Thinking about selling a car - help me decide which one...

[GLC1968]

Ok, DH and I are looking to cut back. We have two cars and while both are good cars and fuel efficient, we don't feel like we need 2 anymore.

Here's the story:
We are about to close on a home that is about 15 miles from where we work. We work for different companies, but our offices are about 2 miles apart from each other. We have two cars, neither of which are paid off. One is a 2005 Toyota Prius that I bought last fall (obviously used). It gets about 48 mpg in warm weather (about 40-42 when it's cold). I can sell it for about 4K more than I owe on it. It's got 60K miles on it and the interior is light tan (shows dirt quickly). The other car is a 2005 Toyota Matrix that we bought new in late 2005. It also has 60K miles on it and it gets about 30-33 mpg. We will be lucky to break even on this car if we were to sell it. We owe almost exactly what it's worth if we got top dollar for it. It's been well maintained and 90% of the miles are highway miles. The Matrix has a dark grey interior and a removeable cargo carpet. It's also got more interior room in the back (the rear window is not as sloped as the Prius), so we can fit both 70lb dogs in back without having to put down the seat. Both cars also have a trailer hitch, but the Matrix will tow better than the Prius (more powerful engine). Also, putting a bike rack and two bikes on the back of the Prius removes all MPG benefits as it drops to about 30 mpg (the bikes act like a sail on a car that depends on its aerodynamics). Both cars handle the same in bad weather. Payment on the Prius is about $100/mo less than on the Matrix, but insurance is the same for both cars.

Which car should we sell? I know that financially, it makes the most sense to sell the Prius...but with gas prices the way they are, are we fools for considering selling the hybrid? I also prefer to drive the Prius, but I'll suck it up if we think it's smarter to keep the Matrix.

Our plan is to bike to work when we can, and when we can't, we'll carpool. If DH has to travel for work, he'll rent a car (at least, that's the plan).

Help me make the right decision!!

[LBTC]

IMO, which is what you asked for, you want to keep the Matrix. If you have only one car, it's important that it can do what you need a car for - transporting your two furry kids is important! Use the car less and you'll make up for any savings you'd have had with the hybrid. It makes perfect sense to me.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Mr. SR500]

I lean toward selling the Matrix, but not strongly. Since we just traded my VW on a Civic for the mileage, I'm all for fuel efficient and don't see gas going below $3 a gallon ever again. Sounds like you are driving ~ 30,000 miles a year between both cars, run a spreadsheet and figure all the cost. In the end keep what works best for the two of you.

[tulip]

I'd say keep the Matrix. If you are the type to drive a car until it dies, it will last alot longer than the Prius (no unknown battery issues). Plus, it seems like it'll do everything you want it to (cars, bikes), and you'll have $4k in your pocket, which you can use towards paying off the Matrix, or put in a special gasoline account--even at these prices, it'll take a while to use up $4k in gas. Plus, I bet you could sell the Prius in a heartbeat.

If your town has car sharing, like Zipcar or Flexcar (I think they bought each other), having one car among two people gets easier.

All that being said, however, I found that sharing a car to be quite cumbersome, even though I did it for five or six years. My ex (who was then not my ex) monopolized the car even though he worked from home and I had a 14 mile commute each way, which I did by bike several times a week and by public transit the other days. I could use the car as long as he didn't need it, but he always "needed" it. I often could not go on club rides on weekends because he needed the car. Not the reason we are exes, but it was perhaps a symptom of much larger issues.

I think if you have a plan and are both willing to take other forms of transit, then it can work. But if one is not willing to do that, it can mean alot of inconvenience for the person who is willing. I spent way too much of my time waiting to be picked up, waiting for a bus, etc.

[spotlightmama]

I say keep the Matrix. Sharing one car can be a big sacrifice - at least share one that suits you best. Gas mileage isn't everything...you will want to be happy on a daily basis, too!

[Zen]

Add another vote to the popular consensus.
Your insurance bill will go down too!

[Melalvai]

Any chance you can sell them both?
Your bikes get way better mileage than either car.

Do what makes the most sense financially. It might take some math but it's possible the money saved on better gas mileage doesn't compensate for getting rid of some debt. I'd probably keep whichever one I was closest to owning, even if it meant a $4000 loan to pay off on a car I no longer own.

[ny biker]

If you are the type to drive a car until it dies, it will last alot longer than the Prius (no unknown battery issues).

There are no unknown battery issues with the Prius. Let's kill that myth right here.

If the Matrix meets your needs best, keep it. Plenty of people are on wait lists to buy Prii right now so I'm sure you can sell it easily.

[SadieKate]

There are no unknown battery issues . . . .

Hold the presses! Stop the scientists! We don't need no more stinkin' research on anything because we now know what we don't know!

[GLC1968]

There are no unknown battery issues with the Prius. Let's kill that myth right here.

If the Matrix meets your needs best, keep it. Plenty of people are on wait lists to buy Prii right now so I'm sure you can sell it easily.

Ah...but there are unknown battery issues for us - as in, it is unknown in my family how to work on a car that is partially driven by batteries!

[OakLeaf]

Ah...but there are unknown battery issues for us - as in, it is unknown in my family how to work on a car that is partially driven by batteries!

Best keep it that way and not work on 'em in the backyard. My neighbor who's a body repair man, tells about an insurance adjuster who was electrocuted by a short in a Prius. Perfectly safe as long as you're not laying metal objects (his clipboard) across parts of the internals, after it's been crashed.

Of course it could be an urban legend, but he told it like he heard it from someone who worked at the shop where it happened.

[OakLeaf]

Plenty of people are on wait lists to buy Prii right now so I'm sure you can sell it easily.

I struggle with pluralizing that name, too

For a long time I thought it really ought to be Greek: Prios, Prioi. Now I say it's a fourth declension Latin noun: Prius, Pri[long U]s. Except I don't know how to make a long U in HTML.

GLC: keep the Matrix. (and don't forget: Matrices.)