I've used public transportation and walking for the past two years, and I've been doing fine. I recently was gifted a used car, but I'm thinking of selling it so I don't have to pay for gas, insurance, etc. since I won't truly need a vehicle for another year or year-and-a-half. (I would buy another car when I need it.) Do you think I should sell my current car, or keep it?

I need a car for peace of mind, I feel that I don't have real freedom without it. However, the public transportation system in is lolsy at best...so to get most places I need a car. I would also consider what it would mean in the future when you need a car: will you be able to afford a decent one at that time? Will you be able to guarantee in some way that it has the same bill of health as your current car? Is there a way for you to store it without insurance (check your local laws and be sure it isn't doing more damage to it to do so). If you feel you'd be able to get the places you need to without one, will be able to afford one in the future, then yea, I'd sell it. Just be certain you know the trade offs.

If I may ask, what is the year/make/model/mileage of your car?

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Aug 1 2014, 8:47 am by Fire_Kame.

Going public transit only really depends on how good the public transportation is where you live.

The cost of insurance varies with where you live (well, where the car is garaged, technically.) and what kind of car it is. Gas will be a greater or lesser expense depending on the gas mileage of the car. Another thing to consider is the cost of maintaining the car and its reliability.

Also, depending on who gifted it to you and if its had previous owners, knowing for certain that the car was well taken care of and not abused can give you some peace of mind, especially if you don't know a lot about cars. Ownership history is important for used cars and having the full story of a one owner vehicle from someone you trust is a value worth considering.

If you do decide to keep the car, make sure you do actually use it from time to time. Letting a car stand idle for long periods is not good for it at all.

I scrapped my car in Feb 2013, having not really had much cause to use it. Although public transport links from my house weren't great, I was within walking distance of work. I've now moved to London where public transport is everywhere, so there's no need for me to have a car. That said, it would be nice to have one for when I need to leave the city (e.g. to see family and friends who live elsewhere) and there is something enjoyable and liberating about driving.

You need to weigh up the pros and cons of having a car in your situation. Does having one open up enough potential possibilities/have enough utility to justify the expense of keeping it? By the way, I'm pretty sure that so long as you keep it stored securely (like in a garage) then the insurance wouldn't be too nasty. Although of course insurers will also look at your age and driving experience when deciding what premium to charge.

Sell it and get a bicycle.

The only issue is if you ever have to move or go somewhere not easily available. Public transportation can be a hassle if you're going anywhere far away and you have to do all sorts of crazy transfers.

Bicycles are the greatest things ever.

Whenever I need to drive I just rent a car. Or you can get a bus ticket or something.

dat age req. tho

That's not true.

A quick Google search shows that Sacrieur is correct, it's not true and it hasn't been true for a long time, if ever. I'm even seeing state laws from early 2000's that require all rental agencies to rent vehicles to people 18 and older.

I dis-agree

Unless it's a really good car, sell it.

I would keep it unless there is an actual, pressing need to get rid of it. It is a valuable resource come a time when life throws something at you and you're out of cash for a taxi or it's too late, when you can't wait for someone to pick you up because for whatever reason it's 4 AM, or you have a medical emergency and you don't want to be bleeding all over public transit. When you need it and it's gone, you're not necessarily going to have the time and resources to be able to purchase another car. Ultimately, I think it would depend on whether these emergency cases are easily remedied in your area, such as by readily accessible taxis, and if the cost of the car's upkeep (Kame and CaptainWill bring up great points about that) outweighs its potential as insurance itself.

It's a 2010 Toyota Yaris. It's in pretty good condition, no mechanical problems whatsoever.

I live close to downtown (within walking distance of most places I need to go). For the rest, I've been taking the bus.

I'm not 25, but I can rent a Zipcar for around $8 an hour. This is expensive, so I've only done it about three times a year.

You actually don't have to be 25 to rent a car anymore. I think it's more expensive if you're younger, but it can be done.

Actually if you read more into it, there's parts where it says you can be 18 to rent a car. (New York and licensed-operated garages, not corporate ones)
You should give me the car for free, because of reasons I don't know... Just that I need a car. xD
Living in BFE is horrible without a car.

While you can, it can also be prohibitively expensive due to the fees and such.

Although I remember my sister renting a car when she was 22 by just having a family member rent it under their name and list her as a driver or something like that to negate it. xD So if you really needed a car I don't think it would be too difficult to find one or make an arrangement with someone.

How many miles on the car? How many previous owners? Clean title (is it a salvage title)? Original engine? Was work done routinely? Do you have all the paperwork? Do you know the person that gave it to you?

Toyotas can be pretty solid cars. :\ Especially if it doesn't have many miles on it.

If you have your insurance combined with someone (such as your parents) you might want the primary holder to call up the insurance broker and see if they have cheaper insurance for cars that are only driven occasionally. I can't remember what it's caused, but my fiance has it for his project car, when he called up and explained it was a car he only drove once a week (that is about all it can handle, he drives a different car otherwise) his insurance agent helped him find a good deal with a deeper discount than just a multicar discount. YMMV though. The key to it was that he had another car he used daily, so you'd need that on your policy, which is why I ask if you're on someone else's policy? Might be worth inquiring about.

Young driver fees aren't all that expensive, I think I paid like $50 for two days when I did it.

Although they might be for drivers younger than 21.

Nude's sources are out of date, but still give reliable info about some states that have laws requiring car rentals to rent to people eighteen or older.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jul 31 2014, 5:01 pm by Sacrieur.