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exactly. people act as if fuel costs were the only expense of car ownership. cars don't grow on trees. the car fairy doesn't hand them out like candy every easter. they aren't free. nor is their insurance and the endless costs of maintaining them (changing the oil, coolant, tune-ups, etc). they are a huge financial burden, second only to your rent or mortgage. in many cases when you add up all the costs of car ownership it can easily be as much as your monthly rent.
in addition you're paying hundreds every year just to re-register the damn thing because the registration is only good for one year. they also have to be smogged every two years which also costs money. and god forbid you fail the smog test because that's going to be another several hundred dollars you will have to fork out to fix it so it can pass smog. and god forbid you get pulled over for a moving violation which goes on your driving record causing your insurance premiums to double. or god forbid you lose your job and aren't unable find another one right away. cause if you miss a monthly payment or two the finance company will begin proceedings to repo your car. the headaches of car ownership just never ends.
I think cisco kid sounds like--as ca_north put it--a "reluctant motorist."
I think many people are indifferent to driving, or are reluctant motorists, and would use alternate forms of transportation, if they were available. Yet, most of our transportation policies continue to be auto-centric. Although, that seems to finally be changing, per the original topic of this thread.
I don't own a car. and thankfully now I have a choice not to but not many people have a choice. its not just the expense of car ownership that I dislike but the auto-centered lifestyle. even if cars were 100% free I still wouldn't want one. having to sit in a steel cage every morning in traffic to get to a job that might be an hour away is not my idea of the good life. and being absolutely dependent on a steel cage to go anywhere or do anything at all.
I don't own a car. and thankfully now I have a choice not to but not many people have a choice. its not just the expense of car ownership that I dislike but the auto-centered lifestyle. even if cars were 100% free I still wouldn't want one. having to sit in a steel cage every morning in traffic to get to a job that might be an hour away is not my idea of the good life. and being absolutely dependent on a steel cage to go anywhere or do anything at all.
Well, fine! So how long does it take you to get to work? It takes me 12 min. in my car.
I remember how excited I was to drive when I first got my car. Then I had to go fill it up...
That changed my whole perspective on suburban(American Dream) living on over Urban living. Some people look at me crazy when I tell them I don't care about luxury cars or torque and that all I care about in a car is it's safety rating, gas mileage, and maintenance cost.
I remember how excited I was to drive when I first got my car. Then I had to go fill it up...
That changed my whole perspective on suburban(American Dream) living on over Urban living. Some people look at me crazy when I tell them I don't care about luxury cars or torque and that all I care about in a car is it's safety rating, gas mileage, and maintenance cost.
its a double whammy for young people. they need a car to get around but often don't have the money to afford one. because of limited driving experience they pay twice the insurance premiums as older age groups. a big chunk of their paycheck from their part-time job if they have one goes to their daily and monthly car-related expenses. so they have little left over to cover college tuition and expenses (of which the US has the highest in the world). so they are forced to take out huge loans and end up with massive student loan debts by graduation. but most don't make it to graduation because the ridiculous costs can no longer be beared.
I live 20 miles from the nearest "big" city and there is no way I am going to get on a bicycle and go to town to run errands, go to the market, do any shopping, etc. I do encounter a lot of bicyclists while I am driving into town and they have got to be the rudest, most ignorant humans on the planet. They do not ride properly, take entire lanes, move very slow and do not even attempt to allow a vehicle to try and pass them. It would be a blessing in my area if bicycles were not allowed on the roadway because I live in the country outside of town in a very rural, farming area.
on a commuter train you can read a book or a paper, do work on your laptop
or just take a nap if you want. its a lot less stressful than driving.
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