Look what I did today!
When I had my accident back in February and the insurance company totaled the car, I decided that I would go carless for a while and see what it was like. It was a big adjustment, having to plan every little detail and to rely on schedules and resources that were not mine. Commuting was easy; I work downtown now and don't need a car for that. The bus got me to where I was going just fine. I learned the schedules and the buses that would get me here and there as needed. But other things slowly began to drive me crazy: needing to arrange transport for heavy grocery shopping (like, for example, getting kitty litter or lots of liquid stuff), figuring out how to manage longer days out, always having to check the routes, schedules and connections to be sure I understood my timelines and could catch a bus, and wondering what I'd do if the kitties had an emergency and I had to get them to the vet. I got a ZipCar subscription, which has worked in a limited fashion. But it made me crazy having to get the car back at a particular time, not having the option to change my plans and spend a little more time out and so forth. And I had the settlement from the accident sitting in my savings account.
About a month or so ago, I started looking for another car. I gave the carless lifestyle a 7-month trial and I've realized that I just want my independence. Do I need it? Well, the last 7 months have demonstrated that I can get by just fine without a vehicle. But I feel constrained. My independence and my agency feel compromised. My life just feels smaller. And no matter how generously friends offer me lifts, I always feel like I'm imposing unless carpooling just makes sense in context. I looked at a number of vehicles and there was always some issue: impact damage that wasn't explained in the CarFax, weirdly-engineered electrical systems that would be a bear to maintain, poor ride quality, noisy interiors. I gave up for about two weeks. But yesterday I had the day off in anticipation of weekend company, and I took one more shot at the car shopping. Today, I took home a great vehicle:
It's a 2008 Ford Focus SES sedan in excellent condition, with a 6-CD changer/player, tinted windows, a moon roof and all sorts of snazzy little extras. (ETA: It's not just all about the pretty. The car has low mileage for its age, brand-new tires, new rear shocks, barely a scratch--technically it's in great shape.) I drove it only to get it home. The insurance kicks in tomorrow and then I'll take it out for a proper spin. I couldn't be more delighted.
About a month or so ago, I started looking for another car. I gave the carless lifestyle a 7-month trial and I've realized that I just want my independence. Do I need it? Well, the last 7 months have demonstrated that I can get by just fine without a vehicle. But I feel constrained. My independence and my agency feel compromised. My life just feels smaller. And no matter how generously friends offer me lifts, I always feel like I'm imposing unless carpooling just makes sense in context. I looked at a number of vehicles and there was always some issue: impact damage that wasn't explained in the CarFax, weirdly-engineered electrical systems that would be a bear to maintain, poor ride quality, noisy interiors. I gave up for about two weeks. But yesterday I had the day off in anticipation of weekend company, and I took one more shot at the car shopping. Today, I took home a great vehicle:
It's a 2008 Ford Focus SES sedan in excellent condition, with a 6-CD changer/player, tinted windows, a moon roof and all sorts of snazzy little extras. (ETA: It's not just all about the pretty. The car has low mileage for its age, brand-new tires, new rear shocks, barely a scratch--technically it's in great shape.) I drove it only to get it home. The insurance kicks in tomorrow and then I'll take it out for a proper spin. I couldn't be more delighted.