Do I need a car if I live in downtown San Diego?

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by Clevelandgal

I OFTEN think about getting rid of our car, but it is costing us so little- Paid for and insurance is so cheap now.

Clevelandgal,

This is one part that I was pleasantly surprised about here in California that insurance is less expensive than many areas. Especially if you have a clean driving record. I bought an expensive Audi SUV and I assumed insurance would be expensive. We are paying $100 a month with a low deductible policy and they didn't charge anything extra when I added on my wife to the policy. This was a pleasant surprise.

Gas here is very expensive. I bought a Diesel car and the gas mileage is better but I regret it as Diesel here is expensive and there aren't as many gas stations that have it.

But you're right if you have a car paid off, besides fuel, you can get by without spending much.

I can't imagine not having a car here. I don't live downtown but even if I did, I'd want the ability to go anywhere I wanted and with kids it would be impossible not having a car.

But one thing people would be surprised about is the affordable insurance here.