As seems to happen at least once a year, Mr. PiN and I are reconsidering our decision to run our household with just one car.
Once again, Mr. PiN had to be out of town for a family medical emergency. This time, he left the car here (he flew), but the situation was still pretty inconvenient for me. Even better, the “check engine” light came on right before he left.
Is it time, we wonder, to get a second car?
I’ve written before about the financial advantages we enjoy by owning just one car:
- We only have to pay for one car at a time.
- Ownership costs are lower. Think: insurance, registration, inspection. Also, I don’t have to pay for parking at work.
- Parking at home is less of an issue (we have a one-car garage and inconvenient street parking).
- Overall, I estimate we save $6000 a year owning just the one vehicle.
All of these advantages still hold true.
On the other hand, we are starting to be bothered more by the disadvantages of having to share our car:
- If the car needs repairs, we don’t have a back up car, and really need a loaner or a rental. This is becoming more and more inconvenient as the years go on.
- Mr. PiN is committing to more and more events that require driving, sometimes on my day off. Meaning that either I’m stuck at home, or have to ask him not to schedule anything for a whole day, when I sometimes stay home anyway.
- If someone needs to leave town with the car, it’s a hardship for the other person.
What’s brought this on?
I think the car getting older means we are more worried about the repairs. The days of bad air quality (fires from Canada, summer heat) make walking less attractive. Also, the realization that we aren’t getting any younger, and might need a little help getting around town sometimes.
In the long run, I think we will likely return to a 2-car family, as we were when we first married. We both like driving, and the freedom it brings.
The big question is, when should we make the change?
A bus pass is much cheaper than a new car, though taking the bus most certainly has its own issues. (In the morning, the buses are full and often won’t stop to pick up passengeres.) However, I could catch the bus a few evenings a week. I could even walk to one of the further stops, and get some exercise in before hopping on.
A parking pass would cost about as much as a bus pass, and would be used much less often. However, it could function as insurance for the times I can’t catch a ride but have the car. Both of these together would be wasteful, but still much, much cheaper than a new car.
As for the next car, I think we may have to start looking for a new car this year or next. As my best friend reminds me, you can hardly get a new car right away anyway (she also is thinking about buying a car, as her “new” one is now 10 years old).
That’s when we will have to make the big decision: sell the old car, or keep it as my commuter/the around-town car.
For now, though, I’ll look more into a bus pass and hope for better air quality days.
Are you a one car family? What would you do?