Today, Septemeber 22, is Car Free Day in many cities around the world, including nine in Japan. It asks citizens to refrain from driving in urban centers to consider what life might be like without the traffic and environmental impacts associated with cars. We recently moved to a place that’s extremely walkable, a rarity in Los Angeles. There’s a supermarket, dry cleaner, ramen restaurant, and (because California) dispensary all within minute’s stroll. I must say that on a day-to-day basis it’s convenient and enjoyable. Could I do without a car? Sometimes I fantasize about focusing my entire car obsession into Hot Wheels and Tamiya kits, but ultimately and I think I’d miss the real thing too much.
What would you do without a car?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW,”What’s the best Japanese car for a midlife crisis?“.
The typical midlife crisis-mobile is a shiny red convertible. As such, it should not come as a surprise that the most popular response was for the Mazda Miata. While Marcos and Chuck said that any generation would do, Jacob B specifically called out the ND while Land Ark wrote a beautiful paean to the ND Miata RF. Of course, Mazda didn’t make the only roadster. JJ said that either the Miata or S2000 would do, and speedie nominated the S2000 alone.
The 90s flagship sports cars got some love as well. dankan composed a very well-reasoned and argument why the Z32 300ZX is the quintessential midlife crisis car. For ra21benj it was the FD RX-7. daniel wants not just an NSX, but Aryton Senna’s own. Not content to pick just one, Lee L proposed all four.
Sporty Toyotas had their advocates. Franxou presented the A70 Supra for consideration. Random Rascal had a great story about how his dad ended up with a GR Yaris, while ynori has big plans for a GR Corolla.
Bryan Kitsune said it was anything that strikes a chord of nostalgia. For many of us, that means a car like Streetspirit‘s K-swapped EG Civic or crank_case‘s AW11 MR2.
This week’s winner was Datsuncrush, because what’s more midlife crisis than tormenting your spouse with an impractical purchase, then convincing them it should take priority over the family hauler?
I speak to you from experience here. Tell your family you need a low mileage 97 USDM 240SX because you want a fun, reliable, all-mechanical, RWD car that you can daily, and slap a bronze JNC sticker on the rear quarter window. Then explain to them how you quickly realized it’s too precious to put miles on it and watch it turn into an OEM+ resto-mod which necessitates KEEPING the minivan (or CR-V in our case) to daily, but now it lives outside so the s14 can stay garaged.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
Tucked away in a dusty corner of my shop is a red glitter painted helmet and a Honda Vision that’s in much need of singing its two stroke song to the world.
Without a car I’d finally finish that project.
I live in a smallish city in Ohio, so there is no way to get around without a privately owned motor vehicle, especially in winter. There are some things within walking distance, but the grocery certainly isn’t, and my place of employment, a vintage automobile museum and repair facility is three miles away. Not walkable at all. But the real crux of the matter is that I am an enthusiast, and I simply enjoy the art of driving. I have always had small, fun, cars, and have often used a sportscar as my daily transport. Currently a ’23 BRZ, and possibly will be adding an NA Miata to my one car stable soon.
Not drive? You must be joking.
I already live in a congested European capital and to be honest, even my “daily” car isn’t used daily. In many respects, it’s quite similar to how many Japanese people use their cars – in their leisure time, while commuting is done by train.
…As for what I’d turn to for fun if private car use was no longer possible. Maybe an electric motorcycle if those were allowed on the roads, and if not, then finding some way of using an electric trials or motocross bike offroad seems like good cheap clean fun.
There isn’t a big public transportation infrastructure in place at the small N. Florida town I live in. However, I only commute 10 miles to work each day. I was admiring a coworker’s Vespa when he parked next to me and I thought to myself, “Self, we could live with that” So yeah a scooter for sunny days and just bum a ride for when it rains or when I have to go grocery shopping.
For 30 years as an adult & 15 years as a kid, I never owned a car in Tokyo. Trains, subways & my trusty bike was the best, fastest & hassle-free way to get around.
I’ve got a few motorcycles, and some even run. I’m very much a fairweather rider though, so if it’s anything other than sunny 60+ degree weather I guess I’m not going anywhere
Hahahahahahahaaaa….
Oh wait, you’re serious.
Huh.
Cab, walk, or bike, I guess. Public transit doesn’t exist where I am.
there’s no such thing as Without A Car here down under in straya mate, where a near 1:1 driver to car ownership is not just culture but for many a necessity. it is very common to see daily commute distances that range from low dozens to above 100 klicks.
public transport is an afterthought funded by govman pocket change, and when you’re lucky enough to see one show up it’s probably already 2 hours late.
anyway, if i was without a car i’ll probably hail one of our trained taxi kangaroos and hop around in its pouch (not the best ride but not the worse).. ain’t needed to catch one in years and i guess those buggers could use the cash~
A cheap electric bicycle is a powerful vehicle to get around a city. No insurance cost, no licensing fee, no gas money since electricity is practicaly free and found on pretty much every wall around you. You want to do sports? Keep the assistance off and you have a bicycle with the difficulty set at Hi. Want to go somewhere without a sweat? Turn that motor on and motor on! It changes the good old bicycle from a sport to a vehicle. You can ride the streets, the alley-ways, against one-ways, on bike paths, through parking lots, through foresty bits and even on the sidewalk if you are a cad! Getting from A to B downtown often is faster on a bicycle than on a motorbike, let alone a car.
That’s a tough one. This question has crossed my mind many times, and it depends on how realistically I want to view this concept.
Public transportation services in our town are non-existent, save for some “dial-a-ride” shuttles for the senior citizens. Therefore I’m going to be on the bicycle. My current bike, an old 1994 Stumpjumper has been my trusty bike since college, and I’m currently riding it to the office. However, I’ll have to invest in a modern cargo e-bike to reliably and dependably make the weekly grocery haul. Our town is terrible with dedicated bike lanes that share with the roads, but has recently paved a few bike trails that bee lines to town center, where stores / shops exist.
As a Chinese American who still complains about lack of traditional ethnic food in our town, I’d probably need a motor scooter so that I could ride to the commuter rail station that’s next town over. That way I can ride into Boston’s South Station and head over to Chinatown for my leafy greens, roast pork, pineapple buns, or to-go rice boxes.
All this would theoretically work for me, but what about my family? Are we all going to hop into those amusement park 4-passenger quadracycles? Of course not. Boston and Cambridge are very walkable / bikeable cities, but once you head out of town it becomes exponentially inefficient if one does not have a car. Years back I had thought about relocating to Hong Kong, with a lot of appreciation for their efficient public transportation. Even with the bus stop right down the street, I had imagined that we’d own a car for family use. Therefore if I was without a car, I’d eventually go crazy!
Anyone that thinks that motorized bicycles won’t be taxed and licensed as motor vehicles in the future is delusional. Oh, they are subject to the same “rules of the road” as cars and motorcycles and should be ticketed for doing stupid nonsense like ignoring traffic signs, etc.
And don’t get me started on those bloody stand up electric scooters. Clueless college kids running down the middle of a 45mph posted road, blocking traffic flow, sight seeing, and paying zero attention to other vehicles around them, lost in their ear buds and cell phones. I see it all the time.
I completely agree with you, it is a wild free world right now, those will eventually be taxed and law enforcement will surely start to enforce the rules, but as of right now, in a car-less city, an elec bike is unbeatable!
What would I do without a car? Exactly! I would probably be poor and broke, as I wouldn’t have been able to work any of the jobs I’ve had over more than a quarter-century, instead relying on something local while hoping to keep a roof over my head.
I’d save up all that money I’d normally spend on fuel and car parts, and buy a car.
I dunno, but I wouldn’t have spent all of last Saturday replacing the radiator in my GTO and the following day scouring 2 junkyards for parts for my Legacy wagon.
My guess, life for me would be more like it is during the coldest weeks of winter where I just stay inside trying to figure something out to do.
I hate winter.