So you bought a car

The Cost

So let's say that even though you didn't come to Israel with a  million dollars and even though you earn only 9,000 NIS ($3,000) a month, which is the median worker income and much more than most "olim" earn, you manage to scrape together 20,000 NIS to buy a 16 year old car that would have been 1/2 that price in North America. Now comes insurance. Since you have no driving history in Israel, they hit you with the highest rates even though you may not have had a ticket in 30 years in America. That's 7,000 NIS a year. In three years, you have paid in insurance more than the price of the car. Then comes gas which is twice the price of gas in the USA. If you used a dealer for the car, that's another 2,000 NIS. 3 year cost? Around 50,000 NIS, which is 16,666 NIS, $5555.33 a year. Plus repairs. 

Your salary is 9,000 a month if you are lucky. Your rent is 7,000. Your  car is 1,500 a month with repairs. Your health care is 500 NIS a month. So that leaves you with no food or clothing or schooling or shul dues. Can you manage without food or clothing or school or shul?

The purpose of the car

And why did you buy this car? You think it will make your life easier? That's what the salesman told you. That's what the aliyah fools told you. Guess what? There's a dearth of parking in Israel, which shouldn't be surprising given that it's a tiny little country, three quarters of which is off limits and much of the rest is undeveloped. 

Here's the parking situation. See these photos. All the areas where there are no cars are no parking zones. Are the areas where there are cars are filled with parked cars. See the cars in the narrow lanes between cars?  They are looking for spots. It's like Manhattan here, everywhere. There's no big parking area at the supermarket.

All spots taken, looking for spots

No parking in the red zone

Spots filled, double parked

All spots taken

Red zone, no parking. Note also the broken bus arrival sign

No parking red zone

All spots taken, the rest is no parking

All spots taken, looking for spots

Parking on the sidewalk in the red zone

This is not Jerusalem or Tel Aviv where the traffic/parking situation is even worse. It's a town outside of Jerusalem. It's the same in Afula, Sfas, Rishon L'Tziyon, even Beer Sheva. It's the same everywhere. There's nowhere to park and little point in buying an overpriced car. 

As for supermarkets, there are two within 100 meters of most of these pictures. There is no parking at these supermarkets, zero. You have to use the street where there is no parking. 

It's not just in the city center. All over town it's like this. I drove my car around, couldn't find a spot, went back to my apartment building and left the car there, and walked, just as I did before, in the heat. 

Live the dream!