Do you actually need a car?

Last Updated on March 22, 2012 by Work In My Pajamas

Almost every family living in the United States owns multiple cars, regardless if they are needed or not. If you’re trying to cut costs, and especially if you’re working from home, a car is very likely a mostly-unnecessary expense.

Hidden car costs

We all recognize the basic car costs, such as gas and the huge chunk of money it takes to purchase a car in the first place, but we often forget the less-obvious costs that come with owning a car. Wear-and-tear on tires and the engine, purchasing a new battery, smog checks, registration, insurance, AAA service, and regular oil changes can add up to surprisingly high costs, even if your car is older or you don’t drive it that often.

Alternatives to a car

Even if they rarely use their car, however, most people are still hesitant to get rid of it because they do use it sometimes. Instead of owning a car, there are several other modes of transportation that can work just about as well if you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

• Bike: Before you come up with reasons why you can’t bike instead of drive, think about the health and wealth benefits to biking. If you live in the city or another location where most things are relatively close (say within ten miles of your house), you can cut out the use of a car and opt for a bike instead. Even if you have young kids or need to purchase groceries, a simple detachable bike trailer can make using a bike feasible. If your health or age makes biking difficult, an electric bike could still work for you. A bike costs thousands less than a car and helps keep you healthy at the same time. What more could you want?

• Bus: Public transportation is there to help you get from one place to another without the use of a car, so why not take advantage of it? You can easily look up bus schedules online so you know which buses you need, the costs, and any other information that will make traveling on the bus easier. It may take more time than driving, but it’s much less expensive, and since you’re not the one driving you can use that time to get work done on your laptop or simply read and enjoy a few minutes to yourself.

• Scooter/Motorcycle: If you still need speedy transportation, but don’t necessarily need much storage space, a scooter or motorcycle might work best for you. Expenses, including purchase price, registration, and insurance, for these vehicles tend to be much less than cars. Even if you have a family, dropping down to one car and a scooter rather than two cars can often be not only feasible but easy and a great cost-cutting measure.

In most of the world, families get along with one car at the most; the need for multiple large vehicles is purely an American invention that really isn’t necessary if you take the time to look at your driving habits and try to find ways to make it work without owning 2 full-size cars. It’ll save you money and it could open up new avenues of adventure and fun that you didn’t see as options before. Try something different and reduce your car costs. What have you got to lose?

Author Sandy Landsford is an accountant and blogs for carinsurance.org.uk, a site where you can get cheap car insurance. Get a quote today!