Young adults leaving cars behind? (Atlanta, Dunwoody: sales, townhome, purchase)

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by Dianna2

Zip car costs what, $15 an hour? A car plus insurance plus maintenance plus gas costs......

Hmm, who's making the sacrifices again?

Zipcar would be useful if your driving is very infrequent. But Zipcar locations aren't that ubiquitous so you'd be lucky to be near one, and I just can't see using it for social occasions like going out on a date. I mean...picking up my hot date...in a Zipcar with that logo on the door.....uh....no.

[Jillgineer]

> I mean...picking up my hot date...in a Zipcar with that logo on the door.....uh....no.

That depends on what kind of women you date. I would think it was a sensible intelligent choice and have a positive reaction if a guy came to pick me up in a Zipcar. Most Zipcars don't have the big logo on it anyway. It's only a small number that do.

[LiveUrban]

Originally Posted by Dianna2

I live Downtown, work Downtown, and do not own a car.

I can shop everything I need from the 24 hour CVS or Publix in Midtown.

I am thinking about getting a car but am having a hard time justifying the cost. At the end of the day, I'm not really sure why everyone here thinks a car is required... Would it be nice? Yeah, but at the end of the day, it seems like a luxury. Of course you need a car if you decide to live in non-connected areas... That's like saying you need an airplane if you live in China and work in Atlanta.

Am I making a TON of sacrifices? Ummm, like what? Am I living unreasonably?

Have you thought about getting a bicycle (if you don't have one already). I live car-free in Austin, TX and can get anywhere I need to go by bike. Longer distances I take bus or use Car2Go.

For grocery shopping I got "panniers" on my bike to carry food home:

[Tarzanman]

I am currently sharing my car with a gf who lost hers. We are lucky in that the car is in good shape and that I also have a motorcycle, so it isn't a problem when we have to travel to different places.

Even so, there are times where we have to make arrangements because she cannot ride a motorcycle and sometimes I need the car. She can ride a bicycle, but frankly, she is not in good enough shape, or quite coordinated enough to do it full time in the city.

Atlanta is not a good town for not having a car. Even in town, things are frequently spread out. I lived on Tech campus for many years without a car and had to rely on friends or the GaTech stinger bus to get me to and from the supermarket (which was a couple of miles away.... back before the Rio mall became a Publix shopping center).

It can be done with the combination of MARTA and a bicycle.... I see more than a couple of people doing this when I make my bicycle outings... but it becomes a hardship when the weather is bad or you have to arrive to your destination sweaty and smelly.

If you don't have a car, then you certainly need good friends who have a car to be able to get around, IMO.

[ZonaZoo]

I'd rather live in a gated luxury apartment complex in a safe neighborhood with ample parking, a swimming pool or two, a fitness center, a tennis court, and plenty of landscaping. That's why I don't like living "in-town."

But then again, according to City-Data, that's just me.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by ZonaZoo

I'd rather live in a gated luxury apartment complex in a safe neighborhood with ample parking, a swimming pool or two, a fitness center, a tennis court, and plenty of landscaping. That's why I don't like living "in-town."

But then again, according to City-Data, that's just me.

Most of the Post garden apartments fit that bill and are ITP.

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by erick295

LOL. Do you really think owning a car magically costs $0.55 per mile? How much your car costs per mile depends entirely on what age it is, what make and model it is, what kind of engine it has, how much you drive it, how you drive it, where you live, how you maintain it, how your driving record is, how old you are, when you sell it, and who you sell it to. In fact, fuel, maintenance, depreciation, insurance, and registration costs all decrease exponentially if your commute is longer and involves freeways.

$1104 a month! LOL!! I've never had a car that cost even HALF that, and I buy them new and drive quite a bit less than average, which makes my payments, depreciation, insurance, registration, etc. even more expensive than it is for most people!

It's not that hard to get to half that if you drive 15k/yr and don't drive a basic Corolla (see all the people who roll around in Bimmers & Benzes)

Let's say you have a car similar to mine (35k new - ~12k remaining value after 7yrs) = 273/mon depreciation
Insurance ~80/mon (Sedan - 30+ | was 100+ new)
Taxes - $250/yr (hit as much as $500/yr)
Gas costs roughly $0.17/mile (~20.5mpg) based on my car's avg this year

Monthly:
$374 - Depreciation/Insurance/Taxes
$212 - Gas
Total without maintenance = $586 | $0.4688/mile

You'd actually have in addition in driving ~105k in 7yrs:
Oil Changes: $50 x 21 (every 5k miles) = $1050
2X Tires/Alignment: $800 x 2 = $1600
2X Brakes = $800

[Mishap]

Originally Posted by ZonaZoo

I'd rather live in a gated luxury apartment complex in a safe neighborhood with ample parking, a swimming pool or two, a fitness center, a tennis court, and plenty of landscaping. That's why I don't like living "in-town."

But then again, according to City-Data, that's just me.

Having had my car broken into the one day in a year I didn't park in my rented garage in a Duluth Apt complex, I'd say the gate's of little actual protection. From having lived in a few of those suburban complexes, very few apt complexes are any safer than living in the city. They aggregate quite a few low/middle income folks together and that's a big source of property crime in the suburbs.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Mishap

Big dogs aren't exactly conducive living without a car.

You are so right, and children aren't conducive to living without a car either. I don't know why folks think it is heroic to live without a car. ZipCars are terrifically impractical for most folks. Who wants to walk 30 minutes or more or take a cab to rent a ZipCar?

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Mishap

Having had my car broken into the one day in a year I didn't park in my rented garage in a Duluth Apt complex, I'd say the gate's of little actual protection. From having lived in a few of those suburban complexes, very few apt complexes are any safer than living in the city. They aggregate quite a few low/middle income folks together and that's a big source of property crime in the suburbs.

I agree. About all gates do is give the illusion of security. I own a condo in the Lenox Rd area that I rent out and there has been plenty of property crime (mostly cars) and even an abduction and carjacking despite the presence of electric gates.
Hank Aaron's home in Cascade Heights was broken into the other day, and his property is gated.