I'm not much of a car driver. I've driven very little in the past 20 years. I can get along fine without a car.

But something happened.

Earlier this year, I moved to a condo. It is a few blocks from a Los Angeles Metro rail line, it's 1 block from 4 bus lines, 1 block from a supermarket, 2 blocks from another supermarket, 4 blocks from an even better supermarket. Everything is convenient. There are also a ton of food options.

As part of the moving process, I rented a Nissan Altima for 10 days. It was awesome.

Over Labor Day Weekend, I rented a Toyota Corolla to empty out my storage to move to my condo. Again, it was awesome to drive.

The thing is my condo comes with 2 parking spaces in a gated garage.

But I work from home and I could always Uber/Lyft/Waymo.

So I don't need a car.

But then my uncle called and said he's moving out of the country and I could have his 2019 Toyota Corolla for $6,000.

I am seriously considering it. But with the cost of car insurance and gas, would it be a waste of money if I don't drive it that much.

I figured I could use 15 Waymos a month and not hit $6,000 for 2 years.

I'm not going to be traveling long distances, but it would be nice to, say, go to Manhattan Beach and it not be a 5 hour roundtrip by bus.

What should I do?

Take the car, you can always resell it if you change your mind. You will be able to drive to San Diego for @SDSU, to Berkeley for home games, among other trips out of town.

okaydo said:

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I am seriously considering it. But with the cost of car insurance and gas, would it be a waste of money if I don't drive it that much.

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I think you're not looking at the price of "freedom" which this car gives you.
Besides, gas and insurance will be minimal on this car

GET THE CAR.

….but if he has assets you want enough coverage to qualify for a $2-$3 umbrella….and get underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage.

why not keep renting one when you need it? Cars are a tough expense, I can't wait to ditch mine when I am too old to drive

SBGold said:

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why not keep renting one when you need it? Cars are a tough expense, I can't wait to ditch mine when I am too old to drive

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I think it depends on how you grew up and what "generation" you're in.

Even when I lived in NYC for 10 years, I eventually got a car and paid $300 a month parking just to be able to get out of the City on the weekends in the early 90's. It's all about FREEDOM.

If you grew up in the 70's and "Cruised the Main" in your town then you are part of the American Car Culture.
Camaro's, Z28's, Trans-Ams, Firebirds, Olds Cutlass', AMC Javelin's, and Plymouth Road Runners.

But with younger kids these days, it's become clear to me that American car culture has lost its charm and is dying given the digital age we live in. - - - Many people these days just can't be bothered.

One of the bigger events in my life was mowing the lawn at age 7 using one of those reel mowers powered by a Briggs and Stratton engine that literally pulled you across the yard. It was one helluva contraption. Required a rope with a knot at the end of it that you wrapped around a wheel to pull-start it. Invariably, that knot in the rope would hit your knuckles and "sting" like hell after every pull.

After visiting the local Garden & Supply Store, I got a hankering for a mini-bike that I saw there. A Taco 22 pictured below. From there, it was like a drug. A Honda XR-75 which lead to a 1975 Honda CR-125 Elsinore powered by a 2-stroke engine which meant you had to "pre-mix" the oil and gas together at a 20:1 ratio.

There was nothing like smelling Castrol 2-stroke oil on a Sunday morning in the Fall.
Ahhhhh, but I digress.

But I do have friends that are 25 years younger than me and have no problem driving a computer (Tesla). And they hate having to stop off at a gas station to pump their own gas. I worked at gas stations growing up in the 70's. I like gas stations.

Reminds me of the little town I grew up in Walnut Creek before everything became "commercial".

^Nice CR 125.

Most of my best friends in NYC and Paris still don't have cars, and some are pretty loaded.

I can't imagine living in CA without a car though, it severely limits your outdoors horizons, or even your urban leisure plans.

I got my license the day I turned 16. Drove to the Park Theater to see MASH ASAP, and have loved driving ever since. I do miss 5 speed manual transmissions (1st a brand new 1972 VW Squareback sedan and later a new 1981 VW Scirocco). When I got married my wife didn't know how to drive a stick so I bagged it. I understand that these days it is a special order item.

My favorite was to be stopped at a red light going up a steep hill in SF with an A wipe behind me a foot from my bumper……and to be able to shift into first with no roll back.

DiabloWags said:

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okaydo said:

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I am seriously considering it. But with the cost of car insurance and gas, would it be a waste of money if I don't drive it that much.

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I think you're not looking at the price of "freedom" which this car gives you.
Besides, gas and insurance will be minimal on this car

GET THE CAR.

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Yeah, the freedom is great. On Labor Day, I drove to Ikea in Burbank, which takes a long time to get to by public transportation.* It was a 30-minute drive via surface streets.

*The annoying thing about Los Angeles and public transportation is that there are so many cities in Los Angeles County that the Los Angeles Metro will have fewer public transportation options in those smaller cities as they cede some of the public transportation to local buses. Like BurbankBus, which doesn't run that often. So going from Hollywood to Burbank is a pain in the a**, even though these 2 areas should be naturally linked. Or if I want to go to Manhattan Beach, it takes 2-1/2 hours because the Beach City Transit buses that takes you from the Metro station to the Manhattan, Redondo and Hermosa Beaches runs every 45 minutes. So it becomes a 5-hour roundtrip.

This video explains it perfectly:




On the way back, I had something I rarely have: In N Out at Universal City.**

**While the valley has a lot of In N Outs, they are sorely lacking in the middle of the city, as you can see below. So what happens is the Hollywood In N Out, the one closest to me, is always jam-packed with people. And the wait is always 45 minutes. And I never go. The Universal City In N Out is always empty.

I can't fathom living without a car, or how you've been doing it.

Lemme know if you decline the car. I have many kids and nieces and nephews who would love it!!
Not joking

concordtom said:

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I can't fathom living without a car, or how you've been doing it.

Lemme know if you decline the car. I have many kids and nieces and nephews who would love it!!
Not joking

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I've been working from home for decades. And I don't/haven't lived in suburbia, where cars would be needed.

When I lived in El Cerrito, I lived 2 blocks from El Cerrito Plaza, which has a BART station and a massive supermarket.

When I lived in Oakland, I lived on Telegraph Avenue and there was a bus stop a 1-minute walk from my bedroom. And I lived 1/2 mile from Safeway and less than 1/2 mile from Whole Foods, though I rarely went there.

My old home in Los Angeles was a block away from a bus stop serving several bus lines and 1/2 mile from a big supermarket. And my old neighborhood was considered one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles. (And there was a nearby DASH bus that would take me to other supermarkets and restaurants. DASH is a localized bus service in Los Angeles with unusual routes with few passengers and lots of room that was free from the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 until after the wildfires in February 2025. They now charge 35 cents a ride).

My new place is, as I said, near a ton of transit options and supermarkets and restaurants.


I get it, though. I have family members who live in suburban areas like West Covina and Diamond Bar. And when I've visited them (years ago), I can't fathom living in those neighborhoods without a car. Because there are no businesses for miles.

I commend you!
I do not rip on you.
We Americans live insanely with cars.

DiabloWags said:

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okaydo said:

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I am seriously considering it. But with the cost of car insurance and gas, would it be a waste of money if I don't drive it that much.

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I think you're not looking at the price of "freedom" which this car gives you.
Besides, gas and insurance will be minimal on this car

GET THE CAR.

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Different take: DON'T GET THE CAR. It's all about being the sole occupant in your niche: The uniqueness of being a Millennial-or-Gen-X guy in LA without a car will get you tons of action!

The problem is that to get to that action he will have to commute 2 1/2 hours each way and only before 11'39pm.

Okaydo is such a cool fellow, whether he has car or not makes no impact on his getting action. He gets it!

You lost me at " I've been working…"
bearister out!

bearister said:

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I got my license the day I turned 16. Drove to the Park Theater to see MASH ASAP, and have loved driving ever since. I do miss 5 speed manual transmissions (1st a brand new 1972 VW Squareback sedan and later a new 1981 VW Scirocco). When I got married my wife didn't know how to drive a stick so I bagged it. I understand that these days it is a special order item.

My favorite was to be stopped at a red light going up a steep hill in SF with an A wipe behind me a foot from my bumper……and to be able to shift into first with no roll back.

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It's also a nice anti-theft device nowadays. My first car didn't even have sychro; learned to heel and toe.

I made an error. My Squareback was a 4 speed, not a 5 speed.

Photos I found:

My Squareback in front of my parent's house circa 1973. It was the space module to Winterland with up to 7 stuffed in (two in hatch) with lots of smoke circulating inside the vehicle with a fish bowl view for law enforcement if they had interest.



My totaled Squareback in the driveway of my apartment building (2525 Benvenue, Berkeley) in April 1981 after a guy high on drugs ran the stop sign at Chabot Road and College Ave at 2:00 am in the morning and knocked me up on the sidewalk in front of Dreyer's. I was returning from Sophie's C & W bar in Jack London Village to my apartment.



My replacement vehicle, 1981 VW Scirocco. Photo 1983 in WC. Interest rate on auto loan: 18%.

One of the things I loved most about living in Berkeley was barely driving at all. Honestly, given the options available for everything today (ride share, delivery, micro rentals), I would opt to not have a car. Alas, I live in Texas and the public transportation infrastructure (rail, most specifically) here is God awful or nonexistent, and that's being generous.

Cal88 said:

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^Nice CR 125.

Most of my best friends in NYC and Paris still don't have cars, and some are pretty loaded.

I can't imagine living in CA without a car though, it severely limits your outdoors horizons, or even your urban leisure plans.

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I can see it working in CA, if you were open to using services like Turo. Here in Texas, on the other hand… I might just die without a car.

Cal88 said:

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The problem is that to get to that action he will have to commute 2 1/2 hours each way and only before 11'39pm.

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He will be so unique that the action will come to him.

This ad for Chevy from 2003 was concocted by a Don Draper-caliber adman and is very apropos in this discussion:

It was because of that 1983 GTI that I bought a new 2004 VW R32 for $30,000
6-speed manual, 250 HP, great steering, brakes, and fun as hell.
Best bang for the buck ever!





65,000 miles.
Still have it. Mostly garaged.

Cal88 said:

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DiabloWags said:

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bearister said:

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I do miss 5 speed manual transmissions (1st a brand new 1972 VW Squareback sedan and later a new 1981 VW Scirocco).

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I remember test-driving a brand new 1983 GTI from Dirito Bros when it first came out.
I took it around a couple of twisty corners on Lakeview Road off of Homestead in WC.
That gearbox was so much fun!

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My first drive ever after getting my DL and turning 18 in the Summer of '83 was with a rented red GTI that looked exactly like that one, from a Berkeley independent rental company. I drove to Great America with a buddy and two Danish au-pairs.

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Happy 60th

Well, I'm officially a car owner.

Which dashcam should I get?

okaydo said:

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Well, I'm officially a car owner.

Which dashcam should I get?

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Congrats!

Best Dash Cams for 2025, Tested and Reviewed

This is how much I've paid in gas in my first year as car owner:

Not bad, considering the high cost of gas.

September 28, 2025: $31.64
October 22, 2025: $13.58
November 21, 2025: $16.19
January 6, 2026: $14.13
March 8, 2026: $11.06
May 19, 2026: $17.19
August 25, 2026: $20.17

=$124 in Year 1

SBGold said:

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..I can't wait to ditch mine when I am too old to drive

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waitabit, and surprise, ready or not stuff happens
# stuck at home bear

okaydo said:

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This is how much I've paid in gas in my first year as car owner:

Not bad, considering the high cost of gas.

September 28, 2025: $31.64
October 22, 2025: $13.58
November 21, 2025: $16.19
January 6, 2026: $14.13
March 8, 2026: $11.06
May 19, 2026: $17.19
August 25, 2026: $20.17

=$124 in Year 1

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That's literally nothing.
Most commuters spend twice that in ONE MONTH.

I may be moving to Long Beach in the next couple of years and am looking at a car-minimal lifestyle. Maybe own a Mini-Cooper for tight street parking and an e-scooter. Mostly walking. Have plenty of time to consider options.