[goldstategop]

You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere. So no need to factor in auto insurance or maintenance costs. That makes every thing else more affordable. In the suburbs and rural American private transportation is simply a must of course.

[ex91B10]

"You never need to own a car in a big city."

True, but a fifteen minute errand (by car) turns into a two hour errand (using public transportation).

Factor in the wasted time and I don't think anyone's saving much.

The Kenyan must go.

[John O]

You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere.

Of course without a car you never CAN drive anywhere either. You become a slave of the government, trapped on the plantation.

Also, John Rocker had it correct. When you ride public transit you get stuck sitting next to all sorts of people you'd never choose to associate with.

[Gen.Blather]

“The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere.”

And I’d be okay with that if I could carry a gun to protect myself from the scary people you must expose yourself to if you ride the public transportation.

[The Working Man]

You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere. You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere.

---

There’s a lot of truth in your statement. The only such transit system I used was NYC’s and it is a fact you don’t get to choose who else is in the Subway car with you. Sometimes it’s not very fun at all! There is a reason that the Transit Cops ride the Subways.

So although there is a drop in costs due to not needing to own a car in NYC. It also makes you totally dependent on the transit system. And of course no car means no way out of the city except on foot if the transit system shuts down.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Public transit is free?

Do you get a family discount if you have more than 3 children?

And you don't need a kitchen, either, unless you like hauling a family's worth of groceries on the subway.

And think of all that money you save not doing anything outside the city.

[from occupied ga]

You never need to own a car in a big city

You don't "need" to own a car under some circumstances

However, this statement presupposes that you never need to go anywhere that isn't on the transit route. That you never need to get anything that you can't carry on the bus/railcar. That you never need to go at a time that the transit system isn't running. That you never need to get anywhere in a hurry. That you enjoy associating with the agressive panhandlers. That you never need to buy more than two bags of groceries at one time. etc. I rate your statement as 4 crackpipes out of five

[palmer]

unnecessary to drive anywhere

I guess that's true if you are a rat living under a bench and eating out of nearby trash barrels. It's not a life for human except maybe some 'rats.

[Dr. Sivana]

You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere.

No. But you do need friends with cars to move you and your stuff around. I lived in Chicago for three years. A wheeled grocery cart for the 3/4 miles walk to Mr. G's Finer Foods isn't so bad on a sunny day, but coming back with six bags of groceries is an issue. A mom with a husband and several little mouths to feed would have a harder time.

I remember buying a queen size mattress at an end of the academic quarter sale, and dragging it 1/2 a mile to my third floor walk up.

I remember carrying four suit cases in a heavy snow storm from train to bus and hanging out on a cold wet platform in the dead of night.

I remember a trip to the northwest side Pro-life Action League offices to close to three hours. Another trip to the Montgomery Wards in the southwest suburbs to get a Coleco Adam printer ribbon for a term paper was a day long excursion.

These days, I drive a $1.3K car, and my wife has driven an $1,800 station wagon for four and a half years. Our auto insurance is $450 for both. The only thing that kills us is gasoline, and that can be remedied by someone who doesn't have expensive energy as a national policy.

[CMAC51]

You never need to own a car in a big city. The excellent public transit system makes it unnecessary to drive anywhere.

No, you just have to pay the meter anytime you are going more than a couple of blocks, and for each individual in the group. You have to pay delivery for anything larger than you can carry. You can only shop for two bags of goods at a time. No discount stores or supermarkets because you can only buy what you can carry. Oh, and let's not mention the taxes paid to support that infra structure.

When I saw Houston on the 10 least affordable, I immediately knew this thing was a joke with an agenda. Houston is the most affordable city I have ever lived in. There is no way I could support my current life style in New York with the job that I have, even considering they would pay me almost double what I currently make. 50% of the additional pay would go for taxes right off the top.