Economics of going car-less in Calgary?

[Super_Geo]

I've been tossing the idea of going car-less around lately, just wanted to see what you guys think or if there are others in a similar position.

I just find it's so hard to justify owning my car in my current situation: I live in Mission and work 1km away in the core, I walk to/from work every day. Dropping by the grocery store adds a total of 6 blocks to my walk home. I was thinking of selling my car and just renting on the weekends.

Current expenses:
- $100/m insurance
- $200/m depreciation
- $150/m wear and tear (tires, maintenance, etc)
=$5400/yr

Going car-less:
- $15/d weekend rentals from Budget (there's one 2 blocks away from my work)
- credit card covers insurance
- no wear/tear
- conservative estimate on what my parking spot could be rented for: $125/m
= $1560/yr renting for 2 days every single weekend
= $60/yr if I rent my parking spot out as well

Thoughts or input? I haven't gone car-less in Calgary since I was 16, not sure if this will end up being a huge pain in the ass or not.

[Modelexis]

Why don't you try it for a couple months and make up your mind based on that.
The internet cannot make life decisions for you.

[masoncgy]

Sounds like a no brainer to me, though I am one of those people who could never live without a car.

I used to work near Edm Trail & 41 Ave NE... and lived near Edm Trail & McKnight and never walked... lol... even though part of the reason I moved up that way was to eliminate the drive to work.

Tried it. Couldn't adjust. Though you do have the ability to get your groceries close by, so maybe that will tip the scale in favour of ditching the car.

[WhippWhapp]

If you're close to your workplace, totally makes sense.

I think the average Canadian spends somewhere around 20% of their income on payments, insurance, fuel, and maintenance on a vehicle.

Doesn't make much sense considering most cars sit idle most of the day.

[clem24]

I couldn't go car less.. It'd drive me crazy because I love driving!

[Cos]

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[max_boost]

How are you going to pick up women and take them out without a car? Unless you have a gf, in that case, get her to drive lol

[AE92_TreunoSC]

I'd only go car-less in a subway city like Montreal. Calgary is huge, too huge. You need a car to survive here.

[flipstah]

If you don't need to go past the C-Train route, the car-less route is perfect. The moment you want to go elsewhere, your savings will transfer into frustration.

I actually did a paper on transit efficiency and I found out that it's cheaper to drive the car around Calgary than take the train haha.

[msommers]

Everything to live is close by. But do you have a GF? Friends?

You will either rely on taxis or renting. One isn't right or wrong, just different and I think the best way to do it would be to try it and see how it goes. When I was travelling in Europe, taking public transit was a no brainer. But here, you can't connect with shit without waiting around forever and communities are so far apart with lacking infrastructure, it just doesn't make sense to me personally.

[Thaco]

get a cheaper car, i paid $200 for my beater, i put like $50 for oil changes every 3 months, that's pretty much it... no depreciation, very little maintenance, and $100/mo car insurance.

[ExtraSlow]

Beater car FTW. Although i can't figure out why you'd bother changing the oil on your beater. Adding oil, sure, but why change it?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I couldn't do it, I love driving, and I average 80+km a day driving around for work and stuff as well.

[Merritt]

Originally posted by Thaco
get a cheaper car, i paid $200 for my beater, i put like $50 for oil changes every 3 months, that's pretty much it... no depreciation, very little maintenance, and $100/mo car insurance.

It depends how insurance companies define "cheaper"...

I doubt one could survive going car-less in Calgary, it's like a number one priority to have a car....for now.

[D'z Nutz]

Have you considered just getting a beater car for a few hundred with the cheapest insurance possible for it?

I went without a car for about 4 years and while it wasn't as impossible as some people make it out to be, there were times when it was a pain in the ass and having a car would've made things easier. In my situation, Calgary Transit was an easy answer for most of my transportation needs because I was going to school and I worked there and I didn't really want to be paying for parking everyday. The downside of course was I was really at the mercy of Calgary Transit's schedule and they're notorious for delays when it rains, snows, and even when it's nice out. For times when I needed a car, I just borrowed my sisters for the price of filling up the tank and I even chipped in a few hundred bucks a year for her insurance.

However, with that said, I did come across a problem that I hadn't foreseen until just this last year. I was getting an insurance quote from Masked_Bandit in the summer and he would've been able to get me a really smoking price (a little less than 50% of what I'm paying now) had there not been that 4 year gap in my insurance record when I didn't own a car. So if you *are* going to go the car-less route, you might want to consider becoming a part time driver under someone else so there is some documentation of you driving in case you do decide to become a car owner again in the future. Just a bit of a heads up.

Ultimately, I think it's really up for you to evaluate since everyone's situation is going to be very different.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Cos
Try taking your insurance off and see how it goes. You never go out with friends anywhere else?

This really isn't good advice unless you're prepared to absorb a total loss in the event of fire/theft etc. Remember, your car isn't covered under your house policy at all.

[Cos]

.

[ExtraSlow]

Fire/theft insurance (AKA storage insurance) is nearly free.

[Canucks3322]

D'z Nutz makes a good point, most will have a fam n move to the burbs, then you'll need a car again n youll be f'd on insurance cuz of the gap.

[Graham_A_M]

Calgary transit is abysmal. Its nothing like Montreal in this city, how you can propose to go carless completely is crazy.

Having to depend on friends, taxi's & CT constantly is really going to be a strain on yourself & your friends. Having to rent a car couldn't be cheaper anyway. I know the $5k a year is a lot of money, but $5k for total freedom and being able to set your own schedule is well worth it to me.

I always laugh at the poor saps I see sitting out in the cold in the wee hours of the morning waiting for a late bus. Having to get up an hour or two earlier just to rely on CT to get to work is the deal killer.

Besides, you should shop around. My car insurance is $800/year for full collision. $550 without. $1200 a year is crazy unless you have a very bad driving record in conjunction to driving quite a sports car.