You know what? Living in Brooklyn was the balls. There was a ton of cool stuff around, and you could walk to all of it. Plus you could walk to the subway, and from there, you could walk to all sorts of other cool stuff.
In the suburbs, up in Westchester, no matter where you go, the first stop is your car. Out the door, to the car.
And so your car becomes like a weird extension of your body, kind of how I imagine a turtle feels about its shell. And you start keeping stuff in the car that you know you’re going to need when you’re outside of your home, because anytime you’re outside of your home you’re going to have your car. That’s suburban living.
Some parts of it are good. With my car, I can get to Taco Bell and 7-11, and they don’t have those things in Brooklyn. Those places are awesome because they have Volcano Tacos and Slurpees. I missed them so. Plus, like I said, I can use my car for storage, so I don’t have to carry around a backpack or a manbag or anything like that.
But a car is also a giant, resource-sucking pain in the ass, especially when things start going wrong. Matt Cerrone pointed out to me not too long ago that a car is basically the only major investment we ever make that starts losing value as soon as we buy it, but at least the first couple of years are fun.
My current car is pretty clearly hitting the breaking point at which all the little minor repairs required for its upkeep start adding up to more than the value of the car itself, and at some time soon it will no longer be worth spending any more money on.
I realize I should probably suck it up and invest in a new or newer car, but I, like the Mets, tend to hang on to my things for too long, trying to coax every last bit of value out of it before I move on. So I’m driving around in the Luis Castillo of automobiles, thinking, “oh, but it got me to DC and back just fine a month ago, it’s got to be good for at least another road trip, even if all the red flags are there.”
Is cash for clunkers still going on? Did I just miss that? Crap. If anyone has any suggestions for a good, inexpensive car, I’m all ears. I’m still trying to figure out how to make a Segway work for Westchester, but those things are unreasonably expensive, even if they’re also completely hilarious.
Tedquarters 
“One, eight, seven, seven . . . “
I don’t, but I do have some good advice for you:
Move back to Brooklyn. It’s awesome. :-D
I think Matt Cerrone’s (and alot of other people’s) mistake is looking at a car as an ‘investment’. Per Wikipedia, “Investment is the dedication of resources or assets to creating financial benefits in the form of income or profit in the future.”
This does not describe a car. They are not an investment, they are like you pointed out, an expense, nothing more.
Yeah, that sounds right. Stupid expenses. I have too many of them, and not enough free cars.
How inexpensive are you talking? My mother drives a Nissan altima. Good car, not all that pricey.
An Altima’s probably along the lines of what I’ll end up going for. I’m going to squeeze this one dry first though. It’s what I do. The mechanic basically said it won’t pass its next inspection, so I figure I have up until then to figure it out.
Brooklyn is awesome, but I still drive any chance I get.
Best car I ever had: Toyota Yaris (old model). Incredible storage space for a hatchback (went on tour in my band in one with all our gear), great fuel economy (50+ mpg) and lots of headroom.
Inaccurate! There is a Taco Bell on McGuinness in Greenpoint (and a White Castle on Metropolitan in East Williamsburg) for awful food needs. There is also a 7-11 in Long Island City. Why would you leave Brooklyn for Westchester?? Crazy talk.
White Castle was readily accessible from both of my necks of Brooklyn (Prospect Heights then Fort Greene). It is heartily missed in Westchester. Greenpoint — and thus, Taco Bell — was not. Actually, Greenpoint is not readily accessible from anywhere. It’s a shame because it’s a nice neighborhood with lots of really good, inexpensive dining options. Too bad it’s absolutely impossible to get to without taking the G Train.
My wife is in med school in Westchester, hence the move. She misses Brooklyn, too.
Drew Carey.
Matt Cerrone pointed out to me not too long ago that a car is basically the only major investment we ever make that starts losing value as soon as we buy it, but at least the first couple of years are fun.
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Forgot about marriage ;)
You should have moved to Queens and had the suburban/NYC hybrid experience. I lived in Astoria for six years and loved it. We had a Prius and still do.
Now I’m in NJ and want to kill myself but that’s immaterial to our current subject.
I recently looked at a few of the Ford’s and liked them a lot, especially the Edge and the Fusion particularly the hybrid version.
I hate cars. You get loans and finance something that devalues 10% as soon as you drive it off the lot. It’s a scam.