A lot of people (including myself) live in locations and have activities (including commuting) that pretty much make not owning a car a non-starter.
But it's certainly true that for people who don't need to drive on a regular basis, a lot of reason to own a car may come down to things like not wanting to deal with Zipcar or a regular rental car every time you want to do a big shopping trip or get out of town on a Saturday or for the weekend.
I couldn't remotely get by without a car where I live. But even if I lived in a city with good transit I'd [in most cases] still own a car so I could head out of the city for a weekend without a lot of planning, have the car setup the way I like it, etc. I know a couple who live in a city without a car and I hear of their hassles with Zipcar, regular rentals, Uber, etc.--and it really doesn't sound worth it. Maybe right out of school where you do a lot of activities with friends some of whom have cars. (Basically how things worked when I was an undergrad.)
There are other reasons to own a car - one of them is "comfort". Yes maybe I have to maintain it and it's definitely more expensive then renting in the long run, but man, I have a comfortable, safe car that I can use with no overhead to get out of town on a whim.
With COVID, I avoid taxis & ubers; I can take a zipcar-like rental with relatively low overhead, but one isn't always available next to me. When it is, it's sometimes not very clean. Those services have small-ish vehicles (and mostly electric ones) that are fine for city & surroundings, but if I want a weekend getaway I need to use real rental, and that's a lot more overhead (plus, if I get out 3 weekends per month, just the rentals would be more expensive than the car costs - and that, at a lower quality of the rented car; with COVID I don't get out as often, but previously, I used to).
I think living without a car definitely makes sense for some people; and definitely doesn't for others. But that depends a lot on your conditions, location and lifestyle.
If gas prices are expected to be continuously high, you will try to structure your life in a way that can minimize car usage (say, living in an urban area). That can make not even owning a car at all a viable option.
If you're such a person, and do happen to occasionally need a car for something, that makes you much more likely to be a ZipCar customer. Zipcar doesn't make new customers by having driving be practical, they make new customers by having driving be impractical enough to be (almost entirely) avoided.
First of all, it depends if you have to commute to an office in some industrial park (even if it's only one or two days a week).
Then there's the question of where your friends live, whether you regularly do activities outside the city, etc. Zipcar and Uber definitely make it easier not to own a car. But my observation of people I know in SF who don't own a car is that they make ample use of both Uber and regular/short-term rentals. People can definitely get by but it's often by adjusting their lifestyles and activities in that you just don't do things that are hard to do.
These absolutist arguments are not helpful. If one lives in a dense urban area, a car is just a nuisance most of the time. Avoiding car ownership and using a rental for an occasional trip likely makes more sense. If one can afford keeping it parked and insured most of the time, having a car available on short notice is convenient but not essential. On the other hand, I live in a sparsely populated region and I couldn't even go to the grocery without a car.
Any arguments relating to transportation are kind of pointless if not put within the right framework.
Choosing not to own a car creates its own demands (on your time, your comfort, your freedom).
Anecdote: my brother-inlaw lives in Chicago (one of the places in the US where not owning a car is quite practical), and purchased a car. Why? Because he attempted to do a home renovation himself over the course of a winter without one. Hauling around tools, materials, and himself on a bike in snow and slush was not something he ever wanted to repeat.
With some exceptions (especially in places where car ownership is a real financial/hassle burden like Manhattan), my observation is that people who choose not to own a car even in an urban environment with good public transit end up making a lot of lifestyle compromises. Even leaving aside trips to the emergency room, sick pets, etc., they just don't head to the mountains/beach/etc. because it's too big of a hassle. And especially once you get past a certain age, you can't rely on friends with cars like we did undergrad. Perfectly valid choice but, for the most part, you just don't do things that are a pain to do.
I know many people here in Seattle who don't have cars (and others with Zipcar, if you only need it on occasion). I have a car, but I only drive it every couple weeks, at most, and I would certainly get along fine without it.
I don't think most people would choose not to own a car if there wasn't a concern of money involved. Car ownership can certainly be less economical than sticking to transit/biking in some areas, but I think most people in such situations would still hypothetically prefer having the option of driving available.
I have zero trouble understanding that owning a personal car may not make economic sense in many cities. I have more trouble really grokking the no driver license. So many trips associated with both work and vacation experiences--or even weekend activities outside of a city--require renting a car. I guess you can consciously avoid those situations but it seems very limiting.
(Certainly I couldn't really have done jobs I've had without being able to drive a car and would have missed out on many, many travel experiences including just visiting family.)
I do know people who live in SF without owning a car but they use a lot of Uber/Zipcar/other rentals/car sharing etc. (as well as cycling and using delivery services). Personally, in their position, I'd probably own a car.
That said, there are very few US cities where you could live without a car without it being a hassle, especially if you want to leave your core urban area on a regular basis.
I think there is one person on my team of 10 who has a car. These people all have the income to get one.
The issue for me is that I don't need one. I've considered it, but I can get most stuff in the city by walking/bus/zipcar/uber. Larger stuff I just buy online anyway.
Considering I pay high enough rent without the cost of a parking spot, insurance, and probably a car payment, it doesn't make sense financially. Parking is also a pain.
Now i could potentially break even/better by moving out of the city but then I just spend 30 minutes or more each way getting to work. I have to put up with traffic. I'm not in the city when it comes to fun stuff in the city.
I'd buy a car if I was going to start a family, but at this point there is no need. It's a luxury I just don't really care about.
I did specify being close to the city being a factor in how doable it is to go without a car. And even then, there are limiting factors that make car ownership worthwhile. Things like:
1. Monthly Costo/BJs run (with family in tow)
2. Visiting family that's over an hour away and not along any rail/bus line.
3. You live in a pretty remote area.
Essentially, I'm saying that there are life choices and/or criteria met that makes lack of car ownership feasible. But since so many Americans live in the suburbs without easy access to public transportation, car ownership just makes the best sense for some people.
Why do you want to go without a car so badly? I get not wanting one IN the city (did it for several years myself), but outside of the city driving is not bad at all.
But it's certainly true that for people who don't need to drive on a regular basis, a lot of reason to own a car may come down to things like not wanting to deal with Zipcar or a regular rental car every time you want to do a big shopping trip or get out of town on a Saturday or for the weekend.
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