Contentment Without a Car

(from 9/3/06 Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/02/AR2006090200144.html)

The above article discusses a MUST READ book: "How to Live Well Without Owning a Car" by Chris Balish.
" In the three years he's been without a car, Balish said he's saved $36,926.

Here's how he broke it down for me:
· $17,822 in car payments

· $5,054 in car insurance premiums

· $8,400 in gas

· $3,600 in parking (at work and at home)

· $1,800 in repairs

· $250 in car washes and oil changes

The average annual cost to own a car is $8,410, including car payments, insurance, gas, oil, car washes, fees, taxes, parking and repairs, Balish reports. The average American spends 18 cents of every dollar earned on transportation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2003 Consumer Expenditure Survey. "

I really should sell my car! Although.. I hardly drive it so gas cost is minimal, repair costs average a few hundred a year, I wash it once every two years, and my insurance is only a few hundred a year, so.. For now it's easier to hang onto it for those once in awhile trips. I bet if I did the math, I'd be better off renting a car, so at this point it's only laziness that's stopping me from selling...