Cars are stupid.

[zoom-zoom]

We've gone for years without having any car troubles. Both cars are paid-off. DH's A/C died maybe a year ago, but he doesn't mind it most of the time. Luckily it doesn't get super hot in MI, but for a week or two here and there.

Today DH's car is in the shop for a new oxygen sensor, which isn't a big deal, as the car is 11 years old and stuff needs to be replaced on a car that age, but he just had his brakes replaced a week or so ago. $$. My car needs to go into the shop, since it keeps tripping the check engine light. There is a gross emissions leak that we had suspected was a faulty gas cap. We replaced the gas cap...and a week later the light is back on. So now it's time for a smoke test to see what is really leaking. My car is only 4.5, which is annoying.

If only we lived near DH's work. We're about 30 miles away by bike, so a bit far for a regular commute. The miserable thing is that for 5 years we lived, literally, down the street from his work. He was hired 2 months AFTER we moved up here.

We have said that if we lived closer we'd certainly drop down to 1 car. We could have a whole lotta nice bikes for what we spend on cars and gas.

[JennK13]

That sucks! Car repairs are the worst. I've recently been considering selling our truck. We have a 2008 Subaru, and a 2002 Ford F150 that rarely gets driven as my DH has a work truck. He also has a motorcycle. Our offices are 7 miles from home, and I commute by bike regularly. Really, our truck only gets driven in winter if we arent together outside of work. Maybe 500 miles a year. Would probably save a fortune in insurance to get rid of the truck (which doesnt have a/c right now, either). Decisions, decisions....

[zoom-zoom]

Ugh, and yet another thing is wrong with DH's car. The parking brake no longer works...they thought the cable was just stretched-out, but that didn't fix it. It's the rear calipers that need replacing. Sheesh.

Cars...meh.

[emily_in_nc]

That sucks! Car repairs are the worst. I've recently been considering selling our truck. We have a 2008 Subaru, and a 2002 Ford F150 that rarely gets driven as my DH has a work truck. He also has a motorcycle. Our offices are 7 miles from home, and I commute by bike regularly. Really, our truck only gets driven in winter if we arent together outside of work. Maybe 500 miles a year. Would probably save a fortune in insurance to get rid of the truck (which doesnt have a/c right now, either). Decisions, decisions....

Sounds like a no brainer to me! Do it!

We also have an older Ford F150 (1998) that we may sell soon. We recently moved closer to my workplace, my DH is retired and has been biking or taking the free buses everywhere, only drives his truck about once a week. If I were to take the bus to work once a week so that he could use my car (a 2004 Honda Element), we could be a one-car family. It's hard to pull the trigger, but something I know we'd feel good about if we can do it!

[JennK13]

Yes, it should be a no brainer!! But it is hard, especially since we're originally from Southern California, and "nobody walks in LA!" much less rides Fortunately, we're in CO, now, where it's "normal"

[zoom-zoom]

I want to blow DH's car up. His CEL lit, again. So maybe it was the oxygen sensor, but that was replaced and now something else is flaking out. For now we're going to ignore my car's CEL. It's not a sensor or directly related to the operation of the vehicle, so it's just going to have to wait a month or two. My 60k mile tune-up is in a couple thousand miles, so it will wait until then.

Cars are not just stupid, they down-right suck.

[Crankin]

If your car is eleven years old and is needing all of these repairs, then, it's time to buy a new one, or just get rid of it.

[Becky]

I want to blow DH's car up. His CEL lit, again. So maybe it was the oxygen sensor, but that was replaced and now something else is flaking out.

It's not uncommon for there to be a "knock sensor" downstream from the O2 sensor. According to my mechanic, they throw the same error code on the diagnostic computer, at least for a 1997 Subaru. My last car needed both and, since they're buried in the engine, it was only marginally more expensive to do both than it was to do one.

I'm not saying that the O2 sensor didn't need replacing, just that the knock sensor may be shot too.

[soprano]

If I were to take the bus to work once a week so that he could use my car (a 2004 Honda Element), we could be a one-car family. It's hard to pull the trigger, but something I know we'd feel good about if we can do it!

At the beginning of June 2009, my husband and I decided to see how it would be if we went down to one car. We agreed to park my car in the driveway for a month. I rode my bike or took the bus. I think he might have driven it to work one or two days just to keep the battery charged and such.

We did the one month trial because he was very nervous about going down to one car. Watching it depreciate, unused and unneeded, in the driveway helped him a lot.

I was lazy about cleaning it up for sale, so I didn't get around to selling it until July 17. One year later, I'm so glad that I sold it.

AAA, which by definition is a pro-driving organization, says that here in the US we spend between $7K and $12K per vehicle per year. You can read their detailed report here. After I sold my car, I ran the numbers over the lifetime of that car, and found that my car had cost an average of $8K/year. I owned that car, an Olds Alero, for 9 years and 160K miles. There was almost always something broken or wrong with it. (I got a flat in the first 50 miles on that car!) After I sold it, it was like a big weight lifted off my shoulders.

Not having a second car has put a lot of money back into our annual budget. I do still have *some* transportation cost. I bought and outfitted a touring bike this year, which was not cheap. Riding the bus costs money, and I occasionally rent a car or use the carshare, which also adds up. Also, our insurance bill only went down by about 30% - it turns out that the second-car discount was substantial.

If you're having trouble pulling the trigger, I strongly recommend parking it for some period of time and seeing how you do. Figure out how you are going to handle bulky loads and groceries and how you're going to get to the doctor if you're too sick to ride or stand at the bus stop. Proving to yourself that you don't need the car is very different from thinking that you might be able to get along with out it, and it makes the decision easier.

[zoom-zoom]

If you're having trouble pulling the trigger, I strongly recommend parking it for some period of time and seeing how you do. Figure out how you are going to handle bulky loads and groceries and how you're going to get to the doctor if you're too sick to ride or stand at the bus stop. Proving to yourself that you don't need the car is very different from thinking that you might be able to get along with out it, and it makes the decision easier.

For us the issue is living in BFE. DH has to have a car to get to work a half hour away and we have no public trans. We don't need 2 cars every day, but I'd say we need 2 at least a third of the time. If we were close to his work and our kid's school (which is near his work) it would be a non-issue. We could definitely live with just one, then.

[zoom-zoom]

As much as we'd LIKE to go down to 1 car, it's just not possible at this time. DH works a half hour away and our kid goes to a charter school without transportation. So I am either driving carpool or having to drop-off/pick-up at the carpool meeting point when DH is already at work or not yet home.

[tulip]

Sounds like a no brainer to me! Do it!

We also have an older Ford F150 (1998) that we may sell soon. We recently moved closer to my workplace, my DH is retired and has been biking or taking the free buses everywhere, only drives his truck about once a week. If I were to take the bus to work once a week so that he could use my car (a 2004 Honda Element), we could be a one-car family. It's hard to pull the trigger, but something I know we'd feel good about if we can do it!

There are Zipcars where you live...that would make it easier to have just one car.