So, it has been a while since we stopped owning a car. I really don't miss it, except on Fridays, when I am accustomed to doing all my errands. I also have an evening commitment on that day. What I have been doing is renting a car. There is a service called Zip Car here in town where I could rent a car by the hour. They are parked all over the city and if you are a member, you can just reserve one, pick it up, then return it where you found it. The only problem is that if you use a Zip Car for more than about five hours, renting a car from somewhere like Budget for the whole day is actually cheaper.
But what we have discovered since dropping our auto insurance is that coverage when one rents a car is actually very tricky (insurance is included with Zip Car, though there is a deductible). Most credit cards provide some coverage, but when we looked a little more deeply into this, it turns out that most of them, including ours, cover only the rental car itself, not the other car or any persons in it and not the persons or property in the rental car. The rental company offers supplemental insurance, but this only covers the other car and its property and costs $11 a day. Though this doesn't sound like all that much, it really adds up over time. It was beginning to look like car payments and maintenance and such might actually be cheaper.
Yesterday I came to something of a crisis about all this. I don't want to own another car. I don't want to spend all this money. I don't want to add to the carbon emissions in our atmosphere. But if I am spending money and using gas and all of that as if I still own a car; which is to say, if I don't actually change any of my behaviors to match up with the idea of being a person who doesn't own one, what has actually changed? Not my carbon footprint. Not the financial obligation.
Another wrinkle: a good friend has offered me the use of her car as needed. She doesn't use it much and would rather it be driven. This is, I am convinced, a genuine offer from her heart. So why have I been so reluctant to take her up on it? I know, of course, what it is. I want to be in control of the situation, of my own life. I don't want to be dependent on anyone else to get me where I want to go to do what I want to do when I want to do it. Which begs a couple of questions, actually.
First of all, what part of interdependence and dependent origination do I not understand? The Buddha was very clear that all these assumptions of my clearly demarcated and entirely separate self are poppycock and a major source of my suffering. Second, a wise teacher of mine once pointed out that one of the primary attributes of a generous person is allowing others to be generous to him. Am I robbing my friend of the opportunity to be generous through the selfishness of my inability to tolerate feeling obligated?
So...I have a new plan. I will borrow my friend's car, when it works for me to do so, about every other Friday. When I cannot borrow hers, I will get a Zip Car for just a couple of hours to do essential stuff. On the alternate Friday I will do any shopping I need to do on foot. If I have a special need for a car on those alternate weeks, I will ask to borrow hers or get a Zip Car. I will take a bus to my evening commitment and ask for a ride or take the bus home (another opportunity to ask for help, something at which I suck). It will take some organizing to do a major shopping trip every two weeks rather than a less major trip every week, but these are merely logistics and can be worked out. Not only does this give my friend the chance to be generous, it decreases by half the number of trips I will make in any car. Not to mention the fact that it saves me lots of money in rental fees and keep me healthier. I am writing about it here not only because it is part of my spiritual development (that's how it feels, anyway), but because putting it out there gives me a sense of accountability for these choices. I will keep you posted, whether you like it or not.
But what we have discovered since dropping our auto insurance is that coverage when one rents a car is actually very tricky (insurance is included with Zip Car, though there is a deductible). Most credit cards provide some coverage, but when we looked a little more deeply into this, it turns out that most of them, including ours, cover only the rental car itself, not the other car or any persons in it and not the persons or property in the rental car. The rental company offers supplemental insurance, but this only covers the other car and its property and costs $11 a day. Though this doesn't sound like all that much, it really adds up over time. It was beginning to look like car payments and maintenance and such might actually be cheaper.
Yesterday I came to something of a crisis about all this. I don't want to own another car. I don't want to spend all this money. I don't want to add to the carbon emissions in our atmosphere. But if I am spending money and using gas and all of that as if I still own a car; which is to say, if I don't actually change any of my behaviors to match up with the idea of being a person who doesn't own one, what has actually changed? Not my carbon footprint. Not the financial obligation.
Another wrinkle: a good friend has offered me the use of her car as needed. She doesn't use it much and would rather it be driven. This is, I am convinced, a genuine offer from her heart. So why have I been so reluctant to take her up on it? I know, of course, what it is. I want to be in control of the situation, of my own life. I don't want to be dependent on anyone else to get me where I want to go to do what I want to do when I want to do it. Which begs a couple of questions, actually.
First of all, what part of interdependence and dependent origination do I not understand? The Buddha was very clear that all these assumptions of my clearly demarcated and entirely separate self are poppycock and a major source of my suffering. Second, a wise teacher of mine once pointed out that one of the primary attributes of a generous person is allowing others to be generous to him. Am I robbing my friend of the opportunity to be generous through the selfishness of my inability to tolerate feeling obligated?
So...I have a new plan. I will borrow my friend's car, when it works for me to do so, about every other Friday. When I cannot borrow hers, I will get a Zip Car for just a couple of hours to do essential stuff. On the alternate Friday I will do any shopping I need to do on foot. If I have a special need for a car on those alternate weeks, I will ask to borrow hers or get a Zip Car. I will take a bus to my evening commitment and ask for a ride or take the bus home (another opportunity to ask for help, something at which I suck). It will take some organizing to do a major shopping trip every two weeks rather than a less major trip every week, but these are merely logistics and can be worked out. Not only does this give my friend the chance to be generous, it decreases by half the number of trips I will make in any car. Not to mention the fact that it saves me lots of money in rental fees and keep me healthier. I am writing about it here not only because it is part of my spiritual development (that's how it feels, anyway), but because putting it out there gives me a sense of accountability for these choices. I will keep you posted, whether you like it or not.
Hmm... I disagree with you (slightly) on the cost of a rental, versus a car sharing plan (such as Zipcar).
ReplyDeleteDuring the week that Flexcar became Zipcar, and neither existed, we needed a van to pick up a dishwasher in Kent. We rented one for an afternoon from a national chain. After we payed for the hourly rate, plus the mileage, plus the cost of topping off the gas tank, we spent close to $90. Add to that the cost of our labor - having to drive from Capitol Hill to Interbay to pick up the van, filling out the rental agreement, listening to our options and obligations, and having the van inspected for damage when we returned it. A Zipcar van reservation would have been about $50 and a four block walk.
As to your plan, isn't it interesting how a car sharing plan causes people to plans their trips more efficiently?
Mmmm...your experience is pretty specific and probably not a good general example. The rental place is about the same distance away from me as the nearest Zip Car, for one thing, and both within walking distance. I figured all of what you listed into my calculations and I would still contend that Zip Car is only good up to and including five hours or so; after that, renting is cheaper.
DeleteThere are start ups working on Peer to Peer car sharing. (http://www.getaround.com/) One statistic that kind of blew me away (but makes total sense if you think about it) is that the average car is parked 90-95% of the time. Your friend's generosity, is a wonderful way to share resources and put her car to more productive use. There are also statistics showing the current generation of teens being less enthused about driving. I can imagine a future where more cars will be shared ... interconnected indeed! And you Reid, will be on the cutting edge :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this information. The information was very helpful and saved a lot of my time.
ReplyDelete