Sell your car

Some one in the "Awesome Cyclists" discussion mentioned wanting to sell their car, but that it wasn't germane to the thread. I have been on the verge of selling mine for a long time. I'd be interested in hearing stories of others who finally took the plunge and sold their car. Any thoughts or advice?

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Permalink Reply by Mark Kenseth on November 6, 2009 at 5:04am
sold to an american!
my sister is picking up my car in a week or two. no more car worries. the best part of selling my car to my sister: since i gave her a good deal, she agreed to let me borrow the car if i take a road trip in the future...my personal igo car. :)

now i need to get my girlfriend to go car-less also.
Permalink Reply by Brendan on November 6, 2009 at 5:11am
Congratulations!

Let us know how things go on the girlfriend front. That's an uphill battle with mine...

Mark Kenseth said:
sold to an american!
my sister is picking up my car in a week or two. no more car worries. the best part of selling my car to my sister: since i gave her a good deal, she agreed to let me borrow the car if i take a road trip in the future...my personal igo car. :)

now i need to get my girlfriend to go car-less also.
Permalink Reply by Scott on November 6, 2009 at 7:03am
I sold my car in 2003 and it was a great decision. I relied on the CTA at first, but now I travel almost 100% by dutch bike. I spend around $400 / year on iGo cars because sometimes I need to visit a client in the suburbs. I spend more money on clothes now that I am outside all winter, but I much prefer this to spending money on gas, insurance, parking, etc.

I have found the winters to be much more enjoyable once I learned how to dress on the dutch bike. Now I actually look forward to winter just like I do for the other changes in season.
Permalink Reply by cutifly on November 6, 2009 at 9:31am
The WORST WORST WORST thing I could have done is sell my mini-van. I do not look forward to freezzzzzing my ass off again this winter. I plan on getting another one. Even if most everyone in bike culture hates me for it there will be those few who will be thankful they got a ride from me.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 6, 2009 at 9:41am
I like I-Go for trips where the dots don't connect nicely with bike and/or public transit, or the trip home late at night can't safely be made with bike/transit. Even with an old car (no car payment) and cheap insurance, it's still cheaper for me to use I-Go than to pay all the incidental expenses on the car. Also, you don't have to worry about spending time getting the car to/from the shop if I-Go or Zipcar is doing the maintenance.
Permalink Reply by joe on November 6, 2009 at 10:28am
or just go get a DUI and have your privlages taken away...then sell the car for lawyer fee's and court costs and ride yoru bike...or get a scooter like the rest of em do.
Permalink Reply by pistola on November 6, 2009 at 11:07am
I think it definetly depends on where you live and where you work. I haven't owned a car in over 10 years although I did share a car with my sister when I still lived at my parent's place 5-6 years ago. I've noticed the difference good bike infrastructure makes when it comes to getting in the saddle.
Back in March I moved back to the southside to live at my mom's for a few months near the Pulaski Orange Line station, still car-less. That neighborhood is not bike friendly, but its still not as bad as living in Las Vegas or SoCal.
There are very few bike racks, especially where you need them most and the nearest bike shop is at least a few miles away. There are no bikes lanes to speak of, and the neighborhood is surrounded by I-55, the airport, train tracks and a huge industrial park. Needless to say the main roads are full of trucks and cabs, drivers with no auto insurance, or are blocked by trains.
Fortunately I have a motorcycle with hardcases which supplemented my bike very well this summer. It's easy to justify driving a motorcyle to work when the trip takes you half the time a bike will, and parking is easy to find. Well the parking became an issue again (thank you LAZ parking) and now I'm back on the bicycle riding to work.
Long story short, I saved up a bit of cash and am closing on a place in lakeview pretty soon and I couldn't be happier. Being able to bike to work in 20 minutes will make things a lot less stressful. Even though the south side is sill in the city, it's not as convienent to get around car free as lakeview. I think if I were to stay there for an extended period I would go ahead and buy a car. Because biking down there is not fun, it's more about survival.
Permalink Reply by Anne B. on November 6, 2009 at 2:59pm
I sold my car before moving to Chicago this summer. I just did not want to deal with parking here and I have barely missed having it. BF and I joined I-Go as a backup and have actually only used it once in 4 months. I haven't bothered to calculate how much money we've saved going without a car...I probably should but fear that would just encourage me to spend that money on other stuff when I should just save it. The one time I've missed having a car is for getting out of the city, going hiking etc. I promised myself that I'd get a rental car occasionally but somehow that's a hard cost to justify now and it doesn't help you when you want to spontaneously go for a hike. But all in all, I've been really pleased with our decision to sell the car!

p.s. We got a $50 coupon from I-Go that brought their joining fee down to $25- I think they give these out at events where they're tabling
Permalink Reply by Glenn on November 7, 2009 at 10:59am
We (me n girl) didn't sell our van exactly. Just 2 weeks ago how ever (about) it broke down for the last time, so we junked it. Everyone was trying to tell us about good car deals or where to go for a new one but we decided to go the 100% van/car free way for a long while. After telling my mom that she offered us her car but we turned it down. It felt GREAT!!!!
*Mind you we don't live in any downtown area and things are much farther away then just down the road. But it works

We drove less then 2000 miles a year so year round biking and walking isn't something new. But i dont think we will have any more of those, "meh, I might as well drive" mornings. :-)
Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on November 7, 2009 at 7:08pm
Have been car free and happy for more than ten years. I've situated my life to being close to public transportation for those trying meteorological days and moved closer to work for short daily commutes. Not having to spend all that money on the opiate of society has left me with money to spend on all kinds and types of bicycles.
Permalink Reply by cutifly on November 7, 2009 at 8:21pm
Yes I really did it, the opposite. A 1982 Honda Passport 70cc. Runs, Free and It will make me very happy knowing I will freeze more in less time riding that in below zero weather than the bike. But hey, maybe it will prevent me from breaking down and getting a car, which would most likely be free too. Well at least until insurance, monthly parking ticket and gas....
Permalink Reply by Brendan on February 22, 2010 at 4:03pm
Update: I haven't used my car in months now. Unfortunately I am getting tired of trying to sell it. I'm thinking of donating it but am wary of middle-man profiteer types. Does anyone have suggestions for a reputable place to donate it? Any organizations that support cycling advocacy? I'm pretty much opposed to 1877 kars for kids based soley on their radio commercials.

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