I am so tired. Mentally, I'm alert, but this commute gets to me sometimes. I don't make it any easier on myself by riding it fixed. My legs feel like they are made of wood. Today it has been two weeks since I've driven to work. To be fair, I car pooled once. I don't have an aversion to driving, and I love my car. Rather, I'm trying to wean myself from my emotional attachment. When I purchased this car, five years ago, it was really an impulse buy. My other car was paid off and working fine. I was merely poking around amazon.com and noticed they were selling cars. How could this be? So I explored the site and discovered this creature with aluminum pedals. Seriously, that was all it took. I tend not to be practical in such matters. When faced with years of payments, I'd rather it be an emtional decision. I clicked through the finance link, just to see what sort of interest rate I'd qualify for through eloan. Of course, they take you through a labyrinth of an application, then tell you that they will send you a check with the terms of the loan. If I didn't want it, I'd simply tear up the check. There was no intermediate step involved.
Daily, I had to drive by the dealership. I finally relented and took the car for a test drive. That same day, a blank check was waiting for me at home. It was too easy. I took delivery on Halloween of 2000. [Note to anyone buying a car: wait that extra day, so your tabs will be good an extra month.] One thing I hadn't considered at the time was that its high compression engine requires higher octane fuel. I've been paying a premium at the pump for years- and it doesn't receive the best gas mileage in the first place.
Fast forward five reliable years and I'm faced with having to sell it. The question will be how long I can hold out without a car. Last time I was car free was when I was a freshman in college. I had no mortgage or consumer debt back then either- nor will I when we move. I sometimes struggle trying to determine if this is a step forward or backward. I've been thoroughly conditioned to having a car- and car payment. It has become normal. This zebra will try to change his stripes.
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I can't make the jump to being totally car free, but am lucky in that I don't care what I drive so I just drive a series of reliable cars that are cheap enough that no financing is involved.
Being totally car-free is a huge leap, especially when one does it out of choice and not economic necessity. I don't think I could ever do it.
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