It was so painful watching my car of 14 years get hauled away last July. We had been through so much together. 2 marriages, 40 US states, too many cross country road trips to count, and even a few excursions to Canada and Niagara Falls. I got tremendous value for my Ellie the (Honda) Element. An original 2003 model, bought for $8K cash in 2009 with 40K miles, two days after purchase I packed it up with our stuff in Manhattan and drove it down to Austin, TX. I spent 10 amazing years in Austin, then Denver, then Phoenix, before returning home to NYC.

I can't even bring myself to think about another car. Luckily, since I'm in a major metropolis with extensive public transport, a car is not needed -- it is a luxury. In fact, if I had a proper place to keep my car, I likely would not have ever sold it. But the sad truth is that there was nowhere to keep it and I wasn't paying for the mandatory monthly insurance because I had no need to drive it much at all. While there are some days that I wish I still had the utility of a car of my own, it is a moot point since I cannot legally drive in New York state (too many tickets). For now, I will wait for an electric car maybe when I leave NYC, but in the short term it is just a subway card for me!

Very thankful to both of my ex wives and our lwayer-free divorces that I got to keep the car without any hassle or remuneration on their part. I even spend the better part of 2 years in btwn Denver and Pheonix living out of Ellie the Element as a camper van. I miss those minimalist free-wheeling days. Such a fun time of my life!