The car is convenient for shopping and schlepping things and trips out of town. Otherwise, we don’t need it. I ride my bike to work. I could shop on bike. There’s public transportation all over the place.
My wife uses the car more now that she’s not working. She gives the kids rides to school and she does all kinds of shopping trips she didn’t do when she worked. She likes the car. But it wouldn’t be that much trouble to be without it.
Also, we have PhillyCarShare and ZipCar so it is easy to rent a car by the hour for grocery trips and whatnot. We would probably save a lot of money if we got rid of our car. But it is convenient and we can afford it. Making all those rental arrangements might not be that onerous, but it is a pain compared to having the car at your disposal whenever you want it.
But if I lived on my own, I would probably have a car, but I would use it as little as possible. I like the idea of being a bike commuter and shopper. It’s good for my health. It’s good for the planet. I like it more, aesthetically, too. The Tour de France is coming soon!