Navigating precarious car ownership in the US

Keywords: precarity, car ownership, transportation
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

For most low-income households in the United States, owning a car is an expensive necessity. Access to a vehicle enables greater accessibility to jobs and other opportunities than public transit, walking, and cycling. But owning and maintaining a car can be a significant economic burden. Many low-income households struggle to buy and maintain cars and, as a result, frequently transition into and out of car ownership.

This research focuses on the experiences of low-income households navigating forced car ownership in America. Through interviews with adults in rural, suburban, and urban contexts, I examine the four central aspects of the car ownership experience. First, I examine how and where households acquire cars. Second, I examine interviewees' experiences owning, maintaining, and paying for car ownership. Low-income households are more likely to purchase used vehicles, which are less reliable and require more frequent and often expensive maintenance to keep the cars running. Thirdly, I examine the experiences and consequences of losing access to a car for these households. Finally, we explore how low-income households make sense of the trade-offs of increased spatial access with the costs of car ownership.