Getting Rid of Car -- Have you Done it? (Portland: rental car, rental) - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

marshallsteeves · 10-09-2018, 06:12 PM

I live right in the heart of Downtown on the border of the four downtown neighborhoods.

I live in Zone parking, but not only is it already difficult to park, but the number of parking spots will continue to decrease going into 2019 -- not to mention the price hikes.

I also regularly worry about getting broken into as I see it daily around downtown.

I only ever drive maybe one a week to go shopping (though I don't even have to do this since I have a Fred Meyer up the street within walking distance).

At this point, I already bike and walk nearly everywhere -- just wanting to make life easier and feel as though the best move for me is to finally ditch the car. If there is any time / location to do it, I think it's now.

Anyone else done this recently? Any tips you have for me?

Terryj · 10-12-2018, 09:19 AM

Geez, if you live in a neighborhood like your describing then you really have no need for a car. Just think of the money you would save, no parking fees, no expense for fuel, no insurance policy payments.

MDCB · 10-12-2018, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshallsteeves

I live right in the heart of Downtown on the border of the four downtown neighborhoods.

I live in Zone parking, but not only is it already difficult to park, but the number of parking spots will continue to decrease going into 2019 -- not to mention the price hikes.

I also regularly worry about getting broken into as I see it daily around downtown.

I only ever drive maybe one a week to go shopping (though I don't even have to do this since I have a Fred Meyer up the street within walking distance).

At this point, I already bike and walk nearly everywhere -- just wanting to make life easier and feel as though the best move for me is to finally ditch the car. If there is any time / location to do it, I think it's now.

Anyone else done this recently? Any tips you have for me?

I have not done this, but if you are single (no reason to cart around kids), work in your neighborhood, etc. then there is NO reason to have a car.

There are plenty of options in the city including Uber/Lyft, Car2Go, Bird/Skip, public transport (bus, max, light rail).
If you need to go to the grocery, just grab a Car2Go.
If you need to go to the coast, grab a rental car for the wknd.

You will definitely save a LOT of $$ in the form of gas, insurance, maintenance, etc. There are a lot of blog posts/articles about the pros and cons of having a car vs. using the shared economy for transportation. From what you are describing, getting rid of the car would be a no brainer!

Though I moved to a Portland NE neighborhood, I am looking to downgrade my SUV to a small EV/hybrid like a Prius. Was just thinking about why our neighborhood doesn't invest in 10 vehicles to share around the neighborhood - but that is a convo for another day and another forum.

Minervah · 10-12-2018, 11:13 AM

I lived in Portland for nearly forty years without a car. The thing you have to do is live on a good bus line that will get you to where you need to go. Unfortunately those have disappeared over the years. Downtown is the ideal place because just about all bus lines lead there.

Ideally, you can rent a car on weekends to get out of town, weekday appointments in various parts of the city and the need to get around town on public transportation can be tricky but is doable sometimes by public transportation depending upon where you live by uber or car rental. Bike too if that's your thing.

You can do it, you just have to plan for it.

marshallsteeves · 10-12-2018, 07:04 PM

Thanks all!

I am single with no pets and live right off MAX / most of the major bus lines, so I'm in a pretty ideal location.

Walk score / transit score / bike score are all 99 and I bike to work daily. Also have been using the scooter program to my advantage.

I sold my car, officially, today and am looking forward to embracing a car free life here! Any further tips in regards to making it work are still totally appreciated.

MDCB · 10-12-2018, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshallsteeves

Thanks all!

I am single with no pets and live right off MAX / most of the major bus lines, so I'm in a pretty ideal location.

Walk score / transit score / bike score are all 99 and I bike to work daily. Also have been using the scooter program to my advantage.

I sold my car, officially, today and am looking forward to embracing a car free life here! Any further tips in regards to making it work are still totally appreciated.

Nice! Congrats! Give us an update on how it is going!

Leisesturm · 10-15-2018, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marshallsteeves

Thanks all!

I am single with no pets and live right off MAX / most of the major bus lines, so I'm in a pretty ideal location.

Walk score / transit score / bike score are all 99 and I bike to work daily. Also have been using the scooter program to my advantage.

I sold my car, officially, today and am looking forward to embracing a car free life here! Any further tips in regards to making it work are still totally appreciated.

Sounds like you are off to a good start. Nothing really to add. Its not rocket science, the 'R' in being car free is Resolve, not Rocket. When it's 30 degrees and raining sideways you will wonder what you were thinking, but by the time things get that bad you should be at least $1000.00 ahead of where you would have been if you were still carrying the car. If that isn't sufficient incentive then PM me. I'll see what more I can come up with.

P.S. @$1.00 to activate and $0.15/min to operate, I cannot endorse scooters as a sustainable transportation model. They look like fun, but like many fun things they probably aren't all that good for you in the long term. Use in moderation.

texasdiver · 10-15-2018, 04:22 PM

I've lived car-free in Portland, Seattle, and Washington DC at various points in my life.

In addition to living near transit, my biggest piece of advice is to live within walking distance of a decent grocery. Schlepping groceries on a train, subway, or bus is really no fun. I mainly got around by bike but also did a lot of walking. If I were planning my own personal geography to be car-free, living next to a good grocery would be a close #2 to living near good transit. Preferably a more general purpose store like a Fred Meyer that has tools, clothes, office supplies etc. rather than a pure grocery store like a Safeway or New Seasons Market.

The short-term car rental options are light years ahead of where they used to be. In DC I lived two blocks from a Budget car rental office and I would occasionally pick up rental cars to get out of town on the weekends. But that was it. I never rented a car to get around the metro area. I just paid for delivery when I was buying something too big to carry on bike o transit.

marshallsteeves · 02-03-2019, 07:45 PM

Update:

Been about 4 months now since I gave up my car and I'm loving it. I don't think I will ever go back.

TriMet is fantastic and given my location, I can walk to nearly everything. I only really need to take transit if visiting friends or want to explore other neighborhoods a bit.

Couldn't recommend it enough -- ditch it!

Nell Plotts · 02-04-2019, 04:24 PM

I live a few blocks from you. Many residents in my building got rid of their cars. Some use Zipcar when transit or Uber isn't practical.

Personally, I tried to convince my husband that we don't need 2 cars but to go that route at the moment upsets him. He works most weekdays at a location that requires a car. I can easily work around his schedule for trips to Costco but he was adamant. The day will come when we give the SUV to the kids and he uses the other vehicle.