No longer a car owner

parawolf · 05-11-2005, 09:11 AM

Well it happened. My car has gone to a lucky 19 year old last night. First person to inspect it, bought it. Goes to show you only need one interested person.

So the driveway is empty, I catch public transport to work and i've got a push bike on order.

I wonder how long it will be until I get the 'hankering' to get a car, even if it is something like a Fiesta. I'm hoping I can hang out until Feb... what do you reckon? I've always had a Falcon sized car available to drive since I turned 18 (either my dads car or my own) so how long could I practically go without a car? No idea. Particularly with summer just around the corner.

What is the longest you have gone without exclusive use of a car after owning one for an extensive period of time?

MITCHAY · 05-11-2005, 09:27 AM

Longest I've gone is about a week and a half when my gearbox needed replacing. It absolutely killed me, so I don't know how your gonna stick it out. If you do though, especially in summer you should get fitter though so spose thats a positive.

bindi · 05-11-2005, 09:51 AM

We've gone for 6 weeks without a car... with three kids, a hubby and public transport, it was pure hell :(

The rolla was off the road unregistered and the head blew on the Ford. Then the head was put on wrong by a friend and bent 2 valves. We couldn't afford to get another engine so we concentrated on getting the rolla on the road as that didn't need much to get rego'd. And then the Ford was back on the road again after finding fordforums and all the helpful kind people on it!

Try lugging home all your food shopping for a week on a bus, it's not pretty. :yeees:

AUXRVIII · 05-11-2005, 10:08 AM

Earlier this year I sold my Fairmont & it was about 3 months before I got the XR. We do have a second car but it is driven by the one who must be obeyed, so I rode my pushie rain, hail & shine.

347Stroker · 05-11-2005, 10:31 AM

I would not even contemplaint the idea, having 5 cars is not nearly enough....although I have had to ride the pushie for extended periods in the past.......not because I didnt have a car though

XR8GRL · 05-11-2005, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bindi

We've gone for 6 weeks without a car... with three kids, a hubby and public transport, it was pure hell :(

Try lugging home all your food shopping for a week on a bus, it's not pretty. :yeees:

and yet there are people who do this everyday of their lives because they can't afford to have a car of their own.....

joshf2 · 05-11-2005, 02:08 PM

being able to afford something is all about sacrificing something else

ive only been out of a car for a week in total, but it wasnt bad cause i got to work with the person who lives next door

as for going out, i had friends come and grab me

wasnt that bad a time

XR8GRL · 05-11-2005, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshf2

being able to afford something is all about sacrificing something else

Not always the case, there are people out there that do it very tough and have nothing to sacrifice. Maybe sacrificing a car to live.

tick5.0 · 05-11-2005, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 347stroker

I would not even contemplaint the idea, having 5 cars is not nearly enough....although I have had to ride the pushie for extended periods in the past.......not because I didnt have a car though

Same, though I only have three. Some one might be buying one this afternoon. I don't know how I'll cope.

:

max^power · 05-11-2005, 05:43 PM

If i ever get my ute back, ill find it hard to part company with it again. I salute you if you can manage everything without a car mate, that is a tough thing to do.

EBII Fairmont · 05-11-2005, 06:23 PM

In March 2004, i sold my ZL Fairlane which my dad had given me. I regret ever selling that car. I should have poored a bit of money into and got riding beatifully before my dad destroyed it in the last before i got it. I didn't get the eb until December 2004. I got it at the very begining. I can't believe that it has been nearly a year since i bought it. Time flies really quickly nowadays.

myxr6 · 06-11-2005, 12:09 AM

A little over 2 years , when i was serving on a ship and in and out of sydney for months on end.

parawolf · 06-11-2005, 10:13 AM

Well currently doing the following and will be doing it to avoid having a car.
* Either catching PT to work or riding a bike
* PT or riding a bike to friends places (mostly between 2 - 10km)
* coles online shopping, delivery of goods for $4.95
* inviting friends over to my place for bbq's and whatever over summer rather than organise them to happen at other peoples places.

Ah well - we will see how we go. I'm hoping I get through until Feb 2006 without a car of my own.

merlin · 06-11-2005, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parawolf

What is the longest you have gone without exclusive use of a car after owning one for an extensive period of time?

2 years exactly since I sold my car - motorbike, pushbike and public transport since then.

vegabass · 06-11-2005, 05:12 PM

4 weeks!!! Used mates car!!!!!! i couldnt imagine being with out a car i think id die!!! or call in sick everyday......

Keepleft · 06-11-2005, 05:49 PM

A year or two, which in my game is orrible. I have been busy publishing and submitting works on a long term project, seperate from my evil long term goal of world domination!!

I might go seek another car around Feb.

One cannot generally survive in a social context in Australia without a car.

RED_EL_XR8 · 06-11-2005, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keepleft

A year or two, which in my game is orrible. I have been busy publishing and submitting works on a long term project, seperate from my evil long term goal of world domination!!

I might go seek another car around Feb.

One cannot generally survive in a social context in Australia without a car.

I'm glad we got rid of the Carr, although They should jail the bugger!

:

clontarf_x · 06-11-2005, 07:53 PM

I'm looking at a month without my wheels thanks to This incident

There is going to be a lot of

: :jab:

: going on :/

Its only been 6 days and im almost in tears. I need a pedal under my right foot, connected to a throttle, or im gonna die :/

parawolf · 26-03-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parawolf

I wonder how long it will be until I get the 'hankering' to get a car, even if it is something like a Fiesta. I'm hoping I can hang out until Feb... what do you reckon? I've always had a Falcon sized car available to drive since I turned 18 (either my dads car or my own) so how long could I practically go without a car? No idea. Particularly with summer just around the corner.

Well would you believe it is now the end of march, and we are still a one car family. It hasn't posed a real life changing event either which is odd. Shopping hasn't been a problem, still have one car to go out and socialise (which requires about 10 minutes extra planning and through the night communcation if we are going to different locations).

All in all, it has been scarily a minimal change in my life apart from $850 post tax, a month, back in my pocket.

Now I guess I wonder if we can last through the winter months riding a bike to work...

BPXR6T · 26-03-2006, 01:27 PM

Only without a car twice. 6 months for a high range speeding offence, then within one week of getting my licence back in the mail I lost it for another month. Been cruisin ever since...

Dark Horse · 26-03-2006, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parawolf

Well would you believe it is now the end of march, and we are still a one car family. It hasn't posed a real life changing event either which is odd. Shopping hasn't been a problem, still have one car to go out and socialise (which requires about 10 minutes extra planning and through the night communcation if we are going to different locations).

All in all, it has been scarily a minimal change in my life apart from $850 post tax, a month, back in my pocket.

Now I guess I wonder if we can last through the winter months riding a bike to work...

With those savings you'd be able to get yourself a pretty fancy pushbike with a heated seat, heh!

From what I read you're pretty close to Melbourne CBD aren't you? You'd be mad to own a car in that scenario anyhow.

parawolf · 26-03-2006, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Horse

With those savings you'd be able to get yourself a pretty fancy pushbike with a heated seat, heh!

From what I read you're pretty close to Melbourne CBD aren't you? You'd be mad to own a car in that scenario anyhow.

Thornbury - which is a few kilometres north of Fitzroy North. if you know the area, picture the Macca's on the corner of Bell St and St Georges Rd in Preston, and i'm a very short distance from there.

It's about 9.5km one way which is quite easy to ride. But it isn't as if I am living in North Melbourne or whatever.

It is just such an amazing change of lifestyle to be only one car. I mean at one stage we were 3 cars for 2 people in the house! So to be one car for two people, and not finding it at all restrictive is really an eye opener.

Next is to sell the ultra -expensive (costing lots per month) ute and get something cheap (capital and ongoing) to run, as the single car. Perhaps a Focus Zetec or similar. Dump all the savings on the house, pay for the wedding and honeymoon up front before the day and then enjoy the rest.

Pay the house off, and then get a play car to have some real enjoyment with perhaps.

Dark Horse · 26-03-2006, 07:47 PM

Ah yes I've driven past that intersection a few times on my Mexican visits. Tram's pretty handy.

I went without a car until I was 23 (knowing cars are just an endless money pit), saved up a bit initially for real estate and the like. I was about to buy a place on my 20th birthday but that didn't happen - family commitments including putting my brother through his Comercial Pilot's Licence put paid to that!

I eventually bought my first place at 23, I'm 26 now. It's a good feeling being a landlord :evilking:. XR is owned outright hopefully will serve me a reliable many more years.

Debt free living sounds pretty good, maybe sometime in this lifetime for me, anyhow see what happens.....

btw As for the wedding DON'T DO IT!!!! LOL j/k all the best with it Ian.