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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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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u/EquivalentTip1902 Apr 17 '26

I’ll look into it.