I Sold my Car!

July 10th

Tags: Transportation, Health, Save Money.

As of this Thursday, I am officially without a car. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am. No more insurance, gas, inspection stickers, county taxes, notes from neighbors that say “Oops I hit your car”—you get the idea. My bike is now my default transportation 24/7.

So I think it’s a great time to share some of the bike v. car statistics that I’ve been saving up lately.

According to a 2004 Bureau of Labor report, the average American household spends about $613.00 on car expenses per month. You can plug in your specific information at Bikes at Work. According to their site, car ownership accounts for 17% of annual household expenditures, right behind housing at 18%. The figures are from 2001—I can only imagine how much they’ve gone up as oil prices increase.

You can also use their calculator to see what the money you spend on your car could get you if you invested it instead. For example, if you started saving the $613.00 a month at 5% when you’re 25, by retirement you’d have over $1 million!

These figures don’t even take into account the hidden or external costs of driving a car. The late Ken Kifer, an incredible advocate for cyclists, did a great job of covering these overlooked costs on his site. Parking, taxes, urban sprawl, and pollution are all part of the equation and should be taken into account. Unfortunately the true cost of pollution from cars is almost incalculable, and the problem isn’t just emissions. The energy that goes into producing cars to fill our insatiable demand and the contaminated runoff from the huge parking lots we build to accommodate all of our cars are just as costly as carbon emissions.

There are so many other sites out there with doom and gloom figures about cars. More importantly, there is also plenty of evidence that bikes are awesome! Bikes cost less, pollute less, and keep you healthier, plus they’re much more energy efficient than cars.

An added benefit of bikes is that they’re fun! I love riding my bike. Even if I’m feeling tired and unmotivated, by the end of a ride I have tons of energy and a smile on my face. Fresh air and exercise really do make a huge difference in my morning attitude, especially when I’m whizzing by that rush—hour traffic.

4 Responses to “I Sold my Car!”


  1. It wasn’t until 2003 (when I moved to the New River Valley) that I got a car. I had just a motorcycle for the couple of years before that (everything from insurance to gas to maintenance was much cheaper than with a car) and, prior to that, a bicycle, rollerblades, and my feet. After this five-year transition, I have come to the inescapable conclusion that cars are extremely expensive. Insurance, gas, maintenance, and insurance all conspire to eat up an enormous amount of my income. I live in the country now, rather than downtown as I once did, and so I must have a car. Fortunately, I work at home, so I don’t drive but every 2-3 days. Still, it’s an expensive way to live. I wish I could make the switch back.

    Waldo Jaquith July 10th, 2006 at 10:05 am

  2. Charlottesville isn’t great for car-free living, so it definitely took me longer than I planned to transition. We are planning on moving to Portland, OR in the not-too-distant future, and knowing that really inspired me to just suck it up for a few months. I love it here, but we could use some better planning in terms of alternative transportation!

    Heidi July 10th, 2006 at 2:54 pm

  3. Awesome, congrats Heidi. It’s very difficult to do. I’m hoping/planning to do the same this Fall, in Charlottesville. I worry about weather. Haven’t cracked that nut yet.
    I agree about better planning. I’ve been trying to get something done in that arena on the Strategic Planning Committee, but I’ve been so far stymied by brainstorming excercises and world cafes.
    Sorry to lose you to Portland, but I can understand the appeal.

    Lyle Solla-Yates July 11th, 2006 at 11:18 pm

  4. It’s a difficult issue that falls across so many different boundaries. I’m lucky enough to be able to afford to live pretty near the city, but so many of my co-workers just can’t afford to live here. They all end up in the county, driving their cars into town everyday. They can’t even catch a bus into Charlottesville, much less bike over Afton! :)

    I was so encouraged by the transit option we saw when we visited Portland. I know even if we can’t move to the city immediately, we can still grab the light rail and dispense with the cars.

    As far as the weather goes, just get some fenders and a light rain slick for rainy days. For the winter, there’s a good post about clothing on Bike Forum. They key is to dress in layers and avoid anything that will collect sweat. Good luck!

    Heidi July 12th, 2006 at 7:37 am

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