I sold my car just before I moved to Boston a little over five years ago, and I have not regretted it. Much, much easier without a car.

Other people get towed for parking on the wrong side of the street on street-sweeping day or for parking on the street during snow emergancies. Other people need to deal with digging their car out of snowbanks, and finding places to park when half the places are covered with snow. Other people need to deal with fender-benders, coming outside to find their windows broken or their car dented, etc.

I just hop on the train and go.

I figure the longer I can go without a car, the more money I'll start getting some interest on, so I'm in no hurry.

Chicago is sprawling enough that I seem to be in the minority by not owning a car. It's currently easy for me to hop on a bus to commute, and I have enough close friends and family around that if I need a car, I'm not up a creek.

However, my office will likely be moving to a location much more difficult to reach by bus or train. Unfortunately, that also makes parking nearby a nightmare, but I may have to rethink my no-car mentality.

I sold my car when I moved to Chicago three years ago and am so glad I did. The majority of my friends don't have cars either. I get around just fine on public transit and by walking. I get to really enjoy the city and see things others don't when they are in their cars complaining about traffic. The people I know who have cars are constantly struggling with parking close by, maintaining their cars in a city that tends to have bad weather and lots of potholes, and dealing with theft from their car (or theft of their cars!)

I've saved so much money without one! Plus there's always great services like zip cars if I really need to use one.

and the train/bus is already warm when I get on - no waiting for it to heat up in the winter :-)

Hassle AND Help.

When i 1st moved to Brooklyn i had my Toyota. I loved that car! After many tickets due to daily alternate side parking rules , hours spent looking for parking or stuck in traffic, worrying about theft, fuel costs, insurance costs ..i gave up. Gr8 thing about NYC we have subways 24/7 that go everywhere, Long Island Railroad, the MetroNorth railroad, city buses, express buses, ferries, water taxis, taxis ,'dollar' vans , and now even threewheeled bike taxis! The only time one needs a car is for a weekend getaway in which case auto rentals are fine....and much cheaper than having a car in NYC

I live in NY and share a car with my brother who lives in DC. It's nice to have for trips out of town or for hauling my many finds back home. I wouldn't have a car full time in the city. I tried many years ago and it was more trouble than it was worth.

I live in DC in 14th Street Heights so parking is not a bad issue. We have our own private driveway, although it is not covered. My main gripe was my very new car got keyed within the first couple months of living there. I wouldn't recommend keeping a new car in the city. Otherwise, having a car is great since I drive out of the city all the time.

I've just gotten my first car in almost 20 years: after decades of living in large urban centres (Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, NYC) with good public transit and readily available taxicabs available on a moment's notice, I've landed in Saskatoon, SK. Lovely little Prairie town in many ways, but life without a car is difficult-to-painful: the buses run once an hour and stop altogether at many times of day; most services are on the outskirts of town and require a car for access; the one taxi company must be phoned and will often take up to an hour to arrive.

I'm loving driving again, but I lament the fact that I now live someplace where I *must* drive.

I sold my car when I moved to Dupont Circle, where parking is impossible, and it was so freeing not to have to deal with all the hassles and expense of car ownership. Now that I live in Chicago, which is more spread out, I'm starting to want a car again. Especially when it's below zero outside and I have a 15 minute walk to the grocery store.

Another for hassle AND help! I have a car in Somerville, MA, but I don't use it to commute to work. I personally love cars and driving (I'm obsessed with vintage Mustangs), so giving up the car completely would be hard for me. I also do a lot of skiing in the winter, hiking in the warmer months, and visiting friends in far off places, which would be more of a hassle without a car. But of course I deal with the city hassles like finding a parking space, street cleaning, snow emergencies, etc. But at the end of the day, I like being able to hop in my car to get some place not easily serviced by transit if I need to. And due to my public transit commute, I put so few miles on my car that it should last me for years to come. That said, I still don't want to ever be 100% dependent on it again like I was growing up!

Living in Boston since college some decades ago. Never had a car here. In the large cities, need a car, get a rental. Things are much easier now with Zipcar, there are a few permanently parked ("living" as Zipcar refers to it) within a couple of blocks of where I am. I don't use public transportation either as I find it easier to just jump on my bicycle, rain or snow notwithstanding.

Linda Jeanne Other people can take the train when it snows too, or any other time they choose. Getting towed is just stupidity and certainly not a reason to not have a car. A used car with a few dents won't notice another dent. Sorry none of your arguments hold much merit.

I am getting ready to move to the city and would love to ditch the car, but as a dog owner, I can't quite wrap my head around how to do anything out of the neighborhood with my dog and without my car. How do others deal with this?

I live in DC in the 16th Street Heights/Brightwood area and do own a car. I love the car for the sake of convenience but could do without it given the up/down/crosstown bus line schedules. Parking was a hot mess here until we successfully petitioned for residential restrictions. So, I'll keep my beloved.

I'm also in DC- Woodley area. Street parking here is a nightmare and we ended up having to rent a parking space: unexpected extra 175$ per month. I love being able to use it on the weekends so I'm actually thinking about moving to Nova or Md where insurance is cheaper and paking spots are not a problem.

I live in Madison, WI and I went 2 years without a car. During that time I either rode my moped or walked everywhere. Yes, even last winter when we got over 100 inches of snow.

The only reason I bought a car was for a new job that was much further away. I still ride the moped more than the car though, I took it downtown this morning. In WI you can park a moped anywhere you can park a bicycle so I never have to pay for parking.

Kea, I have a dog in NYC and no car. Not sure where you are going with your dog but there are ways. Getting cabs can be a hassle and a wait but eventually one stops. Depending on size they can go on subway. MetroNorth takes any dog on a leash. Cabs, well, one will eventually stop.

I live in Toronto and have never owned a car. We walk for a lot of everyday things (groceries, butcher, library, etc.), and use public transit to get to work (although I can walk if it's a nice day).

We have a ZipCar membership that is great for the occasions when we do need wheels -- hauling a piece of furniture somewhere, case of beer from the liquor store, etc. Very handy since there are several ZipCars in our neighbourhood including two just down the street.

i'm in bloomingdale dc and i have a car.

my professional involves transporting lots of stuff fairly often. and often driving out to the metro-less burbs.

otherwise, i try not to drive. the bus/train goes everywhere i generally want to go. plus i walk a lot.

my wife hasn't driven at all in her 10 years in dc.

Life might be somewhat easier with a car - but my bank balance and overall quality of life is much better without one...

Every time I see a new or vintage car that I'd love to own, I remind myself that the annual cost just to park the thing in the garage of my apartment building (before we even talk payment, insurance, fuel, etc.) is equivalent to the fare for one 10-day Caribbean cruise in a suite.

Needless to say, I take lots of taxis and vacations!

A car is a necessity in Houston. The city is very spread out, and the mass transit options are (1) dirty, slow buses that don't run on time and frequently don't offer logical routes that go where people actually want to go, or (2) the light rail that pretty much just goes from one end of downtown to another.

i WISH i lived in a city where having a car would be optional. if i did, i wouldnt have a car.

DC: no car for 5 years. Love it!

We don't own a car and I attribute our relative financial stability to this, despite the fact that we make tiny salaries. It's amazing how much you can save when you don't have to pay for gas, maintenance, parking, insurance and all the rest.

I live in London so don't need a car, and what I spend on the occasional cab is more than recouped by not having to pay insurance, fuel, etc.

People I know who have cars seem to have opened their wallets to a never-ending sumphole of expenses, hassle, and worry - I mean, no-one can STEAL my tube train (subway)!

I started being against cars for environmental reasons, but the sheer lack of hassle is becoming the biggest factor as I get older, and more selfish.

Kea, do you have minicabs (ie cabs you can order by phone, and not hail in the street) in your area?

I found one pro-dog company who've been worth their weight in gold with my big old mutt, it is possible but it's a good idea to have numbers well ahead of when you need them, eg emergency vet trips or whatever.

Zipcar when I need one. Maybe once every month or 2. If you have a dog and need to take it somewhere you can: walk it, rent/borrow/get a Zipcar (as long as it's kenneled) or bike it. Some goes for kids.

Biking dogs, kids, groceries or beer kegs? Get one of these:
http://www.bbrussen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/nyt-bakfiets.jpg

or these:
http://www.velorution.biz/images/Nursery%20bike%20w%20four%20children.jpg

More ideas here:
http://www.velorution.biz/index.php?s=christiania

hope those inspire you!

Also in DC - I've got a cheap, old sedan (cost $1500, is 17 years old) and off street parking at $130/month is easily the most expensive thing about it. I don't care if it gets door dings (or worse - I got rear ended by two SUVs at Wisconsin and Macomb a couple years ago and now the trunk doesn't open so easily but nothing worse happened to me than the jolt of the impact). It does make grocery shopping easier since my 'hood doesn't have all the retail I'd like within walking distance and is nice for getting out of town. If you've got friends who live in the suburbs which, given that the Washington suburbs are about a billion times bigger than the city, is probable, it's nice to be able to get out to them. My vet comes to my apt ( http://www.dchomevet.com ; he's super nice) but it's nice to be able to tote the fuzzy beast around to dog parks and such, which aren't in walking distance. There was someone in his puppy school who'd waited months to sign her dog up for obedience school because she needed a zip car station to open up near her since there was no other way to get him out to the GA ave humane society, where they held classes.

Get a motorcycle.

Lived in NY for 4 years and didn't need or want a car. Now I'm in Arlington and I love driving again. I chose to be in VA instead of DC because I didn't want the hassle of parking on the street. I park in my apt parking lot, and when I need to go into DC I usually metro in. I love having a car cause it allows me to drive around suburban VA/MD.

In West Dupont/East Georgetown and LOVE not having a car. Zipcar is a savior. And, with the money I save on not owning, I take a cab every once in a while as well.

Highly recommend it!

Zipcar is a great option for those of us who don't want to own a vehicle in the city.

Most people don't know about the corporate accounts available to Zipcar however, which is where regular members can get corporate Zipcar rental rates, simply by having their employer start an "Affiliate Account." Cheap rates during the week, reduced cost daily rentals.

Check this out: http://www.zipcar.com/business/how/getting-started

I personally think Car Sharing is the future of personal vehicle usage in metropolitan areas.

Send me an email for more info if you like!