Do I need a car when I first move to USA?
Cars, the impression you get from the American dream is you can’t live without them. To some degree you are right. The USA is a vast country and to get to certain cities you will most likely need it. But if you were like me and moved to a congested part of the city with good public transportation, this may not be necessary. Let’s explore in more details.
The benefits of having a car. They can be fun (first rule of paying for something) and they are very convenient (second rule). It instantly will allow you the freedom to go places to make your new life in USA easier and stress-free (if it functions fine). The majority of my colleagues once they established a good enough credit score to lease (note, not buy) and had enough for a down payment would get a Honda Civic, it was cheap and I think their seniors probably got some commission which they shared around. But apart from that, there really isn’t anything else (don’t get me wrong though, convenience in itself is enough of a reason, but the purpose of this is to weigh up the pros and cons of having a car.)
What about the cons? Well, they are expensive, if you don’t have enough of a down payment, you have to pay a lot on monthly charges and possibly interest if you take a loan. Petrol/gas can add up which is an additional expense when you are at a time of your life when saving is the best tactic. There is also the question of new vs old. I could never understand the numbers, and in the future it is something I will personally research and share with you all, but considering I was someone who liked to go in well prepared, I couldn’t help but feel a little vulnerable when buying a car in a new environment with no allies to help. Lastly, there is the upkeep. This is crucial, buying a car which a high upkeep is expensive, stressful and can be dangerous. This is where I would pay for the convenience of knowing it is safe and dependable.
Alternatives
So what are the alternatives to having a car?
- Uber/Lyft/Other ride sharing apps
- Walking
- Public transportation (usually buses, metro/subways, trains)
Uber/Lyft
Uber/Lyft are great options. They can really add up if you use them regularly, but they have expanded and innovated themselves to adjust to the demand of regular commuting. I won’t go into their specifics in this article but both offer monthly plans which can include discounts on rides, airport pick up perks, locked prices and more. They also have deals with airlines and other businesses that can make them all the more appealing. I will go in more details regarding the two and how you can make “penny pinch” as much back as possible.
Walking
I’m not kidding here, I lived 10 minutes from my work place when I moved to New Jersey. It was difficult when the weather was bad in winters and it was raining heavily but I persisted. Some colleagues would kindly give me a ride back from work if things were really bad, but rule number 3, pay for fairness, so I would treat them with a drink after a work etc. Be prepared to buy yourself good shoes for all conditions and expect to change them regularly if wearing formal shoes whilst walking.
Public Transportation
There are numerous options here. In New Jersey, if I wanted to travel to New York, I would take the NJ Transit, from there (though terribly inconvenient) I could get a Greyhound bus. Trenton and Metropark (two NJ Transit stations) both had Amtrak stations and Trenton also had the connecting SEPTA. Other cities have their own version of city transport routes for commuters, Philadelphia (SEPTA), Chicago (CTA), Baltimore (MTA), Cleveland (RTA), Boston (MBTA), New York (subway), Washington D.C (Metro) and the list goes on. I’ve taken all of these and they are very easy. However, note they are all big cities and generally better connected cities. In later articles I can give a more detailed layout as to how they all work and logistically how easy they are to use.
In the case of New Jersey (think of it as a big city), the NJ Transit was manageable, I used their app and had no problems. The staff were friendly and professional and the passengers as you would expect with any mix of people were generally friendly and helpful to me. The only drawback is the erratic timings (again convenience is at risk), stay safe and be aware of your surroundings. However, it must be said, this isn’t the 20th century where public transport generally in the East Coast could be cumbersome and unsafe at times.
For intercity travel, which I particularly enjoy as I usually work and with good preparation you can get very affordable trips, I use mainly Amtrak. Amtrak has an app and also has a rewards program. I have family members in Pennsylvania which conveniently has a lot of stops (the benefits of having a historic system in place) to my advantage. In fact Amtrak is a rewards system that I used even before coming to USA when I was doing interviews and I recommend signing up before your first trip.
The last method of transport are buses. These can be intracity buses which would really depend on your city and city guidance and intercity buses like Greyhound and Ourbus. Greyhound was another pre-move transport I relied on for interviews including an overnight bus to Cleveland from New York (not the most comfortable but for the price…convenience was not a factor!) and also between New York and Philadelphia. These buses have wifi and I understand that they now have an app which I will be using this Thanksgiving and watch this space for more!
Ourbus is a new company which I used to get from New Jersey to Washington D.C, it was very pleasant (wifi, comfortable and surprisingly empty) but this was at the beginning of their trajectory. I hear they are opening up routes, which I hope to test out soon.
I hope this gives you all some insight to alternatives to having a car in the early stages of your move to USA. Now of course these advisories are more for the younger crowd who may be more flexible and “penny pinching” with their money and their use of time. However, anyone with a passion for saving money and exploring alternatives can use these tips.
Till next time Penny Pinchers!