Comments on: Making the Leap-Going Carless: breaking down the numbers

By: Carfree and biking roundup and links for August 2010 | Carfree with Kids — Carfree with Kids

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:45:33 +0000

[...] My Wheels are Turning crunches the numbers to show the savings resulting from going carfree. [...]

By: GLHowe

GLHowe — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:05:35 +0000

Thank you again for the number crunching, Bill. It's been an eye-opener for many of readers. You're mention of the car free condo units reminded me of this Toronto unit (42 storeys, no parking) that fought like hell to not provide parking. They finally won, and will provide 315 spaces for bikes and car parking for car-sharing businesses only.

By: Bill Palladino

Bill Palladino — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:42:13 +0000

Thanks to all for the comments on this post. The condo association has a loose set of regulations on the parking system here. So we don’t actually have allotted spaces. But I will admit to allowing one of my friends to park here during the festivals as she works downtown during evenings. I’m a big fan of some of the newer Urban planning gurus who are creating car-less condominiums. These are developments that get permission from local communities to build without requiring parking spaces. They qualify for this by putting into the lease or purchase agreements that no residents can keep a vehicle. Think of how much more space might be allotted for actual dwelling units in my Midtown neighborhood if we couldn’t own cars while choosing to live here. Wow! Not saying that’s for everyone… but imagine what it could do for certain urban areas.

The car rental thing is substantial, but because my clients pay for all associated expenses for that type of use I didn’t include it as a direct impact. One thing I did not mention are the tax implications. At least while my car was on lease, I was able to deduct more of the cost of ownership. But I’d purchased the car outright several years prior to this experiment so did not include those numbers. As for most of the estimates represented, your own experiences may differ.

Be on the watch soon for Part Two of the post where I delve into non-financial implications of getting rid of the car, from the way I shop, to my physical and mental health. Coming soon!

By: Todd Scott

Todd Scott — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:00:26 +0000

Yes, great post. Would your condo association allow you to sub-let your parking spot? Or is there no market for that?

Have you analyzed whether or not you’ll need to rent a car, and if so, how often?

By: faroop

faroop — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:31:13 +0000

Thanks for this post and the number crunching! Looking forward to your next installment I particularly like the view of more money staying in the local community. Re: @Rory’s comment about the parking spot — are you going to lease it out? Carsharing services often lease spots for their cars and that could be an option to consider, sometimes they “pay” with free memberships (zipcar in our area will do this sometimes).

By: Rory

Rory — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:07:32 +0000

Great post. I like how you tied in the local value calculations. And too bad your condo association doesn’t separate your parking spot from the cost of your unit and you’d have pocketed even more cash.

Congrats on your almost year anniversary of giving up the keys!