THE LAB

Mabeline charges $$$ a week for her company

I met Mabeline the summer of 2005. She was soaking in the sun at Honda of Bellevue, most likely waiting for someone. There was something unpretentious but still polished about her I liked. I was there to purchase my very first vehicle. She was there to sell. I don’t believe in fate, but I do believe in pragmatic matchmaking that makes sense and saves cents.

I purchased Mabeline comfortably below the asking price. Flush with my newfound negotiating skills, I sat down to sign the paperwork. After Washington sales tax, excise tax, registration fee, six months’ worth of insurance, and a month of parking in my apartment building, the total price tag returned to almost exactly the initial asking price. How annoying. But I had my first car—my first vehicle of freedom.

I was 23 and simply nuts with the itch to drive. I didn’t have time in high school or money in college, and spent a year after graduation in rural Japan riding around on the conventional “mama cherry” (a low-riding steel basket bicycle which doesn’t go much faster than walking pace) between the rice paddies I lived among. Getting my license and a car immediately after returning to the US was the only thing I could think about—a natural next step upon returning safely to the land of milk and honey.

After my 7th parking ticket I went to Target and bought a $175 dollar mountain bike.

I didn’t have payments on Mabeline, she was in “excellent condition,” and my annual insurance payment was a little over a thousand dollars. There was no pressing need, either for cash or for an upgrade, to sell the car. There was also no pressing need to keep it.

Seattle’s Department of Transportation’s “One Less Car” campaign inspired me to consider leaving Mabeline, rather than just threatening to every time I had a less-than-positive experience driving or parking—which was the strong majority of the time. While SDOT’s “incentive” of a $200 commuter voucher for selling your car didn’t itself inspire me to sell, it did make me think critically about what I could have instead of a car. (Thomas Friedman makes a compelling argument regarding what the US could have with a $1 gas tax here).

It dawned on me that while $200 wouldn’t go very far, the proceeds from selling Mabeline and savings I could accumulate by not even owning a vehicle could. Instead of wondering, “what do I lose?” I began envisioning what I could acquire instead.

As everything I purchase is ultimately a contribution to my happiness, be it frivolous or functional, I began by weighing the hours of happiness I expected to receive from various items.

For example, Pad Thai. I love it. Ordering out Pad Thai 3-4 times a week would contribute to roughly 12-16 hours of happiness (Eating the yummy takes half an hour and happily digesting the yummy takes about 4). On the other hand, I drove my car about 3-4 times a week for a total of roughly 3 hours. About 1 hour of that was pleasant, and about 30 min of that was out of necessity. Additionally, it was costing me about $100 dollars a week (see below table from SDOT’s cost of car worksheet), while even if I gorged, I could only consume about $40-$50 dollars on weekly Thai take out. Given the ratio of expense to hours of happiness, Pad Thai was clearly triumphant.

This exercise in anal hour-tracking led me to wonder what the pros of owning a car were, and their equivalent cons. A few are listed below.

Pro: Being able to get places.

Con: Spending as much time finding parking as driving, rush-hour traffic, and the constant cognizance of being a moving liability, always on the precipice of getting hit and having to deal with insurance, paperwork, repair, etc.

Pro: Leaving the City.

Con: Having to leave the City.

Pro: Not being stranded in the middle of nowhere alone at night.

Con: Wandering out into the middle of nowhere alone at night.

Pro: Getting to a job interview out in the boonies.

Con: Having to accept a job out in the boonies.

Pro: Being an adult, free to be entirely mobile.

Con: Being an adult eager to drive away.

Ultimately, the above boiled down to my desire to be lazy, and Mabeline’s demands were getting in my way. I couldn’t enjoy a leisurely ride because I was too busy driving. She always wanted gas at the wrong time, insurance coverage when I was out of money, and maintenance during the holidays. I’d rather sit back and let someone else do all that work—like Metro or Yellow Cab.

I sold Mabeline on my birthday, a somewhat bittersweet present to myself, and being without her has been fine. I ride my bike more, and I finally have time to read the newspaper by taking the bus. I earn $75 dollars a month by renting my parking space, which I use for more liberal Pad Thai take out orders. My grocery shopping is more efficient because I plan my meals based on the space in my backpack. I don’t have to worry about paying the insurance on time, scratching the car, washing the car, keeping it maintained, or ever finding parking again.

I no longer own such a major responsibility, and in its place I have a new digital camera, new couch, more take-out food, a greater appreciation for my surroundings, and an overall better sense of well-being. I have never been anti-car or even particularly environmentally sensitive. I sold my car because it seemed like a life without it would actually be less taxing, less expensive, and more liberating. It has.

Calculate the Cost of Your Car (from the “One Less Car” Campaign)

Year: 2004
Make: Honda
Model: 4DR Civic EX
Average Miles Driven Per Year: 3500/12 = 292 miles/month

1) (1)Depreciation this year: $3000 this year
2) (2)License, Registration: $ 87 per year
3) Annual Insurance $1100 per year
4) (3)Annual maintenance, tires: $ 200 annual check up
5) Total items 1-4 / 12 months: $366
6) Monthly car payment: $0 per month

7) (4)Monthly gasoline, oil: $21

8) (5)Monthly parking fees: $19 per month

TOTAL ITEMS 5-8 ABOVE: $406.00
COST per WEEK OF MY MABELINE:$101.50

1 – http://calculators.aol.com/tools/aol/auto02/tool.fcs
2- According to Seattle DOL’s “annual registration and license fees,” registration ($53) + King County Excise Tax ($34) applied to my vehicle and location between 2004 and 2008.
3 – Estimate
4- Based on annual mileage, average MPG, and $2.05/gallon
5- A 4-year total of roughly $900 in parking fines = $225/year = $18.75/month (terrible luck + naivety = multiple $200 violations and towing charges)