3 Benefits of Downsizing: From 2 cars to 1..

RickLee · 01-22-2009, 03:54 AM

To minimize mileage on my wife's leased vehicle, I asked my wife to leave her car in the garage and let me drive her to work using my van. There are definitely Financial as well as Emotional benefits to downsizing the # of cars we operate.

1. Lower Overall Operating costs - including gas if we both regularly share part of a route, and Parking of her vehicle. If we got rid of the 2nd car entirely, we'd also save on Insurance and Lease costs.

2. Improved Communication - the half hour commute together gives us more time to catch up on day to day things as well as share more ideas about our family life and work issues.

3. An Act of Service - my wife appreciates my chauffeur service - she avoids the stress of driving, of finding parking, and just hops off my van, without paying anything, and gets a commitment to be picked up at the end of her workday at her door.

This 14 day shared car experience has been enjoyable - while we won't be getting rid of the 2nd car anytime soon, the idea is certainly compelling.

KevinW · 01-22-2009, 04:33 PM

I've been carpooling with my wife for the last few months, and have observed the same benefits.

There are a few other minor ones: we only had to set up one iPod connection instead of two, my wife has an airtight excuse for not running errands for her job, and we can plan dinner and buy ingredients as part of the commute home.

Both our cars will need to be replaced soon, and we are strongly considering replacing them with one single car. Finding a model we are both happy with is a bit of a challenge. In the meantime I will probably compromise by registering my car Planned Non Operation (PNO), which pulls the registration and insurance costs down close to 0.

FruWiki Meg · 02-01-2009, 09:31 AM

I work from home and am a bit of a homebody, so my husband and I have been able to share our one car (though he also has a work van that the company provides). I had my own car for a while, but ended up donating it to charity instead of throwing more money into repairs. We haven't had any problems, so long as he can take the van when he's out of town. And even when he didn't have the van, it wasn't a problem -- but then it would be different if we both worked out of town.

The best bonus for me is that I have an excuse to wait till he's home to go somewhere -- and then we go together and he drives. I hate driving, so it works out very well

lilac · 02-01-2009, 10:10 AM

My partner and I have had just his car for a long time. I sold my car 3 1/2 years ago because it was going to be inactive for a year and it was at an age and condition that it wouldn't still be operable afterwards, so I sold it and haven't had one since.

It works out pretty well 95% of the time. I bike to work and take the train to university so that's pretty well and convenient for me. He usually bikes or runs into work and uses his car sparingly as well. So, to be honest, it's mostly on weekends that we use it.

It is really nice though, not having to pay so much on insurance, registration, gasoline, and repairs should they happen. Unfortunately, there's a possibility that I might have to break down and finally get myself a car again within the next 6-9 months depending on where I get a job. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love driving, I just despise all of the money you have to throw into getting a car.

For those of you in certain areas, you can look at ZipCars or other car-sharing schemes in your area to take the sting out of not having a second car.

01-22-2009, 03:54 AM	#1
RickLee Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 119 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Reputation: (17)	3 Benefits of Downsizing: From 2 cars to 1.. To minimize mileage on my wife's leased vehicle, I asked my wife to leave her car in the garage and let me drive her to work using my van. There are definitely Financial as well as Emotional benefits to downsizing the # of cars we operate. 1. Lower Overall Operating costs - including gas if we both regularly share part of a route, and Parking of her vehicle. If we got rid of the 2nd car entirely, we'd also save on Insurance and Lease costs. 2. Improved Communication - the half hour commute together gives us more time to catch up on day to day things as well as share more ideas about our family life and work issues. 3. An Act of Service - my wife appreciates my chauffeur service - she avoids the stress of driving, of finding parking, and just hops off my van, without paying anything, and gets a commitment to be picked up at the end of her workday at her door. This 14 day shared car experience has been enjoyable - while we won't be getting rid of the 2nd car anytime soon, the idea is certainly compelling.

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01-22-2009, 04:33 PM	#2
KevinW Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 77 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Reputation: (26)	I've been carpooling with my wife for the last few months, and have observed the same benefits. There are a few other minor ones: we only had to set up one iPod connection instead of two, my wife has an airtight excuse for not running errands for her job, and we can plan dinner and buy ingredients as part of the commute home. Both our cars will need to be replaced soon, and we are strongly considering replacing them with one single car. Finding a model we are both happy with is a bit of a challenge. In the meantime I will probably compromise by registering my car Planned Non Operation (PNO), which pulls the registration and insurance costs down close to 0.

02-01-2009, 09:31 AM	#3
FruWiki Meg Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 64 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Reputation: (11)	I work from home and am a bit of a homebody, so my husband and I have been able to share our one car (though he also has a work van that the company provides). I had my own car for a while, but ended up donating it to charity instead of throwing more money into repairs. We haven't had any problems, so long as he can take the van when he's out of town. And even when he didn't have the van, it wasn't a problem -- but then it would be different if we both worked out of town. The best bonus for me is that I have an excuse to wait till he's home to go somewhere -- and then we go together and he drives. I hate driving, so it works out very well

02-01-2009, 10:10 AM	#4
lilac Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: South Cheshire, UK Posts: 62 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Reputation: (12)	My partner and I have had just his car for a long time. I sold my car 3 1/2 years ago because it was going to be inactive for a year and it was at an age and condition that it wouldn't still be operable afterwards, so I sold it and haven't had one since. It works out pretty well 95% of the time. I bike to work and take the train to university so that's pretty well and convenient for me. He usually bikes or runs into work and uses his car sparingly as well. So, to be honest, it's mostly on weekends that we use it. It is really nice though, not having to pay so much on insurance, registration, gasoline, and repairs should they happen. Unfortunately, there's a possibility that I might have to break down and finally get myself a car again within the next 6-9 months depending on where I get a job. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love driving, I just despise all of the money you have to throw into getting a car. For those of you in certain areas, you can look at ZipCars or other car-sharing schemes in your area to take the sting out of not having a second car.