Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Fossil Fuel Free
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 09-08-2022, 04:30 PM   #1 (permalink)
High Altitude Hybrid
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Gunnison, CO
Posts: 1,951

Avalon - '13 Toyota Avalon HV
90 day: 40.45 mpg (US)

Prius - '06 Toyota Prius
Thanks: 1,035
Thanked 538 Times in 432 Posts
My next car is... no car??

Ok. Deceptive title. 'Cause I'm one of those:
Quote:
I live in a town where you gotta hava car.
But some have suggested me moving to improve my economic situation. One of those suggestions was (or seemed to be) to move to a city where I'd need to commute in terrible traffic so I could have a job that could afford me a car so I could have the privilege to commute in the terrible traffic. But why not move where I don't need a car instead?

P.S. I'm not opening this up for a political discussion on whether we all need to vote for or against this idea or stuff like that. Just, what if a person chooses to not to own a car and maybe even move to where there's little to no need for one? Then what? Pros, cons? What if you have a wife and kids?


__________________
  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 09-08-2022, 05:48 PM   #2 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
freebeard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: northwest of normal
Posts: 27,561
Thanks: 7,736
Thanked 8,554 Times in 7,041 Posts
During the latter half of the 20th Century, maybe around 1980 or so, I built houses for the Cerro Gordo community.

Quote:
https://www.cerrogordo.net
CERRO GORDO - Home CERRO GORDO Nestled in the foothills of Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range, Cerro Gordo is currently a collection of 13 homes and families organized as a cooperative, with access to conservation easements consisting of 1,000 acres of mountains, meadows, forests, and creeks. The entire site sits above Dorena Reservoir just outside of the quaint town of Cottage Grove.
Think of them as a consortium of equestrians and railroad enthusiasts. They wanted a town without cars. When an island in Alsea Bay fell through they settled on land that had a BLM access road through it. That doomed the project even though a steam excursion train ran along the shore of Dorena Reservoir. Today the train is gone, and the track is now a biike path.

Cottage Grove is quaint? This tells you it's a bunch of transpanted Californians.

Anyway, I divided my needs between a car, a bike and the city bus [seniors ride for free] more or less equally prior to Corona-chan, but between the masking required and the Schwinn Collegiate rear axle being Unobtainium I am walking more. Good thing my knees are getting better (with age ).
__________________
.
.
Without freedom of speech we wouldn't know who all the idiots are. -- anonymous poster

____________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2022, 08:34 PM   #3 (permalink)
Growin a stash
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Austin TX
Posts: 800
Thanks: 411
Thanked 303 Times in 227 Posts
The author of this excellent blog post agrees with you. As do I.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011...-four-or-more/
__________________


2024 Chevy Bolt

Previous:
2015 Nissan Leaf S, 164 mpge
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to ME_Andy For This Useful Post:
Isaac Zachary (09-08-2022)
Old 09-08-2022, 09:27 PM   #4 (permalink)
High Altitude Hybrid
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: Gunnison, CO
Posts: 1,951

Avalon - '13 Toyota Avalon HV
90 day: 40.45 mpg (US)

Prius - '06 Toyota Prius
Thanks: 1,035
Thanked 538 Times in 432 Posts
Maybe it's time to put flashing lights on the bikes and bike as much as possible. Maybe I'll get an e-bike for the wifey.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2022, 10:31 PM   #5 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
freebeard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: northwest of normal
Posts: 27,561
Thanks: 7,736
Thanked 8,554 Times in 7,041 Posts
Still about a year away. I'm thinking of the Arcimoto micromobility solution.

It might be easier to get a hub motor than a stock axle for my bike.

Anyways, a town without cars is as elusive as ever. Paolo Solaeri tried it with Arcosanti. https://www.arcosanti.org/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_car-free_places

Rate your home town: https://www.walkscore.com/ Springtucky rates as 60 Walk Score (somewhat walkable), 40 Transit Score (some transit) and Bike Score 92 (Biker's paradise)

For me, biker's paradise means paved alleys.
__________________
.
.
Without freedom of speech we wouldn't know who all the idiots are. -- anonymous poster

____________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2022, 12:11 AM   #6 (permalink)
JSH
AKA - Jason
 
JSH's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: PDX
Posts: 3,478

Adventure Seeker - '04 Chevy Astro - Campervan
90 day: 17.3 mpg (US)
Thanks: 305
Thanked 2,051 Times in 1,385 Posts
I've suggested you move to a place with low housing costs where you could afford to own a house instead of renting and being pushed farther and farther out of town. Those are not places with terrible traffic because they have low housing costs as a result of large population declines.


On the other hand I do live in a metro with 2.5 million people and moderately bad traffic and we had one of the highest percentages of bike commuters despite 7 months of rain. What if you have a wife and kids? Once a kid is about 5 they can peddle their own bike (I was riding a bike without adult supervision a mile to 1st grade). Until then there are these (which I see on my commute as well) Handy for carrying groceries home too.

  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to JSH For This Useful Post:
Isaac Zachary (09-09-2022)
Old 09-09-2022, 12:28 AM   #7 (permalink)
Human Environmentalist
 
redpoint5's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 12,392

Acura TSX - '06 Acura TSX
90 day: 24.19 mpg (US)

Lafawnda - '01 Honda CBR600 F4i
90 day: 47.32 mpg (US)

Big Yeller - '98 Dodge Ram 2500 base
90 day: 21.82 mpg (US)

Prius Plug-in - '12 Toyota Prius Plug-in
90 day: 57.64 mpg (US)

Mazda CX-5 - '17 Mazda CX-5 Touring
90 day: 26.68 mpg (US)

Chevy ZR-2 - '03 Chevrolet S10 ZR2
90 day: 17.14 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,189
Thanked 4,378 Times in 3,353 Posts
Isaac, you're very intelligent and can solve your problems should you address them honestly, sans victimhood mentality (even if you're legitimately a victim of circumstance, as we all are).

My friend in Eugene often bikes his 3 kids to daycare down crazy steep hills and long distances. He does this because he likes biking, not because of necessity. He owns crappy old vehicles because he's frugal, not because of necessity.

The only advice I have is copied / pasted from Scott Adams. Decide what you want from life, and then pay the price to obtain it. There's no free solution, only trade-offs.

As an aside and huge assumptions on my part, you appear to be way too smart to be relegated to lower wages.

That Mister Money Mustache reference is gold for those not familiar with the concepts. It reminds me of Robert Kiyosaki's main principle that there are 2 kinds of people; those that work for money, and those who make their money work for them. Diligent attention to the small gains will seed the larger gains.
__________________
Gas and Electric Vehicle Cost of Ownership Calculator







Give me absolute safety, or give me death!
  Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to redpoint5 For This Useful Post:
Isaac Zachary (09-09-2022), JSH (09-09-2022), Piotrsko (09-09-2022)
Old 09-09-2022, 01:48 AM   #8 (permalink)
Somewhat crazed
 
Piotrsko's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: 1826 miles WSW of Normal
Posts: 4,043
Thanks: 462
Thanked 1,103 Times in 973 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5 View Post
The only advice I have is copied / pasted from Scott Adams. Decide what you want from life, and then pay the price to obtain it. There's no free solution, only trade-offs.
I prefer to estimate the cost beforehand, but this. Everything else is lying to oneself.
__________________
casual notes from the underground:There are some "experts" out there that in reality don't have a clue as to what they are doing.
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2022, 02:31 AM   #9 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
freebeard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: northwest of normal
Posts: 27,561
Thanks: 7,736
Thanked 8,554 Times in 7,041 Posts
Quote:
The only advice I have is copied / pasted from Scott Adams. Decide what you want from life, and then pay the price to obtain it. There's no free solution, only trade-offs.
"No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion"
Hunter S. Thompson
__________________
.
.
Without freedom of speech we wouldn't know who all the idiots are. -- anonymous poster

____________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2022, 06:29 AM   #10 (permalink)
It's all about Diesel
 
cRiPpLe_rOoStEr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Posts: 12,548
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1,622 Times in 1,447 Posts
Instead of endorsing any further restrictions against car ownership, I'm more favorable to incentives for compact and more efficient cars.

  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to cRiPpLe_rOoStEr For This Useful Post:
Isaac Zachary (01-27-2023)
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com