Oh The Irony...

As I've stated many times in previous posts I am not even close to being car-free (OK, maybe I am close, but I still own a truck) but I would call myself--what Katie Alvord refers to in her excellent book, Divorce Your Car--as "Car-Lite." I own a motorized vehicle but I don't use it that often...this time of year I often only start it to "drive" it from one side of the street to the other when the parking dates change. And sometimes I wonder why I do (but then a -5F day in Jauary reminds me). At any rate, whether I drive it or not this thing costs money, a lot of money.

I beleive car ownership is like a lesser version of a house (indeed, many car payments today are as much as a monthly mortgage payment)...if you buy it new it costs a lot on a monthly basis, and if you buy an older model (or a fixer-upper house) you're constantly putting money into it. And as I refuse (yes refuse) to have a monthly car payment. I tend to purchase older cars/trucks (and use them until they are virtually un-drivable). The drawback is inspection time...today was no different: to have my truck pass inspection it cost me $434.

Click here and here to see a couple examples of the true cost of owning a car.

Now here's the irony.

I drove my truck to the shop before work, which is only about a mile away. To facilitate my transport to-and-from work I carried "the mule" in the back. This is a bike (an old Trek) that cost me $40 at a flea market, plus about another $100 in upgrades. I was feeling stressed about my workday ahead and about taking my truck in for inspection. But when I hopped on the bike I felt good...and that truly embodies the real reason that I ride.

Sure I ride bikes because it gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that I'm "doing my part," and I'm able to feel all rightous at the yuppie coffee shop or food co-op. But the real reason that I often choose to ride bikes (or walk) instead of driving my vehicle is because I enjoy it...it truly makes me feel free. Everything else is simply a byproduct.

Lastly, here's a quick dream I had last night (honestly):

First I have to preface it by saying that prior to the eleven-year-old truck I currently own (for the past year) I owned another of the same model that was nearly seventeen-years-old. My auto mechanics, to say the least, know me by name.

Anyhow, as I slept last night I had a dream where the head mechanic said to me (lectured me?), "you know, Joe, the last truck you had you only drove it about 3500 miles a year (I drove more than that), but this newer model you drive about 10,000 miles a year (more accurate)...don't you think you should slow down a little?"

...Hmmm.

I truly believe that dreams are a powerful window into the subconscious (totally uninhibited thought) and I often try to analyze them. In this case I believe I am chagrined over spending money on a vehicle that I don't use that frequently, and also thinking I should phase it out even more.

I'm not sure if irony is exactly to correct word to use (I never really know if I'm using this word correctly, but I know there's another metaphor in there somewhere that I'm not ready to address...


Urban Simplicity.