That's it! Throwing away my car(s) for good!

[Peakster]

Hello everyone.

I know, I know. I haven't shown myself on the forums for months and months. However, I have some fairly decent reasons as to why:

Lately my Geo Metro has been getting mileage in the 30s. Partly due to the engine having 283K on it now and partly due to the ridiculous medium-speed stop & go arterial roads here in Winnipeg where I'm going to school. So there really isn't much to share in that department.

As gas prices risen well over $4 a gallon here as well as having the pleasure of waiting 3 hours for a $27 oil change, I've had a lot of time to investigate as to how much my car(s) have been costing me since ownership.

In a nutshell: What I found out, I didn't like.

So shortly after 2007 rolled by I made a new years resolution to live without a car before 2008 ends. I've posted a couple of video blogs so far on YouTube of my intentions. Maybe people here would be intriqued? :)

1224
Vlog #1: Preparing to live without a car (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Eji40Al4Q) (filmed January 25th, 2008)

1218
Vlog #2: Dressing for Success (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_i2FWdqqqA) (filmed February 1st, 2008)

1217
Vlog #3: OH CRAP! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kyOVv6xBq4) (filmed March 5th, 2008)

1247
Vlog #4: Meet Gloria! (and all her glory) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rva7PWMMJBQ) (filmed March 24, 2008)

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qy-1pIV0FbQ/1.jpg
Vlog #5: Pedaling up a Party (http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy-1pIV0FbQ) (filmed April 13th, 2008)

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yChQ1NV0FKI/1.jpg
Vlog #6: Gloria's Final Drive (part 1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36wC_Dd-Yx8) and (part 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yChQ1NV0FKI) (filmed April 29th, 2008)

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vuh0A88Z9vk/1.jpg
Vlog #7: Gloria Has Left the Cul-de-sac! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuh0A88Z9vk) (filmed June 7th, 2008)

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iQzQ3QDhBto/2.jpg
Vlog #8: My Morning and Evening Commute via Bicycle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQzQ3QDhBto) (filmed June 20, 2008)

[kamesama980]

3 hours for an oil change?! yet another reason I do them myself. that and I've never forgotten drain plug, filter, oil, or any combination thereof :-p

if you can go without a car, kudos. I'd have to reevaluate work, school, and GF because none are within 5 miles and none have bike routes so it'd be sharing rural heavily used state highway.

[101mpg]

This isn't practical for many people due to heavy commute, etc. Reworking your entire life to live without a car (If you get a scooter or other, that would be a good thing, give you better mobility for longer distances, etc.) then it's a pretty good feat.

LOTS of people here and other places would be interested. Taking busses, trains, biking, etc. does require a major revamp of your life. You're likely to show many things that will benefit others, too. Keep us posted!

[Peakster]

3 hours for an oil change?! yet another reason I do them myself.

With weather in the -40 range and no access to a garage, Wal-Mart is where I got my oil changes done... with the Tech 2000 oil too. I could get my oil changed instantly at those 10-minute-oil-change places, but they now charge $44 :eek:

This isn't practical for many people due to heavy commute, etc.

I am in a pretty advantageous situation myself where I'm going to be done with school in a few short months, so I can shape my living environment from scratch as I'm not anchored down to anything or anyone yet.

Thus when I find a job, I'm going to make sure it's in a city that has both affordable housing and has virtually everything I need within 3-5 kilometres where I live. My current city, Regina, would work okay but I'm looking along the lines of moving someplace smaller (around 10,000-25,000 people) and with milder weather. Lately, I've been interested in a city called Quesnel (http://www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/Community/factsandfigures.asp) in British Columbia.

My rule of thumb is that if a city is big and prosperous enough to have one Wal-Mart, then it's big enough for me.

[Red]

Is it at all possible and/or worth it for you to rebuild the Geo during your down time? Always good to have a backup transportation method if needed.

[Peakster]

I intend to sell both Gloria and the Geo. I don't like the idea of a 'backup vehicle' being around since I know I'll relapse. I'd rather rent a car for $100 if truly needed.

Gloria will be an easy sell since I bought it for $200 anyway. I'm going to wait until school is over before selling the Geo ($5 a gallon in Canada would be beneficial for the resale value of the Geo). I found a '94 model with 265K for sale on canadatrader.com for $2,500, so that's inspiring. I'm pretty certain I could get at least $1,800 for my Geo if fix a few cosmetic things and found the right buyer who's fed up with gas prices. That would only be $250 a year in depreciation.

[RoadWarrior]

Importing it to Canada might be more of a PITA and moneypit than you anticipate though. Some US models are identical to Canadian models, some aren't. Things that might cause an issue are powered seatbelts and lights. To get it registered in Canada those might be need to be swapped for canadian spec ones. If you bring it over and try and sell it without importing it to Canada first. i.e. registering it here for the first time, you might find that the most anyone will give you is about what it's worth for parts.

[Peakster]

Importing it to Canada might be more of a PITA and moneypit than you anticipate though.

Both cars are located and being used in Canada right now.

I notice that used car prices in the 'States are much lower than Canada for this make an model (or pretty much any car). Maybe Americans are much more willing to buy cars new compared to Canadians, thus fueling depreciation? I'm lucky that in the province of Saskatchewan, where I live, we have some of the highest resale pricing in Canada.

When I bought my Geo in 2006 with 222K on the odometer, $2,300 was a steal! Similar models were selling at mid $3000s at the time.

[RoadWarrior]

Whoops (and where's the bang head and doh smileys?) for some reason I was under the impression you were in the US when I wrote that.

[101mpg]

This might help:

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001377.php

It tells about a guy who lives in Phoenix, Arizona who uses a bolt-on engine for his mountain bike. 250 MPG.

http://www.bikeengines.com/

This might help your transition to being car-less, supplement other modes of transportation, help on some longer trips that could be taken via more expensive modes of transportation, etc.

[RoadWarrior]

Canada is funny about stuff like that, any powered bike must meet Transport Canada's definition of a moped, you need working headlights, indicators etc, you don't need a license, and license plate, IIRC but I think you need 3rd party insurance and a helmet to be legal.

They are freakin' obstinate about low powered electric or gas vehicles on this, been petitioned a number of times for exclusions for 15kph electric bikes and they just say "But we do allow them, look at the moped regulations..."

Edit: Dammit, I might be behind the times, finding info I wasn't finding last year when I last researched this. Ontario has gone eBike friendly, but the fine for riding one without a helmet is huge... suspicious of sellers claiming their bikes are legal, because a lot of them were saying that when they definitely weren't.

[Peakster]

Thanks for the link for the gas-powered bicycle, however I think I can manage without. The past month I've put nearly 100km on my bike and it's still only -11*C outside this day in March :)

The guy in the article commutes 50 miles? Yikes, that's like biking all the way to our cottage at the lake! The city of Regina is only 46 square miles in area and beyond its borders is a vast 'ocean' of wheat fields. It really isn't that big and to tell you the truth, everyone should be taking bicycles in the summer.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

3 hours for an oil change?! yet another reason I do them myself. that and I've never forgotten drain plug, filter, oil, or any combination thereof :-pHey now, it ain't all bad, sometimes they'll even throw in complementary service!http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj110/omgwtfbyobbq/lolz/jiffylube.jpg

[Peakster]

Just to let everyone know, I added another video to the previous 2 at the top of this thread. Watch it and let the reply posts pour in!

[Gary Palmer]

Well on one hand, that just down right stinks. On the other hand, at least your Ok. It's tough to say what Insurance will do, but most likely they are going to lay the responsibility on your door step. If you have collission, coverage, they might give you enough to cover your deductable. If it was the other guys car, they'd still only give you low book, so you'd be hosed either way.

It's probably a total loss and you'll be lucky to get a junk dealer to come pick it up, for it's value.

I understand your interest in not having a car, but I think this was going a little to far to get rid of it.

[Peakster]

No kidding. It's not how I envisioned going car-free at all.

It will be interesting to see what the claims adjuster appraises the car at. Especially if it turns out I need to pay my $700 deductible in the end.

[RoadWarrior]

Depending which way you look at it, either the Geo is begging for a lightweight aero nosecone, or you're being told to "Put your money where your mouth is" :D

[Tepco]

Sounds great, ill be cycling 31miles a day starting Tuesday. I flip from 2 weeks of days to 2 weeks of nights so i can only ride on the day shifts. The roads are to crazy to ride at 3:30 am.

Good luck!!

Ill watch your vids now.

[Peakster]

31 miles per day? Wow, that's pretty ambitious. Are you going to keep a bike-log for this summer?

[cfg83]

omgwtfbyobbq -

Hey now, it ain't all bad, sometimes they'll even throw in complementary service!http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj110/omgwtfbyobbq/lolz/jiffylube.jpg

That is egg-zactly what happened to my Dad-in-law!!!

CarloSW2

[cfg83]

Peakster -

Just to let everyone know, I added another video to the previous 2 at the top of this thread. Watch it and let the reply posts pour in!

I am happy you are ok!!!!!! I am sad for the Geo. It's eery because it seems like you are getting a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. You wanted to be car free and you are getting closer to being car free!

This sounds inverse-familiar to me. When I bought my motorcycle (back in 1986 I think), I used the excuse that I was going to take miles off my precious (Dad's) VW Karmann Ghia. But, I crunched my Ghia buying parts for the motorcycle!!!!!!! Oh irony, thy name is irony!!!!!

CarloSW2

[Peakster]

Ouch that is ironic. And costly for the Ghia :(.

It's been a week now without being able to drive my car at night, and I got to say: I'm kind of going though a bit of withdrawal! Isn't cold turkey fun?

The good news is that I've now ridden my bike nearly 140 kilometres since its purchase which is now more cost effective per unit distance than Gloria :)

[RoadWarrior]

Heh, I bought my Escort to be using while I R+Red Marvin, but it blew the headgasket and I had both of them dead... I had a parts van and no money, so I did the best patching up Marvin with the best of the parts off that... so Marvin is doing all the legwork right now while I wait out the weather and funds to get stuck into Wile-E again...

[Peakster]

Added yet another video to the top post. This living without a car thing is easier than I anticipated! How many here are now thinking of joining in on the fun? ;)

[Snax]

Although I have since regressed to my old car driving ways for now, I know exactly what you mean. Late 2006, we sold one of our two cars. Not wanting to leave my wife and kids at home without transportation, this left me either riding my bicycle or the bus to get to and from work 2.5 miles away. As it turned out, it is very easy. It only takes 7 minutes longer each way by bicycle, and slightly longer by bus primarily because I have to wait for it when I could otherwise be travelling.

The weather was never a serious issue for me either. If it were too wet and miserable to ride, there was always the warm dry comfort of the bus after standing around for a few minutes with an umbrella. And the couple of times it snowed or iced over the roads - delaying the bus, I was able to ride my studded tire equipped mountain bike with no delay. And of course, a day of sun was never really a burden no matter which way I chose to get to work.

Before we sold the 2nd car, I initially thought it would be more of an inconvenience than it was. I thought that it would severly limit our independence to run seperate errands, but it really didn't. What ended up happening is that we saved even more fuel by consolidating our errands - and it never ended up being a situation of having to do two things at once.

Anyway, like I said, we've gone back to the two car family thing, but I hope to soon rejoin the bicycle commuter world later this spring. (Most likely with an electric hub motor kit to help cover a now longer commute that lacks bus service.) But we are still keeping the second car. :P

[Peakster]

When I arrived via Greyhound bus in Regina today, I took transit from downtown to my suburban house and was amazed by,

#1: I was only one of three people on the entire bus!! Even at 6:00pm.
#2: It only took me 20 minutes to get home. Not much different than if driving by car.

Regina's transit is really bad in terms of trying to get to other suburban edges of the city, but it's quite fine for getting into the heart of downtown. When I look for a job, I won't limit myself to what's walkable/bike-able in my neighbourhood, I'll keep downtown in mind too.

[Snax]

When I was house shopping I made it a requirement that it be within bicycling distance of work. That decision served me well for 13 years- saved lots of money, vehicle wear and tear, and burned lots of excess calories.
*nod

I specifically shopped for a home more or less in the center of town 6 years ago. I knew my work location might move, but with this smaller city, it wasn't likely to move any further from it's outlying location at the time. In that time, my work location has in fact moved twice, and will be moving again next week - all to three points of a triangle with my home virtually dead center in it. It just sucks that the original location for my work is where it is ending up again - without bus service, but it's still hardly a difficult ride.

[Headshot Zod]

small slightly off-topic sidenote.

Importing it to Canada might be more of a PITA and moneypit than you anticipate though. Some US models are identical to Canadian models, some aren't. Things that might cause an issue are powered seatbelts and lights.

I bought my Dodge up in Kamsack SK and brought it back to the states. One of those items the Canadians have is daytime running lights. I guess this law went into effect in the early 1990's. So if you were going to bring a US spec'd truck to Canada you would probably have to find the entire underhood wiring harness to make it legal up there.

[Lug_Nut]

How many here are now thinking of joining in on the fun? ;)Getting there...
I just (three hours ago) sold my Jetta TDI for a fair profit. I still have what had been her '00 Odyssey when she took my Passat TDI, and I still have my '69 Saab, but neither of those have moved in the past two+ months.
The bicycles are my primary motive method now.

Headshot Zod: Missed you in 2003
AltWheels.ORG 2003 Vehicle Most Likely To Revolutionize Transportation
AltWheels.ORG 2003 Favorite Environmentall Friendly Passenger Vehicle
(yes, the plaque is mis-spelled)

[Peakster]

Sounds great Lug Nut. You'll be surprised of the amount of money you'll save.

Great timing too, because I just sold my final vehicle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuh0A88Z9vk) (the Tempo) yesterday for $240. I'm now officially car free (and almost at 400 miles on my bicycle since April)!

My new (err, old) wheels:
1332

[RoadWarrior]

Disposing of a Tempo is always cause for celebration :D

[Snax]

I just received my 50cc 2-stroke kit for a bike on friday. I was going to mount it on my Trek 4300, but it would just require too much alteration of the bike to be a good use for it. Fortunately I've been a bit of a junk-bike collector this last year and found a useable freebie in the pile of frames with plenty of odd parts to build up something useable - except for a good rear wheel.

I spent much of yesterday putting it all together with the best from the parts bin, and mounted the engine kit. All I need now is a rear wheel and to mount the drive sprocket and I'll be on my way to 120 mpg bliss. Ok, bliss may include smelling like a landscaper from the 2-stroke fumes when I get to places, but I plan to go carless at least thru september which should cut 75% of my fuel expense and $40/month in insurance.

[RoadWarrior]

Fortunately I've been a bit of a junk-bike collector this last year and found a useable freebie in the pile of frames with plenty of odd parts to build up something useable - except for a good rear wheel.

Yeah I ended up with quite a pile too, need to get a decent one together from it, keep running out of tires (rot) and freewheels (I seem to bust them a lot) Thinking I'm gonna play with the arc welder I've got sometime and try and make some sort of recumbent out of the pile.

[Peakster]

I wonder how much MPG a person could get when that 50-cc engine is added and used simultaneously while pedaling. You could probably get a pretty decent speed too :).

[Lug_Nut]

I still have ... '00 Odyssey ... and I still have my '69 Saab, but neither of those have moved in the past two+ months.Guess who discovered a depleted battery this morning?
Please don't condemn me for driving in today, I cleaned out my closet and brought in a week+ worth of clean clothes.
I'll put the solar trickle charger in the van tonight to prevent a recurrence.

[Snax]

I'm not really concerned about getting more speed out of the motor. It should push me to well over 30 mph on the flats, which is fast enough for me. (Cagers don't expect bicycles to be going that fast either, so it becomes even more of a safety factor with higher speed.) Although I'm probably going to put a 7 or 8 speed cluster on the rear wheel, I'm going to fix the derailers in one gear since I don't want to hassle with sorting the shifters out with the new clutch and brake arrangement. (Motorcycle style)

I think I can push economy out to well over 150 mpg too just by keeping speed down to 25-30, EOC'ing to stops, and pedal starting to 10 mph or so. I'll also be making the effort to actually pedal my fat butt to work, only to use the motor to get home in the heat of the afternoon. ;)

[RoadWarrior]

Just thinking, those oldskool hub dynos should make enough current for high brightness white LEDs, for a lot more brightness than the "orange glow" older type bulbs. Just thinking they would be good set high for DRLs for bicycles to help be seen. I found in the dark, that even very bright battery headlights don't get seen until cars are on top of you unless you set them high. Which generally means you can't see where you're going outside of city lights. Anyhoo, just thinking I might get one of those, rig it through some small rechargable cells or a big capacitor for 5 mins reserve at intersections, and wire up two high brightness LED lamps, one set low for seeing and switched off in daylight and one set high for being seen. Might put the "being seen" one in a 4 inch or so reflector housing so it looks big enough to be a moped or scooter light, then you might get less issues with people turning left into you or pulling out into you. Due to them guesstimating your speed higher than 5-10mph...

[Snax]

I think I can push economy out to well over 150 mpg too just by keeping speed down to 25-30, EOC'ing to stops, and pedal starting to 10 mph or so. I'll also be making the effort to actually pedal my fat butt to work, only to use the motor to get home in the heat of the afternoon. ;)
Well that part has turned out to be complete BS. :P

#1 The bike is a ***** to pedal very fast without the motor due to the extra chain drag, so I've only pedalled to work once since I got the thing - on my normal bike!

#2 120 MPG is simply an unlikely target to reach without literally putting along all the time. If I want to get to work that slowly, I'd still beat it by pedalling the regular bike.

#3 I've been too lazy to find the soldering iron and fix up a proper kill switch for the motor, so no EOCs or leaving the engine off at stops. But that's my bad, not the motor's.

Regardless of the above, I've had my car insurance suspended for two weeks now and have gotten to work exclusively by bike. I don't plan to drive it or reinstate the insurance until September at the earliest, and will only take the wife's car to work if absolutely necessary.

[Peakster]

#1 The bike is a ***** to pedal very fast without the motor due to the extra chain drag, so I've only pedalled to work once since I got the thing - on my normal bike!

That's crummy to hear. You'd think they'd make a centrifugal clutch or something for the motor chain.

Just to get everyone up to speed, I bought a new toy for myself on Saturday (and I've ridden over 60 miles on it since!):

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/219/51/667510323/n667510323_3275676_6171.jpg

It's a 1970s Fugi Arcadia road bicycle I found at a garage sale for $5.00! Apparently someone bought it years ago and never used it much afterward because looks and rides like a brand new bike. With a even a slight tailwind, I can do 25+ mph with it ;).

Furthermore, I'm fooling around with a possible Velomobile design for my future cycling. Something easy to construct yet relatively aerodynamic:

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/2478000-2478999/2478493_42.jpghttp://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/2478000-2478999/2478493_43.jpg

[Snax]

That's crummy to hear. You'd think they'd make a centrifugal clutch or something for the motor chain.
Well it is possible to rig it up on a freewheel, but that takes it back to requiring some other form of starter other than pedalling. Regardless, the pedals will still get me home if I need them.

Just to get everyone up to speed, I bought a new toy for myself on Saturday (and I've ridden over 60 miles on it since!):

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v255/219/51/667510323/n667510323_3275676_6171.jpg

It's a 1970s Fugi Arcadia road bicycle I found at a garage sale for $5.00! Apparently someone bought it years ago and never used it much afterward because looks and rides like a brand new bike. With a even a slight tailwind, I can do 25+ mph with it ;).

Furthermore, I'm fooling around with a possible Velomobile design for my future cycling. Something easy to construct yet relatively aerodynamic:

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/2478000-2478999/2478493_42.jpghttp://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/6/web/2478000-2478999/2478493_43.jpg
ABSOLUTE STEAL on the bike! I'd have given at least $50 for one in that kind of shape. Nice.

[dm1333]

Peakster,

I wouldn't say I have joined you since I still own a truck and a motorcycle but in the last month I have only bought 6 gallons of gas. I ride back and forth to work, ride to go shopping or get a coffee and even ride up to the park where I run on the weekends.

Snax,

Do you commute year round in Eugene? I'm thinking of settling there when I retire from the Coast Guard. Compared to Forks, WA or Tillamook the climate is much less rainier and I can see myself commuting by bike year round with no problems. What are your thoughts about Eugene?

Don

[Snax]

The winter before this last one I traded off between biking and riding the bus, but both were exceptionally convenient for me at that time with only 2.5 miles to work over roadside bike lanes, or the bus stop about 100m from my house and 300m from work. But don't kid yourself, it rains plenty here! :P

As for my current situation, the bus is pretty much now a royal pain the butt to deal with. The nearest stop to my new work location is well over 1/2 mile away and I would have to deal with doing a transfer just to go 3.5 miles. Regardless, I don't see commuting by bike as a serious problem with the right wardrobe for it. Even with as much as it does rain here, more often than not, it's more a matter of road moisture than what falls directly.

[atomicradish]

I'm following your lead, Peakster.

I won't be completely giving up driving because I live in a rural mountain town in which there is no real choice but to drive. However, when I am at my University (which is a 6 hour drive to) I plan to keep my car parked for 2-3 months at a time until I have to return home again. Right now I have a hybrid mountain/speed bike but I'm looking into getting something nicer. Around the University I am getting only city mileage. 35 mpg is good, but between free buses and biking/walking I can do better.

I had planned to get a new Mazda3 which gets better FE than Troy, but with the sour job market, it has taken me too long to find a new job. I think I'll hold off on any new transportation until the automakers step up their game.

[dm1333]

Snax,

Don't get me wrong, I know it is rainy there. But if I could commute and ride all winter in Tillamook or Forks Eugne will probably seem like a reprieve. I may end up stationed in Florence next year, if you ever visit there look for me to be commuting to the CG station by bike.

[Snax]

It's now been about a month since I suspended the car insurance and I don't miss it at all. Of course it hasn't rained one single day during that time however. ;)

The motored kit has been worth the money regardless. Even so, I just found a Ross Beach Boss at the recycle yard this last week for $2. All it needed was a brake repair and a front wheel and it was road ready. I've put another $60 into a better seat and new handle bars, but I think it's going to have me pedalling at least as much as I motor to work going forward.

I'm having trouble imagining not riding at this time of year. It's just too nice not to.

[bockwho]

nice fugi .. eh ... hello i also have a bicycle problem.

im moving so i only have 8 frames in the yard and 4 sandblasted and painted in the garage and 7 complete bikes .. including the tandem and my wifes lemond.

try and find some larger tires for the road bike. ..I really like the 38's my cannondale tandem has on it.

I have almost sworn off road bikes.. I want a touring litespeed next.. something i can run big rubber on for comfort.



I want to do the bike motor on a touring univega . I bought .. i have a 4 cycle ryobi .. that would just be sweet.

[Snax]

Wow. I can't believe that it has almost been another full month. I don't miss the car. :thumbup:

I've only ridden the motored bike 3 times to work since getting the cruiser together.