WWMMD: Buying a car

[aspentosh]

You said money is tight, so I would wait. You'll save on car insurance, gas, and you won't have a monthly car payment.

I'm not really one to buy a cheap car to last for a couple years. I would much prefer to save and buy a long term car.

[yellowbelly86]

If carpooling is not going to be too big of a hassle and you can find other ways to get to where you need to be,it might not be a bad idea to hold off on purchasing a new car.IMO I would wait until finances are looking better and you can purchase a vehicle that will last for more than a few years.

[macmars45]

I'd wait until after the summer to even look into it personally.

H and I have been a one car family our entire marriage (3.5 years). It can be super inconvenient and annoying. However, we paid our car off 1.5 years ago and can't afford another car payment as of now. And carpooling to work has actually worked well since September. Before that it was just inconvenient & annoying. We just do what we have to do and make the best of our situation.

[sillygoosegirl]

DH and I shared a car for the first 7 years we were married, and 2 years living together before that. I'd wait until next fall to even think about getting a replacement car. But even then, you can bike in pretty lousy weather if you make a small investment in the appropriate gear. We biked to work in the winter in Wisconsin, so I know what I'm talking about. We wore goggles, ski gloves, neoprene ski masks, and thin fleese hats (actually, the thing that is more good than hat, don't remember the name) under our helmets. In addition to saving a lot of money and being good exercise, everyone will be really impressed at how tough you are.

[msmerymac]

I'd just share. My husband and I have done that before (he biked or took the bus, if he needed the car, I took the bus). I'm going to be working from home and we're moving to a new state, so we just sold his car. The insurance and gas will be so much cheaper. Having two cars is really a luxury. I KNOW a lot of people look at you like you have two heads when you say you only have one car, but it sounds really feasible.

[magpie]

I think I would wait, but it depends on how inconvenient it is, I guess. Are you able to use public transportation and or a car share service (like zip car) to make carpooling a little easier when things come up? My H and I share a car. I use it every day and he bikes to work. There's a car share/hourly rental at the university he works at, so it helps when he needs the car for the occasional mid-day errand like a doctors appointment or something. It makes sharing a car much, much easier in a pinch!

[kershnic]

If carpooling is working absolutely stick with it and save money for a while. Cars are really expensive. Hopefully you'll get a good payout from insurance and combined with savings by fall you'll be in a good place to get the longer term car you wanted.

[Deleted]

Wait.