Car question

[LivingAlmostLarge]

We don't really need two cars since I don't drive to work, unless in emergency. I have no spot so I have to pay to park. My DH drives but we have two cars.

I've played with the idea of selling one of our cars, but have never gotten around to it.

I get that I'm losing opporunity cost on our money and insurance and maintenance on our cars. Granted our cars aren't worth a lot but I think I could get $3k for DH's 2000 Ford Focus.

Here's the deal though, whenever I bring it up my DH says no way. He says he's keeping his car. He drives my car, we rotate his driving of cars, but honestly if we had to keep one car my 1999 Toyota corolla would be the car. It's more reliable, 4 doors versus 2, and overall a better car.

But consider this, I wonder if my DH's isn't being stubborn because it's "his" car? You know the car he bought right before he met me. The car HE chose, the car he likes. He doesn't like my car, but will drive it.

When we lived in CA 2 cars was an absolute necessity because of our commutes. Now not so much.

Someone was asking about toys. And I guess I feel that way about his car. But am I being stupid? Should I force the issue?

And is it even a financial issue or more an attachment issue? This is his one and only car, and my corolla is too. But like I said it's a better car, less repairs, better gas mileage, etc.

Right now I've always given in to "keep the peace," and lose the battle to win the war.

Do you do this with your spouse? And how bad a move financially is this?

[disneysteve]

I couldn't ever imagine only having one car for the two of us so I would vote to keep both. There are plenty of times when we are out at the same time going to different places. Sometimes, like just the other day, we end up going to the same place but at different times so we end up taking both cars to get there. We'd have to hit some incredibly rough times before I would consider sacrificing a car to save money, and I don't have a clue how we would manage with only one.

I don't know if your DH is saying it out of some attachment to the car or just to the general concept of you each having a vehicle, but regardless, I consider having 2 cars to be a necessity.

[atomicrc11]

At one point, my wife and I ended up selling one car. We decided to keep the car I bought, since it was much newer and has less problems. It wasn't so bad living with one car and that was in a small town. Granted we lived close to the town center.

Now that we're in a large city, we never drive. In fact, the only time we drive is to Costco and to go visit family. We would probably be better off relying only on Zipcar, but we can park for free on the street and we can do things when we want. It would surely be less expensive.

Where you live will determine if you can make it without a second car. I can get anywhere in the city by bus or subway so we definitely don't need one.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My DH and I live outside a city, not far, and I use public transit to work like i said. I know my DH thinks when we have kids, yes planning, we'll have to have a second car just in case.

I wouldn't feel comfortable without a car and a baby.

[disneysteve]

Do you never go anywhere without each other? We certainly do. My wife may have a meeting at the synagogue at a time when I'm not home from work yet. Or she may have some shopping to do. Or I may go to a dinner program after work leaving her home without a car.

Certainly, with a child, that 2nd car is even more of a necessity when you have to start shuttling the kid around to school, sports, dance, karate, etc. No way we could do that with only one car.

[atomicrc11]

If you don't live right on a subway line or bus line that runs frequently to get you where you need, than I would suggest keeping the car. If you are, then you could easily take the bus or subway to where you need to go. Where I live, day care, groceries, movies and restaurants are all within walking distance. If you don't have that, 2 cars is the way to go.

[waijai]

How much money will you be saving without that second car? While some people will say "It's a necessity" I'm 100% sure you can live without it.

Will it be less convenient? Probably...but is that convenience worth the extra money you're paying is what you have to evaluate.

[disneysteve]

While some people will say "It's a necessity" I'm 100% sure you can live without it.

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting that 2 cars is a necessity for you, LAL. I was saying it is a necessity for my wife and I. You might be just fine with one car. There's just no way it would work for us.

[GREENBACK]

We live near a small city but are out in the country. We have two vehicles. GF has a car to commute to work. I have a 4WD truck but no work commute. They don't even currently have taxi service in this area. I consider two a neccesity here. The truck is especially useful in the winter here as the roads can be pretty hazardous. If I lived in the city with public transportation everywhere I guess one would do.

LAL, you could look at the second vehicle as a backup if something goes wrong with the first. How do those of you who only use public transportation go grocery shopping or shopping for large items, etc.?

[Ima saver]

I would keep both cars! Heck, we have 6 and my dh always wants more!!

[jIM_Ohio]

How much does it really cost to maintain a car which is paid for?
Think of worst case:
If you went down to one car and that car got totalled, what would the rental costs be until you could fund the replacement? Measure this vs the cost of maintaining the second car.

[scfr]

If you really want to go down to only 1 car, it sounds like yours would be the one to go. Putting aside the logic of which is the better car, if your DH is the main driver and he likes "his" car and that is the only way he is willing to do it, then yours would be the one to sell. Sorry.

My husband & I had 1 car for the first couple years of our marriage, and went back down to 1 car again a little over a year ago. It has worked out fine. Once in awhile we have to do a bit of "juggling" but nothing major. We have no kids, and my husband works from home and travels quite a bit, so that has helped. I have been working off and on (and using the car for my commute) for about 2/3 of the time we have had just the one car.

While having no children makes having only 1 car much easier, I know it can be done even with kids. When I was growing up my parents never had more than 1 car. Mom was a SAHM. One or two days a week, Dad would either bus or bike to work, or Mom would drop him off. Then, she had the car for shopping, meetings, etc. My sister & BIL have only one car; they live in a city that has great public transportation and parking is a pain, so 1 car is actually easier for them than 2.

2 cars is a convenience (or a burden depending on your situation), not a necessity.

[disneysteve]

2 cars is a convenience (or a burden depending on your situation), not a necessity.

I don't mean to debate this, but I think whether or not 2 cars is a need depends on the situation.

An example:
1st through 5th grades my daughter wasn't eligible for school bus transportation so my wife had to drive her to school and pick her up from school each day. Since both my wife and I had jobs to go to, if I had driven to work with our one and only car, how would my wife have taken our daughter to school and then gotten herself to work. Public transportation wasn't an option both because of location and timing. She had to drop DD off at school and go straight to work in order to be there on time.

I could give loads of other examples, but my point is just that it really depends on your situation, where you live, where you work, whether or not you have children and what responsibilities and activities everyone is involved with.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

First off I use the car in the winter when my lazy behind doesn't want to walk the 1.5 miles to the train. I park and ride in. So I do use the car when my tush is lazy.

Second, I do a lot of places without my DH. He is very busy with work and school so I do all the errands alone. I drop the dogs off at the vet, do all the maintenance on the cars, do all the grocery shopping, meet contractors, etc. My DH does nothing, I even pick up things for him, etc. 2-3 nights a week he's not home until 10 pm leaving the house at 7 am. So I would be without transportation if I sold the second car, though I could do Zipcar, etc.

Third, it costs about $50/month in insurance for 1 car = $600/year. It also costs $50/year for safety inspection and registration anually. I pay about $20 for an oil change 2x/year because we don't drive much. Gas would not go down because the majority of the driving is done by my DH.

So I guess to really "maintain" our second car it is cost us I guess around $1k/year.

The depreciation has really already hit us and hit us when the second car was an absolute necessity. I was commuting 120 to see my DH when we lived apart and did that 2-3/week. So a second car was an absolute must have. He lived about 10 miles from work and would drive up as well. So we ate most of the depreciation when we lived in CA.

I guess the thing is I could sell the car and save $1k/year plus the $3k the car costs. At the age, condition, mileage, on the care it's really not depreciating much anymore.

There is NO way in HELL I would sell a 4 door Toyota Corolla over a 2 door Ford Focus. If we stayed a one car family, getting a baby in and out would be Stupid (I want to yell at my DH this word over and over again) in a 2 door car.

So his car has to be the one to go. Plus reliability issues? His car always needs more repairs. Right now I was just told his brakes and rotors need to get done again. My Corolla has only had the pads replaced and I have more miles than him!

So I guess I'm looking at $1k/year annual savings and $3k in lost opportunity cost.

My DH wants to keep both cars, I am not sure if he's being stubborn though because the car to sell would HAVE to be his.

[disneysteve]

So I guess to really "maintain" our second car it is cost us I guess around $1k/year.

No way I'd give up the 2nd car for such a small savings.