We have 2 cars and I'm considering selling one. We're making payments on both and I hate it. I drive the one I'm thinking of selling (Honda Accord) to work 3 nights a week, where it sits in the hospital garage for 13 hours, then gets driven home. That's basically all it's used for. Our other car sits in our driveway *just in case* DH needs to use it while I'm at work, though he never actually has gone anywhere w/ DD at night w/o me. DH works from home and rarely leaves the house, so we essentially never drive both cars at the same time. If we go anywhere together, we use our other car (Mazda CX-9) because that's our babymobile. If he knew he would need a car while I'm at work, he could just drop me off as it's only a few miles away.
I have over 2 years of payments left on the Accord and I'm starting to think we really don't need two cars for our situation, but DH doesn't think it will be a good idea to sell it. It's worth about $13-14K so we would get a nice chunk of change even after the remainder of the loan is paid off, plus we would get rid of the payment too, and our car insurance would go down.
So, how many people here make it work with just one car? Is it really a PITA?
ETA: We live in FL with essentially non-existent public transportation.
Re: How many cars do you have?
We only have 1 but we live in the city and I take public transpo to and from work everyday. Most of the time it's not really a big deal but I will say it kind of stinks when one of us wants to go do something with friends or family without the other person it essentially leaves them stranded at home so that they can't run errands or get groceries etc during that time. It takes a bit more stratgic planning since if you only have one car and the other person's got it you can't just hop in the car to go pick it up if you run out of milk or diapers or something.
That said if you have stores close to your home or good public transpo then I think it's doable you just need to be willing to compromise on who gets the car some days.
ETA: That said when we move to the burbs in a few weeks I will be buying a car because I can't exactly walk the 3 miles to the nearest Metra station in the winter or heat of summer vs. the city where I walk 2 blocks.
We have two - but only one car payment.
We couldn't do it because of DH's crazy work schedule. During the season (football) he works 20 hour days and we live too far from work to use alternate transportation.
2 cars, one motorcycle. One car payment.
We have one, will be buying a second in the near future. A month ago we moved from Manhattan, where we lived for 5 years. Without kids we wouldn't have had, needed or wanted a car at all, but with kids we still needed it. Now that we're back in the suburbs we'll need a second soon.
DH will need a car to commute with and I'll need a car to get DD1 to kindergarten and DD2 to preschool. Our town is so small there are no school buses but we're too far to walk to school (a little over a mile, so too far for a 5 year old). Since DH will be working 45 mins away we won't be able to get by on only one car.
ETA: we don't have a car payment and plan to buy a used car for cash this go round. We don't want a car payment tying up our budget right now.
MH is somewhat of a hermit I guess, he really doesn't go out much as his friends are several hours from us. I know every now and then we may run into a minor inconvenience, but since I work nights and don't leave for work til after 6:30pm, his only concern is if DD had some kind of emergency and needed to go the hospital, in which case, ambulance, or I can be home in 10 minutes to get them if it's not ambulance worthy. I'm just having a hard time justifying the $400 a month for a "what if" that hopefully will never happen. I get home from work around 7:30AM, which is way earlier than he would need the car to go anywhere.
We have two cars, one payment.
We've actually considered adding a 3rd less expensive vehicle with better mpg for me to drive to work. That way the minivan would be available for the sitter to use if she needs to pick up the kiddos from preschool next year (she watches one other child at our house and we're not sure if her vehicle will fit three and if it would be nicer for her to drive our vehicle vs. adding wear/tear to hers). But three vehicles just seems a bit much. Maybe if we find a good deal on a used car.
*Siggy Warning*
About me 2007: Started TTC. 2008: OB prescribed clomid, went to RE and was Dx with PCOS. 2009: IUI #1 w/follitsim and trigger = BFP. B/G Twins born at 33 weeks. 2012: TTC #3, Round 2 of Letrozole w/TI = BFP, missed m/c at 8 1/2 wks. Currently on the bench as we make plans for a new home. Anxious to start TTC #3 within the next year!
3
1 car and 2 pick ups.
The car is mine and it's a 2002 paid off
The trucks are 1997 Ranger with good mileage and MH takes that to work and back and the 1996 Chevy Silverado (Lifted with huge tires) it sits in the drive way most the time and we take it out every once in a while, usually on the weekends. both are paid off.
2 cars and 0 payments! We bought both Certified Used from the dealer, put some money down, and paid them both off early.
Public transportation is not the best here. We tried making due with one car for awhile, and it was a huge PITA. DH works at different locations depending on various factors, and one of his locations is nearly 40 min away. I SAH, but his schedule was insane for awhile, like leave at 6AM and get home at 8PM insane. In order to take him to work so that I had the car for errands and taking DS out, I would've had to wake DS before dawn, drive DH to work, and then keep DS up past bedtime in order to pick up DH from work. DH's schedule is much better now, but I think it would still be a PITA to drop off/pick up every day, and we can afford 2 cars, so 2 cars it is.
Just one--and not by choice. Due to my epilepsy--as of now I can't legally drive. So we have one car--which frustrates me to know end since we live in the suburbs with a less than par transportation system. However, we also live by family and during the summer when I am off of work--I am usually able to get out during the day.
However today was one of those "stuck at home" days.
We have two cars, but one is paid for.
We used to only have one, and DH would take the train to work. I had to wake up early to take him to the station, then get myself to work. When he was on the train coming home he'd call for me to come pick him up.
It was the biggest PITA ever.... Shortly before getting PG he took another job and we got another car because we needed it. He works from home often, but I still like having two cars.
I wouldn't go back to one car (unless obviously I HAD to).
It sounds like you guys could easily go down to one car.
We have one car, but live in a city, and DH rides his bike to work every day (I SAH).
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)