Car-less people, advice please (Boston, Somerville: rental car, rental, insurance)

[CirculateRX]

I'm hoping to ask people who have 1 or 0 cars and bike/take public transit for pleasure, groceries, work, etc. What do you do during the bad bad winter days/weeks/months. My wife and I live in Phoenix Arizona but are thinking of moving somewhere walkable. She will most likely use the car while I will get work within a couple miles of home. We will sell our second vehicle and get an eBike as a second vehicle but I'm worried about the bad months. What's your experience?

[GoldKona]

1. Live in a mild climate.
2. Zip cars and Lyft/Uber
3. Rental car specials.

[CirculateRX]

Originally Posted by GoldKona

1. Live in a mild climate.
2. Zip cars and Lyft/Uber
3. Rental car specials.

I'm asking about Boston silly goose. People who bike / public transit year round.

[porterhouse]

Zipcar

[charolastra00]

While I have a car now, I spent years living in Waltham and Somerville with no car.


A few tips:
- live as close as you can afford to the subway. If that's not easy walking distance, make sure you live close to a bus stop that eliminates most transfers.
- dress for the weather. I kept wet wipes, dry shampoo, and makeup at work when I commuted in the summer, and extra socks and gloves for when I commuted in the winter. Heavy coats, long underwear, and heavy boots are essentials.
- plan your grocery trips, and ideally have a grocery store in between work and home. Big reusuable totes are easier to carry than paper or plastic bags, and packing into a backpack is even better.



One car is more than many people have in the immediate Boston metro area, and people do fine. With one car, I wouldn't even worry about things like grocery shopping or leisure.

[lokaydokay]

I have lived car-free in Boston for two years. It's actually not that hard, especially if you live within 15 minutes of the T or close to major bus lines.

A key to living car-free is to have as much delivered as possible. Between Amazon, Instacart, Shipt, GoPuff, and the numerous other delivery services, you can have almost anything delivered to your door within a couple of hours. I don't shop for anything in stores these days.

I also use ride share pretty liberally. It's not cheap, but you avoid paying for parking and avoid the stress of driving. I use Zipcar for weekend joyrides. And if I need to drive longer distances, I rent a car or take the train.

Owning a car in Boston is a huge PITA. My quality of life is higher than it would be if I had to deal with a car.

FYI. I'm a transplant from the South. Yes, the cold isn't fun, but you are rewarded with glorious summers and falls. The weather is miserable for about a 1/3 of the year, great for about 1/2 of the year, and a mixed bag the remainder of the year.

Full disclosure: for me the biggest issue isn't the temperature or the snow. It's the gray skies and short days in the winter. It wears on you.

That said, I LOVE Boston. I love the walkability, the history, the architecture, the parks and water, the strong job market, the intelligent people and progressive spirit. It's mega expensive, but there's a reason so many people are willing to spend the money to live here. You get what you pay for.

Have you given any thought to where you might live in Boston?

[scorpio516]

I have some friends who just moved to St Louis and bought their first car ever. They are in their mid 30s.
They both had cars in HS and undergrad, she came here to go to grad school at Harvard and stayed for 10 years car-free.

[id77]

Originally Posted by CirculateRX

I'm hoping to ask people who have 1 or 0 cars and bike/take public transit for pleasure, groceries, work, etc. What do you do during the bad bad winter days/weeks/months. My wife and I live in Phoenix Arizona but are thinking of moving somewhere walkable. She will most likely use the car while I will get work within a couple miles of home. We will sell our second vehicle and get an eBike as a second vehicle but I'm worried about the bad months. What's your experience?

On bad days, depending on where I'm going/what I'm doing:

1. Take the T, or Lyft/Uber.
2. Delivery.
3. Get out the winter boots and walk.

[WestieWhitie]

Unless you live in a mansion currently, car insurance and maintenance/repairs in Boston will probably be more than your mortgage in Phoenix.

Originally Posted by CirculateRX

I'm hoping to ask people who have 1 or 0 cars and bike/take public transit for pleasure, groceries, work, etc. What do you do during the bad bad winter days/weeks/months. My wife and I live in Phoenix Arizona but are thinking of moving somewhere walkable. She will most likely use the car while I will get work within a couple miles of home. We will sell our second vehicle and get an eBike as a second vehicle but I'm worried about the bad months. What's your experience?

[timberline742]

I lived in Somerville for years without a car. I walked and/or bussed and/or biked.