Living in Australia, as I do most of the time - you would be hard-pushed to 'get by' without a car. The distances to even basic facilities are too large, the po

Living in Australia, as I do most of the time - you would be hard-pushed to 'get by' without a car. The distances to even basic facilities are too large, the population is too-widely distributed for public transport to be a realistic option. Registration / insurance is expensive, yes, and petrol too - but for less than 2kAUD (about the same American) you can get a good-enough car (safe, reliable, if not cosmetically wonderful), and the rewards in terms of freedom are more than worth it. I am an older guy (41), but my younger friends in their 20s don't show any signs of wanting to forgo car ownership.