donquijote1954 wrote:
"Too bad our economy rolls on four wheels. Many of us are enslaved to
our automobiles. There is help, you can Divorce Your Car, if you are so
bold. Heck, you could save $30,000 over the next five years ($6000 per
year)."

Yep, just like you deserve to be free from a bad marriage (tell me
about it), you deserve to be free from the enslavement of the
automibile. Well, then you can get into a hot romance with a red (or
whatever color you like) bike or recumbent. They are simply cool as
well as more troublefree and cheaper. And they'll give you a nice
attention-getter physique wich is bound to end in a torrid affair
(unlike an SUV with tinted windows meant to hide a short fat man).

Anyway, whatever your reasons, don't tell you wife...


Cars: True Cost of Ownership

Gasoline is $3.11 per gallon in Port Townsend this week (unleaded
plus). Some feel this is expensive, but gas prices in the USA are cheap
compared to the rest of the world where upwards of $6 per gallon is
more the norm. If your car gets 20 mpg, you currently have to pay
$2300+ for a years (15K miles) worth of gas (per car) - such a deal.

http://ptslacker.blogspot.com/2006/0...ownership.html

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote

COMING OUT OF THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote1

BIKE FOR PEACE
http://webspawner.com/users/bikeforpeace

I think you are somewhat city-o-centric. Maybe you can "live" without
a car and have fun on a bike, but not everyone can. I can't. My city
is under 5,000 people with most of it on an Indian Reservation. We're
20 miles from almost anything. You may have fun on your bike, but in
my community there's no place that sells bikes, or tires, or tubes or
anything you would need. We could come up with the compressed air, but
that's about it.

I work out of my house. When I travel, sometimes the meetings are 350
miles away. Sort of tough on a bike -- esp. if you want to make it a
day trip. Oh, did I mention a nearly complete lack of public
transportation. Could take Trailways north and then go to the meeting.
I should get there sometime, I guess.

I am not arguing that most people don't need SUVs or such, but out
here, you pretty much need a car.

Glad to see a post in this group. It's been dead lately. But please
don't try to impose your view on others and tell us what we need when
you have no idea. You and I live in a different world.

One last example for you to think about. What if you went hunting and
got a deer. How would you bring it back to your house on a bike? 10
miles on dirt roads pulling a deer on your recumbant? It's be fun to
see.

Oh, did I mention snow storms. I can't imaging a bike on 6" of
unplowed snow on a packed snow base when it's -20F and windy. Those
car heaters sure come in handy then.