Do You Really Need a Car in Melbourne?

Oztx on 04/11/2025 - 10:56

I have been going back and fourth with my SO on whether to get a car or not. It just doesnt seem to make sense to get one in our situation even if we can afford one financially.

  • No kids, so no school/kids activities
  • Work is a 25 mins bus ride away and I dont have to deal with traffic/parking which is a bliss.
  • Shopping centre 10 mins bus ride away/25 mins walk
  • Groceries deliver from Coles/Woolies/Uber

Weekends are the toughest without a car I think, we need to get metro if we want to go anywhere "fun" which takes about ~40-50 mins each way. We can use Uber/Didi to cut that time in half, but it gets a bit expensive if we do.

Whenever we have long off time (2-3 weeks), we rent an SUV for couple of weeks and drive everyday and explore new places, which is fun, but also costs us around $1k each time (usually this happens once a year).

All in all, I still dont see the point of getting a car to be used regularly, anyone is in the same situation and debating on whether to get a car or not? leaning one way or another?

Poll Options Mon, 01/12/2025 - 00:00

  • 193
    You good, stay car-less
  • 75
    Freedom of (fast) movement is 🔥, get a car
Automotive

Comments

Search through all the comments in this post.
  • MS Paint on 04/11/2025 - 11:01
    +21

    Sounds like you have great convo's with the missus.

    • Far Cough on 04/11/2025 - 13:05
      +1

      Yeah my Mrs and I talk about what cool cars we could own and drive.

      • MS Paint on 04/11/2025 - 13:07
        +9

        My Mrs tells me how many times she used launch control on her way home and what speed she could carry through X roundabout.

      • Gunnar on 04/11/2025 - 14:51
        +1

        We have two cars with plans to get a third (one car gets used on weekends, the other a handful of times a year). My missus doesn't drive

    • Dr Phil on 05/11/2025 - 07:53
      -2

      Yeah I cant believe OP is asking us about his personal situation

      And its nothing to do with us.

      Seems OP is bored and looking for something to talk about with someone.

      • smartazz104 on 05/11/2025 - 10:09
        +1

        Almost as boring as talking about inflation…

        • buckster on 05/11/2025 - 19:41
          +2

          And Arab banks lol

  • Hybroid on 04/11/2025 - 11:04
    +41

    I couldn't imagine not having the flexbility of jumping into my car and going whereever I want, whenever I want, without having to pre-plan vehicle access or make considerations on how to get there or get stuff or people back.

    But I can completely see others that can survive fine without it. It's a very subjective personal thing.

    • Yttrium on 07/11/2025 - 11:44

      I'll pay you $25,000 upfront and then $8000 per year if you go car-free

      • Hybroid on 07/11/2025 - 13:23
        +3

        Genuinely no thank you.

  • JimmyF on 04/11/2025 - 11:06
    +40

    but also costs us around $1k each time (usually this happens once a year).

    You'll spend more than $1k a year on insurance, plus rego, runnings costs and a service. Honestly closer to $2-3k just to own the car before repayments if you get a loan.

    So if you can get by without owning a depreciating asset like a car, then carry on renting and ubering etc.

    • Oztx on 04/11/2025 - 11:28
      +11

      Yeah spot on, did that math a while back. I think from a pure financial sense, it doesnt make sense to get a car in my situation, it just costs more that it saves, I was just going back and fourth about it from convenience perspective which tbh, now that I am thinking loud about it, doesnt seem to make much sense either (traffic, parking, energy and time spent on maintenance, accident risk, … etc) all that just to have faster travel times and on-demand movement, which are nice perks but eh not worth it in my case imo.

      • Binchicken22 on 06/11/2025 - 21:23
        +1

        The freedom is absolutely worth it imo, you are basically limiting yourself to a small section of the planet by not having a vehicle.

        Just because you have one doesn't mean you have to use it to drive to work, if bus/train is more convenient then go for it.

        Buy a $5000 hyundai or something, put 3rd party insurance on it ($400-500 a year) and rego ($800-1000~ a year) and you'll have freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want, get into new hobbies that wouldn't be reasonably possible without your own transport, the list goes on, plus you'll be saving money on car rental/uber fees so you'll probably be around cost neutral on a yearly basis from what you've said here.

        Seems a no brainer to me.

    • smartazz104 on 05/11/2025 - 10:09
      +2

      Plus there's nothing faster than a rental car.

      • JimmyF on 05/11/2025 - 17:41
        +2

        Plus there's nothing faster than a rental car.

        or car with P plates…..

  • Murkymerv on 04/11/2025 - 11:15

    I'd say yes although my daughters a public transport junkie , still living at 3064 certainly requires a car in my opinion 💯

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 04/11/2025 - 11:19
    +7

    if the public transport system works for you then great - but its still a shitshow here in brisbane even with 50c fares. I couldnt imagine going car-less.

    go anywhere "fun" which takes about ~40-50 mins each way

    That seems pretty quick if not going in private car..every time ive gone to melbourne to get to anywhere was always like..at least a 40 min adventure if not more. And forget it if you want to go anywhere scenic from cbd.

    • Poor Ass on 05/11/2025 - 21:26

      Enjoy the weekend protests

  • Fredfloresjr on 04/11/2025 - 11:20
    +9

    Just can't imagine the quality of my life using public transport daily. NAH. Just my opinion.

  • tellhimhesdreaming on 04/11/2025 - 11:21
    +16

    Is there a flexicar, goget, etc near you? Try one of those services for a bit, pay what it costs and see if by 'having' a car you use a car more on weekends/impromptu etc.

    Still has some friction because you have to book and maybe it's not available etc but it's an easy way to trial the habit change

    • Oztx on 04/11/2025 - 11:53

      What are those? are they better than "normal" rental car companies like Hertz? I usually can get a compact SUV for ~$50 AUD per day without their optional scamy insurance (I get insurance from another place).

      • tellhimhesdreaming on 04/11/2025 - 12:36
        +11

        It's car share, way more flexible than daily hire and the cars are parked in suburban areas so you can just book it, walk up, and swipe yourself in and drive off. Recommend checking them out as an interim

      • bluemyself on 04/11/2025 - 13:38

        There's also Kinto. I've used them a few times and no complaints. A benefit over goget is that you don't need a membership.

      • Zephyrus on 05/11/2025 - 10:35

        I've only used goget, but it's not quite as cheap as what you're saying, but you can rent per hour and it includes fuel and insurance (default insurance isn't too bad).
        Also booking is pretty easy, just can use the app and walk up to the car when you need it and it's probably near by if you're in an inner city suburb.
        https://www.goget.com.au/map has the prices as well.

    • Randxyz123 on 05/11/2025 - 11:41

      Have a look at Turo as well. Basically AirBnB for cars. They have gotten a bit of hate from some people as cars arrive with tyres torn up to shit but you just gotta do a video walk around.

      The other negative review I read about it was someone who broke down and their recovery and support service wasn't the best. Remember you are dealing with someone else's car here not a corporate rental company.

      However for weekend getaways it could be a decent option to look at. It might be also worth looking into whether you can get any deals with the corporate giants for just signing up to RACV etc. Sometimes your health insurance will also have deals. It might just be 5% off but that x multiple long weekends might be a bit of a nice saving.

  • Stealtho on 04/11/2025 - 11:30
    +5

    Shame our cities and major towns are not bike friendly.

    • JIMB0 on 04/11/2025 - 12:13
      +1

      No rego and no insurance is great. Plus you can dodge traffic lights by using the footpath.

      • Stealtho on 04/11/2025 - 13:55
        +1

        My son/wife and 18 month old live in Copenhagen, he hasn't owned a car since moving there 5 years ago, bikes to work, daycare, shopping etc, if they go out of the city there is rental cars on the Streets you can book with a App.
        Only problem when we go there everything is on wrong side of road, get's confusing lol

        • MS Paint on 04/11/2025 - 14:22
          +12

          To clarify your son moved to Copenhagen with your wife and they have an 18 month old child together?

          • Stealtho on 04/11/2025 - 14:38
            +1

            @MS Paint: ffs

          • tenpercent on 04/11/2025 - 20:00
            +7

            @MS Paint: I thought they were saying their wife who is also their son, hence "son/wife".

            • try2bhelpful on 04/11/2025 - 20:05
              +4

              @tenpercent: In the 1980s a bunch of us were nearing the end of our degrees and applying for jobs. One of the guys thought spouse meant father. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the various companies he applied to were reading his resume.

      • Euphemistic on 04/11/2025 - 16:19
        +1

        And get road rage from knuckle heads that think you are holding them up despite the red light and actually being behind the same car from about 1km ago.

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 05/11/2025 - 22:35

      Depends. You can ride from Ringwood to Mordialloc without ever hitting a traffic night or other cars until Cheltenham road, and even then the next couple of crossings are safe.

  • samyall on 04/11/2025 - 11:33
    +3

    Step 1: Find a car you would be happy with and cost out ownership cost per month including purchase price divided by expected lifetime.
    Step 2: Get a goget account.
    Step 3: Live your life for 6 months, taking Ubers or GoGet whenever you could drive.
    Step 4: If cost of Ubers + GoGet > car, buy car.

  • pegaxs on 04/11/2025 - 11:34
    +8

    The best part of not owning is the no rego, no insurance, no parking, no infringements, no fuel, no servicing, no depreciation, no shopping trolley dings… The list goes on… And if you "need" a car, you can just hire one to fit into the time you need it and hand it back at the end of the day.

    The best part of owning is "i CaN dRiVe iT wHenEvEr i wAnT!!1!"

    • Fredfloresjr on 04/11/2025 - 11:38
      -4

      I'd rather cop all that in the list rather than use PUBLIC transport especially at the most PEACEFUL state.

      • CrispyChrispy on 04/11/2025 - 12:46
        +15

        When did you last use public transport?

    • Windows7forever on 05/11/2025 - 22:01

      So true

    • Binchicken22 on 06/11/2025 - 21:27

      Yeah not gunna lie, being able to go where ever you want, whenever you want/need is a pretty big plus for most adults…

  • DingoBilly on 04/11/2025 - 11:35
    +1

    It's completely reasonable.

    People with cars get blinders on and can't see any other way, but in many ways careless is ideal.
    - You save at least $2000 or so a year on car costs
    - Don't get stuck in traffic and deal with frustrating shit like parking
    - If you cycle/walk, you get a lot more health benefits than sitting in a car

    A car is only really useful if you plan on regularly travelling far away. Sounds like it's completely unnecessary for you.

  • freefall101 on 04/11/2025 - 11:37
    +1

    I lived without a car in Melbourne for 8-9 years, wasn’t a problem. I used goget half a dozen times a year, lots of Ubers, it was still cheaper.

    Keep track of what you spend on uber (including uber eats), rentals and such. Budget what a car would cost. Factor in a convenience benefit of owning a car. That’s how I decided when to buy, when it finally made sense to do so.

  • Euphemistic on 04/11/2025 - 11:52

    If you dont see the need, dont get one. Renting and taxis makes more financial sense unless you drive heaps. Stick with buses, trains, taxi and rental whike ever you can. Put that money in something that doesnt just burn it.

  • JIMB0 on 04/11/2025 - 12:11
    +3

    You come across a lot of interesting people on public transport, particularly outside of peak hours. But then there's lots of knobs on the road as well, cars bring out the worst in people.

    • fantombloo on 04/11/2025 - 13:28
      +2

      You come across a lot of really nice interesting people on public transport (too), particularly outside of peak hours.

      I've had plenty of great conversations with strangers on PT, especially at night on the return trip home. There's some selection processes to consider for sure (minimise intimidation and establish clear consent both ways, respect perceived imbalances) but that's true everywhere.

      When going out I intentionally leave the car at home and take PT whenever possible, I'd rather chill and not have a concern for anything. I've never cursed anyone on PT like I do in the car.

      • tenpercent on 04/11/2025 - 19:56
        +1

        I've never cursed anyone on PT like I do in the car.

        They can't hear you when you're in your car.

        • smartazz104 on 05/11/2025 - 10:12
          +1

          If you're lucky they can see you.

  • joka on 04/11/2025 - 12:13
    +2

    Your signal officer should stay in their lane

  • Far Cough on 04/11/2025 - 13:06
    +3

    I could not live without a car.

    I have the tism but not enough to want to ride on buses, trains and trams as a choice.

  • ForkSnorter on 04/11/2025 - 13:19
    +2

    If you don't have a car and you're surviving, and you don't own property yet, whatever you do, don't buy a car. Use that money instead for your first property purchase.

    Say you bought a $30k car. Over the next 5 years, it will cost you around $25k-60k (rego, insurance, servicing/maintenance/repairs, petrol, parking, tolls, etc.) depending on how much you drive it. Total =$55-90k, which you could instead use for your house deposit.

    If you live in Melbourne, you absolutely do not need a car. I survived in Brisbane without a car for many years, and it has worse public transport than Melbourne. And that was before the era of supermarket deliveries and free Amazon Prime delivery.

    Guess what, several years after getting a car in Brisbane, the traffic got so bad that I went back to public transport (and cycling). It was just more relaxing (and productive) catching public transport.

  • El cheepo on 04/11/2025 - 13:39

    Why not just get a “cheap” car that only gets used on weekends etc.

    Just whack 3rd party Insurance on it and even if the car has some small problems, as long as they are not catastrophically bad you could still use it for short trips until it died.

    Sure it costs a bit more, but freedom and options 🤷🏽‍♂️

    Or a little 50cc scooter if you want to be a complete bad ass.

    • JIMB0 on 04/11/2025 - 14:00
      +3

      Like a 30 year old Camry?

      • El cheepo on 04/11/2025 - 14:05

        Hell yeah, now we are talking.

      • MS Paint on 04/11/2025 - 14:50

        @30year old Camry - is this true?

    • Euphemistic on 04/11/2025 - 16:22
      -4

      50cc scooter? And pay rego and everything? Youd be better getting one of those fat ebikes and hacking it to remove the speed limiter. No rego, park anywhere, recharge for next to nix.

      • El cheepo on 04/11/2025 - 19:40

        And pay rego and everything

        I don’t know all the ops particulars but rego on a 50cc is cheap as chips.
        Third party would be bugger all too and theyd have the option of cruising about looking like hot rod.

        better getting one of those fat ebikes and hacking it to remove the speed limiter.

        More likely to get picked off by the cops as they love policing road rules more than general police work and you can’t have two passengers on those (legally or comfortably)

        No rego, park anywhere, recharge for next to nix.

        And get your battery pinched or the whole thing taken

        if no highway driving is needed, 50cc is a good choice after a cheap beater of a car.

        But thats just my opinion.
        YMMV

  • Stealtho on 04/11/2025 - 13:56
    -2

    You need a car in Melbourne to leave, for good.

  • sumyungguy on 04/11/2025 - 14:07
    +1

    Are there any GoGet cars in your 'hood?

  • md333 on 04/11/2025 - 14:23

    I've never commuted by car in 30 years of working, but I've always had one for weekends. If your weekend activities don't need a car, or can be covered by rentals/car share its probably a good idea not to own one. It's very convenient to just have one available to get out of time anytime you want though, assuming you have somewhere to park it.
    I did think about getting rid of one car recently (we have 3 in a family of 4, 2people using them for commutes), calculating the cost of taxis it only took a ridiculously small number of taxi rides to be more than the cost of keeping a cheap car.

  • sandman20104159 on 04/11/2025 - 15:22

    sorry whats SO?

    • sumyungguy on 04/11/2025 - 16:06
      +14

      Sausage Oscillator

      • JIMB0 on 04/11/2025 - 17:16

        The oscillation lifecycle is cruel. Early performance is amazing, then suddenly you’re just budgeting for maintenance and calibration checks.

    • Oztx on 04/11/2025 - 17:31

      Significant Other (aka better half, partner, bf/gf, wife/husband if legally married,…etc)

    • cucumber on 05/11/2025 - 20:38

      Sexual Organ

  • Checkmate3023 on 04/11/2025 - 19:29
    +3

    It sounds like youcan get-by without one i personally would still want a car as not having one costs time and i have hit a point where i value my time

  • try2bhelpful on 04/11/2025 - 19:38

    We live in Fitzroy and still own a car. I admit it is a tad hard to justify the car but we go to friends places in the ‘burbs or other towns and Public transport is not as convenient. Especially if we are out late at night or in Winter. If we want to go on a driving holiday we jump in the car, we don’t need to hire a car and worry about the rental insurance excesses. We certainly have discussed not having the car but we just can’t get past the convenience factor. That said we mainly use public transport or walk.

    • tenpercent on 04/11/2025 - 19:53
      +1

      What do you do for groceries? Do you just buy smaller quantities more frequently and/or get deliveries?

      • try2bhelpful on 04/11/2025 - 20:01
        +1

        We sometimes use the car if we have a big shop but most of the time we use our backpacks or a shopping trolley. The trolley can take quite a load and Coles, Woolworths, IGA and ALDI are easy walking distance.

        We have an older style Mercedes A Class and they are good for smaller bits of furniture as well. Also we are Costco members and since they took the one out of the city we do need our car to get to the other outlets. Also we do pretty regular recycle drop offs of things like cardboard.

        Most of the time we use the car once or twice a week. We are hanging out for an electric car that doubles as a house battery but that is probably a while away.

        • tenpercent on 04/11/2025 - 20:06

          The trolley can take quite a load and Coles, Woolworths, IGA and ALDI are easy walking distance.

          Yeah a short walk with a trolley is alright. Do you just take the trolley back next time?
          You must be in one of those swanky neighbourhoods where the wheels don't lock if you try to leave the car park.

          • try2bhelpful on 04/11/2025 - 20:07

            @tenpercent: Nah, it is our own trolley. A bigger version of the “little old Asian lady” ones.

  • cleo2 on 05/11/2025 - 08:05

    Our son has lived in Fitzroy for 6 years and manages with public transport with the occasional disastrous trip. If he needs to go somewhere out of the city or without public transport links he has managed with a share car. He is a great walker too but says it saves a lot of money.

  • Rob-4x4 on 05/11/2025 - 08:12

    You have a great setup !

    Another option for the occasional car usage are the car share companies.

  • apple2016 on 05/11/2025 - 08:28
    -7

    You havent see the reality of PTV in VIC.
    The service delivery rate is about 20-30%.
    Train lines shutdown for months at times. You need a car!

    • try2bhelpful on 05/11/2025 - 09:14
      +2

      Except your statistics are way off. People just need to Google the actual figures.

      • apple2016 on 07/11/2025 - 16:44

        So you just prefer the botched up statistics of Metro!…

    • smartazz104 on 05/11/2025 - 10:16
      +2

      Train lines shutdown for months at times. You need a car!

      Like, one line maybe. And you speak as if traffic isn't at thing. It only takes one idiot to mess it up for everyone, and there a lot of idiot drivers out there.

      • apple2016 on 07/11/2025 - 16:46

        Peak hrs - definitely PTV is better.
        But to life a proper aussie life you need PTV 24/& not couple of hrs in morning and couple of hrs in evening…

    • gooston on 05/11/2025 - 18:02

      Holy hyperbole.

  • beefmaster on 05/11/2025 - 09:26

    How old are you? I found I am going to less places now that I am older so weekend is mostly stay at home or eat some where local. Another reason to not go anywhere is traffic jam is bad in the weekend, I live in Sydney.

  • snapper17 on 05/11/2025 - 10:33

    depends what arera you are in.

    I was on the tram about 10 years ago and was threatened to be stabbed.

    Ive been on public transport since but it doesnt always feel safe. There are often junkies or drunks even in the middle of the day

    I agree the bus felt much safer

    I now do all orders via delivery and go via taxi to any appointments or vists to friends
    Its not affordable for me to go for a daily coffee anymore like I used to

    • tp0 on 05/11/2025 - 14:12
      +1

      Tram is statistically the safest public transport in Melbourne.

      • snapper17 on 05/11/2025 - 17:56

        I wasnt concerned about a crash. I was concerned about getting robbed and stabbed. I live in an area that used to be seedy but there are still alot of drug users and drunks around.

        • tp0 on 06/11/2025 - 09:20

          I meant crime statistics. It’s safer than the bus or train.

  • canihabdiscountspls on 05/11/2025 - 11:24
    +1

    It's a must. Can't imagine life without it. If you need something urgently, getting a bus or train won't cut it. We go out every weekend, far from metro, no train would take you through the beautiful great ocean road. Many other examples.

    • tp0 on 05/11/2025 - 14:29

      There are 4 coach services a day from Geelong to Apollo Bay via The Great Ocean Road.

      For $20pp/return you could go to Apollo Bay, make 3 stops, stay the night then, make 3 different stops on the way back.

      It requires a bit of planning, but it is possible to tour regional Victoria on public transport. Bonus is that it's cheap as chips.

      • lgacb08 on 05/11/2025 - 22:09
        +1

        lol, I've been to that part, hell no you don't take public transport that way, take you a good 5 hours to get to the proper part of the GOR (aka the apostles or lord arch) and that having to skip Apollo Bay. And overnight stay is ridiculously expensive, your weekend getaway will be more time being on the bus stop than sight seeing.

        • tp0 on 06/11/2025 - 08:54
          +1

          The drive itself is half the sightseeing, right? Even better if no one has to focus on driving and you can all look out a big window.

          You would hope they don’t run out of seats on the ocean side though!

  • 2esc on 05/11/2025 - 12:31
    -1

    Your lifestyle says dont get one. Plus it means one less Melbournite coming to rural Victoria driving like its the city.

    • tp0 on 05/11/2025 - 14:24

      driving like its the city

      What gives it away?

  • 6000SUX on 05/11/2025 - 13:36
    +1

    You've already made up your mind by the way you've written this post. Which is totally fine. But why fight it? Just stick without one.

  • Excelsior on 05/11/2025 - 13:44

    If you can afford it, it's a definite yes just for the added convenience, comfort and flexibility. You won't go back to using PT by choice. I can't imagine having to wait for a bus/train (and the risk of delays etc) to get to places whenever I want.

    If you're tight on cash then that's a different story.

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