Cars are an interesting case. If I could have lived where I lived, but without needing a car, I wouldn’t have been poor. A car isn’t a luxury in a place design

Cars are an interesting case. If I could have lived where I lived, but without needing a car, I wouldn’t have been poor. A car isn’t a luxury in a place designed for cars, but a burden. You’re constantly told driving is a “privilege”, but you can’t go to work without it and maybe not the grocery either. You’re worried that it will break down because not only will you not get to work (and maybe get fired) and don’t know how you will repair or replace it, but because you know you can’t even pay the tow truck company to drag it off the road. Tires cost money so you drive on bald tires until you literally can’t, white-knuckling it on ice-covered roads. Gas prices swing widely so you’re always watching and planning can be tough. You have to choose between insurance you can’t really afford and breaking the law. Since you use cheap gas without additives you fail the smog test and have to take your car to a shop (which you worry may rip you off) where they will guess at the problem, but if it doesn’t work you have to repeat the process once more before, for a fee, you can be exempted. Cars were a massive source of anxiety for me when I was poor. Instead of worrying about shelter and food, I had to worry about a car, shelter, and food; and basically in that order.