i think i'm going to give up my car.

someone broken the passenger-side window on my car last night. for no reason. they didn't steal anything -- there wasn't anything to steal! they just broke the window. now i have to spend $500 (that's my deductible) to get it fixed.

i never use my car. well, maybe once a week. but that's an awfully expensive piece of metal for once-a-week use. i ride the bus or walk everywhere these days. a lack of that god-awful hour commute has left me with no need to drive.

so i think i'm going to sell my car. i can probably get $10-12,000 for it. plus, i can do away with $150 a month for insurance. (not to mention the cost of servicing the beast.) i could put a bunch of money into savings, of which i have practically none right now, and figure out another way to fulfill my needs that once a week.

one option is City Car Share.

basically, you plop down a fully refundable $300 damage deposit, pay $10 a month, and you can reserve nice, clean cars for any length of time. you pay $4/hour to use them but gas is free as is both liability and comprehensive insurance. the cars are mostly fairly new Volkswagens, and there's a pick-up spot two blocks from my house.

i'm going to ask some people who use it now and see if they like it. so far, though, i'm feeling pretty keen on the idea.

i'd miss my car a little -- i've spent more time with it in the past few years than any living creature. but i like the idea of the extra money, the freedom from responsibility, and the environmental nature of it all. oh, and not having to worry about street cleaning twice a week. that, too.