koakuma-chan 2 days ago

It already doesn't make sense to own a car for me. It's cheaper to just call an Uber.

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  • ghaff a day ago

    I'm guessing that's a fairly city viewpoint. My car is setup with roofrack and carries a lot of other gear I want. I'm regularly in places without reliable cell etc. Visiting friends can easily be an hour drive.

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    • koakuma-chan a day ago

      Yes, a city viewport. I usually just walk, but when I don't I most often take the subway, not even Uber. Though I feel like in Toronto the subway or some part thereof is closed or under maintenance or whatever way too often. It's not very reliable.

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  • paulddraper 15 hours ago

    Depends how often.

    Multiple Ubers per day are expensive. ($55 x 365 = $20,000)

    All in, a budget car costs less than half of that per year.

    But if you replace some of that with public transportation, or a car is otherwise impractical, the math changes.

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  • gffrd 2 days ago

    For some this is the case. For others, this is not the case.

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amelius a day ago

If you take off the conspiracy hat, you will see that there are many advantages to not owning a product. Such as that the vendor's incentives are better aligned with yours. For example, if the thing breaks, it is in __their__ best interest to fix it (or to not let it break in the first place). This also has positive implications for sustainability.

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  • physicles 20 hours ago

    It’s also in their best interest to set the price so as to maximize their own profits. If switching costs or monopoly power allow them to set a higher price, they will do so.

    Have we learned nothing from a decade of subscription services?

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    • amelius 19 hours ago

      Nobody said we should allow monopolies?

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      • fragmede 17 hours ago

        Especially Adam Smith. The claims are scattered throughout The Wealth of Nations, but he hated them with specificity. He said they raise prices and lower quality, misallocate capital, and corrupt politics, among other things.

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