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This is a bit of a random question, but for those folks who are clerking next year (in a non-public transport city) and who currently don't have a car because they live in a public transportation-friendly city (DC/NYC), do you plan on getting one? I'll be working in a fairly populated (but car-centric) city next year, but plan on moving back to DC after my clerkship ends. I'd prefer not to permanently own a car because a) D.C. public transportation is pretty solid and Zipcar is reliable otherwise and b) don't really want to go through the hassle of registering a car here in D.C. and paying insurance, etc.

Hope this makes sense. Thoughts/suggestions are most welcome.

how long is your clerkship?

Anonymous User wrote:how long is your clerkship?

Just a year. I've explored Zipcar (no dice in the city I'll be clerking in). I'll bite the bullet and buy a car if I have to, but I'd really only be using it for running errands, grocery shopping, etc. I plan on living within walking distance to work, hence making me reluctant to buy a car.

ak362 wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:how long is your clerkship?

Just a year. I've explored Zipcar (no dice in the city I'll be clerking in).

Ah, if two years I was going to say do a 24-month lease. There is also always http://www.swapalease.com in the off-chance you can assume someone's lease with a year left.

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Hold on. Walking distance to work and you only need the car for errands and stuff? Get a bike dude. Unless we're talking some place like Minnesota (too cold for winter biking) I'm not sure why there is a question here.

Can't you buy a beater for a grand or whatever on craigslist and just drive it into the ground?

dixiecupdrinking wrote:Can't you buy a beater for a grand or whatever on craigslist and just drive it into the ground?

+1

Geist13 wrote:Hold on. Walking distance to work and you only need the car for errands and stuff? Get a bike dude. Unless we're talking some place like Minnesota (too cold for winter biking) I'm not sure why there is a question here.

Minneapolis actually has a great public transport system and very good bike paths. People bike year round (there are special snow tires). Not relevant at all to the question, just thought I should speak up for Minnesota.

Jessuf wrote:the city doesn't have a bus system?

what about living walking/biking distance? not sure how hot the summers are in this city, though.

The city's scorching hot during the summer (humid, too). The bus system is apparently completely unreliable. I've never biked with groceries before, and there are no grocery stores in the area near the courthouse. (Lots of restaurants, etc., though).

dixiecupdrinking wrote:Can't you buy a beater for a grand or whatever on craigslist and just drive it into the ground?

Probably going to end up doing this, but just wanted to see if there were better and more economical options out there.

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The city's scorching hot during the summer (humid, too). The bus system is apparently completely unreliable. I've never biked with groceries before, and there are no grocery stores in the area near the courthouse. (Lots of restaurants, etc., though).

If the ONLY thing you think you'll need a car for is groceries, I'd probably just get a bike and take a cab to and from the grocery store once or twice a month. It sounds like there are a lot of restaurants around, so you should be able to get by buying groceries that infrequently. (I suspect that there are also probably some bodegas nearby for emergencies.) And even if you end up spending $100 on cab fair every month, that's waaaaay cheaper than buying a car. It may even be cheaper than the car insurance.

ak362 wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:Can't you buy a beater for a grand or whatever on craigslist and just drive it into the ground?

Probably going to end up doing this, but just wanted to see if there were better and more economical options out there.

Actually, that is a pretty economical solution. Remember, you are most likely going to be able to recoup most/all of your investment on a beater car, assuming you don't by a complete POS (mechanically, that is).. I bought an 87' Taurus my freshman year of college for $150, drove it for 2 years, and then sold it for $300.. It's really all about knowing a little bit about cars and shopping around for a bit to find a quality beater. You can definitely find some bad looking, yet, well running cars for around $300. Probably cheaper than cabbing to and from the grocery store twice a month for a year.

Probably cheaper than cabbing to and from the grocery store twice a month for a year.

Insurance and gas. The former will likely run at least $50 a month. And that's in a dirt cheap state -- if it's Texas (and judging by the OP's description, it sounds like it's that or Phoenix or Atlanta), figure $100 a month. Gas will probably be $60 every two or three months if s/he drives as infrequently as predicted.

So figure at a bare minimum, $300 (purchase price) + $600 (insurance) + $240 (4 tanks of gas) = $1140. It depends on how much it is to cab to the grocery store, but if it's less than $50 a round trip, it's probably cheaper. Not to mention you avoid the hassle of acquiring and then selling a beater, registering it, buying insurance, and then assuming the risk that it will need repairs at some point.

Does the city you're moving to have Zipcar?

If you're worried more about transport than buying massive amounts of groceries, there's always a scooter. Used ones aren't terribly pricy, and if you keep it, they're way less of a hassle in the District than a car. (You still, obviously, would have to go to the evil, evil DC DMV to register it when you got back, which for me would be at least 50% of the reason why I wouldn't want to bring any vehicle back.) But it might be an economical middle ground in the meantime.

Get a good scooter (not Chinese). Free parking in cities with marked motorcycle spaces, cheap gas, and the funnest way to travel.

shepdawg wrote:Get a good scooter (not Chinese). Free parking in cities with marked motorcycle spaces, cheap gas, and the funnest way to travel.

Not really a great solution for running errands (e.g. picking up dry cleaning) & grocery shopping (because of the lack of storage space). Probably still have to register and insure it too, unless you plan on driving it on the sidewalk.. Scooters are fun though. Personally I'd get a dirt bike and toss on and enduro kit if I were going to go that route