I Really Hate Owning a Car

I hate cars. 

I hate driving cars... it is boring beyond belief. I have always (even in my early 20s) found myself constantly fighting to keep myself awake because it is so unbelievably boring. As a result, I've always preferred having a driver. Driving a car is just a boring, mundane, menial task that I prefer to avoid.

I even hate today's car models! They all look the same... either a boring box or a boring wedge or they look like a giant funky sneaker. Even the limited edition runs of classic car models have been morphed toward today's styles of boxes, wedges or sneakers.

I hate maintaining cars. When I was younger... as a teenager and in my twenties... I worked on cars, repaired cars, rebuilt cars, even occasionally lent a hand in a racing pit crew. I had aspirations of someday building a replica of an antique car or truck. I don't have the energy nor desire to do any of this today. It is just a drain on my energy and my finances. And besides, I don't even enjoy cars anymore... although, I do appreciate a beautifully restored antique... whether it be a car, a boat, or an aircraft.

I hate the liabilities of driving a car in today's world of ambulance chasers, abysmal drivers, careless drivers, negligent drivers, lawless drivers and childish road rage. It simply is not worth the bother.

I hate car insurance. I hate finding gas stations... pumping gas... waiting for gas fill-ups... crowded gas stations... I hate dealing with the little things always needing replacing like wiper blades, air filters, fuel filters, tires, light bulbs, even windshields and hoping everything else inside the car keeps working. And don't get me started on the joys of cleaning and waxing.

I have the knowledge and experience to maintain cars... I simply do not want nor do I feel they are worth the expenditure in energy and money.

So... to sum up if you haven't gotten the message yet... I.. hate... cars.

My old Honda Accord is about at the end of its life. It hardly has any miles on it (because, as I mentioned above, I hate driving... just in case you missed that) but it is rotting away. It has been sitting in our driveway for most of the past year only being used occasionally, at best, when we need to lug some dirty construction materials or boats or if I need to run a quick errand or head to the doctor. 

Just this morning, I had to face that extremely unpleasant dilemma of how much money in repair costs is an old car worth? Although, we are talking about a figure in the thousands this time around, I could barely buy an old beater of a car for thousands and that old beater would require even more spending on repairs. Spending thousands on a solid car with low miles and one which I already own was the wiser option to choose at this moment in time.

My car has been laid up for a couple of months. This morning I got the news that this old, reliable Honda Accord will cost a significant sum of money this time around and it won't be ready for another couple of weeks.

Thankfully, I have an exceptionally honest and exceptionally qualified mechanic!

I really do hate cars though. Trains, on the other hand...