Thinking of getting rid of our second car, am I mad?

fro9etb8j5qsl2

We have 2 cars and at the moment it's costing us over €100 per week to run them both between tax, insurance, diesel etc. Which would be fine except I rarely go anywhere in the car while my OH is at work. I was going to weekly medical appointments that I needed to drive to but they are now finished. We walk a lot as I find it easier to load the 2 kids in the buggy and go than to be lifting them in and out of the car. We are a 40 minute walk from town with buses going past our door every 15 minutes and there are good shops and supermarkets within a 10 minute walk from us. The only place I need to drive to is my mam's, which I could do after OH gets home from work.

So we have been thinking about getting rid of 1 car. My OH works a 20 minute drive away so if I did need the car during the day for something, it would be easy enough to drop him at work and collect him in the evening. We would save a fortune by getting rid of 1 car. But the thought of being at home with the children all day without it freaks me out (even though I rarely use it anyway). I suppose it's the mentality of 'what if there was an emergency and I needed it'. Ironically, the 1 time there was a bit of an emergency, the car was at the mechanics so my OH had to come from work to bring us to the doctors :rolleyes: I'm not sure if I'm mad for wanting to get rid of my car or if I'm mad to be spending so much on it in the first place

Lisha

Would it be possible to drop him to work at times so you'd have the car by day?

I'm rural based so it wouldn't work here. But if public transport options are available and lots sre in walking distance I'd think about it.

OU812

Got rid of ours. Took about a month to get used to. Buy OH a bike, get fit, save money, car available for kids.

(Disclaimer - didn't buy bike but started walking instead. Same result)

monkeysnapper

I was in same boat as you last year, I had a 1.9 TDI Audi 2003 and cycled to work most days and tax was due. 680 euro so I just took it off road. A month after a lad noticed I wasn't driving it and offered me good money and I sold it .

Things were OK being a 1 car house but I just missed having car for weekends when I wanted to maybe go off on own ect

I bought a very cheap low engine car and its worked out well for me . especially as I bought car in October and after the winter we had . ....... Fewwwwww

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I don't want to have to drive my OH to and from work every day because we would have to get up and ready to go earlier and I would have to be lifting the kids in and out of the car (the main reason I don't drive anywhere in the first place, I have a terrible back). Getting OH to cycle isn't an option either as his drive to work is all motorway.

We were in 2 minds about it until we took the bus a few times and realised how handy it is if needed. OHs car is a 2l so that would be the one to go. Mine is a low engine mpv that costs feck all to tax and drive.

Suucee

Ww got rid of our second car when no 2 was about 3 mnths old. My oh could cycle but ended up getting offered a lift by a co worker who drives near to our house anyway. It has saved us a lot of money . The original plan was for him to cycle or me drop him when i needed the car but living close to town i was just planning on walikng. I became pretty ill so was lucky to have the car there while OH had a way to work with his collegue

lazygal

We're a one car family. Oh cycles or gets public transport to work, I get the dart to work. There's a handful of times a year we could do with two cars but we can't justify the cost. I think you know whether you'll adjust.

Speedwell

My husband does not drive due to eye problems. We live within a ten-minute walk to a bus stop with regular service (something like six or seven pickups/dropoffs a day), and we're in a rural town, and I work from home, so it's really a perfect arrangement. My car often doesn't leave the driveway for three or four days together. If I did have a commuter job, I'd probably take the bus anyway.

ectoraige

Armani Great Statistics wrote: »

I suppose it's the mentality of 'what if there was an emergency and I needed it'.

Put the money you would save each week in a jar until you have the price of a taxi and A+E admission sitting there. If that's the only reason for keeping a second car in an urban area, you probably don't need it.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

Good to hear that other people can manage it It probably sounds ridiculous that I'm even worried about it, I know there are people out there who do perfectly fine with no car at all We're definitely going to give it a go, OH will sell his car and hold on to the money from the sale. We'll see how we go for a month and if I'm struggling, we'll use the money to buy a small cheap runaround.

pwurple

I think get rid of it if you have public transport available.

I tracked all our vehicle costs for a year. After reviewing everything we were spending, it was our third highest cost after childcare and mortgage. I included tax, maintenance, insurance, parking and fuel. we switched our main car to an electric car because I was fed up with dealing with maintenance, oil changes, services, tax and other nonsense. No more petrol stations, just plug it in a couple of times a week. It has saved us just over €6000 so far over the petrol yoke.

I drive around for work, but my husband can get to his a few different ways. Car-pooling, bike, public transport. Our second (non-electric) vehicle gets used about once a week for the last year. It's extortionate what we pay for that ability in tax etc, but with a couple of kids, sometimes they just end up needing to be in two different places at the same time. It's currently on my list of things I'd like to eliminate/reduce.


If you can, get rid.

PhoenixParker

ectoraige wrote: »

Put the money you would save each week in a jar until you have the price of a taxi and A+E admission sitting there. If that's the only reason for keeping a second car in an urban area, you probably don't need it.

This is what I was thinking when I read your post too. Sell the car and put the equivalent of a years insurance and road tax in a jar. Whenever you need to go somewhere and need a car get a taxi. You don't even have to be sparing, just use it when you feel like it and see how long it takes you to get through the cash.

yellow hen

One car family here too. We've moved out of Dublin and now live in a commuter belt. I usually take car to work and husband gets train but it's challenging when he has to stay home if little guy is sick. How ever for the small number of awkward days, it wouldn't pay us to buy and maintain a second car.

munchkin_utd

if you need personal mobility then just get a bike or a moped or something along those lines.

Theres even one of the parents at our childcare who has to travel 4 or 5 km in the morning, so he got an electric bike (i.e. along these lines http://www.goelectric.ie/ ) , attached a kids bike trailer and he uses that to transport them.

Theres another parent who got one of those large dutch bikes with a cargo platform on the front, and its also electric assisted (so like this, but with electric http://dutchbikeshop.ie/babboe-city-6/ ) so again does the job, and is also usable for getting a heap of shopping !

Elemonator

My parents did it and started taking the train. Only one car in the drive now. Best decision they ever made.

lawred2

One car family for a long time now

Only possible because of public transport but it was a great call and we don't miss it.

ChewChew

We were getting rid of our second car but couldn't shift it so decided to hang on to it as the tax and insurance was due. It really bugged me but I gave in and now I'm glad. We had a bit of an emergency where my oh had to leave work and drive down the country so he could just go whereas if we didn't have the second car, it would have been a logistical nightmare. That's just one main example, but we certainly have found having the second car very handy.

beauf

Still finding the 2nd car (old banger) handy at the weekends. Use it very little during the week. Its mainly when the kids have activities in opposite directions at the same time, or when some crisis arises and you need some flexibility. I mainly use public transport for work. The other issue is I worry if I get rid of the car, and you lose your no full claim bonus. If we then need a 2nd car. It may be too expensive to get insurance. People returning from working away for a year or two have very high premiums.

RainyDay

ChewChew wrote: »

We were getting rid of our second car but couldn't shift it so decided to hang on to it as the tax and insurance was due. It really bugged me but I gave in and now I'm glad. We had a bit of an emergency where my oh had to leave work and drive down the country so he could just go whereas if we didn't have the second car, it would have been a logistical nightmare. That's just one main example, but we certainly have found having the second car very handy.

Logistical nightmare? Just rent a car for a couple of days when you need it

www.rentalcars.com/Dublin‎

About €10-€15 per day, not a huge deal. You could easily rent 3 or 4 times a year, and still save a pile of money over taxing and insuring an unneeded car.

fro9etb8j5qsl2

It's a week now since we sold the second car and I haven't missed it at all I got a leap card and have used the bus a few times and found it great, no loading in and out of car seats and no screaming children trying to distract me. The kids like the bus and there is always something to look at or someone to talk to. And no looking for a parking space either I'm sure the novelty will wear off eventually but for now it's going really well

pwurple

Delighted for you mrs postman! Mine love the bus too.

Greener, good experience for the children and saving you some money. Genius!

Arkady

We're a two car house, we'd love to find a way to get it down to one.