It's certainly not a necessity in NYC though, which was the example given. In most big cities in the US you're better off not having a car if you're poor, since cars are a big ongoing expense. Hell, I'm very far from poor and I'm best off not having a car in NYC.
I think not having a car in NYC is more of a convenience issue than a cost issue(due to parking etc) to a larger degree.
The assumption here is that you are not just barely getting by.
It's both. Insurance and parking are very expensive. If you don't want to pay for parking then you need to budget several hours of your time each week just moving your car around to different parking spots.
..and thank you for reminding me I have to move my car this evening!
Insurance is costly compared to other states. I pay about $1200/year for full everything though(windshield damaged and highway touring).
A friend of mine was just quoted $3000/year for insurance on an Audi. For that I would ride a bicycle everywhere.
