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Keep the car, my husband is not big on driving either. But when I hurt my back recently, he had to drive, I could t walk home either. Keep it for emergency since you already have it.
I thought about that too and it might be what I end up doing. I tend to be kind of frugal and am having a difficult time in my mind justifying spending $1500 to transport the car and then go through the hassle and expense of registering it in the new state when it may not really be necessary.
Everything I think I need on a regular basis will be within a 5-10 minute walk including entertainment, coffee shops, small grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, library, local pub, and so on. And probably most important, I tend to be a home body and not very adventurous about getting in a car and just driving.
You could, I guess, just drive the car to your new home, or tow it with a U-Haul. I don't think towing with a U-Haul would set you back $1500, but, maybe it would. Not sure if you are shipping most of your stuff with a commercial mover, or already plan to rent a truck, or what. But unless your current ride is huge, like an original "real" Hummer, there are easy ways to tow it behind the U-Haul. Or put it on a trailer, behind the U-Haul. Keep in mind commercial movers won't take a lot of stuff, ammo, components, most any liquid - so if you want to bring these things with you, you have to haul them in your own rig. Or a U-Haul. I am using "U-Haul" like "Coke" as a generic term for the whole class of you-drive-it rental trucks, I'm not saying one brand is better than another. You just have to see who will give you the best deal today, and go with that.
Myself, I am a car guy, a car hobbyist, so I plan to both drive and wrench more when I retire. But I am a dedicated rural kind of guy, no way would I live in an area like you are planning to go to. My cars are all old, either fully depreciated or like the eponymous M3, appreciating. If I sold one for even a rather high price given what it is, I would have a hard time buying as good a vehicle as what I have now with the money. I have personally worked most all the "bugs" out of them. Some, like my Dad's old GMC pickup and Impala, have sentimental value to me.
That small grocery store within walking distance probably won't have the best prices. Maybe you are OK with that. But I do like to stock up on sales, case of this and a case of that, so I need a car to haul my purchases. Of course if you have Uber, Lyft, etc. and/or Zipcar available, then you don't have to own a car to have this utility.
That said, I am not trying to tell you that this would be a mistake, for you. And if you sell your car there where you are now, it's not like you can't buy another car in your retirement town. You may indeed want a different kind of car - maybe sell an SUV and then buy a Miata, for example. Kind of depends on how well you like your current car, and how difficult it might be to replace in your retirement town.
Final thought - your car might be worth more in your retirement town than where it is now. Or not.
I didn't want to hijack the other thread here about driving, but am wondering if anyone has given up owning a car after retiring.
I'm having mixed feelings about doing this. I'm moving to a small town after retiring and purposely planning to buy a home within easy walking distance to most things I need in the downtown area. There is also public transportation available which is no out of pocket cost for seniors. Has anyone gone without a car after retiring?
Just because you retire doesn't mean you must start relying on public services just because they exist. I am retired. The only thing that really changed about driving was where I go. I no longer commute to the same place every day. I'm sure the car was bored. It probably enjoys less routine and more variety now. That new spontaneity is a big part of the pleasure of retirement. I enjoy hopping in the car and going for a drive or to a favorite place to walk, bike, or just stop and stare because of that.
FWIW, this seems rather draconian. Like you are already labeling yourself as someone needing to rely on others. Needing the free stuff. Someone who has fewer choices, someone who is resigning themselves to being dependent, living a smaller scale life. Kind of like not using a muscle and losing the ability to. You don't know what life is going to be like there yet; not the daily routine, not the leisure. You are making a lot of big changes. Maybe some are better postponed until the dust settles. IMHO being a new arrival and also arriving there already dependent on systems you haven't used seems counter intuitive. Just when you would want to feel in some control you are taking that away from yourself.
Unless there's some major reason why you don't want to drive or ship your car to your new location, why not keep it and see how things go once you are established there? You can use the bus despite owning a car. You can always sell your car you if find you don't use it. That would probably be a lot easier than realizing you want/need a car and having to buy another.
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-26-2019 at 02:44 PM..
Are you moving to Kentucky like you planned Marino? If so, and it were me, I'd want to keep my car to go explore my new beautiful state. I love my drives through new country roads and I would be doing it way too often to justify renting a car. Kentucky is one gorgeous state. Good luck on your move.
In the city, maybe, with public transportation at your beck and call, but what about when you need to go someplace else, take a drive in the country, or a trip to the shore, will you take a bus? No thanks, a car is freedom, and I'm keeping my car as long as possible.
My mom did, after my dad passed away. She never liked driving much anyway, so she gave her car to my husband and I. The deal was that if she needed a ride, we'd help her if possible. Otherwise she took transit or rode her mobility scooter, or took her scooter on transit (not sure this is an option everywhere). Being a very social person, she loved doing things that way instead of driving alone everywhere. She felt more free and self-reliant than she had with a car she didn't like driving. She wasn't overly demanding with asking for rides, and I only worked part time, so it was a deal that worked out very well for the both of us.
As an aside - "cars are meant to be driven" is a line from my mechanic husband. He says that people who take constant short trips can have cars that are rotting out with rust from not being driven enough. So that extreme low-miler might not be a great bargain to sell.
My car only costs 95/month between registration, gas and insurance. I would not give it up.
By the time you consider depreciation, maintainance, etc., most studies I’ve seen have the annual cost of owning/driving a reliable older car probably north of $6K/yr.
Seniors ride free on our local bus system. $6k/yr would cover a huge number of Uber/Lyft rides to supplement that.
I would never give up driving voluntarily. No way.
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