When my wife and I first visited the city in Mexico where we eventually chose to settle, we had a conversation along these lines:
Me: “Do you know what I am thinking, my sweet darling dove?”
Wife: “No, my hard hunk of a man. What are you thinking?”
Me: ” I think we could live here in Guanajuato and never have to drive!”
Wife: “You mean, do you really mean, that we could dump that car we are forced to drive by Mr. Urban Sprawl and stop destroying the environment?”
Me: “Oh yes. Oh yes. Oh yes indeed. And not only that but we would stop getting fat-induced illnesses that are the result of never walking anywhere in America.”
Wife: “You forgot to say that we would lose weight and keep it off as a result.”
Me: “And what about getting rid of stress which also kills Americans who have to drive everywhere?”
Wife: “That stress as well as the fact that we would never have to make another car payment, buy insurance, get the car inspected, etc…”
Me: “Did you just say, ‘etc…’?”
Wife: “Never mind.”
We honestly had this conversation. Maybe not in those exact words but we did talk this over. This was one of the draws of living in Mexico.
We would never have to drive again.
And, that has been the case. We sold our car and flew here. We not only do not have a car but we never will have one. Why on earth you would want one when you do not have to have one totally escapes me!
However, Americans and Canadian expats in the millions have them. Americans would probably take cars with them to Europe if they could. I know of a lady who took an RV to Russia! Can you begin to fathom that?
Americans are so attached to their cars that it seems as though it is written into their DNA. They would never think of leaving their cars behind. The car is their source of identity. Cars define what Americans are.
Most of our friends, upon learning we were not driving our car into Mexico, nearly had strokes. So blinded are Americans to the fact that they can live with a car that none of my friends