5 ms·

Isn't the reason the rent is higher because you can forego a car? For example, the average monthly car payment for a used car is supposedly $526[0] and insuranc

by judge2020 3y ago

Isn't the reason the rent is higher because you can forego a car? For example, the average monthly car payment for a used car is supposedly $526[0] and insurance $168[1]. So if you get rid of that, you can afford nearly $700 more per month in rent (assuming you can still qualify by having household monthly gross income of 3x the rent). So, in your case, you only really need to make more to afford a walkable lifecycle if you still want to own a car and have the option to use it to drive to places outside of your walking distance. Of course, completely moving to a lifestyle where all travel is public trasit and airport-based is tough to achieve, but it could be a worthwhile price to pay depending on how often you travel and where (since the time investment is also high for cars in the U.S. with how far apart each city is from the next). 0: https://www.bankrate.com/loans/auto-loans/average-monthly-car-payment/ https://www.bankrate.com/loans/auto-loans/average-monthly-ca... 1: https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-insurance/ https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/car/average-cost-of-car-i...

putnambr 3y ago
In theory, yes, and a lot of lower income people do put that into practice and live in my same apartment complex. These people also usually own cars. The nearest grocery store is about a mile away, and the nearly bus stop is about the same distance. I occassionally bike to the store and have a bike trailer for groceries, but I have felt like I'm risking my life when carefully biking a trailer-full of groceries across the six lane 'street'. Apart from Uber or hitching a ride from a friend, there's no good transportation option to our airport but I get your point. I think in most cases, given the option between a walkable (to work and restaurants) neighborhood and no car (and no good public transit), and suburbia with a car, most people would choose suburbia. Ease of getting groceries, ease of access to recreation, etc. What's really missing is the transit investment.
- UtopiaPunk 3y ago
  This still sounds not great :(
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
majou 3y ago
My car was $1,500 and my insurance is ~$35. I'm lucky enough to be able to bother mechanics to teach me repairs though.
- vkou 3y ago
  If you hit and seriously injure someone, that $35 insurance will not cover the multi-million dollar medical and legal and recompense bills. This can be a working strategy if you don't have a dollar to your name (whomever you hit won't be able to squeeze blood out of a stone), and never intend to have a dollar to your name, but is generally ill-advised for someone in the middle-class, who has money and assets to lose.
  - nsvd 3y ago
    I also have the cheapest limited liability insurance money will buy. It's a cost-benefit gamble I'm willing to take.
  - User23 3y ago
    No lawyer is even going to bother to sue a judgment proof person like that. They're going to be happy to settle for whatever insurance offers.
  - piperswe 3y ago
    Just about no auto insurance in the US will cover multi-million dollar bills - I know my insurance company maxes out at a $500k limit.
bluGill 3y ago
If you are rich the payment might be $500. The poor are buying used cars for $5000 and keeping it for a few years, so lets knock that down to $250/month (including maintenance). Their insurance is cheaper as well (if they even bother with it...). You can get your monthly costs even lower if you know how to buy a reliable car that you maintain yourself (or for free by friends/family) - which the poor are likely to do.
- bombcar 3y ago
  Until you're poor you don't realize how cheaply you can keep a vehicle running, nor how many people are just driving around without insurance, license, and various other "necessities".
  - jvican 3y ago
    Isn't it illegal to drive without auto insurance? (At least, in California?)
    - 650REDHAIR 3y ago
      Yes it is illegal. Pretty much illegal everywhere in the US except for a few weird outliers. I think there’s one southern state that lets you have a bond instead of insurance?
      - dustincoates 3y ago
        I was curious so I looked it up, and it seems that 32 states allow surety bonds: https://www.autoinsuresavings.org/surety-bonds-auto-insurance/ https://www.autoinsuresavings.org/surety-bonds-auto-insuranc...
      - piperswe 3y ago
        New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't require insurance or a bond IIRC
    - Karrot_Kream 3y ago

putnambr 3y ago

In theory, yes, and a lot of lower income people do put that into practice and live in my same apartment complex. These people also usually own cars. The nearest grocery store is about a mile away, and the nearly bus stop is about the same distance. I occassionally bike to the store and have a bike trailer for groceries, but I have felt like I'm risking my life when carefully biking a trailer-full of groceries across the six lane 'street'. Apart from Uber or hitching a ride from a friend, there's no good transportation option to our airport but I get your point. I think in most cases, given the option between a walkable (to work and restaurants) neighborhood and no car (and no good public transit), and suburbia with a car, most people would choose suburbia. Ease of getting groceries, ease of access to recreation, etc. What's really missing is the transit investment.

UtopiaPunk 3y ago
This still sounds not great :(
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

majou 3y ago

My car was $1,500 and my insurance is ~$35. I'm lucky enough to be able to bother mechanics to teach me repairs though.

vkou 3y ago
If you hit and seriously injure someone, that $35 insurance will not cover the multi-million dollar medical and legal and recompense bills. This can be a working strategy if you don't have a dollar to your name (whomever you hit won't be able to squeeze blood out of a stone), and never intend to have a dollar to your name, but is generally ill-advised for someone in the middle-class, who has money and assets to lose.
- nsvd 3y ago
  I also have the cheapest limited liability insurance money will buy. It's a cost-benefit gamble I'm willing to take.
- User23 3y ago
  No lawyer is even going to bother to sue a judgment proof person like that. They're going to be happy to settle for whatever insurance offers.
- piperswe 3y ago
  Just about no auto insurance in the US will cover multi-million dollar bills - I know my insurance company maxes out at a $500k limit.

bluGill 3y ago

If you are rich the payment might be $500. The poor are buying used cars for $5000 and keeping it for a few years, so lets knock that down to $250/month (including maintenance). Their insurance is cheaper as well (if they even bother with it...). You can get your monthly costs even lower if you know how to buy a reliable car that you maintain yourself (or for free by friends/family) - which the poor are likely to do.

bombcar 3y ago
Until you're poor you don't realize how cheaply you can keep a vehicle running, nor how many people are just driving around without insurance, license, and various other "necessities".
- jvican 3y ago
  Isn't it illegal to drive without auto insurance? (At least, in California?)
  - 650REDHAIR 3y ago
    Yes it is illegal. Pretty much illegal everywhere in the US except for a few weird outliers. I think there’s one southern state that lets you have a bond instead of insurance?
    - dustincoates 3y ago
      I was curious so I looked it up, and it seems that 32 states allow surety bonds: https://www.autoinsuresavings.org/surety-bonds-auto-insurance/ https://www.autoinsuresavings.org/surety-bonds-auto-insuranc...
    - piperswe 3y ago
      New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't require insurance or a bond IIRC
  - Karrot_Kream 3y ago