As cities expand, greater distance between where people live and where they need to go increases and going to only one place makes no sense, now that gas prices are so high. It IS about convenience, but also about independence. With a car, there's not much to limit where someone can go, although time of day does make a difference. I refuse to drive to New Berlin from Glendale or anywhere North of Downtown after about 2:30PM because there's a good chance that I-94 & I-45 will be backed up on either leg, or both. A car also allows someone to hold a better job, rather than rely on mass transportation systems that waste a lot of time.