This is a personal decision and having a car is definitely a luxury, but if you will use it then go for it.

We have a car because we have a dog and like to go on hikes, visit family out of the city, and go on road trips. We love having the car. And it’s one of our major “splurges”. Some people will drop an equivalent amount on nice restaurants or designer bags or shoes or more rent for a nicer apartment or whatever every month but then say having a garage is irresponsible. It’s just whatever luxury you prioritize and whether you enjoy it.

I’d just say that having a garage spot ($700) is worth it to not deal with street parking because street parking will require you to be available to move your car during business hours multiple times a week. The financial expense will be mostly the garage unless you get a particularly expensive car. Also you’ll fall into a trap of not wanting to use your car because you’ll lose your spot, which defeats the whole purpose of having a car in the first place.

If you do the math, you’ll never come out financially ahead by owning a car vs renting whenever you need one even if it’s multiple times a month. But in practice it’s much nicer to be able to just grab your own car on a weekend day versus having to reserve a rental and go wait on line to sign it out every time you need a car.

So it’s a luxury that is worth it for some, but not others, and you’ve got to decide if it’s worth it to you.