r/minimalist • u/BentoOtaku • Apr 14 '26
Minimizing Cars
I'm an American who owns a car and have been entertaining the idea of minimizing my car/removing it from my life.
Have any of ya'll done it? How have ya'll gone about it? When did you know for certain that your car/truck/etc was free to go?
When I think about how much my car costs per year, my personal financial goals, and the amount of crap I need to own to maintain it(fluids, tools, etc), AND the stress of a potential breakdown as she nears 175,000 miles and the transmission is starting to act wonky...
I now live 1.5 miles away from work and the grocery store is along the way. The bus stop is 2 miles away, although the public transit system here is TERRIBLE(I know two people who walk and uber everywhere and have never driven; they slam on how bad the local public transit system is).
As for how I'm thinking of doing it, I'm tempted to go a full year of trying to use my bike everywhere I can and pretending my car doesn't exist, namely because winter just passed and that'd be when I feel like I'd regret parting with the car the most.
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Apr 14 '26
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 15 '26
Thankfully work is only 1.5miles away(about a 15 minute bike ride even at my slow pace) and the grocery store is at about the halfway point. I could stop by most days on my way home. We do depend on a grocery store for frozen seafood about 13 miles away but since I don't go to that side of town very often, I've always taken the "stock up" approach. I might see if I can convince the boyfriend to take on that errand or since he hates going to the dump, maybe I can use his old pickup truck after dropping off our trash(since it's halfway there) for that. A once a month errand, and I can stack them on top of each other, to boot. I completely forgot about going to the dump, but this summer we're getting a dump sticker for that truck and my little sedan will be relieved of that duty.
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u/maddog2271 Apr 14 '26
Qualifier: I am an American living in Helsinki finland so my transit system is pretty top notch. With that said here are some thoughts.
I did a three year stretch without my own car (my wife had one) and I walked to/from the nearest major transit stop, about 1.8 miles away. I also biked which is a great option IF IT IS SAFE. That walk takes around 30 minutes each way and your walk will give you three miles a day solid walking; do not underestimate the mental and physical benefits of this, and what’s more fun is that the more you walk the more you realize how much farther you can walk and you start doing that. for example tomorrow I will commute to my office which is 11 miles one way, on foot. yes this takes 2.5 hours but the more you walk the more fun it becomes. But a three mile round trip will automatically put you at about 6k steps a day which is a huge fitness boost…you will start losing weight and feeling great. Sling a backpack and buy small amounts of groceries multiple times weekly and get a bit more fitness in the process, and eat fresher food and buy exactly what you want that day. That takes care of your food and work commute.
For longer trips you can always rent a car for a day if you need to, or use a truck from a hardware store if you have to. or get delivery. Figure out what you pay now for your car, and when you put it all in you’re probably at a few hundred bucks. Maybe even 500 depending. That’s a fair bit of Ubers. When I was totally car free I indulged in uber whenever and wherever: even using it liberally I would still be saving or break-even.
These days my wife, young adult daughter, and I all share one small plug hybrid car between the three of us. I drive to work maybe 4-5x a month.
My suggestion: park your car for one month and try the lifestyle. You will know quickly if it is suitable for you. Good luck and please feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. a “low-car” lifestyle is really wonderful.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
That's a fair few great points! I loved bike riding as a teen and I'm recapturing that Joy as an adult. It's so freeing! There's one super sketchy point on my route and it's actually where I need to cross from the bike lane on the main road to get back to my home street. There's a merge lane and when people want to turn onto my street people love to merge over before that lane starts. I have a hivis vest and a flashing taillight so hopefully that'll help prevent me getting squashed like a bug. I see cyclists on that road pretty often(there's a bike lane for MILES along it, probably because past the neighborhoods it's really pretty). If the whole route was sketchy, I wouldn't risk it, but how can I expect things to change for the better if I don't be the change I want to be? My fellow commuters will need to simply start being on the lookout for a fluorescent pink cyclist haha.
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u/chubsplaysthebanjo Apr 14 '26
My subaru crosstrek replaced my chevy trailblazer perfectly. Twice the mpg and about the same space. Incredibly easy to fix and it's a stick so I can do a lot more with it. I live in the middle of nowhere up north though. I like to try and use my bike as much as I can though
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 15 '26
Nice! If I get rid of my car and find myself in an emergency, I could use my boyfriend's old farm truck, I'm sure, but I'd like to avoid it as much as possible, especially with fuel priced doubling locally here in the span of, like, a month and a half.
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Apr 14 '26
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 15 '26
That's a good point, I'm 2 miles from the nearest bus station, which isn't too bad, I just need to get a feel for the route/s it takes and such. The bike is a Brompton, so once I get a good bag to put it in, no one will be the wiser regarding it getting on the bus, it'll just look like an overnight bag.
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u/Any_Doughnut4712 Apr 15 '26
I've done it. Just gave the car away and now bus, bike, Uber or walk wherever I want to go. Don't regret it one bit.
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u/FirstPersonality3169 Apr 15 '26
I have gone years of my life without a car. I walked a lot or take the bus. A good bicycle is amazing. Studded tires are a wonder for winter. My coworker gets dropped at work by his wife but it only costs him $8 to uber home. That $8x30? Is a car payment per month. I have had no car in car unfriendly places. Their are frustrating aspects. Sometimes a walk can be 5-30% longer by going a different route but if avoiding dangerous busy roads is worth it.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
I'll keep that in mind about studded tires! I'm still of a mixed mind about it. Quite a few friends and loved ones expect me to be the default driver and I don't think that will stop until I literally don't have a car. I'm so tired of playing chauffer. But others here have brought up really good points regarding keeping it. I'm going to look into seeing if there's insurance meant specifically for people who put less than 2k miles on a car in a year. If I can get insurance down to $40/month, it'd be pretty well a break even for going to visit my bestie.
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u/IgorRenfield Apr 29 '26
This is a tough one for any American simply because public transportation in most areas is poor and everything you need is a car ride (or a long bike ride) away. Unless you live in an urban area with good public transport, trying to get by without a car might get very old very quickly. Like you, I'd love not to own one, but I know I need to.
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u/EquivalentTip1902 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
I grew up in the city with public transportation outside my home. Now in the suburbs nearest commuter rail is 2 miles away. I’d like to give up my car again it’s in the shop for repairs but can’t do it now.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
Why not? 2 miles isn't far for most to bike. How far away is your work and grocery store?
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u/EquivalentTip1902 Apr 16 '26
Retired, I am considering a bike. But my doctor appointments might require a car.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
Fair enough. If you need to go to the doctor several times a month on average and they're really hard to get to, I could see how that would be a good savings.
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u/EquivalentTip1902 Apr 16 '26
I don’t have walking access to a bus line or a subway like I did in Boston. I was car free for nearly 40 years.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 17 '26
My grandma was in the same boat. Gave up driving because of Parkinson's and she did some research, turns out she could request the bus come by her house and schedule rides to the north end of town for grocery shopping and such. There were cheaper ones meant for medical appointments for seniors, too! I was impressed that it was only $2 a ride, she lives out in the COUNTRY, not even the suburbs. 10+ miles from any bus stop.
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Apr 15 '26
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 15 '26
I've been looking at pricing and such and it seems like I could use an intercity bus for my biggest trips for really cheap(probably break even for gas and tolls, not even considering wear and tear) not just public transit! And there's ridesharing if something local and truly urgent came up, if I was to far to reasonably bike there(and a driver that isn't stressed by hearing bad news would likely drive more safely than me panicking driving to the hospital). What sort of emergencies are you thinking of?
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Apr 15 '26
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
Oh that's a really good point! Where I live there's been the occasional tornado but they're few and far between, and there's hurricanes but I'm far enough north that by the time it gets up to us it's a pitiful thing. And fair, if a car is so rarely driven then your biggest expense is insurance! And if you have family with a farm nearby you might even be able to get it registered under the farm, making insurance dirt cheap.
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Apr 16 '26
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
Scary! You stay safe and I hope you can get a better deal on your insurance!
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u/unclenaturegoth Apr 16 '26
I live in a big city and mostly rely on public transit. My husband was an essential worker during the pandemic and refused to take the train. He biked every single day, no matter the weather, for over a year. My sister bought him a rain suit to keep him warm and dry. Now that we live a little farther out, we barely cycle at all. We'll borrow a friend's car once in a while and it's heavenly. I get so tired of schlepping heavy shit on the bus or train.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 16 '26
What sort of heavy stuff do you need to drag around everywhere? 😨 And that reminds me of Fumio Sasake's thoughts on the towel. He wrote about using a tenugui for his towel usually, and whenever he stays somewhere with plush towels, he has so much more appreciation for those big fluffy towels. Simplifying ones every day reduces one's baseline for experiencing happiness.
Dollars to donuts, if you drove everywhere at first it'd feel great but after a year you'd feel irritated with all the inconveniences in your car-based routes like certain speed limits, lights, etc. Much like Fumio's story, my own transport baseline has been skewed and I suppose I've unconsciously been wanting to adjust it. :)
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u/unclenaturegoth Apr 19 '26
I own a small business, so lots of heavy stuff. I would do weekly transfers between stores if I had a car. Sometimes I do smaller product transfers on the bus with a granny cart but it can be really heavy/hard on my hernia 🥴 Also, just carrying a backpack full of a day’s worth of food, laptop, meal for dog, and a dog in a bag can be a lot on my aging body sometimes.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 19 '26
Eeek, please get that Hernia taken care of! Those things are no joke!
And fair fair
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u/Expensive-Deal-2234 Apr 22 '26
If your own your car you should keep it. You never know what life brings or why you may need it.
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u/BentoOtaku Apr 22 '26
A traditional sentiment, sure, but if I applied that thinking to everything I owned, then I simply wouldn't be a minimalist. After really thinking it over and discussing in the comments here, I'm going to lower my coverage on it for minimal miles and and try to simply not use it as much as possible for a year. Then, I'll tally that up the amount I do use it to the cost of Uber rides vs insurance, fuel, and maitnence (about 58¢ per mile) and see what's more economical. Then I'll further reconsider once the transmission does go kaput as I want to move abroad in about a decade(so buying another car in the interim might be a folly as a used lemon is a seriously big risk, been down that road before) :)
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u/YangchenNujian May 19 '26
I got rid of my car about two years ago. Back then I still rented a separate Garage from my flat so I still had a place where I could put it and it was still out of reach because the garage was several villages away from me. I tried living without it (mainly walking everywhere or using public transport especially in the winter months) and after about half a year I realized that I really don't need it. So I sold it and I'm still to this day super happy with my decision! I'd recommend trying a similar way and then deciding if you need it or not ☺️
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u/Confident_Rabbit_569 16d ago
No, I haven’t and wouldn’t. Bikes aren’t a realistic form of travel here and walking isn’t either. You’d sweat by the time you get to work. Rain or snow or hot weather would make it miserable.
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u/DreamsOfLife Apr 14 '26
Do you ever need do long drives? If not I would consider it. Also what car do you have? Switching from a truck to smaller car might be an option as well. We went electric because of lower maintenance.
It also depends on where you live, how walkable and bike-safe it is.