My Explorer's transmission left the building almost a year ago, so I haven't had a car or truck since. I do have the use of a old '99 Chevy pick up that my 81 year old neighbor owns, whenever I want. Which works for me as I'm retired, and don't drive more that 2500 mile's a year anyway. If the weather's nice by that I mean "not raining", I use my motorcycle. I maintain my neighbors truck for him, plus I cut his grass. Not having to pay registration or insurance on a car or truck helps the ol budget. The only thing that might change is, he told me when his grandson gets old enough to drive, he want's to give him the truck. But that's a few years down the road.,,
Being without a car feels weird
- Thread starter supton
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I've spent years at a time traveling by boat and not owning cars and it is amazing how much money you save, but I would occasionally rent a car for some particular trip. Even renting occasionally the annual cost savings is huge. I know some young people who live in cities that don't have drivers' licenses, and they get around with mass transit only. Even though I live in a small city I could potentially live like that if I didn't mind just staying within the city. The problem for me is that most of the places I want to go regularly are essentially unreachable without a car: trails, lakes, the ocean, natural areas, large parks. Plus, I love driving and just seeing what there is to see. It would be hugely depressing to not be able to just pop into the car for a jaunt to the mountains or the coast.
Well, I've owned a dealership here in Atlanta for over 20 years and write about the used car market all the time (Google 'Steven Lang and cars'.) If you ever want some guidance feel free to PM me.
I used to be jittery without car however with Uber and other easy ways of delivery etc it does not bother me. I have worked from home since 2003 however my kids have required I have a car.
Two door, no go. Need (ok want) low insurance cost. But 4 doors is the way to go, open rear door, toss in stuff.
Thanks, will keep in mind. Have yet to figure out what to get, would like to put her into a 4 door, but at the same time, I fear it will become mine when she goes off to college. Kinda/sorta waiting for the right deal to come along, the less it costs the more willingness to make it work.
Just don’t want to buy some unicorn that has lousy tco. But still would to get her something better than what I have, with curtain airbags. But this fourth gen camry is somewhat easy to work on, fearful of going newer—anything in my price range is 150k plus on the clock and I’m no mechanic.
Don’t think we have Uber out here (Lake Sunapee region). I do some WFH, which is great, but its 54 miles each way to work when I go in.
Ok a question for you: these wholesale open to the public, I’m guessing it is tradeins at new car dealers that don’t want them. High miles, issues galore, etc. Should they be ignored on that basis? Stuff that they couldn’t offload at whatever their typical disposal method is (auction?).
link Typical ad.
Some years ago I sold my last cars and drove a couple motorcyles for more than 6 months. My girlfriend would take me grocery shopping to buy milk or soda or bulky stuff. It made us much closer and I liked it. I had a huge death so have been living with my girlfriends sister 4 months. She loves my toyota sequoia and has been driving me anywhere. Its been kind of nice.
Similar question for @macarose : Are state vehicle auctions to be avoided? I see them near me and I know one person who got a Ford Explorer that served him well for years. He was a big fan of the state vehicle auctions. At least some of the offerings appear to be low-mileage vehicles that were maintained reasonably well.
It depends on what they are, how they have been maintained, and what they need.
Police interceptors and the few high trim models will usually go for a pretty penny while unpopular vehicles, such as plain jane sedans, can be reasonable depending on what type of crowd shows up.
This should help. Some guy named me wrote it.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/10/hammer-time-the-county-auction/
Being retired and physically compromised, I don’t drive as much as I used to. However, I feel quite vulnerable without ready access to a vehicle. Wish I could justify a second vehicle as a back up, but those days are pretty much gone. The cost of upkeep, insurance, and fuel makes, it impractical for me. 
No, no and no.
Wholesale auctions are dealer only. However there are plenty of public auctions too. The public is generally clueless and easily fooled by auctioneers who can easily run up the bid in these settings. These public sales are also generally loaded with POS cars that can't be retailed because they are defective junk.
You shouldn't be buying a car at an auction unless you really know what you're doing. It would be smarter for you to buy one that's in a rust free climate from someone who has bought thousands of them. You may find them on Ebay, or if you aren't a fantasy driven cheapskate who is looking for a 2016 and newer vehicle, and is willing to pay 90% of retail for a car that has been maintained, you can ask me.
I co-developed this site that focuses on the long-term reliability of used cars. However 98+% of my direct purchases are for small to medium sized businesses that are looking for a workhorse instead of a showhorse. The public buyer is usually too cheap, picky and unrealistic when it comes to the used car market. That's why I avoid dealing with most of them. Too much of a headache for the time you put into it.
Everything I buy is at least $15k and generally in the mid-20's to mid-30's. I sometimes retail cheaper cars and put them on Craigslist/Facebook but buying them means flying down to Atlanta and even with excellent Carfax histories I sell everything AS/IS.
At the age of 50, I was able to attain one of the goals I had in life - having a "second" vehicle, or a spare. I can tell you that it's not exactly a strain financially or maintenance-wise, but there's a good bit of extra expense, not just in the first cost but maintenance, tag, insurance.
And it's not like we have had years of car troubles/issues with cars in the shop/etc., after all, our driveway is full of Toyotas. But I can tell you that just having a spare, whether it's to let our college-going daughter use it while I work on her car for a week or so, or when I didn't complete a major maintenance item on one of our other vehicles, the feeling of not having that stress there is unreal.
I know it's not socially acceptable in Urbtopia to have even one vehicle, much less 3 per 2 people, but I don't care.
And it's not like we have had years of car troubles/issues with cars in the shop/etc., after all, our driveway is full of Toyotas. But I can tell you that just having a spare, whether it's to let our college-going daughter use it while I work on her car for a week or so, or when I didn't complete a major maintenance item on one of our other vehicles, the feeling of not having that stress there is unreal.
I know it's not socially acceptable in Urbtopia to have even one vehicle, much less 3 per 2 people, but I don't care.
Clearly, even if you spend $1-2K renting a car for a week, you've spent less per year. You've done very little motoring for your money. The cost per mile is no longer favorable.
Rental cars are no longer anywhere near cheap. And god forbid you damage one. I recently hit a curb, popped a tire/damaged the wheel, ball joint. Hertz dreamed up $22K worth of baloney charges. The real repair was in the range of $2-3K. Even the insurance company refused to pay what Hertz demanded. They are trying to ding my personal credit for a business rental.
Nice.
To all the Toyota haters, take a look at his site versus your favorite makes/models. It's almost hysterical.
