Being a one car family

[jobae1234]

Has anyone had any success with this?

My husband is making a massive career change for health reasons and he’s going from being an executive to starting a business from home. I suspect that he will be successful eventually, but it will be a lean year or two.

I can scale my job up and make enough to get us by, with his severance (layoff).

It occurred to us that with me walking to work and him working from home, that having almost 1k in car payments per month is probably insane. We can sell his car and use the proceeds to pay off my car and knock that down to zero.

We can get a second car, including a beater to tool around town, if needed. Or just buy another car. But I’d love to hear from those who have done this, even if just for a while.

[TR]

We have both been WFH since Covid started. Now I go into the office rarely and early last year H started his own company and will work exclusively from home for the foreseeable future. Both of our cars were paid off, but we sold his (the older one) anyway to save on the insurance. I think he's had to use Lyft twice in the year+ that we've only had one car.

We also don't have kids so that makes things a lot easier.

[penguingrrl]

We lived as a single-car household for about a year a few years ago. I was a SAHM and he was walking to the train, which is only a mile from our house, for his commute. On weekends we had to plan pretty carefully as far as kid activities/who needed the car when, but it worked out otherwise!

He got moved to a different office and had to start driving to work, so then we had to get a second car again, but it worked for a while and saved us quite a bit as far as a monthly expense was concerned.

[karinothing]

We did before kids and then for the first 6 years of DS1's life but then having to have two kids go to two differnt places at the same time made it difficult.

[dreamcrisp1]

Probably different for us bc of where we live but we are a one car family.

We both work from home usually. When I go to the office, I drive but when he goes, he bikes and takes the train. I use the car to drop the kids to school and he uses his bike and has 2 bike seats for both boys. We would never get 2 cars as we’d never need it.

When the kids are older with their own activities, they will bike themselves there.

[mysteriouswife]

We would totally be a one car family if we had public transit options. We have looked into ride share, but it’s not feasible. I think making it work for a few months to see how it goes is a great idea.

[lpcats]

We've had only one car for 8 years, although the first 6 were in the city. 2 years ago we moved to a suburb where we are less than a mile from two different towns, so within reasonable walking distance. The train station I commute from and the kid's daycare are in one of those towns. I walk to the train every morning and my husband, who works from home, handles the daycare drop off and then picks me up at the train after picking up from daycare. If for some reason I have to work late and will be home after bedtime, he will leave the car at the train station for me and walk home with the kid from there. We've only had a handful of times where we've really had to strategize about the car.

[definitelyO]

A little different as we have 2 cars, but DH doesn't drive due to an eye condition. So - essentially 1 driver. (DS is now 17 - but for the 5 years before he was able to drive I did it all)

pre-pandemic DH was hybrid. On the days he went to the office he took public transportation and I would get up early to take him to the stop (about 5 miles away - no bike path/lanes, etc..) and then would need to leave work early to pick him up.

The main thing is flexibility. It came down to the fact that my job is 100% flexible so I could pick up DS and/or DH and take them where they needed to be. We used a lot of carpools for DS's school.

it's doable for sure - but patience and compromise and flexibility are key for us.

[CurlyQ284]

My husband broke his jeep off roading a few years back and I was mad and said I didn't care if it never drove again I was tired of paying for it. We both worked from home and the Jeep sat for about 6 months. Eventually he got sponsors, made extra side money and had it fixed but it still mostly sits in the driveway unless he goes off road or if I have the car and he needs to go somewhere at the same time. We are homebodies so we don't go out much, the Jeep is driven maybe once every 6-8 weeks.

He has a different job now and has a work truck so we still really only use my Escape.

[cmeon]

We have been a one car family since our 15yo was a baby. We've rented cars less than 10 times in that period for one off things (mainly to care for my parents), and he has to use a ride service or rental to get to the airport (unless it's super convenient for me).

I am SAHP, H works from home- we had a second car when I started to SAH. But we never drove it so it really wasnt worth it to keep paying insurance just to have it sit in the driveway. We will get another car soon, though, with two teens approaching driving age.

[Jalapeñomel]

We had one car for most of our marriage, like 15+ years.

We got a second car a couple years ago, and we only recently started using it more frequently (COVID cut the bus from our house to the train, and it doesn't seem to be returning).

[lilafowler]

We are a one car household. We have one kid (12) and I WFH before being laid off. Before I WFH I took public transportation when H had the car. We live in the Boston area so our public transit options and proximity to family have made it work for us. I’m currently looking at new jobs and hoping we can stick with the 1 car lifestyle because I hate driving and parking and cars.

[waverly]

We had no car in NYC. Then we moved to a midwest college town where I worked on campus and DH went to school on campus. Our commute was about .2 miles. We only had one car related conflict when he was studying on the far side of campus that required a car and I was invited to a party 30 minutes away. So I couldn't go to the party. Oh and I think one time he took the car to the airport because there was heavy snow, and if he left it in our lot it would get stuck (again). We had to dig it out one time to get to the airport and snow removal was not great in that town for some reason. And I had to go to the doctor, so my FIL took me to the doctor. This was before Uber/ Lyft so nowadays I could have probably done that. Then we moved to another large city and was there for about 3 months before getting the second car because he worked from home and I commuted. He needed to go onsite, so that is why we bought the second car.

[shauni27]

we live in a rural ass place so it would not work for us, but if we lived in a city or a place with good public transportation, yes, I would happily do this!

[brooklyn]

We’re a one car family, and I live in the suburbs without a drivers license, lol.

We moved out here quickly from the city due to the pandemic. I concede it would be easier if I could drive, and I’m working on getting my license. We purposely picked a walkable suburb. I walk the kids to school, and H walks to the train station on the days he commutes into the city for work.

We plan errands for weekends when H can drive, or I take Uber/carpool with friends.

[dexteroni]

We haven't done it, but my sister and BIL did for a few years when they lived in a walkable neighborhood with good transit options, and it worked out fine for them. In your case, where you don't need any cars to get to work, it will give you a big financial advantage at a time when you can really use it, *and* you'll still have the ability to buy a cheaper second car if you really find you need one? I would 100% go for it. IMO it makes total sense for you and sounds workable.

[scm1011]

We have always been a 1-car family (briefly a no-car family). I mainly WFH and DH takes public transportation so our car just sits for most of the week. A few months ago I got a e-assist cargo bike which has been handy for the rare times we both need a vehicle (that wasn't the main driver in getting one, I use it more as car replacement). We live in an urban area (Boston-adjacent) so its never been an issue.

[Susie]

We tried it, pre-covid era and pre-kids.  We only lasted a month or so.  We were both working FT at offices that were walking distance apart, so we rode downtown together every day.  That part worked fine, and we kept it up for years after we caved and got a 2nd car because it meant we didn't have to pay for a 2nd parking spot downtown.  Where we ran into problems was on the weekend/evening.  At the time I did triathlon, went to spin classes, etc.  He needed to grocery shop, and do whatever he did for fun back then.  We live in the northeast where bike commuting isn't a realistic substitution for half the year, and our area has very low walkability scores.  We got really tired of spending tons of time concocting elaborate who-drives-where-and-drops-who-off schema to get to everything.  

We lived about 2 mi from a bus route park & ride lot at the time, but that would have mostly helped with work commuting, not so much the personal time car conflicts.  Since work wasn't our problem, it didn't help much.

[erbear]

We are essentially a one car family. DH works from home and takes the train when he has to go into the office. I drive to work (can't be done on public transportation). It works fine for us, except for the very rare occasions where the kids' soccer games overlap (then we get one a ride) or I take the car for a weekend (they do stuff around the house or in the city). We live in a major city though so not an issue in the way it might be in the burbs.

[rosiebear]

This question cracks me up because, like, millions of families live with zero or no cars, in the USA.

To answer the question, we were one car for many years (H and I worked at the same place, we had young kids but only half the time). When the kids got bigger and our tiny car got less reliable, we kept it as an occasional car when we bought an SUV. That car got the most use when the kids got their licenses and were still home, so for about 3-4 years we really used 2 cars on a regular basis.

Now the second car lives in our driveway waiting for the kids to come home for the summer, but we only use the one SUV.

[lilypad1126]

We've discussed it, b/c i now work from home, but I travel a lot for my job and am gone with my car for long stretches of time. While we can walk to some place, others, like the grocery store, are not walkable. And I've never seen a bus here, so public transit isn't an option. Also, my H's car is paid off, so it's not a big expense for us. We may try to figure it out when it's time to think about replacing H's car.

When we lived in downtown Chicago, we only had 1 car and had we stayed, we would have become a zero car family. Since you can walk to work, it seems like it would be very doable for you!

[smock]

We we were zero car (before kids) and one car (after kids) for about 10 years. Here's what helped: I walked to work; Mr. Smock took the bus to work (or drove sometimes); our hobbies didn't require a car (running/biking); and we were walking distance to daycare.

Saving $1k a month is a HUGE benefit, so it sounds like it's worth trying!

[jewel]

I just want to add that if you have a decent market for Turo in your area, you can cheaply rent a vehicle on days that you know you’ll need 2 cars.

[janegold]

We only have one car. We used to live in the city and hardly ever used it. We moved to the burbs a few years ago, right before COVID hit, and didn't really need a second car because we weren't doing anything.

Fast forward to now, it's workable but a bit of a PITA honestly. I vent probably once a week that we need a second but I keep waffling on it. I only go into the office once a week, and my H works from home or travels (in which case he takes an Uber to the airport), but still - it means that on days I go into the office, I have to leave at like 3p to get back in time to pick the kids up from daycare/after care. I could take public transportation but it's really not convenient for my situation. There's also an increasing amount of scheduling conflict with kid activities, and scheduling anything around pickup and dropoff times is out. (Of course, practically of my favored workout classes fall over or too near these times.)

In conclusion, it is becoming less and less workable for us but would be totally doable if we didn't have kids or if our kids were older.

[Velar Fricative]

This what we are gearing up to do when my car dies (I think I still have a few years left with it). I live in the NYC outer boroughs. I didn't drive before I got a job out of the city and had no way of getting there except to drive, and that was nearly 8 years ago. I'm no longer at that job and don't intend to leave the city for work again. I use the second car now for school/activity stuff and commuting but I'm pretty sure I can get away with not needing it for a few years. We may be the most car-centric borough but I managed to get around for 10 years without driving. I figure for places where mass transit is not convenient and if we need to go to two separate places, not having to pay for another car and all the associated fees means I'll be able to splurge on a cab when we need one. And we are a short walk to nearly any kind of store, transit option or community center (so glad we bought this house when I didn't drive!). Our kids will be older when our car dies (they're 9 and 5 now), and there is absolutely zero need for them to learn how to drive around here eventually lol. 

[7costanza]

We only had one car for a while, pre kids and pre pandemic. It was fine, I took the bus to work or dropped off my H then drove myself to work and we usually run errands together. We could actually go down to one car now pretty easily since I WFH and my H has a company vehicle but he’s super attached to his truck and I have no interest in using it as a daily driver for daycare and school drop off and pick ups.

[emilyinchile]

Nov 22, 2022 12:22:23 GMT -5 rosiebear said:

This question cracks me up because, like, millions of families live with zero or no cars, in the USA.

Haha, right? The answer as to feasibility depends a ton on where you live (plenty of people purposely avoid cars in bigger cities) and your lifestyle.

We have had one car since moving in together. We live in a city with good public transport and cheap taxis/Ubers, and we both WFH. Since having a baby who uses a car seat there have been a couple times that we couldn't both do what we wanted exactly when we wanted to (there are never any Ubers with car seats available), but it's never been a major issue.

Having a car is obviously super convenient, but it's also a major expense even if it's paid off, between insurance, gas, registration, maintenance. You can take a looooot of bus rides, Ubers, Zip car, etc for the price of a year of car ownership.

[devonpow]

Little different for us - we have one car but I don’t drive at all (due to eye issues) plus we live somewhere with good public transportation.

It’s fine for us, just I think DH gets tired of always being the chauffeur 99% of kid activities they walk to or take the train, so it really only is an issue for really really bad weather days or the occasional too far activity. For those I try to get carpools for the kids usually. Things like the grocery store we just plan out more but it’s generally a non issue. DH works from home now (has since Covid) and most weeks the car is only used on weekends anyway.

[sent]

We made it as a one car family with just DD for 4 years. Then DS came along and it was still just one car. We had to breakdown and get the second card soon after DS's first birthday. DD would have dance class on Sundays and I had to work once a month on Sundays so it was getting hectic juggling getting her to and from dance on those days. Even though we picked a walkable suburb when we bought our house and my husband walks to the train for work, the dance class was in a different town so it was time for the second car.

I still feel proud that we made it as long as we did.

[mich1]

We spent about 8 months as a one car family when DH’s car broke its timing belt and he decided to upgrade the motor when it got repaired. At the time, he was working about 30 miles away so he started driving my car.

When we needed a second car, we rented one for the day. Usually it was because I had an appt of some sort. When we rented the second car, I used that time to run any errands needed. It cost us about $50/mo to rent a car a couple of times each month. Otherwise, I made use of the local store’s grocery pick up.

We live about 7 miles from town. While there is a bus, it only runs hourly and the bus stop is nearly a mile away so public transportation is not a good option.

Once upon a time, I lived for 4 years without a car. I lived downtown, with grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, laundry mats and public transportation within a few blocks of my home. Where you live, and what you have access to largely dictates how dependent you can be on public transportation. I have gone from one extreme to the other.