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I live in Northgate Seattle and decided to rent a car for 2 weeks from avis rent a car on Roosevelt.
Through Costco travel I got a deal of $35 a day including all taxes,fees out the door. my Costco citi card visa credit card has full rental car insurance.
For the past 4 years that I have lived in Northgate seattle I have mainly used king county metro and uber/lyft to get around.
I have had a California driver's license since may 1998.
I'm starting to realize that even though seattle is congested it's much easier to drive places than to wait for busses and keep changing busses.
I have taken my rental car to Ballard 2 times and I just paid for parking the 2 times.
The reason I decided to treat myself to a rental car for 2 weeks is because in the next 2 weeks I need to go to crossroads Bellevue and Redmond a few times to see friends.
With the closure of jcpenny Northgate mall I also needed a way to get to Alderwood mall in Lynnwood to shop at jcpenney.
If I would go to capital hill seattle or downtown seattle i would not take my rental car there are take king county metro instead.
Local seattlities do you prefer public transportation or driving a private vehicle to get around town??
If I could afford a car or owned my own car I could move to mountlakae terrace or Lynnwood if my apartment rent in Northgate seattle skyrockets when my lease ends August 1,2019.
My parents in the Los Angeles,California area said if they decide to get a new car in June 2019 they would gladly give me their 1998 mercury moutanier v8 for free. The mercury moutanier has only 90,000 miles on it. The mercury moutanier is a rebadged ford explorer V8. In June 2019 my parents would drive the mercury moutanier from their Encino,California house to my Seattle apartment.
Has anyone ever driven between LA and Seattle before?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We frequently drive to the Bay Area, 14 hours, and every summer to Lake Tahoe, about 12. When we lived there we would drive to LA in about 6, so figure total 20 hours drive time. As long as it has good tires, fresh oil, and belts/hoses checked, it shouldn’t be too bad, mostly straight flat freeway up I5 until you get to the Redding area.
I work in Seattle and used to take the bus from Issaquah Transit Center until the routes changed due to the light rail and viaduct coming down. Fortunately I have free parking at the office. The few co-workers living in Seattle without cars are using Car2Go and ZipCars, rather than actual rental cars, unless they are going on a trip overnight or more.
I live in Northgate Seattle and decided to rent a car for 2 weeks from avis rent a car on Roosevelt.
Through Costco travel I got a deal of $35 a day including all taxes,fees out the door. my Costco citi card visa credit card has full rental car insurance.
For the past 4 years that I have lived in Northgate seattle I have mainly used king county metro and uber/lyft to get around.
I have had a California driver's license since may 1998.
I'm starting to realize that even though seattle is congested it's much easier to drive places than to wait for busses and keep changing busses.
I have taken my rental car to Ballard 2 times and I just paid for parking the 2 times.
The reason I decided to treat myself to a rental car for 2 weeks is because in the next 2 weeks I need to go to crossroads Bellevue and Redmond a few times to see friends.
With the closure of jcpenny Northgate mall I also needed a way to get to Alderwood mall in Lynnwood to shop at jcpenney.
If I would go to capital hill seattle or downtown seattle i would not take my rental car there are take king county metro instead.
Local seattlities do you prefer public transportation or driving a private vehicle to get around town??
If I could afford a car or owned my own car I could move to mountlakae terrace or Lynnwood if my apartment rent in Northgate seattle skyrockets when my lease ends August 1,2019.
My parents in the Los Angeles,California area said if they decide to get a new car in June 2019 they would gladly give me their 1998 mercury moutanier v8 for free. The mercury moutanier has only 90,000 miles on it. The mercury moutanier is a rebadged ford explorer V8. In June 2019 my parents would drive the mercury moutanier from their Encino,California house to my Seattle apartment.
Has anyone ever driven between LA and Seattle before?
OP, you can take a bus from N'gate to Alderwood Mall. It's easy. But for Cap Hill, I'd definitely drive, as the bus connections are difficult and time-consuming. You'd have to figure out in advance where you'd park, though.
Having a car has its advantages; Sunday bus service in some areas is only once/hr., and to get across town on a Sunday requires bus transfers and a lot of waiting, because of the limited schedule. Same with evening schedules in some areas. OTOH, you should research car insurance and maintenance costs, and add monthly gas to your budget, too. Car ownership, even if you get a free car, can be astonishingly expensive. Also, you'd need to factor all that in with your rising rent.
It's a double-edged sword. IMO, car ownership is mainly for the well-to-do. I agree that bus service in Seattle isn't very convenient, but it's doable. Though some have posted that the schedules have improved, it doesn't sound like you've encountered that. Still, think and calculate carefully, before you take on the car ownership gig.
OP, you can take a bus from N'gate to Alderwood Mall. It's easy. But for Cap Hill, I'd definitely drive, as the bus connections are difficult and time-consuming. You'd have to figure out in advance where you'd park, though.
Having a car has its advantages; Sunday bus service in some areas is only once/hr., and to get across town on a Sunday requires bus transfers and a lot of waiting, because of the limited schedule. Same with evening schedules in some areas. OTOH, you should research car insurance and maintenance costs, and add monthly gas to your budget, too. Car ownership, even if you get a free car, can be astonishingly expensive. Also, you'd need to factor all that in with your rising rent.
It's a double-edged sword. IMO, car ownership is mainly for the well-to-do. I agree that bus service in Seattle isn't very convenient, but it's doable. Though some have posted that the schedules have improved, it doesn't sound like you've encountered that. Still, think and calculate carefully, before you take on the car ownership gig.
My parents also said it may be cheaper to pay increased rent in Northgate seattle and ride public transportation than living in lynnwood and paying for car ownership.
We just recently got a car in Seattle, mainly because we lived up north for a bit and our family is growing to need cars for emergencies and supply runs as carrying groceries for 4 people is a bit tough on buses or impatient Uber/Lyft drivers.
If your single it's a toss up if having a car is truly more convenient. You now have to pay for car maintenance, bridge fees, gas, parking, insurance, and you always have the risk of your car getting damaged or breaking down which is extra dough. I got along fine with using car services like Uber to go meet friends, head to important appointments, and get to harder to reach places.
Honestly I would pass on getting a car if you currently don't need one. You've been pretty fine so far and you are getting a great rate from Costco for car rentals (places like Car2Go and Zipcar charge about $75 a day plus account fees so you're getting a steal!) and cars within the city are really only needed if you need to haul people or large amounts of supplies. Even if you have to move in the future, it's pretty easy to commute into Seattle (I've used Sound Transit to commute in from Bellevue, Everett, and Tacoma; most of the time it was faster/cheaper getting into work on transit because of bus lanes and no traffic for trains) and any price increase would probably be comparative to how much you would be spending on keeping a car if you got one now.
I'd take the Mercury Mountaineer and plan to pay for it's insurance and necessary maintenance. You can then cruise up to Everett, head east on the trestle (Highway 2) and go up the hill to the Mountain Loop Road. You can go visit Big Four Mountain and read about the old Big Four Inn that was located there. Take the 1/4-mike hike to the Big Four Ice Caves. Cool. Literally. Don't go inside the caves, though! Several people have tragically died by falling ice under there.
No, man, back in the 70's when I first started driving, I couldn't wait ta drive. My parents would've lost their lunch if I said "nah, I'll pass on driving. Sounds stupid."
Really - take that V8 Mercury Mountaineer and upload some Foghat, Guess Who, Tragically Hip, Montrose and whatever floats your musical boat on to a USB stick and enjoy great music while you drive. That rig might just have an AM/FM stereo cassette deck, though!
Don't subject yourself to the monotony of being a bus rider (like Burton Cummings of The Guess Who sings "Get up in the morning, get on the bus. Get up in the morning like the rest of us...places ta go, important people ta see...better not get up or you might lose your seat"). Bus Rider...do you get their point? If you can't afford a car, you might just be buying a few too many clothes, man!
Really...cars are cheaper now because your money buys you more car and today's cars last longer. The first new car I bought was back in April of 1994. I went to Brien Ford Town on Evergreen Way and scored my wife and I a Brilliant Blue 1994 Ford Escort Station Wagon. Paid $14,975 for it. Decent econony car...it developed a cracked exhaust manifold that Fo-Mo-Co fixed for free under their powertrain Warranty. After that the car continued on fine. Cars will break down...I'd buy a new Hyundai Elantra SE. I'm looking at one up in the Denver Metro with a 6-speed stick and Brilliant Silver paint selling for only $13,690. You've got to buy by April 1, 2019, though, to take advantage of manufacturer Hyundai's incentives.
I remember fondly badly wanting a new 1999 Hyundai Elantra while I was working at the Everett Boeing plant. I went there and started talking to the salesmen. My wife came into the dealership and blew a gasket over it. Nixed my deal, man.
I am totally open to vehicle purchases. Do count the costs. But if you buy smart, your costs are much more minimal. I don't know what your earnings are nor do I expect you to share that information on an internet blog, but know this: automobiles are great fun to shop for. Look at their pictures. Imagine yourself digging their equipment and stereo. Imagine yourself shifting through the 6-speeds (OK, for you that would be the automatic transmission gearknob). Fun-fun-fun!!!!
I was the kind of kid growing up in the 60's while The Beatles played America that would run his toy cars and trucks along the ground in glee. I dreamed of getting my driver's license and adding to the massive population of people that drive.
Be careful, count the costs and take the Mountaineer, man! Do it! I have not once regretted a car purchase. My wife takes the view of everybody's favorite financial know-it-all Dave Ramsey. Run it till it's wheels fall off. It just depends on how you want to spend your money and what gets you excited. I'd take my own vehicle over being a bus rider any day of the week.
You've got a great opportunity coming to you if you want to take advantage of it. I would grab it with gusto.
Last edited by elkotronics; 03-23-2019 at 02:23 PM..
I'd take the Mercury Mountaineer and plan to pay for it's insurance and necessary maintenance. You can then cruise up to Everett, head east on the trestle (Highway 2) and go up the hill to the Mountain Loop Road. You can go visit Big Four Mountain and read about the old Big Four Inn that was located there. Take the 1/4-mike hike to the Big Four Ice Caves. Cool. Literally. Don't go inside the caves, though! Several people have tragically died by falling ice under there.
No, man, back in the 70's when I first started driving, I couldn't wait ta drive. My parents would've lost their lunch if I said "nah, I'll pass on driving. Sounds stupid."
Really - take that V8 Mercury Mountaineer and upload some Foghat, Guess Who, Tragically Hip, Montrose and whatever floats your musical boat on to a USB stick and enjoy great music while you drive. That rig might just have an AM/FM stereo cassette deck, though!
Don't subject yourself to the monotony of being a bus rider (like Burton Cummings of The Guess Who sings "Get up in the morning, get on the bus. Get up in the morning like the rest of us...places ta go, important people ta see...better not get up or you might lose your seat"). Bus Rider...do you get their point? If you can't afford a car, you might just be buying a few too many clothes, man!
Really...cars are cheaper now because your money buys you more car and today's cars last longer. The first new car I bought was back in April of 1994. I went to Brien Ford Town on Evergreen Way and scored my wife and I a Brilliant Blue 1994 Ford Escort Station Wagon. Paid $14,975 for it. Decent econony car...it developed a cracked exhaust manifold that Fo-Mo-Co fixed for free under their powertrain Warranty. After that the car continued on fine. Cars will break down...I'd buy a new Hyundai Elantra SE. I'm looking at one up in the Denver Metro with a 6-speed stick and Brilliant Silver paint selling for only $13,690. You've got to buy by April 1, 2019, though, to take advantage of manufacturer Hyundai's incentives.
I remember fondly badly wanting a new 1999 Hyundai Elantra while I was working at the Everett Boeing plant. I went there and started talking to the salesmen. My wife came into the dealership and blew a gasket over it. Nixed my deal, man.
I am totally open to vehicle purchases. Do count the costs. But if you buy smart, your costs are much more minimal. I don't know what your earnings are nor do I expect you to share that information on an internet blog, but know this: automobiles are great fun to shop for. Look at their pictures. Imagine yourself digging their equipment and stereo. Imagine yourself shifting through the 6-speeds (OK, for you that would be the automatic transmission gearknob). Fun-fun-fun!!!!
I was the kind of kid growing up in the 60's while The Beatles played America that would run his toy cars and trucks along the ground in glee. I dreamed of getting my driver's license and adding to the massive population of people that drive.
Be careful, count the costs and take the Mountaineer, man! Do it! I have not once regretted a car purchase. My wife takes the view of everybody's favorite financial know-it-all Dave Ramsey. Run it till it's wheels fall off. It just depends on how you want to spend your money and what gets you excited. I'd take my own vehicle over being a bus rider any day of the week.
You've got a great opportunity coming to you if you want to take advantage of it. I would grab it with gusto.
If I am offered my parents 1998 mercury moutanier for free I'm taking it.
In June 1999 my parents got me a 1999 Toyota Camry as a high school graduation gift. I kept that Toyota Camry until the transmission died in January 2015.
I moved from California to seattle in July 2015 with no car at all.
If it was me, I would take the car. You have lived in Seattle for a bit now, you might want to see what the rest of Washington looks like, and also the surrounding states. Since your parents own the car, you have the advantage of knowing its history re maintenance, etc. Also, if you have the time, driving to visit your parents is cheaper than flying.
Yes, I have done that trip more than a few times. Get on the 5 and just go, very monotonous. Try to avoid going through the metros during rush hours.
BTW, do your own basic maintenance like oil changes, topping up fluids, belt changes including serpentine belt, tire rotations, you’ll save $$$. A lot of how-to videos are on You Tube
In June 1999 my parents got me a 1999 Toyota Camry as a high school graduation gift. I kept that Toyota Camry until the transmission died in January 2015.
I moved from California to seattle in July 2015 with no car at all.
You must have done a ton of long-distance driving, for the transmission to have died in just 15 years of driving a brand-new Toyota, OP. Toyotas normally last to at least about 240K miles before the transmission gives out; it takes a lot longer than 15 years to put that many miles on it, usually. Twice that long, or longer, depending.
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