Should I sell Hybrid Car before Moving to Seattle? (apartment complexes, condos)

[cyberdell]

Hi Seattle Area Knowledgeable People!

After several trips to Seattle I fell in love with the city. I was there last December and it was extremely "COLD!" but I still loved it! So I am moving there next week.

As I have a small home based business I don't need to find a job right away but will be looking I'm sure after I move there. (I am a motion graphic designer BTW...)

Anyway my question is this... I have a 2004 Honda Insight Hybrid (one of the lowest emission cars in the country) with the special car pool lane stickers for California. This means I can drive in the car pool lane by myself. The sticker won't mean anything in Seattle but the Hybrid is a great car. Will this type of car work in the Seattle area or will public transportation be better? I am also a ZipCar member and love that too : )

Should I sell the car or keep this car? I leave next week so let me know! Really excited about this move... been planning it for two years! Seattle here I come!

[LucaBella]

I feel like my life is empty without a car. From having to buy expensive groceries because I can't drive to better stores, to having to carry them like a mule on my back.. to realizing how gorgeous Seattle is, and not often being able to travel to all parts of it because public transport seems like a hassle in my mind... I know alot of this is crap, I'm making excuses, but seriously.. I'd give my eye teeth for a car... I wouldn't sell it, I mean unless you need the cash, you've obviously paid it off, so why pay for public transport (which, admittedly is great in Seattle) and zip cars when you have a car?

You'll prolly have to pay about $100 a month for parking, but I think it's well worth it. You don't need a car in Seattle, you'll just want one.

[LongDawson]

That is a sweet car. Keep it.

[Anders15]

Originally Posted by LucaBella

I feel like my life is empty without a car. From having to buy expensive groceries because I can't drive to better stores, to having to carry them like a mule on my back.. to realizing how gorgeous Seattle is, and not often being able to travel to all parts of it because public transport seems like a hassle in my mind... I know alot of this is crap, I'm making excuses, but seriously.. I'd give my eye teeth for a car... I wouldn't sell it, I mean unless you need the cash, you've obviously paid it off, so why pay for public transport (which, admittedly is great in Seattle) and zip cars when you have a car?

You'll prolly have to pay about $100 a month for parking, but I think it's well worth it. You don't need a car in Seattle, you'll just want one.

Why don't you just get a bike then?

[blubrd]

I would get a bike and keep the car for day trips to explore wonderful WA state!!

[cyberdell]

This is why I am going to love Seattle... People like the ones in this forum

You are so helpful and friendly. Seattle Freeze? What Seattle Freeze? Laughs!!!

Really if anyone has any more ideas on this car I am all ears...

And thanks so far for the information, really appreciate it... 100 dollars per month for parking though.. Can someone elaborate?

[nwexplor]

I lived in Magnolia for two years without a car (so it can be done) but I say: You will want a car. Public transport in Seattle is good but you will absolutely want a car. Being on foot or bike exposes yourself to the continuous light drizzle (it gets annoying after a few months) and you will eventually have commitments (work, medical, social, recreational, etc) that take you North or East, beyond the range of your bike and familiar bus lines.

[seattlenextyear]

Originally Posted by cyberdell

This is why I am going to love Seattle... People like the ones in this forum

You are so helpful and friendly. Seattle Freeze? What Seattle Freeze? Laughs!!!

Really if anyone has any more ideas on this car I am all ears...

And thanks so far for the information, really appreciate it... 100 dollars per month for parking though.. Can someone elaborate?

The $100 figure is what some apartment complexes/condos charge for parking. This may or may not apply to your situation.

[LucaBella]

Originally Posted by Anders15

Why don't you just get a bike then?

Arthritis.

But even if I were completely healthy, a bike can't take you that far,especially in the rain...

[eskercurve]

cyberdell, et. al.

I would weigh the benefits vs. costs of keeping the car vs. selling it. How much longer will you have before you pay off the car? If you pay off the car, or are close to it, keep it, and ditch the zip car membership if it costs you a lot of money. Most apartments will charge you $75-100 for parking per month, and I have heard that parking downtown will cost you. But that may not matter since the insight is a good little car that sips gas. If you will be joining the rush downtown from the outskirts, then I would suggest keeping it as you will sit in traffic.

If it is going to be a while before you pay off the car, I would weigh your options if I were you. If you sell your car, that's only going to mean you need to pay for public transit. That might be cool since a lot of employers use a federal program to use pre-tax money to pay for transit, and some even subsidize it (mine does). You will also have to weigh selling your car for less than you have to go to pay it off, and the resulting loss of freedom (though the zip car membership helps) for when you want to escape the city.

So I would weigh the following:

- freedom index
- relative cost to pay off vs. sell and resort to public transit
- factor in cost of public transit to where you plan on living & where you work
- the insight is pretty fuel efficient, so gas mileage isn't a huge concern


So, basically, if you have a $300 / month car payment and then have to pay an additional $100 for parking and then gas money, say another $100 / month, you're looking at $500 / month for owning a car. If you can pay off your car do so. If not, weigh your options.

Seattle can be done without a car. You simply will need to plan ahead more and plan out where you are going to live since some suburban areas are quite inaccessible to public transit.