Landon's Epic Vlog Thread: living without a car in a car-happy world

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by NoCO2

I live in Georgia where the weather, unfortunately, is rather unpredictable.

I'll trade you locations!

I live on my college campus which is in a pretty commercial area so everything I need to live can be found within a 5 mile radius easily.

Very nice. Sounds like other than the commute to your job, you would be a prime candidate for living without a car (no pressure! lol). Have you ever investigated how much your costs you per month with the little driving you do?

[SVOboy]

I moved the posts over here for you, peakster,

[Peakster]

Fantastic. Vlog #2 should be coming around in the next few weeks.

[NoCO2]

I haven't really figured out the total cost, but below is a list of what I have figured so far with using past data from driving before I really started to pay attention to fuel economy.

$48.00 per tank @ $3.00 per gallon
2 tanks of gas per month = $96.00
Oil Change every 3 months is about $15.00
New Tires = ~$45 / tire

Other then that I'm not sure about expenses really. I'm fortunate enough that my parents still pay for my insurance so for that I would need to ask them what it is per quarter. I know that on the 1985 Camry I was insured on previously it was ~$1000 per year though so I would think this would be around the same.

The car also came from my grandmother so it was free, which is always nice.

So to date I have probably spent a total of about

$90 for 2 new tires
$480 for gas since I got it in August (figuring average of 2 tanks per month)
$30 for 2 oil changes since I got the car
~$20 for new windshield wiper blades
----------------------------
Total: $620.00 before insurance

I also know that there was a lot of maintenance work done to it when we first got it which I believe equaled around $1800 or so because there were a few things broken in the engine from the years of improper maintenance.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by NoCO2

I'm fortunate enough that my parents still pay for my insurance...

Score!

The car also came from my grandmother so it was free, which is always nice.

Double-score! I got my '91 T-Bird from my Grandma as a gift as well, which I then sold for $1,800. I guess then you could say that I only spent $500 on the Geo, but that's getting a little complex .

How about things like car-washes and air filters? Any repairs done at all? Do you get parking for free?

Every time I thought I finally found all the expenses of my car, I found more! It was pretty outrageous.

[NoCO2]

Parking is included in my school's tuition fee thankfully so that's nothing, once again, and I don't really take my car to the car wash that often (the paint is all powdery from years of neglect sitting on the shores of eastern Florida) and I have replaced the air filter once which was like $15 I think or something like that....wow, I guess I'm just lucky with these car expenses when I compare then to other people's

[GenKreton]

Originally Posted by bennelson

Here is what Dave Ramsey has to say about car payments:
True cost of cars video

Here is an older but extremely relevant link about cars versus bicycle costs:
http://kenkifer.com/bikepages/advocacy/autocost.htm

Originally Posted by Peakster

I certainly hope so. I think it would be fantastic if I got some video responses of people doing the same thing. Misery love company you know .

I may make some postings about mine but I don't have the capabilities for video posts really, so that glory will be all yours I'm probably going to spend another month looking for the perfect bicycle while I remain buried in snow.

I look forward to vlog#2

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by bennelson

If you figure all the money you spend on a car, and instead invested it into a retirement account, you will be set!

Here is what Dave Ramsey has to say about car payments:
True cost of cars video

Wow, that video was awesome! Although saving money in a mutual fund with 12% return is pretty optimistic .

Originally Posted by GenKreton

Here is an older but extremely relevant link about cars versus bicycle costs:
http://kenkifer.com/bikepages/advocacy/autocost.htm

That too is a pretty cool webpage I love this quote:

Some cyclists have told me that I shouldn't even argue the cost issue, as it will do nothing to encourage people to ride. I doubt if anyone is going to completely change his or her way of life from an analysis of the costs alone...

Lol! Well I guess there's now at least one person who's planning to change his life because of costs .

For a true appraisal of the total costs, there are indirect and hidden costs for motor vehicles that are not included in the above figures, which either the owner or someone else must pay. To illustrate, let's follow a car owner to work. She first goes out to her car. If it is in a garage, she either has to pay rent or she had to purchase the garage. If the garage is part of her house, the cost is even greater. If she parks in or uses a driveway, she had to pay that cost plus maintenance, or if she parks in the street, the city must bear the cost, which increases property or sales taxes.

Holy moly. Talk about an eye-opener! It's so true, people with garages in my city pay significantly higher property taxes than the small portion of people who do not (not to mention that a house with a garage will have a higher mortgage payment than one without). Craziness!

[GenKreton]

Originally Posted by Peakster

That too is a pretty cool webpage ...
Lol! Well I guess there's now at least one person who's planning to change his life because of costs .

If you have some time, that webpage is pure gold. It is worth reading about some of his other opinions and adventures! Unfortunately Ken died in an accident years ago, but luckily for us, a friend is maintaining it in its original form. Ken is one of my primary motivators to actually go forth and try bicycling, like yourself, as a replacement for a car completely. I bet he would be happy to know he has helped convert at least two

[Peakster]

Hello. Just to let everyone know I made Vlog #2 and posted it just under my first vlog on this thread. Enjoy

[Lazarus]

Peakster how long does it take to get dressed for the great outdoors? Nice blog how much cash was the extra cloths?

[Peakster]

I takes probably about 90 seconds to put on all of that attire (assuming I don't have to look for it all). But remember, all of that isn't needed unless it's -46*C like it was a few days ago. If it's only -7*C or so on a sunny day, I could get away with a toque, thin gloves, a coat, and regular shoes.

The toque, thin gloves, scarf and headband came up to $4 at value village
The snow pants and boots came up to $32 at Zellers

I've had the black and green coat for years, so no idea how much that cost me. I'm sure I could find one a good one for under $50.

[GenKreton]

Awesome follow-up video. In Vermont I need to walk decent distances to get to and from school in cold weather. I use pants that would I guess be considered pajamas or sleeping pants under jeans and it seems to work out pretty well. If I felt like wasting money I would try underarmor. I'm sure months of not paying for vehicle repairs, gas, and insurance will pay for any clothing real fast. So when are you selling them?

I just purchased my new bicycle off ebay last night! So I need to wait a week before I have it in my possession. I'll probably hold off on using it until the snow and ice melts.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

So when are you selling them?

Gloria, the Ford Tempo is #1 on my list and she'll be sold when I'm in Regina next (which could be several weeks). I won't be selling the Geo until school is done because of the distances travelled between Regina and Winnipeg. Plus it's much easier hauling sculpture material with a car than by bus. I plan on making 'Farewell' videos of both cars just before they're sold.

I just purchased my new bicycle off ebay last night! So I need to wait a week before I have it in my possession. I'll probably hold off on using it until the snow and ice melts.

Nice! What kind of bike is it? You're sure you're going to wait until the snow melts? Some people in Winnipeg have studded tires on their bikes for the winter. One guy e-mailed me from east Winnipeg and said that he always uses his bike to travel 5 miles... as long as temperatures are above -30*C .

A fair few people that e-mailed me after watching the first video suggested I buy a $1000 bike, but I think that's just crazy. I mean if I can buy a Ford Tempo for $200 (a car that can do 180km/h, has heat, and seats 5), why would I spend more money on something that's simply 2 wheels and a frame? I would have to ride a $1000 bike 6,000 kilometres before it became cheaper (per kilometre) than the Geo! Whereas I'll only have to go 450 kilometres on my $68 bike to displace the $/Km of the Geo.

...Actually, come to think of it: 450 kilometres on a bike is a lot!

[igo]

Nice bike peakster. What company makes it? I looks to be chromoly steel (lighter steel then walmart bikes are made of).

How long does the snow pack last up there? I assume you have snow on the ground basically non-stop from december to march or april.

[Peakster]

The bike is made by Norco. I actually made an entry in the EM Garage for it.

We can get permanent snow as early as October and we often get one last dump sometime in April. So basically 1/2 of the year. Some cities in the province of British Columbia have 250+ frost-free days of the year.

I would totally move to the west coast. The unfortunate thing is that the closer one gets to the coastline, the more expensive it is. I have a friend working in Vancouver and his 2 bedroom apartment is $1500 a month Whereas in Winnipeg I have friends renting posh bachelor suites for less than $400 a month.

[GenKreton]

Originally Posted by Peakster

What kind of bike is it? You're sure you're going to wait until the snow melts? Some people in Winnipeg have studded tires on their bikes for the winter. One guy e-mailed me from east Winnipeg and said that he always uses his bike to travel 5 miles... as long as temperatures are above -30*C .

A fair few people that e-mailed me after watching the first video suggested I buy a $1000 bike, but I think that's just crazy. I mean if I can buy a Ford Tempo for $200 (a car that can do 180km/h, has heat, and seats 5), why would I spend more money on something that's simply 2 wheels and a frame? I would have to ride a $1000 bike 6,000 kilometres before it became cheaper (per kilometre) than the Geo! Whereas I'll only have to go 450 kilometres on my $68 bike to displace the $/Km of the Geo.

...Actually, come to think of it: 450 kilometres on a bike is a lot!

I bought a Masi Vincere. Your bike is MUCH better suited for winter conditions than mine. I'm not sure it can fit the cyclocross tires I would need to consider riding it in the slushed, iced, and sanded streets we have. This will probably be my last winter in stuff this bad so I justified the purchase. It also cost me $400 (retail is around 3x that), but that is because I ride for sport. I would definitely say you made a great choice living in the great white north.

And 450 km isn't quite as much as you think I started my summer as a skinny out-of-shape guy who struggled making a 15 mile (24 km) journey in decent time and finished the summer doing 250 miles (400 km) a week.

[igo]

Peakster, I just did a price breakdown on my bike. $0.17 a mile or $0.101 a km

That is not too bad and it can only go down from there.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

I bought a Masi Vincere.

I just did a google search for images and wow, that does look like a nice bike.

This will probably be my last winter in stuff this bad so I justified the purchase.

Moving someplace in the country that doesn't see much snow?

I started my summer as a skinny out-of-shape guy who struggled making a 15 mile (24 km) journey in decent time

Sounds like me . When I started biking after a 6 year absence, I was thinking to myself: "I don't remember riding a bike being so much work!" as I'm averaging about 10 mph.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by igo

Peakster, I just did a price breakdown on my bike. $0.17 a mile or $0.101 a km

That is not too bad and it can only go down from there.

Nice! How many miles have you gone with your bike in total?

EDIT: oh, I see you have 'miles displaced by bike' in your signature. Nice going!