Rideshare services (Uber, Lyft, local taxis) arrive within minutes in most suburban and urban environments. Setting aside $300 a year for emergency rides is profoundly cheaper than insuring a car 24/7.
Appropriate winter cycling gear (bar mitts, studded tires, waterproof shells) costs less than a single month of car payments. Commutes remain viable in temperatures well below freezing.
This is highly location-dependent. For heavy rail and dedicated busways, reliability often surpasses driving due to independence from localized traffic jams.
Selling a financed vehicle will close that specific installment loan, which might temporarily lower a score slightly. However, the liberated cash flow dramatically improves debt-to-income ratios over time.