P.G. Smith Author

I just had a touching conversation with my sister, who is going through a terrible time in her life that is common for a lot of older people. Her husband of 42 years, after a long illness, passed away leaving her with nothing but a pile of bills she has no way to pay. One big item, and no doubt the first thing to go, will be their very nice but expensive car–a lease car, at that. We (her concerned and trying to be helpful) relatives advised her to let it go.

Just stop paying for it, we said. It’s a money pit. After a couple of months, they will come and get it, but they won’t do anything to you. You don’t have anything to take. Plus, the car is in perfect condition with miniscule mileage. It’s actually a great deal for them. They have all your money and the car. They probably do it all the time. And then we can help you get a much cheaper, reliable car without payments.

Yesterday, when we chatted on the phone, she remarked that she was afraid that they would come and take it away soon. It had been two months; they had called several times. She said she had mentioned her predicament to a neighbor, and he had told her that she could borrow his car whenever she wanted. He hardly ever used it, he said. Of course, she appreciated that, and it gave us more time to find her another car, but she didn’t want to take advantage of him if she didn’t have to.

Later, I started thinking about our conversation. Of course, we all assumed that she had to have a car, but I started wondering why she needed one. She lives in a very self-contained retirement community. Any recreation anyone could want is there: golf, swimming, any craft you can think of, clubs of all sorts, exercise gym, yoga classes, water aerobics, a small library, a restaurant, church services. In fact, the only things she ever actually uses her car for are groceries and prescriptions. But it struck me that now-a-days you can have those delivered. My granddaughter used to do that as a part time job at Kroger. They will shop for you and bring it to your door.

Furthermore, the retirement community has little busses to take people to the grocery store, or Walmart, or to doctor appointments. So, why does anyone need a car in that place? Yet, we all assume that they do, and almost all of them do have one, which, no doubt, sits in their carport most of the time. Her neighbor was not lying in order to be helpful and kind. He probably, in fact, rarely uses his car. So why do we assume that everyone absolutely must have one? Even in a self-contained place like that retirement community?

It’s an attitude, an unexamined assumption, a quintessential world view in America (the premiere car culture) that is expensive, wasteful, and extremely profitable for certain sectors. America is organized around the car. Suburbs, malls, and workplaces make it almost impossible for working people in most of the country to live without one. So, of course, we assume that everyone must have one, and that’s ok.

The problem is that we also assume that if someone doesn’t have one it is because they can’t. They are financially or physically disabled. Either they can’t afford it or they can’t drive it. They are deficient. They are lesser persons. THAT is the attitude we need to get rid of. Especially for retired people in self-contained retirement communities or cities, where in fact, they don’t need it.

We don’t disparage people for retiring. It’s a reward. We work our whole lives and at some point, we get to retire. It’s an accomplishment. An achievement. We don’t have to work anymore. We are free from the obligation to work. Retirement represents freedom.

Why couldn’t we think of car ownership that way? When you retire you become free from the obligation of car ownership. Granted, for many people a car is a status-symbol or a hobby, and that’s fine if they can afford it. But for many people a car is just an expensive, worrisome burden that was necessary to get back and forth to work. Retired people should be relieved of that burden; especially those living on a small, fixed income.

So, we should congratulate them if they manage to overcome the need of a car. Good for you! No more gas, maintenance, car payments, and insurance worries. What a smart move! Now you can spend your money on something a lot more enjoyable than a car that sits in your garage 90 percent of the time.

We all have a lot of unexamined assumptions that are not always helpful or even sensible. Some assumptions need to be reexamined and modified. The universal necessity (or desirability) of car ownership is one of them. Not everyone needs a car.