Having trouble deciding whether to get rid of my car or not...

[manlymatt83]

I bought a 1998 Honda Civic before moving to Boston. I used it a lot when I first got here, but it died in February and has been sitting in my street ever since. It needs a new transmission, so it isn't drivable.

The past 3 months, I've been getting away with taking the train a lot, renting cars (it's cheap), and walking/using public transportation. I actually like it, to where even if I fixed my car, I think I'd still only use it in place of renting cars, which would be about once per month.

I don't really know much about the implications of getting rid of the car. if I get rid of the car, I'll have to get rid of my cheap insurance, right? Which means when I rent a car, I'd be forced to take theirs, which would be cheaper? Would it almost make sense to keep the beater parked somewhere just so I could get the cheap insurance ($500/yr for liability) vs. the $30/day for rental car liability!

What are everyone's thoughts? Thanks!

-Matt

 

[Bignate603]

If you throw in the cost of maintenance and registration I don't think it's worth keeping a car for just using once a month.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Donate it if you can then get a Zipcar membership.

 

[poncherelli2]

You can get non-owners insurance. I don't know much about it, but I believe its suited for people who don't own a vehicle but drive enough to make it cheaper than rental company insurance.

 

[xanis]

Once per month? Fuck that, it's not worth the cost of insuring and maintaining the damn thing.

 

[MovingTarget]

A 1998? How many miles are on it? How does the engine run? Any rusted-out areas?

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: Bignate603
If you throw in the cost of maintenance and registration I don't think it's worth keeping a car for just using once a month.

Exactly

Makes no sense at all.

 

[DonaldC]

If you use a credit card to rent a car many of them include rental car insurance so you wouldn't need to worry about that. Seems to me you really don't need the added expense of actually owning a car while living in Boston.

 

[poncherelli2]

Originally posted by: DonaldC
If you use a credit card to rent a car many of them include rental car insurance so you wouldn't need to worry about that. Seems to me you really don't need the added expense of actually owning a car while living in Boston.

CCs usually include a CDW/LDW which is just for damage to the car. It doesn't cover any liability if you hit someone (which you would then be liable for).

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: MovingTarget
A 1998? How many miles are on it? How does the engine run? Any rusted-out areas?

Engine runs great. No rusted out area. About 195,000 miles.

 

[lxskllr]

What's the total cost(insurance, everything) for renting cars for a year?

 

[Paperdoc]

If you decide to get rid of it - and this applies whether or not you buy a replacement - check for government programs that pay you to scrap an older car. There are several of these designed to take high-polluting older vehicles off the road, and maybe to encourage purchase of new cars for economic stimulus. I recently scrapped a '93 Ford product with a really bad transmission, then bought a 4-year-old Mazda. With current poor economy and commodity prices, the scrapyards would pay about $50 to $75. I live in Ontario, Canada, and was pointed (by a scrapyard) to a government program that paid me $300 for it on condition that it was actually insured, licensed, and in use within the past 6 months.

 

[manlymatt83]

Any other responses?