Why I Don't Own a Car

Imagine the following car commercial. Some parent is at an auto mechanic with a recently crashed car. Repairing the damage would cost more than buying a new vehicle. After thinking of all the memories they had with raising their kid in the car, they decide to just pay the extra money and have it fixed. ‘Cause, you know, love is what makes the car brand the car brand, yada yada yada.

When I was old enough to drive, I inherited my family’s truck. It had already been in the family for over a decade, and I would continue to hold onto it for nearly a decade longer. You know the memories that would pop into my head whenever I was at the auto mechanic? Sitting in traffic, pouring thousands of dollars into gas each year, and getting rear-ended on the freeway. Driving that truck was simply the worst part of any outing, only justified by the fact that it was the only means I could reasonably get around my public-transit-less home town.

Then I moved to my current city. I was excited by the fact that there was public transit. It didn’t matter that it only ran every hour¹, it was there! It was great to use the bus drive everywhere anyway and get frustrated every outing. And of course my frustrations only increased when I was between jobs and doing food delivery through an app.

I don’t know exactly what made me snap. Maybe it was the rising gas prices. Maybe it was the road-raged drivers who would get angry at me for following road safety laws. Or maybe it was my tire popping off and waiting over an hour for a tow truck to drive me a mere 2 kilometers down the road. Whatever it was, I had decided that I wasn’t going to tolerate this kind of lifestyle any more.

So a year ago to this day, I took the truck to a dealership and sold it.

My Experience in the Past Year

I feel much healthier than I felt while using the truck. I can attribute some of that to better eating habits, but the fact I bike to work every day helps without ever feeling like I need to go to the gym². Although I often regret the decision not to get an e-bike whenever I need to take longer trips, my acoustic bike certainly keeps me physically fit as I push through wind gusts and hilly terrain.

But what about groceries? Well, I am fortunate to have a grocery store within walking distance of my home. I can either walk to the store from home, or simply go to the grocery store on my way back from work to pick up a few items. I don’t always need to make a huge trip to the store, load up a car, and drive back home. Picking up a few items is enough.

Work and groceries make up the majority of my time outside of my home, and both of these can be done without a car. The same is true for going anywhere else. Is the public transit in my city perfect? No. But it is great for getting around, especially since I wouldn’t need to worry about traffic, parking, or even having too much alcohol to drive back.

Let me tell you about one trip in particular we took recently. Along the route to the book store we were going to, we needed to stop and transfer buses. Although I generally don’t like bus transfers, it was the perfect opportunity for my partner and I to explore a small shopping area along the road. We said “hello” to the kitty in a vet window and went inside a small-business café for some drinks. I warmed up with some tea while my partner had a hot chocolate. After our drinks were ready, it was nearly time for our next bus to arrive. Once we arrived at our destination, we kept sipping our drinks while perusing the books until we eventually finished and walked to our favorite Mexican restaurant in town.

This wouldn’t have happened had we just drove directly to our destination. Taking a trip by car, you typically just go from Point A to Point B without stopping anywhere and exploring. The spontaneity of this experience is one that I believe truly exemplifies why selling the truck was the best decision I’ve ever made.

My Experience in the Next Year

I can’t actually say what the next year will bring, since I am not one who can see the future. However, I am certain it will be a better year than any I’ve had with the truck. Living car-free has completely changed my life for the better.

I don’t necessarily think everyone can simply sell their car one day and live a happy life like I have been. The conditions we are living in are a big part of what made this an amazing decision. Although, if you do find yourself able to be within walking distance of a grocery store and within either biking or transit distance of your work, I would highly recommend looking into at least reducing the trips you would take by car to get a feel for how transformative it can be.

The car commercial certainly wanted to make me believe that the reason all those good memories it preached about were because of the car. It turns out that good memories not only don’t need a car, but occur more often without. The best times I’ve personally experienced in my life happened outside of that box of isolation and frustration.