About our parents not owning cars, my wife's Mum doesn't drive. Neither did her Grandparents.
This massively limited the jobs they could do, particularly with a small child. And she was lucky that all her relatives lived nearby.
My folks on the other hand, shared a car with the neighbours that effectively was for emergencies and holidays. My Dad drove the works minibus, so at least he didn't have to worry about getting to work (he went round the town sweeping up the factory workers before and after work). We weren't allowed in the van, ever.
Because we lived in a rural town and my grandparents all lived in London, 100 miles away, we were lucky to see ANY relatives twice in a year. Many of them we didn't see every year. Never did family Christmas or big birthdays.