Car Shopping

What a great cartoon! :)

A co-worker told me recently of having a car accident that totalled her year-old car. What a shame, in a way. I can see if your car was 5 or 10 years old, and you had gotten some good use out of it. The insurance paid for a good amount of it, but she still owes $5K on it. So, she's on the "hunt" for another car.

She described going to a couple of dealers and checking out a couple of models. She knows she wants a particular make (Toyota). She talked about the models, year, engine size, leather interior, gas mileage, size of the interior, odometer reading, etc. Her descriptions sounded like she was describing a wonderful meal - a meal she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into. A meal that aroused all of her senses - she was practically drooling! Her new car desire was so strong, almost overpowering. She has to turn in her rental car in a few days, as her insurance only pays for it a certain period of time, since her car was totalled.

It's too bad that she hasn't considered living car-free. This is a good opportunity and time for her to try it, if she wanted to. She talked about next month she'll be moving in with her brother nearby for six months, to be able to save money so she can buy her own place. Think about much more money she COULD save if she didn't have to have car expenses... The location she's thinking of moving to (about 20 miles from DC) has commuting "slug lines" that could get her here to DC easily and for free. Or she could get into a carpool, or take the Virginia Railway Express train and connect to the Metro subway.

People think that you absolutely NEED a car to get around, but you really don't. You CAN work around it (or at least try it), once you find out what your resources are.... And living in this area, with so many resources, really makes it a lot more do-able, compared to some people who live in more rural areas.

"Bolting" to NYC

As mentioned in my April post below, there is a new express bus service that started at the end of March, from Washington, D.C. to New York City, called the Bolt Bus. Tickets can be purchased as low as $1 each way (limited seats at that price). If you fly or take Amtrak, it's about $150-$200 round trip. The Bolt Buses are brand new, have either faux leather or cloth seats, restrooms on board, and plug-ins for your laptops/DVD players and WiFi service. This makes for a comfortable and enjoyable ride.

So, in the past month, I've made two trips on the Bolt Bus up to NYC. I was able to get the tickets at about $30 roundtrip. On both trips, I rode my bike to D.C. early in the morning to the bus stop, and then put my bike in the baggage bin of the bus.

My first trip was a day trip in mid-May to attend a folding bike festival and bike ride in Manhattan. That turned out to be a pretty long day - getting up at 4:30 a.m., leaving at 5:30, biking to DC to catch the 7:30 bus. It was lightly raining outside. The bus was late pulling up and leaving town, made a food stop at the travel plaza (adding a half hour onto the trip), then we ran into a traffic back-up on the highway due to an accident, took an alternate way, had overheated brakes on the way, and FINALLY arrived in New York City SIX hours later (vs. the advertised four hours). We just managed to make the bike event in time and enjoyed the bike ride, but just a few hours later, were zooming to catch our return bus ride back. It left on time, but it was slow going out of the city through the tunnel, and then we made the food stop again. So our return trip took FIVE hrs. By the time I got home, it was about midnight. Yawn! That didn't exactly make me fall in love with the Bolt Bus, though I had had a great day.

I was a little apprehensive to take the Bolt Bus again this past weekend. This trip was an overnight trip - staying with a biking friend and his wife. We enjoyed biking all around Manhattan and the Bronx, seeing many sights along the way. Some of the biking was on bike paths, and some on busy city streets, but I'm used to that, since I bike to work every day.

Perhaps someone had complained about the food stop/extra travel time, because this time, the bus didn't stop at the travel plaza. The bus arrived and departed D.C. on time, and arrived within a few minutes of the stated arrival time in NYC. Same with the return bus ride. The weather was better and we didn't run into any traffic back-ups. Ahhh..... MUCH better! I guess you never know what you're going to run into with taking the bus, but at least the price is right!

I'd like to also take Amtrak down to Richmond to visit some friends and have lunch and hang out, so I'll make those plans soon. It'll give me an idea of how things work with taking my Bike Friday Tikit on the train. :) With regular-sized bikes, you normally buy a bike box and partially disassemble your bike, and then check the box as your luggage. A year or so ago, Amtrak changed their bike policy, in that if you have a folding bike, you can just tuck it away at the end of any rail car where there is room. Hopefully this will go well, as I have tickets to take Amtrak at the end of August, to meet up with a biking friend in Philadelphia to bike for the day. Both trips are just a couple hours' train ride. I could take Greyhound for half the price, but it wouldn't give me as much time to be in either city as the train would, since both trips are day-trips.

So, stay tuned for reports on these Amtrak Adventures!

Up next: $5 a Gallon!

Ah, the new $5 bill. It's different and colorful. But I'm sure there will be some
"colorful" language used when people have to start shelling out one of these puppies for just one gallon of gas! I was just reading in the news that some analysts predict that in less than three months Americans will see $5 gas. Wow. It'll be interesting to see if that really happens.

I was speaking with my brother recently. He has a 1996 Ford Ranger pick-up truck - it's a year younger than the one I had. He says it costs him $75 to fill it up. When I had my truck just last November, it cost $40 to fill. That's just about double the price! :( People will be spending their economic stimulus check to help keep their tanks full... I spent part of mine on a new digital camera (my other one started to give me trouble). So, thanks Uncle Sam! :)

I also found out last week that Zipcar is running the car donation program again for the remainder of May! Not a whole lot of time for people to find out about it and consider that option. I've told friends and family about it - but some have looked at me and said "You are NOT gonna get me to give up my car!!" Wow. The car habit is definitely a hard one to give up, I know. But if you think about how much money it can save you and how relatively easy it is to live without one. If you have two cars in your household, it's not like you'd be without a car at all. You'd be saving lots of money if you just had ONE car to operate. But I think a lot of people are used to having the "freedom" (at a price!) of having their own car. How long will they hold onto that "freedom" and at what price??

I was at lunch with my bosses the other day. We were talking about the price of gas, and one of them mentioned that he heard that teenagers are having a hard time with the price of gas. Some have minimum wage jobs and don't have the money that it costs to go "cruising" or do a number of activities with their friends.

And here it is, the eve of Memorial Day weekend. The great getaway weekend. A lot of people are going to stay local or just nearby, since it costs too much to drive further. There will be those, however, who don't care how much it costs, they are going to go. And the traffic tie-ups will be bad, I'm sure. Why would you want to sit in traffic, idling your engine, burning costly gas? I guess it's sort of like the die-hard smoker...even if they have emphysema (as my mother did), she felt smoking was her LAST vice, and she wasn't going to give it up. Maybe Americans will be like that with their cars..... :(

50th Birthday :)

I celebrated my 50th birthday recently. Hard to believe I'm that age - it just doesn't seem to "fit" but I guess in time, it will. :)

I have made it a tradition for many years, to take off my birthday off from work, and this year was no different. :) And you couldn't ask for better weather! Temps in the 70's, sunny & blue skies. :) Of course, I would fit in a bike ride - but also take care of some errands by getting a Zipcar pick-up truck. Last month, I had arranged to donate some furniture to a local organization for their lounge areas for an upcoming art show (Art-O-Matic). However, they were unable to follow through with the pick-up, so I decided to bring some of the furniture over to Goodwill.

But first, I rode my bike to the bike store to get a part installed and an adjustment to my bike. Then I rode to the Zipcar location, a few miles from there. Drove back and piled furniture and other donated goods in the back and dropped them off at Goodwill. Then went to Home Depot and picked up 26 bags of mulch for the yard, and then to some other errands. When I was at Home Depot, I was sharing with the guy loading the mulch, about Zipcar, and told him I don't have to pay for gas or insurance ever again. His eyes lit up like I had told him I had just discovered GOLD! :) :) I agree!! He asked me how old you had to be to join Zipcar - I wasn't sure, but told him to check their website (it turns out you have to be 21). So, maybe it'll work out for him. :)

In my previous posting, I mentioned how people were having gas stolen from when they were at the gas station (leaving their car unattended). I heard on the news this morning where some people are finding that someone has siphoned the gas out of their car while it's in their driveway at night! Some people have purchased locking gas caps, but that hasn't deterred criminals - they have gone under the car and punched a HOLE in their tank and siphoned the gas out! Of course, this is a dangerous situation when the owner of the car starts up the car! :( Things are gonna get a whole lot worse as the price of gas soars unfortunately...

Zipcar in the News

I saw in the news today that a 20-yr. old local man was arrested because he had been stealing a few Zipcars and going for joyrides with his friends to the mall. :( Somehow, he had manipulated the vehicles' electrical system. I think that Zipcars have a GPS system, which is good for finding the cars, if stolen. He is also a suspect in other similar car thefts. That guy is paying a high price for his short-lived fun now...

My blog has been quiet lately - I haven't had any reason to need a Zipcar since mid-February...but I have been thinking a lot about my car-free life, since it's been almost 6 months since I became car-free. Gas prices continue to climb - it's now $3.60/gallon. People are really feeling the pinch. They try to mainly use their car to get to and fro work, and curb any extra driving. I read in the news that a lady in Chicago was planning on buying a bicycle to make the 2 1/2 mile commute to work. Only two and a half miles??! That's hardly worth firing up the car! There have been gas thefts - they advise you not to leave your car unattended while the pump automatically is putting gas in your tank. There have been people who drive up, take the hose out of your car, and put it in their car - fill it up, and then put the hose back in your car! Can you imagine?

A lady at work asked me about who I donated my vehicle to - she has an older car that has been giving her trouble - but she doesn't just want to have it hauled away as junk...she has a sentimental attachment to the car, as a lot of us do. There are lots of organizations that you can donate your car to, and benefit different groups. She lives in Maryland, and there is a bus that can get her from her house to the subway, but it takes a long time and doesn't run often or late at night. (She is a paralegal, and works odd/late hours). So she said she can't consider it as an option. I suggested she perhaps get a folding bike to ride to the subway, and take onto the subway, but she said the route would be on a busy road and hasn't thought of alternative roads. So she's looking at buying a new car...I suggested getting a used car, to save the money, but she doesn't want any "headaches" from a used car. I think, if you do the research, you CAN get a good used car, instead of being strapped with high car payments....

A lady friend I know has an old Volvo that has been running on its feeble legs - she hasn't had the money to fix/maintain it. It's now at the nearby gas station with an estimated high repair bill. She's a good candidate for a Zipcar... She lives right across the street from a shopping strip - that includes a lot of stores you need (grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, etc.). She is on the bus line that can take her to the subway within minutes. She lives a couple miles from Old Town Alexandria - that has anything she'd need. I've suggested she could get a cheap used bike and bike to whatever she needs to get to...but she balks - as if biking is beneath her... when actually, it's the perfect solution for her. Perhaps its the exercise that she balks at. I don't know. I think A LOT of people could benefit from having a bicycle or being car-free...but it seems like such a RADICAL idea - they can't conceive of being without a car.

When I think of her car repair, or my co-worker's thought of getting a new car and having high car payments, it's a freeing thought that I don't have to worry about an unforeseen car repair. Granted, I have bike repairs, but it's a TON less money to fix a bike than a car. Last Spring, I took a bike repair class. I wanted to learn how to hopefully fix some of the regular maintenance items I encounter - like the drivetrain (chain, chainrings, rear cassette), replacing broken cables, replacing brake pads, to name a few. If I could learn how to do it on one bike, the skill could be hopefully transferred to fix my other bikes. Normally, in order to do a premium tune-up and replacement parts/labor, it was about $300. So, I bought a bike stand (which was an expensive item, but very helpful). I brought a couple of my bikes to the bike store to show them to the mechanic and buy the correct replacement parts, and related tools.

About a month ago, my regular commuting bike finally let me know it was time to replace the chain, chainring, and cassette. I knew this time would come, and I was sort of facing it with some apprehension - I've never done any repairs like this - could I actually do it?? I'm somewhat mechanically-inclined - but this was almost like popping the hood on your car and fiddling around in there! I have a Park Tool Bicycle Repair Handbook from the class, and could always ask questions of my bike mechanic at Spokes, or a nearby bike commuter friend who does repairs on his bike. I approached the bike repairs one at a time. Each repair had a learning element to it that will help me next time. I did bring the bike to the bike store for help in a couple of spots, but other than that, I think I saved about $140 overall.

Lastly, I will be making a bike/bus trip up to New York City at the end of May, to visit a biking friend. There is a new express bus service that started at the end of March - called Bolt Bus, that is from D.C. to NYC (https://www.boltbus.com/). If you reserve your tickets in advance, you can get it as low as $1.00 EACH WAY! (plus a small service charge - something like $.50). I booked mine in early April, and got a fare of $15 each way....still, that's WAY cheaper than a train or flight! The bus picks up at 11th & G Streets, N.W., and has a couple of drop off points in NYC. My plan is to ride my Tikit folding bike into D.C. early that morning, fold it and put it in the baggage area under the bus, and enjoy hopefully an uneventful ride up. :) The bus has electrical connections for your laptop, iPod, or DVD player - I'll just bring a book and CD player. :) This is one big reason I bought the Tikit bike - to bring it on a bus or Amtrak. Stay tuned for a trip report on this. :)

Getting a Tikit!

As mentioned in my post on December 19, 2007, I had been thinking about getting a Bike Friday Tikit. It would come in handy in certain circumstances, since I'm car-free. However, I wanted to see how things went first, without one, to see if getting the Tikit would be prudent.

I recently got an e-mail from Bike Friday, stating that they would offer the 2007 Tikit at a reduced price - a few hundred less than the 2008 price. I thought, since my 50th birthday was coming up soon, it'd be a nice present to myself. :) When I called up Bike Friday to order it, I told them it was a present to myself, and if they had a special "Turning 50" discount. :) To my surprise, they said, "Sure, how about if we take an additional $50 off the price?" Sounded good to me! :) I should be receiving it within a week! I think it's a cool bike, and look forward to using it. :) I want to bring it inside my office to show my co-workers how neat it is, and also bring it on the next D.C. Bike Friday Club ride, so my fellow Club members can see it too. :)

By the way, if there's anyone out there that has been thinking about going car-free, I hear that WABA and Zipcar may be running the car donation program again on Bike to Work Day - May 16. So, if I were you, keep your eyes peeled to the WABA website: http://www.waba.org/. I'm not sure if they will be offering the same free, lifetime membership, but if so, I'd take them up on it, if you can!!

Yesterday, I rented a Zipcar to take care of some errands and also drive out to Reston to visit a friend and family.

At the end of my day, heading back to Old Town, I saw that the gas gauge was at a fourth of a tank....which is the level you need to refill the tank, for the next Zipster to use. I haven't gotten gas for the various Zipcars I've rented - so this would be my first time. The last time I actually bought gas was mid-November 2007. I was a little apprehensive about getting gas for the Zipcar, as I wasn't sure if the gas station pump I chose would have problems with the Zipcar refueling card. I did have enough money on me to buy gas, if need be, and Zipcar will reimburse you when you submit the receipt.

I chose a gas station at random, as it didn't matter to me what the price was, since Zipcar was paying. :) I got the refueling card out, along with the small instruction card. After correctly inserting the card, the screen prompted me to enter the "Driver Number" - so I put in the driver number that's printed on the card. Then it asked me for the odometer mileage. I didn't know I'd need that, so I ran back to the car to get the exact mileage, and inputted it. A couple of seconds of "Authorizing...." and then I was allowed to pump. :) Good! I filled it up ($32), and printed out a receipt, though you don't need to - I was just curious to see what the receipt would show. Plus, it was nice to see a receipt and know that the money hadn't come out of my pocket! :)