Should I Get Rid of My Car?

Living in Washington D.C., I can walk just about anywhere I might need to go - Grocery Store, Drug Store, Doctor, Dentist, even work. And if I need to go to Target, Best Buy, or even the mall, I can just take the subway.

My car is paid off, so the only expense is insurance and repairs (which aren't that frequent, the car is in pretty good condition). I would deffinately save some money (about $140 / month), but I would lose the convenience of being able to get in the car and go.

So what do you think? Keep the car or get rid of it?

What kind of car is it? Put that sucker on an internet auction site or auto trader and make you some quick cash. I sure wish I didn't have to drive everywhere. But I do enjoy the trips to the lake ,I'll bet the subway doesn't go there huh?

If you don’t find it expensive to keep then you may as well keep it. If everything is in walking distance keep walking there but your car can be used for recreation or driving out of the city.

Well, if it's not a burden keeping it, than you should, just in case
you need it, like if there's a nuclear missile on the way, and you
need to leave fast.

Seriously, if I were in your shoes I would get rid of it and put the money in an interest bearing account. If you feel you can get around without one then why not. You will also save $140 a month for anything you like. If you feel the need to go somewhere that requires a car, then find a friend or two who likes to do things and owns their own transportation and do it that way.

The way I see it, if you can truly live without a car, then it is all a positve for you to gain back the market value of it (you wont lose that if you don't spend it), save a portion of your expenses, get more outdoor excersise by walking or riding a bike, and possibly form closer bonds with friends by going far places when and if you must.

Sounds like a good deal to me!

Thanks for everyone's input. The point that opinionsarefree made is very true - if I got rid of my car, I wouldn't be able to have a quick weekend getaway anymore, I would need to plan it before going. ben91069 makes some good points too (and money is a VERY good point).

But I am leaning towards keeping my car as iori_komei and Guy Fawkes suggest. The one thing that I did not consider was what if there was an emergency, whether personnal or public, and I needed to get out of the city? If that happended I know I would be kicking myself for getting rid of the car. Maybe I should look at the car like an insurance policy - you hope you never have to use it, but if you do, you're glad you have it!

Originally posted by DCFusion
if I got rid of my car, I wouldn't be able to have a quick weekend getaway anymore, I would need to plan it before going.

You can rent a car for the weekend.... I've found that National has the best rates... I can rent a car from Friday evening to Sunday evening for under $100.

Well, Id say keep it...