Sharing cars - what a concept!

Earlier this summer, when I realized that my car was up for its annual inspection, I thought "No problem - it passed last year." I soon found out, however, that my little reliable '91 Nissan (which only had 60,000 miles on it when I purchased it, oh, 5 years ago) was worse off than I imagined. The repairs to make it roadworthy - that is, safe to drive again- would cost more than the value of the car (or at least more than I payed for it). And this is good information coming from Fred's Mt. Airy Motors, once a recipient (though not this year) of the Best of Philly Honest Mechanics award. So - I took the news, parked my car out of the way, and went on vacation.
Though my dad would say something like "The car you own is the cheapest car you can have"....(i.e. no monthly payments) - owning this car wasn't that cheap. Insurance in Pennsylvania is pretty expensive, and the need for repairs can pop up at the least convenient time financially. So, I decided to join PhillyCarShare a non-profit organization with a vision of a Philadlephia region in which the convenience, affordability and flexibility of car sharing exceeds that of owning a car. They want to make the city more about people and less about cars.
For a girl from Michigan, once the car capital of the country - maybe the world, this is a big leap! But I think this organization is the only catalyst capable of ripping from my clenching midwestern fists the addictive, though perhaps false, "freedom" of car ownership. I'm ready to embrace my urban lifestyle and commit to public transportation...at least for one year.

Based on the growing number of users and "pods," or phillycarshare parking spaces, I'd say their mission:

To maximize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of reduced automobile dependence in the Philadelphia
region through community-based car sharing.

is well on its way to becoming reality. That makes me feel like maybe I can do this for more than just one year. I just have to get into a new routine and step away from car gluttony.

Now, I'll be honest here. Julius, my fiancee, still has the Buick, so a lot of times I'll just galavant around the city with him. We had gotten into the habit of using his car with its superior sound system and working air conditioning when we go out, anyway. But our place is a distance from both of our places of work and he has tougher hours, so my commute is now going to involve a web of carpooling with coworkers, SEPTA regional rail, buses, my bike, and Phillycarshare. At any rate, public transportation, now including Phillycarshare, is just one of the things I love about Philadelphia. I'll let you know how it goes!