until I moved to Chicago.

[DetailSymbolizes]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

Listening to suburbanite douchebags who troll city forums?

Must suck to be you.

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by Aleking

i love only driving my car once or twice a month but i absolutely need it

What do you do with your car once or twice a month that couldn't be done with a cab, zip car, or regular rental car at a fraction of the cost of owning, maintaining, insuring, registering, and parking a car in the city?

[Bucktownbabe]

Originally Posted by DetailSymbolizes

Must suck to be you.

Based on the reps that post received, it's apparently a common sentiment.

[rubbersoul89]

if you're only driving a car once or twice a month, it's absolutely optional.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

A LOT of people here have that accent, and are every bit as obsessed with sports as those guys were. I assume that's what the poster was referring to.

Sure, but it's not permeating every single part of the city like some believe. Also you won't hear that accent much in more transplant-centric areas.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

What do you do with your car once or twice a month that couldn't be done with a cab, zip car, or regular rental car at a fraction of the cost of owning, maintaining, insuring, registering, and parking a car in the city?

Yep, but if you own the car then whatever. If you're leasing the car or something, then that's a waste of money big time. It's pretty easy to go carless in Chicago and I'm one of those (many of my friends don't have them either. I have a bunch who got rid of their cars too after realizing it was stupid in the first place).

[oak317]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

Really? I would actually say just the opposite: The common rookie mistake is people thinking they need a car. If you live and work near el stops (or even bus stops), you're probably not going to use your car much anyway. It's cheaper and easier to take a cab now and then and rent a car for the occasional weekend getaway than it is to own a car in the city.

I agree. Most of the young professionals I know don't own cars. They're transplants from other areas and they live by the El and work downtown. Owning a car during the winter is brutal, for example if you end up buying a beater then something is bound to break over the winter, unless you buy indoor parking which is $150/mo minimum, or strike gold with an apartment that has free garage parking.

But I think it also comes down to lifestyle. If you want to live in the suburbs where you can find cheap, spacious 1-bedroom apartments then it might be worth it to put some of your extra savings toward a car.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Bucktownbabe

Really? I would actually say just the opposite: The common rookie mistake is people thinking they need a car. If you live and work near el stops (or even bus stops), you're probably not going to use your car much anyway. It's cheaper and easier to take a cab now and then and rent a car for the occasional weekend getaway than it is to own a car in the city.

I certainly needed a car when I first moved here. My job was in a section of Hoffman Estates where there wasn't any public transportation, and the nearest Metra stop was five miles away. There had been a company-run shuttle between the Metra station and the workplace, but by the time I started working there they had discontinued it. I drove to and from my job there for more than four years.

After that, I was able to transfer to one of the downtown offices. Afterward I discovered I was only using my car once every two to three weeks or so. Between garage parking and insurance, I realized my cost per trip was enormous. That's when I decided to get rid of it, and I've been happily carfree ever since.