May 16, 2008
selling the beast
images.jpeg, originally uploaded by xtracycleinc.
The time has come, the walrus said, to sell that stinky thing.
It feels a bit hypocritical at this point to keep my car, when so many people in xtracycle land have taken the plunge and sold theirs. So I’m going to release it into the blessed land of Craigslist and let the forces of a free market economy convert a maintenance liability into cash or cash equivalent. I’ve finally researched all of the details it will involve to lead a lifestyle without owning a car. All of it can be covered by renting a car when I need it, which ain’t often. It’s curious how attached we are to our cars, and I think it’s tied in with our perception of wealth as an ownership economy. The future seems to be more and more in the direction of a service economy though, and services like City Carshare are an indicator of the benefits to be gained by applying the service model to items normally thought of as status symbols.
Update: ¬†I just got a report back from the garage, and it’ll cost about as much as the bluebook value to get it to a safe operating condition. ¬†Boo. Anyone out there need Subaru parts? ¬†I think the upholstery might still be good…
Check Carmax!
They gave us a great deal when my wife and I went carless.
Cheers,
My father gave me his car in 1987, partly out of concern for my perceived lack of mobility and partly because he couldn’t get any trade-in for it on another car he wanted. I drove it sparingly for three years. All the while I continued to use my dilapidated bicycle from college for short trips around town. I severely disliked driving, and disliked the many breakdowns more. The last time it broke down, the starter wouldn’t work. When I realized that the car was costing me more to maintain than to fuel (ah! those were the days), I sold it for scrap and bought a newer bicycle. I haven’t looked back once, and eventually my dad forgave me for selling his old car.
Last week I assembled my X at home. Yesterday I took it to the store with my sweetie riding her single bike alongside me. We bought the groceries and rode home and I could not wipe the grin off my face.
So sell the car. I bet you’ll be happier when it’s gone.
..::applause::..
–Beth in PDX