Advise about downsizing and only having one car.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

Hopefully there is someone here with good advice and who might have done this. Hubby and I pretty much travel together. We are both retired. One car goes everywhere. The other car mostly sits but is used but not all that often. Insurance for both is not that bad. Maintenance is not that bad. What can I say they are both Toyotas. However. I would save money not having both. I also would have garage space. But in an emergency... only one car would be just that ONE CAR to use.

I don't know what to do. Any one have any suggestions... experiences to share?

StylishLady · ‎03-11-2010

Save your money. We've lived with one car all 52 years of married life. I seldom drive. Why pay for insurance, registration, etc. when you do not need it.

patbz · ‎03-10-2010

Go down to one car and rent it you need a second.

Reba055 · ‎06-23-2014

I think it depends on what you can live with. Personally, I may not need my car to go anywhere, but the thought of being stuck at home without a car freaks me out. If in fact you really are together most all the time and use only one car, it might not be a big deal to you.

bonnielu · ‎03-11-2010

We will celebrate our 50th. And we have always had two cars. But since our retirement we travel everywhere together. I was thinking of turning in both cars to the dealer and buying one new one. Not sure that is why I asked. It will be cheaper, less expense, less maintenance.

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

DS and I carpooled to work when we lived still lived together.

It worked like a charm during the weekdays when he dropped me off at work (saved me from parking fees) and he picked me up on the way home.

That said it was a headache on the weekends with competing free time to use 1 vehicle. Grocery shopping, time at the gym, etc.

Make sure you have 1 vehicle that suits most of your needs. When we car pooled it was DS's pickup truck. Versatile, we could haul things home as needed and big enough to suit everyday commuting while still pretty comfortable.

No vehicle payment insurance on 1 vehicle. It was a financial no brainer.

DoneTryin · ‎03-09-2010

Ask a friend or relative to house the lesser-used car for a week or two, preferably out of your sight. Then "forget" you have it & just continue using the other one. See what your comfort level is when you think you only have one car.

You don't say how old either car is, but your idea to trade both in for a newer car might make the most sense. What is the worst thing that could happen if you only have 1 car? If something does happen, you can rent a car until yours is repaired, or you can ask friends or family to give you a ride to wherever you need to go for a few days. Or, if you get down to 1 car & find you just can't live with it that way, then you can just see about getting another car at a reasonable price.

jackiew · ‎03-09-2010

After we retired we went down to one car for a few years. I don't like to drive that much so it doesn't normally bother me to not have a car at my disposal. But we did go back to two cars and I really do like knowing the second car is there if I want it.

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

I've thought about that, too. We have two Toyotas (2006 and 2009), doing fine and in decent repair, but I guess if push came to shove we could live with only one. My neighbor doesn't drive (she's not old) and she called a cab the other day to go to the dr. I used to do that when I had to commute and drop a car off at the shop - call a cab. I would have gladly driven her to the appt but I have a single cab truck and she has three young children. Unless they had ridden shotgun in the bed we would not have all fit, and plus I have a stick shift.

Husband used to be a cab driver (lots of funny stories).

When I had my hip replaced and could not drive, it was a little weird to not have that freedom, but I got used to it. Husband went off to work and I stayed home, for 6 weeks.

Are you able to walk to services? Don't get me wrong. I guess you can walk, but are there accessible venues within walking distance? Do you have decent emergency services, in that event? Do you have friendly neighbors who would help you if you needed it? These are things I have considered, when I have considered what to do when the time comes to replace a vehicle.

I'll be interested to see the responses to this, also.

Cogito ergo sum