At one point, most Americans expected that they would be car owners as adults. There was an adulthood model where you’d own a house and a car. You’d drive the car to work from your home every morning and drive it back at night.
Now, many individuals can’t afford to buy homes, and they rent apartments instead. Some of them work from home, so they don’t necessarily need vehicles. Others live in areas where there are public transportation options, so they might not need to own cars either.
If you’ve owned a car for most of your adult life, a time might come when you want to get rid of it. There are various reasons for wanting this.
In this article, we’ll talk about some reasons why you might want to get rid of your car, and we’ll also talk about the factors that will come into play as you decide whether or not that is practical.
How Confident of a Driver Are You?
The reason why some drivers want to get rid of their vehicles is that they’re a licensed driver, but they don’t like driving, and they have never been comfortable doing it. There are certainly individuals out there who are like this.
Anxiety around driving is not that uncommon at all. Some people love cars and enjoy driving, but on the other side of the slate, some individuals are never comfortable behind the wheel.
If you belong in this second category, you might feel like you’ll rid yourself of a significant anxiety source in your life if you get rid of your car for good. If you do this, you’ll never have to deal with a car accident, or at least not one where you were the driver. However, you’ll also have to look at other transportation options if you decide to sell your car for this reason.
What is the Public Transportation System Like Near You?
In the scenario we just described, where you get rid of your car because you don’t like driving and you’re not confident doing it, you might decide the time is right to sell your vehicle, but then you have to live your life without one. If you work outside the home, that will be difficult for you. Presumably, you will also need to go grocery shopping, go to doctor’s appointments, etc.
The time you might feel like you can do this is if you are in an area with lots of public transportation. Living in New York City and not owning a car makes sense, for instance. There are tons of trains and buses available, so they can get you around.
It’s still not ideal when you need to do something like grocery shopping, but there are ways around this. For example, you can buy a small pushcart and take it to a grocery store within walking distance of your home if you need to stock up on supplies.
Do You Work Outside the Home?
Many people feel like they need to own a vehicle because of their work. It comes in handy for running other errands as well, but that’s the primary reason why many adults buy a car and require one.
If you’re able to set up a situation where you’re working remotely from now on, you might be able to sell your car and live without one. Remote work is becoming possible with more jobs than what was once the case. This is something that the pandemic has forced into prominence, and many workers don’t want to go back to the way things were.
If you can find a job where you never have to commute, you might sell your car and use public transportation or a rideshare vehicle if you need to get somewhere. Not everyone has a job or a profession where this is possible, but those who do should at least think about this option. If you no longer have a car, you don’t need to pay for gas, insurance, and vehicle upkeep.
Do You Care About the Environment?
If you care deeply about our environment, and you’re worried that the planet is rapidly heating up, that might be the reason why you decide getting rid of your car is worth it. Of course, you can also look into purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle if you want to reduce your carbon footprint.
If you cannot afford a hybrid or electric vehicle, though, it will be tougher for you to get rid of your gas-powered car unless you make some sacrifices. You may care about the environment, but you still might have to get to work and run other errands as well.
The only way you can really make this work is in a scenario like what we described before. Remote work and many local public transportation options might be the formula for you to give up your car to help the planet.
Is There Another Vehicle in the Family?
Maybe you have a family that collectively owns more than one vehicle. Perhaps you’re in a two-car family. You want to sell your vehicle because you’re not a confident driver, you feel like it has become too expensive, or because you want to help the planet.
Whatever your reason for wanting to get rid of that second car, you can go down to being a one-car family. That will save you money, but things might get a little tricky if there’s only one car, but two or more adults in the family have places to be.
You will have to find an equitable way to share the car. One of you might take it, while the others use public transportation or an Uber or Lyft.
When you think about it, there are ways to live without a car if you truly want to. It might not be easy, but you may find that’s what makes the most sense for you.
