After nearly nine years of living car-free (with the help of our Co-operative Auto Network membership), we finally bit the bullet and bought a car! We are now the proud owners of a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid!
The obligatory cheesy shot as Dean accepts his first ever set of car keys
A brief history of my car ownership:
1995: I bought my first car, a 1991 Toyota Tercel that served me well through university.
2001: I became a member of CAN, Vancouver's car sharing network
2002: We said goodbye to the Tercel in favour of living car-free
2007: Sophie was born and we kept on living car-free
October 26, 2010: Hello Honda Civic!
Our car! (sorry, we picked it up at night, so the photos aren't great)
By daylight (photo credit: Pacific Honda)
I have to admit, as an environmentalist, I've been quite proud to go almost a decade car-free. I've expanded my walking radius, gotten to know the bus system extremely well, commuted by bike, and I've been a loyal CAN member. I even wrote about our car-free lifestyle for Blog Action Day 2009. So, it's a little humbling to have to say, "I'm a car owner." However, I'm proud to say I stood by my 2001 pledge to Honda written during the heady, idealistic days of my early twenties:
"I have pledged to never buy another solely gas powered car."
Why the need for a car, you ask? Let's see if you can figure it out...
Yes! We're expecting our second child in the spring! We're thrilled that Sophie is going to be a big sister. We have decided that the transition to a family of four necessitates the transition to a car-owning family. We'll still keep our CAN membership for those cases when we could use a van or a truck. Dean will still commute to work on his bike and we'll never give up transit, walking and cycling. But, frankly, this environmentalist stay-at-home-mom is pretty darn excited about the freedom that our new car promises! Any suggestions for our first road trip?
congratulations on your soon to be new baby!!!! my boyfriend and i are currently living car free in toronto. we have a zipcar membership (which we've yet to use) but we mostly walk and take the public transit. i'm going to try and hold off buying a car for as long as possible, but everyone tells me that when i have a baby i will want to have a car then. but i'm going to try and do what you did, wait until i have 2 kids, lol! i still have years of car free living to go though. congrats again, you must be so excited, for the new car and the new babe =)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on both the 10 car-free years (yay CAN!), and the new vehicle, Holly!
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo! Thanks for the ride home in your new wheels last night - it is a very sporty and spiffy car and awesome that it's hybrid! hooray!
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic news! Congratulations!!
ReplyDeleteWow...so exciting to see the new car...and to see your belly grow too! Wonderful to all be together yesterday and have fun with your wheels. Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteYes, the Latey Pumpkin Patch in Maple Ridge!!! I totally appreciate your dilemma - it's the same one that has kept us a one car family since we had 2 kids. Looks like you purchased the perfectly conscientious family vehicle. Yippee!
ReplyDeleteGreat car (I hope Sophie likes it?). For your first roadtrip, I suggest a lovely drive to scenic north Nanaimo, then on to Coombs and Parksville.
ReplyDeleteWell chosen, my friends! And I totally support the above comment :)
ReplyDeleteGood choice Holly! I admire how long you remained a no-car family! And congratulations on the new baby. I hope you are finding some time to work on a new baby quilt ...
ReplyDeleteWhen we got our car, we took a road trip to the Oregon Coast, around this time of year. It was beautiful and there are lots of quilt shops along the way ...
Congrautulations Holly! First car trip-I completely agree that Oregon is a great trip out.
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