Revvin' up the engine
I'm starting to give serious thought to getting a car.
I've always shied away from the idea, because between walking, cycling, bussing, and the train for longer distances, I've been able to get pretty much anywhere I've needed to be without one. That, and the costs of buying, insuring, parking, fuelling and maintaining a car have scared me off. (Some of that may just be the fear of the unknown, since I've never actually done the math on it.)
But I'm getting tired of it taking an hour -- each way -- for me to get to and from work. It's half that much whenever someone's kind enough to offer me a ride. (That's another thing, I'm tired of being a ride mooch.) My own wheels would unchain me from the bus schedule and the inherent delays in transferring between buses. Right now, if Brian were to suggest that we go for beer and wings at 7 tomorrow after work, I'd basically end up sticking around downtown, because if I went home, I'd arrive after 6, 15 minutes before having to catch the only bus that would take me back downtown in time. If I had my own wheels, I could be home at 5:30ish, have dinner and do chores and whatever, and still take the bus to get back downtown so I don't have to worry about parking or drinking.
I'd want something fuel-efficient, obviously. I'd love to get a SmartCar, but buying any new car is a waste of money since it depreciates as soon as the transaction is complete. So a used car, perhaps, a Civic or the local equivalent entry-level car. Maybe even a motorcycle, but I doubt that -- it would be the most fuel efficient, but I'd need a separate license.
Any comments? I fully expect (and probably rightly deserve) a chewing-out from rebeccmeister on even considering getting a car.
I've always shied away from the idea, because between walking, cycling, bussing, and the train for longer distances, I've been able to get pretty much anywhere I've needed to be without one. That, and the costs of buying, insuring, parking, fuelling and maintaining a car have scared me off. (Some of that may just be the fear of the unknown, since I've never actually done the math on it.)
But I'm getting tired of it taking an hour -- each way -- for me to get to and from work. It's half that much whenever someone's kind enough to offer me a ride. (That's another thing, I'm tired of being a ride mooch.) My own wheels would unchain me from the bus schedule and the inherent delays in transferring between buses. Right now, if Brian were to suggest that we go for beer and wings at 7 tomorrow after work, I'd basically end up sticking around downtown, because if I went home, I'd arrive after 6, 15 minutes before having to catch the only bus that would take me back downtown in time. If I had my own wheels, I could be home at 5:30ish, have dinner and do chores and whatever, and still take the bus to get back downtown so I don't have to worry about parking or drinking.
I'd want something fuel-efficient, obviously. I'd love to get a SmartCar, but buying any new car is a waste of money since it depreciates as soon as the transaction is complete. So a used car, perhaps, a Civic or the local equivalent entry-level car. Maybe even a motorcycle, but I doubt that -- it would be the most fuel efficient, but I'd need a separate license.
Any comments? I fully expect (and probably rightly deserve) a chewing-out from rebeccmeister on even considering getting a car.