[noxToken]

I'd be willing to argue that new cars are a luxury. A quick search[0] says that only 26% live in an urban environment. The rest are suburban or rural. The latter portion don't always have walkable areas.

I used to live a short 7 minute drive from my office. Mapping it says 15 via bike and 1 hour via foot. It would have been nearly impossible to bike there, because there are no bike lanes, areas with no sidewalk nor shoulder, intersections that are awkward even for cars, high speed limits, etc. I mean, you could get there, but it would be a very unenjoyable ride. Walking? That's pretty much out of the question.

There's another option: public transportation. It is very unreliable. The map system is so convoluted that a group of cyclists are doing their best to release a FOSS app to navigate the bus system.

Taxis and ride-share are almost non existent and very expensive. UberX is roughly $22 round trip.

Not all American metro areas are made for walking/cycling. Once you hit our downtown area, walking and cycling are pretty easy. Thus, I argue that cars are not an inherent luxury in America.

[0]:https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-suburban-are-big-am...

[antisthenes]

In USA, living in an urban walkable area is just as much a luxury as owning a car, if not more, thanks to some really poor infrastructure and urban planning choices made mid 20 century.

In fact, the only city I would consider for car-free ownership would be NYC, and you all know how expensive it is.