So much car trouble of late... I could cry. How dependant are you on your car?

I can’t live without it. Well, maybe I could.
When my kids were little the only transportation we had for several months was a motorcycle. (3 kids.)
Now, if my car broke down I would be able to rent one while the repairs were being made. We give the dealer so much business they would probably give us a loaner.

I have at least a 35 mile commute to work, so I would have to borrow a car or stay home a day or two while car was being repaired. I live in a rural area and there’s very limited public transportation around ($10 cab ride to train station, and no buses in my area, which is “horse country”) so I would be pretty much stuck and/or desperate. Luckily my car is somewhat new so I hope nothing happens to it anytime soon.

We have several cars, and there are buses that go most every place we want to go. Occasionally we have rented a car when we needed an extra one because of repairs, but our insurance covers the cost.

We don’t need to drive to work or the grocery and only use our vehicle for pleasure runs, so not terribly dependent. But I’d feel awful not being able to take my boat out if the van broke down.

A – I have a car but it’s just for fun (its an Ariel Atom). I live within walking distant of work and shops.

I have spent whole salaries on car repair and at one point I did actually cry when I realised that I was working to support the car. I need it to get to and from work daily and I rely on it. I notice that it is getting ready to pack up again and this time I won’t spent a cent more on it. When it breaks down it’s going in for recycling!

Rural Upstate NY. 5 miles to the city limits. No public transportation out my way. Yeah, I’m very dependant on my car.

We have moved to a place 6 houses away from hubby’s new job, so we can easily share our one car. We sold my car, and now if I need one, I just walk over there and take his.

I am very dependent on having a car to get places. There isn’t any public transportation near me, unless I call for a taxi. But, my husband and I have more than two cars, so if one is in the shop, I have another I can use. I wish I had public transportation that was easily convenient to use. I would gladly hop on a subway rather than drive somewhere the majority of the time.

I definitely need my car to even get to the grocery store.

Very. We are a one crappy car household living on a farm in a rural area. A second car (a decent car) would be very nice one of these days. The stress of living with one car that doesn’t run well and no public transportation available for us can be very overwhelming at times.

Very. There is no public transport here (also rural) and only a very few taxis driven by retired old guys who work only when they feel like it..

People do ride bikes but the terrain is very hilly and most of us live far from the hamlet or the metropolitan village. No sidewalks or street lights in most areas also.

(dependent)

I can’t drive because of vision problems and it is a huge problem in my life, especially having no money in a city with a poor transportation system. I can’t leave my house unless a family member is also going out. I struggle to find a job because it must be close by so someone could take me (on top of other problems like having asperger’s, etc). When we go grocery shopping I need to be really comprehensive about it because I can’t just stop by to pick something up. I can’t see my long-distance boyfriend, he has to be the one to visit.

So basically it sucks. I live in one of the larger US cities and I am confined to my home 95% of the time because of my vision.

Extremely dependent. I live on acreage 8 miles from the nearest small hub and 12 – 15 miles from the closest neighboring towns where the most amenities are available. I am 4 miles down a rural road from the highway and there is no public transit or cab service in this community.
I have a free rental car through my roadside assistance membership in the event my car has to go to the hospital.

No way could I survive out here without my vehicle.

Just in terms of getting to work, I’m an A. I am extremely grateful to live in a town with free buses. They are great if you are a regular 9-to-5 sort of worker, but you’re S.O.L. if you work late/weekends. (I’ve been stranded on campus before because I didn’t know the buses closed down around 10 pm, haha!) The buses are also fine for my socializing needs (one even goes past my favorite bar!)

But in terms of getting groceries/prescriptions and going to medical appointments (of which I have on average 3 a month), I am heavily dependent on my car. That is mostly what I use her for.

The car is convenient for shopping and schlepping things and trips out of town. Otherwise, we don’t need it. I ride my bike to work. I could shop on bike. There’s public transportation all over the place.

My wife uses the car more now that she’s not working. She gives the kids rides to school and she does all kinds of shopping trips she didn’t do when she worked. She likes the car. But it wouldn’t be that much trouble to be without it.

Also, we have PhillyCarShare and ZipCar so it is easy to rent a car by the hour for grocery trips and whatnot. We would probably save a lot of money if we got rid of our car. But it is convenient and we can afford it. Making all those rental arrangements might not be that onerous, but it is a pain compared to having the car at your disposal whenever you want it.

But if I lived on my own, I would probably have a car, but I would use it as little as possible. I like the idea of being a bike commuter and shopper. It’s good for my health. It’s good for the planet. I like it more, aesthetically, too. The Tour de France is coming soon!

I’m terribly dependant on my vehicle – I have to move a concert harp around fairly regularly, so I’m limited as to what cars/vehicles I can have that will fit it, and certainly couldn’t use public transport (my work is all over the place too at random times, so I would never find public transport to fit my needs). My lovely little van is currently in the garage and the repairs are now approaching £1000 to do. I’ve got to bite the bullet and do it. I couldn’t buy another for that price and I can’t do without it. Ho hum. Going to be a while before I pay that off though.

I am not allowed to drive where I am and the current household car is an anchor around my neck because it needed work last fall, in October, and has been at the garage ever since and now the EU test and the insurance has lapsed and the Road Safety agency sent us a letter I got today saying they are going to collect it from where ever it is and take if off the road. Hubby has no money to fix the car or pay insurance and doesn’t give a fuck because it is summer and he has his motorcycle. I have personal items in the car and have been asking that he empty the car and bring my stuff home, but he ignores me and tells me ‘You do it!’ but I have NO idea where it is, nor am I allowed to drive it.

I used to drive. I have had several cars I have loved and driven for many-a-kilometer. But not allowed where I live now. I may as well be a chicken that lays their salmonella free eggs.

Car trouble causes so much hassle for me as I work quite far away from where I live and public transport isn’t an easy option. Last year my car died a couple of days before I was due to go on holiday and it caused me to be worried throughout the whole holiday about what I was going to do for transport when I got back home as, financially, I wasn’t in a position to go out and buy another car.

I would have to catch a bus, three separate trains, and then another bus to get to work, so I can’t get by without my car. Sydney public transport sucks….....

I’m very dependent on my car but since my mother lives with my husband and me, there’s always someone who I can get a lift from or get to do some errands.

Thanks jellies..

It depends on what state. In most parts of California you are not an actual person if you don’t own a car. In most parts of Arizona it’s enough to know somebody who owns a car.