In the past, owning a vehicle was seen as a necessity. It was perhaps the most convenient and inexpensive way to get around and the added space made it great to carry our grocery shopping and ferry our family around. Sadly, it feels like the past couple of years has turned car ownership into more of a luxury than a necessity. With advances in technology and people adopting environmentally-friendly practices, the benefits of giving up your car are numerous and tempting. To help illustrate the point, let’s take a look at some of the reasons to stop owning a typical car.
Cars are expensive to run
Even if you purchase a cheaper car, you’re still going to end up paying a lot of money just to keep the vehicle operating. Between insurance costs, maintenance fees and fuel, it’s incredibly expensive to keep your car running. Not only that, but most people will need to finance their vehicles because purchasing a car in a single payment is incredibly difficult and unlikely for most people. As a result, car ownership costs are surprisingly high and it can make a huge dent in your wallet. Unless you’re financially secure and have a lot of income, it’s unreasonable to own a car especially when there are alternatives available. Just take a look at this article from NerdWallet.com and you might be surprised at how much it really costs to own and use a car.
Alternative vehicles are cheaper and convenient
When you consider that a motorcycle or even scooter is a fraction of the price and is more fuel efficient, you’ll start to wonder why you even bothered to get a car in the first place if it’s convenience and freedom that you want. Understandably, a car is a great choice for a demanding family, but even then, there are other ways to travel with your loved ones and it’s not always about getting into a car. You find can more from CleanHarleys.com if you’re interested in downsizing your vehicle from a car to a motorcycle. You’ll find that it’s easier to operate, there are plenty of financial reasons to downgrade and you can’t go wrong with the look and feel of a motorcycle if it’s style you’re after.
Healthier options like cycling are cheaper and efficient
Thanks to an increased acceptance and awareness of cycling, owning a bicycle is a great alternative to owning a car. If you sell your vehicle and swap it for a bicycle (or several for your entire family) then you’ll save heaps of money and be a lot healthier as well. If it’s your personal fitness that you’re concerned about, then don’t neglect the great health benefits of switching to a bicycle from a car. You might find it difficult to travel longer distances and you can’t carry as many things, but thanks to the increasing popularity of cycling lanes and awareness from drivers, it’s a lot safer than most people take it for.
Home deliveries reduce the need for vehicles
Another tempting reason to get rid of your vehicle is due to all of the delivery services available to us. In the past, it was necessary to own a larger vehicle to make shopping easier and more convenient. It was common to load up with a week’s worth of groceries and it was necessary to have even more space if you bought large items like furniture and appliances. However, nowadays, it’s possible to get these large products and orders delivered straight to your door instead of needing to carry them to your car. Internet deliveries have made it incredibly convenient to just get on a computer and order virtually anything from all over the world. It’s no longer needed to physically go out and buy something unless you want to try it first, and this has convinced many people that they no longer need to own a vehicle for the sake of shopping.
Public transportation is better than ever before
It seems redundant to say that time has made something “better than ever before” but it’s the only way to express the gigantic leap that public transportation has taken over the past few years. It’s cheap, it’s effective, it beats traffic (although you do have to cope with crowded stations and vehicles) and it goes virtually everywhere. Whether you need to travel a long distant by taking a train to another town or if you just want to get to a local bar to meet your friends, there are countless public transportation options. Even the private transportation sector is filled with cheap options that are convenient enough to use on a daily basis and they can easily be accessed using a computer or smartphone. To put it simply, public transportation (especially in cities) is so good nowadays that you don’t even need to own a vehicle, let alone a car.
The future of driverless cars is looking promising
With electric vehicles and self-driving cars growing in popularity, it’s only a matter of time until we get cars that don’t even need drivers. This ultimately means that we’ll be able to hire driverless cars to get to destinations and they will become a unique form of private transportation. Although it’s far off into the future, many automakers seem to be shifting their focus to economical vehicles and luxury options instead of offering an in-between option that is reminiscent of the auto industry a few years ago.
Some final words
To put it simply, owning a vehicle now seems to be far more of a luxury than a necessity. It might be convenient to ferry your family around or get from point A to B on your own terms, but dropping your car in exchange for other transportation options seems to be the popular move to make these days. Many car owners will be reluctant to move away from their vehicles (especially if they own a luxury car) but for those who are conscious about their financial situation, it’s good news that there are plenty of alternatives to owning a car.