Thinking about becoming a one-car family

[tar heel]

It would not work for us and it would cost a lot more than a second car -- most of it for the psychiatrist I would need but part of it b/c our gas bill would triple (at least).

We don't have public transportation access and we work 30+ miles apart. I left for work this morning about 7:45 and got home at 6. DH went sometime before noon and will get home between 10 and midnight. I get exhausted just thinking about trying to do that schedule with one car. We also both have fathers who live 100+ miles away and are in fragile health -- I have headed to the hospital in the middle of the day a few times.

Of course, it really isn't possible any way as both of us have jobs that aren't always "in the office" and the expectation is that you drive to get to the other locations. It would be really, really hard for either of us to do our jobs without ready access to transportation.

 

[midnightlouise]

I wrecked my Pathfinder about 6 weeks ago, and while looking for another vehicle we were a one car family. I am finishing school while homeschooling my boys and I only work a few hours a week now, so it was doable, but I won't lie...by the end of the month I was going crazy being stuck at home all the time. We missed our library trips, field trips, and our McDonald's cheap ice cream runs lol.

Mass transit here is a joke, and I could only have the car if I took DH to work 30 minutes away. Granted, it could have been worse, but I couldn't do it. Once summer comes I knew I would want to be able to get the kids to the pool for some exercise on a regular basis, so between the trips back and forth to work so I can keep the car several times a week for work or errands, we ran the numbers and figured we weren't going to be saving enough to justify the aggravation. (Plus repairs & maintenance are free because DH is a mechanic for Nissan, so that has never been a worry.)

But that's just my experience. If you can manage it, good luck to you!!

 

[Elleshoodat]

Are you in an area where you could consider Zipcar for your 'other' vehicle or something similar?

I don't think so, no. We live about an hour away from a "big" city, and Tampa isn't even that big.

 

[mhsjax]

We are a one car family. We have one insurance policy, one set of maintenance bills, one tank of gas to fill. I'm surprised at how many people thing they couldn't possibly go without their own car. You have to want to make it work, and there are, IMO, very few who couldn't actually make it work.

Those of you who say, my husband can't leave his job if something comes up, who would pick up the kids if they were sick, etc. Imagine it this way - 1 car, 1 parent. So if your DH was a single parent, he'd still have to leave his job and take kids elsewhere if they got sick at school. Your husband didn't likely get his job because he's got someone to pick up the kids if they got sick.

Many employers offer sick time, which is what we use if we have an appointment during business hours. We try to make our appointments as early or late in the day as possible, or over the lunch hour. While the bus isn't close, in non-inclement weather I can take the kids to the bus stop about a mile away and go to the doctor, shopping, etc. Mostly, we just walk to a park about the same distance. Kids are happy and it costs nothing, so I'm happy.

As far as activities - we make a grocery list every week and stick to it. Early Saturday morning we get groceries. We can do this pretty quick because the stores aren't busy - usually around 90 minutes for 3 stores and a cup of coffee. DS2 has a class at 6:30 PM once a week - it's already preschedule and DH's work knows that's a day he can't work OT. Again, if he were a single parent, he'd have to deal with it. Those with multiple kids in multiple activities, you could scale back, which might be a stress reducer for all involved.

Any way, it can work, it does take communication, but it also makes you value your time more. Just my $.75 worth.

ETA - not trying to be judgmental, just trying to add another perspective.

Well count me in as one who can't. Dh is a sports photographer, if he eaves due to a child being sick, then a while team loses their pics. they are action pics not stills.

We don't have family here, al of my neighbors work. Her is my schedule, you tell me how it works. DS14 Tae kwon do, be there at 3:45, done at 6:30. 15 minutes north of us. DD cheer. 40 minute south of us, be there at 5:50 end at 6:30, DS10 soccer at 6:30 done at 7:30 20 minutes eats of us. Sorry it won't work.

Not trying to be judgmental either, but trust me, sometimes it won't work. OH year, DD cheer team, those parents live south of the gym not north like I do, there is no carpool. Really it isn't a case of not wanting it to work, it just doesn't. I would never ask one of my kids to stop there one activity that they love, to go to one car. NOt to mention, we love them being in these activities. Just how is a parent supposed to do that, sorry you sound pretty judgmental to me.

 

[disneyfan'ole]

I don't think so, no. We live about an hour away from a "big" city, and Tampa isn't even that big.

Yeah I would have to agree with this statement. Tampa has horrible public transportation.

 

[mhsjax]

I've bundled these two because my answers are so similar. Sometimes people have non-rational or non-"normal" reasons for the choices they make, and that's ok.

In my case, I don't anticipate that not having a car will actually save us very much (or any) money. Train fare, rental cars, zipcar, etc. I'll be shopping at closer grocery stores instead of buying in bulk at the warehouse club, etc. But I'm happier and more productive on days when I walk a few miles than I am when I don't. Not having a car forces me to walk 4 miles (to and from school, twice) plus errands every day, and that's worth a little more total out of pocket to me.

But I do think that families who -want- to have only one car will make it work, regardless of their situation, and those who don't will find reasons it doesn't work. But "making it work" might involve changing jobs, changing schools, changing where you live, or just changing the dynamic and pattern of your day. It's like tithing, or not drive on Shabbat, or only eating organic food, or running every morning. If it matters to you - you'll do it, but there are only so many things in life that can be your first priority.

The fact that it -could- be done doesn't mean it makes sense, or that you should do it if you don't want to. Financial savings from only one car are flexible, and a winning setup can turn into a losing one, just like it could with two or more cars. Right now, we have a rental car because our life isn't set up for one car and a rental car is cheaper than the extra mileage involved in having one car. It's not a good deal for us until we move.

And if going down to one car makes you feel unsafe - makes you live a more stressful life, worrying about all the things that could be going wrong and how you can't fix them. Or would require you to change your life in unpalatable ways - there's nothing wrong with saying "nope, not for us!"

Sorry but I changing where you live in oder to go to one car. Yeah, that is crazy. Let's see. HOney sell the house, move into the city so we can have public transportation, pull those silly kids out of the best public school system in the state. PUll them out of their one activity that they love, they can just sit on the couch and watch TV, because all their friends actually have a life and do things. But hey we will have only one car. DUMD IDEA.

My first priority is my kids. That is why we live where we do and why we would never give it up to go to a 1 care family. Maybe it is different where I live but no one has only 1 car. Sorry but you are wrong to suggest those silly ideas.

I don't care if other people have only one car, but some of you need to get off the soap box and realize that sometime it just isn't doable, and I won't give up my life to save a car payment. My kids are more important than that.

 

[Cindy B]

We did it for over 8 years. We probably could do it again if needed. My DH works from home, and I work about 5 miles away from home. We have decent access to public transportation (which we have both used at some times or another)

Our kids have activities and things to do. We still managed. When we had one car, we saved money, gas, insurance, etc. When we felt the need to go to more than one car, we had cash saved up..

Now we have two cars paid off-(2010 Camry and 2000 Expedition). DH uses his car very sparingly, and puts gas in it about every two months. He just filled his car the first time since JANUARY.

I admire so many people that don't feel enslaved to a car. Some cities have great public transportation (NYC, Wash DC,) and it is so easy to get around. I have no problem using public transportation-- it saves us so much

 

[thebeesknees]

We are a one-car family, and have been since we got married. It works for us because we have always lived close enough to transit stations to make it work. Of course, when we were looking for housing, we made sure that it was within walking distance to a bus stop/train station so that DH could easily get to work. Sometimes it is a pain, like when we have a doctor appointment or something, but it's worked out OK so far. In fact, we are getting ready to replace our vehicle soon, and instead of just buying a second car, I think we are going to trade this one in and stick with one car for now.

 

[jenrose66]

We are a one car family. We have been for about a year. We did it mainly to save money. DH is a mechanic (thought not his profession anymore) so we have an 11 year old mini van that he can keep running, it's not pretty but it's functional. Our insurance bill was cut in half when we got rid of my 08 model.

Honestly we haven't had too many cons. We have family close by so if we both need a car for different things I can borrow my moms car or DH will use his dad's or sister's car. Though I can count on one hand how many times that has happened.

DH works from home and rarely needs to go into the office so this situation works well for us.

 

[Lucille1963]

We are a NO car family. We lived for years without one and it never bothered us. My mother handed one down to us a couple years ago, it was a wonderful convenience, but when it broke down a month or so ago we decided not to replace it.

DH rides his bike to work every day (even through cold Chicago winters!) The kid and I ride public transportation or walk. We don't sit inside watching tv. We're having fun throughout the city (he's on a first name basis with employees at various museums.)

If there is an emergency, we call an ambulance. If there is a must-do event that requires a car, I rent one or borrow one.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

We are a one car family. I live within easy walking distance from work and in a town near NYC that has buses and light rail that leads to NYC subway. It works well. I walk to the grocery store, to my doctors' offices and almost anywhere else I need to go. However, if I had a baby, I would not want to be home without a car, so I would want to purchase a second one before having a child.

 

[Planogirl]

We don't have public transportation and my job is 20 miles away. DH's is about the same distance in the opposite direction plus he goes out of town a lot. I don't see how it would be doable for us.

 

[encinc]

We're a single-car family, and always have been. We had the opportunity to do an experiment last year to see how much we liked having a second car. Friends of ours moved overseas for 10 months and they gave us the use of their vehicle while they were away. The car was under warranty, so we paid for basic upkeep (basically a couple of oil changes and a tire rotation), gas, and insurance, so the cost was pretty minimal. There were times that it was really nice to have two cars ... mostly when the kids needed to be in different places at the same time. But honestly, most of the time, the second car sat in our driveway. We are so used to managing with one car that we did it, even when we didn't have to.

We were a little afraid when we took on this experiment that we'd like having two cars so much that we'd have a hard time giving it up. In reality, what it did was show us that we don't need a second vehicle. And, that for the money we spent, we could take cabs or rent a car as needed.

There are lots of reasons why having only one vehicle works for us, and may not work as well for others. DH and I work within very close proximity to one another, we work close to home, and we both have flexible work schedules. I work 3 days a week, and generally have the cars on my days off. DH is happy to use public transit when necessary, but as long as the weather is good, his bicycle is our second vehicle. He often bikes to work even on days when I'm going in and could easily drop him off.

I also think that only having one vehicle makes our family more close knit. We do lots of things as a family because it's harder to be going in different directions. Our boys are involved in lots of activities and sometimes the scheduling gets tricky. DH and I talk about it ahead of time, and we haven't run into any impossible situations yet.

 

[bartleby1]

I don't get all the people who are so offended by the "if you want it to work, it will" statement.

When we first househunted, we almost chose a place that was walking distance to my workplace. We ended up choosing a place in the town where my dh worked - that had bus service. We tweeked our schedules a bit and worked it out.

It definitely would not work where we live and work now, but if we really wanted it to work we could move and make the necessary sacrifices. We don't want to.

At this point, it wouldn't be practical or save money (selling our house would be difficult and I'd probably have to stop working,) nor would it be convenient, but again, if we really wanted to, we could.

I don't think anyone here was offended by the "if you want it to work, it will" statement. I just had a different understanding of what that actually means. By "making it work", I assumed that meant switching to a one car family in order to SAVE money. I did not consider the option of selling our house in a market that would cause us to lose a substantial amount of money, and moving to an area with better public transportation nor did I consider having my DH give up the secure, stable job that he has had for 24 years just so we could be a one car family. That, to me, is not "making it work".

 

[dawnball]

Sorry but I changing where you live in oder to go to one car. Yeah, that is crazy. Let's see. HOney sell the house, move into the city so we can have public transportation, pull those silly kids out of the best public school system in the state. PUll them out of their one activity that they love, they can just sit on the couch and watch TV, because all their friends actually have a life and do things. But hey we will have only one car. DUMD IDEA.

My first priority is my kids. That is why we live where we do and why we would never give it up to go to a 1 care family. Maybe it is different where I live but no one has only 1 car. Sorry but you are wrong to suggest those silly ideas.

I don't care if other people have only one car, but some of you need to get off the soap box and realize that sometime it just isn't doable, and I won't give up my life to save a car payment. My kids are more important than that.

Did you completely miss "The fact that it -could- be done doesn't mean it makes sense, or that you should do it if you don't want to. Financial savings from only one car are flexible, and a winning setup can turn into a losing one, just like it could with two or more cars. Right now, we have a rental car because our life isn't set up for one car and a rental car is cheaper than the extra mileage involved in having one car. It's not a good deal for us until we move. " or "There are only so many things in life that can be your first priority"?


This happens to be a high enough priority for us that since we're turning our lives on end anyway, we may as well get this in the deal. We're selling the house, selling one car and moving somewhere with great public transit, excellent schools, and a million and five activities that are walkable/trainable or achievable through some combination thereof. And it's not crazy at all - because that's the lifestyle we want to live. The fact that it's the lifestyle -I- want to live doesn't mean it's the lifestyle -you- want to live, or that it should be. There are tradeoffs with any choice. We're moving away from family and familiarity. There's less job stability, we won't have a garden or our own yard and I've donated nearly half of my possessions to various charities.

I don't think anyone in this thread has intended to be "on a soapbox", we're just pleased with our life choice, and don't want people to think that their concerns are insurmountable. The stone-flinging appears to be defensive, rather than offensive.

 

[snow88]

Always been a 1 car family. I can't really afford to buy a 2nd car.

That being said, my husband can walk to work since it is down the street. We carpool for soccer games/practices.

We go grocery shopping once a week. My husband's co-worker gives him a ride to the grocery store and I meet him there.

I take the children to any appointments which is few and far between.

The school bus takes my high school son to school in the morning and drops him off at home in the evening. I take my youngest son to school and then the bus drops him home in the evening.

My college age son gets rides with his friends to school .....co-workers if he is working.

I must admit it is quite costly when my vehicle breaks down or like when my son wrecked it. I had to rent a vehicle out of my pocket. Insurance nor the mechanic gave me a vehicle to drive even when the mechanic messed up my car and I had to cancel my flight because I didn't have anyone to take my son to school. My son was supposed to take him to school in my vehicle and because of my oldest son's age, he can't rent a vehicle. So I had to stay till the vehicle was fixed.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

We've been married 11 years and have always been a one car family. At times it has taken some work, but financially it's always been worth it.

 

[mhsjax]

Did you completely miss "The fact that it -could- be done doesn't mean it makes sense, or that you should do it if you don't want to. Financial savings from only one car are flexible, and a winning setup can turn into a losing one, just like it could with two or more cars. Right now, we have a rental car because our life isn't set up for one car and a rental car is cheaper than the extra mileage involved in having one car. It's not a good deal for us until we move. " or "There are only so many things in life that can be your first priority"?


This happens to be a high enough priority for us that since we're turning our lives on end anyway, we may as well get this in the deal. We're selling the house, selling one car and moving somewhere with great public transit, excellent schools, and a million and five activities that are walkable/trainable or achievable through some combination thereof. And it's not crazy at all - because that's the lifestyle we want to live. The fact that it's the lifestyle -I- want to live doesn't mean it's the lifestyle -you- want to live, or that it should be. There are tradeoffs with any choice. We're moving away from family and familiarity. There's less job stability, we won't have a garden or our own yard and I've donated nearly half of my possessions to various charities.

I don't think anyone in this thread has intended to be "on a soapbox", we're just pleased with our life choice, and don't want people to think that their concerns are insurmountable. The stone-flinging appears to be defensive, rather than offensive.

I disagree, I think the stone-flinging is the opposite. Several comments about how most people can make it work, they just don't want to. That is pretty preachy in my book.

Like I have said if it works for some great, but there is NO WAY in my world that it would work, and the only people I Have ever hear of with one car, are the people here on the dis. Guess it makes a difference where you live. Can't really be done here, there is no public transportation where we live, and most people are 2 income families with multiple kids in different activities, so yep, when some people say that you can make it work and you just don't want to, I get defensive.
I aslo love how some people have said that they can "borrow a car if they need it, How nice to borrow something that someone else pays for.

 

[MinnieForMe]

We did the opposite and became a 3 car family and I'm a SAHM. When our family outgrew my Subaru, it was worth next to nothing and since my husband commutes 3 hours a day, we figured it was the perfect commuting car for mileage. He already had a Dodge Ram in the garage and since it was older was also not worth much to anyone but him since he takes really good care of it. So, I have the minivan and he uses the Subaru (160k) with a pickup in the garage for his Home Depot and snow storm commuting. He works in the mountains of NH.

I wish you luck on one car! It could never work for our family but I can see the savings if you don't want a car payment which I would NOT want.

 

[herdtoDisney]

While we are presently a multi-car family, there was a time when I was a SAHM and only had three kids (was pregnant with #4) and Dh's former truck blew the engine. To save money, he decided to replace it himself, which is time-consuming. So for a couple months, we just had our van on the road.

I never worried about being at home with kids without a car. I mean, there are ambulances. My parents live in our city too and my mom works nearby so if I had really had some emergency, I could have asked for a ride. Most days, dh took the van to work, and I planned my shopping and appts for his day off. Sometimes, I planned to drive him so I could have use of the car. But, gas was a lot cheaper then, and I had to get all the babies up early to leave. Sometimes we took the local bus to run errands, which actually wasn't bad, but tended to have troubled folks riding during the day. I wasn't scared, but I know how to watch out, and once the bus had to have police come to remove someone.

But with both of us working (I returned to work several years ago) in towns opposite of each other, and our residence-we just can't share a car. It would cost us far more in gas driving in circles to drop each other off and pickup. Plus, we dont' always finish at the same time and we don't have the same days off. All our kids take the bus or walk to school (different ages), so that is not an issue, but with us working like we do, we'd spend far more gas money, not to mention TIME, if we tried to share a car. Our cars are all older, paid for and I carry no collision on them (not worth it). All three of our cars cost less each month in insurance and property tax (we pay that on vehicles here) than most people would spend on ONE car payment!

When one of our cars broke down (when we just had two) and I needed to get to work (dh was going to repair it but needed to wait to get a couple days off) I just called a local car rental place and rented one for a week.