Steve, it’s 7 miles, but 20-25 minutes each way (with traffic). That’s 80 minutes, and then I had to drop off and pick up my son from his school which took another 90 minutes. Add picking up my daughter from Kindergarten and the errands we did and we surpassed 3 hours easily.

That only happens twice a week, but the other days it’s about 90 minutes total if I don’t go anywhere but pick up from school and work.

@CL –
I bought new at the end of the year — the best time can you do it. Had you decided to do this a month ago, you probably could have gotten a new car for less than the 1-2 year old models. For example, I walked into Ford and after negotiating (which consisted of sending a grand total of about 15 emails to 6 different dealers) and rebates I got my car for $15,500. It MSRP’d at $21,000. That 26% discount pretty much offsets the 1st and 2nd year depreciation.

I’m not sure what kind of deals are floating around now that it is a new year… hopefully they still have some! :)

I was going to suggest bicycling, but I see from your linked post(s) that you’ve already considered that or at least are aware of it. I only bike in the summer, personally :)

Although my husband and I were able to survive w.one car for about 5 years while the kids were small, as they became more independent, we needed to accommodate them. I say to buy a reliable gently-used commuter car (maybe w/some warranty intact)…it will be worth it.

The only bad thing about buying new and expecting to drive it into the ground is that sometimes $hi+ happens (like totalling your vehicle through no fault of your own!).

Good luck, Kelly. I enjoyed your post!

Obviously you know your situation much better than I do. My wife and I have been married 21 years and have 3 children. We have been a one car family the entire time. I have never run the numbers but with the initial purchase of the car, maintanance, gas, taxes etc each additional car is a large expense.

I can say that we have really benefited from the money we socked away avoiding a second vehicle. As the kids get older, the expenses shoot up. Between braces, camps, grocery bills(especially with boys!) special classes etc it is nice to have some wiggle room in the budget.

I am not saying you are making a “wrong” decision (as if there was one). I would just say from my perspective as a middle aged parent (sole income provider) it may be worth it to try to come up with other solutions before purchasing the second vehicle.

Anyway sorry for the long post. Good luck

We’re a car+scooter family. It may or may not work depending on your location, typical weather, etc. When it’s raining or snowing here I take the car to work, leaving my wife and kids stranded. That still leaves her with the car most of the time though.

We live in a suburban area, and my husband works in an area that is only 15 minutes away. Moving closer would mean higher housing prices, moving to a school district we don’t want to be in, and higher taxes. We are actually saving by living where we do.

As far as driving as much as we do, I talked about it in the posts I linked to. We live in the Northeast so walking places is not an option when I have to bring along 2 young kids.

Public transit is available in the area, but not convenient for where we need to go.

I think it’s great that you can both commute together. It must be a nice way to start and end your day.

We are definitely of the drive it into the ground mindset. My car currently has a huge dent in the side, and I opted not to get it fixed since they have to replace the whole panel. If we do eventually sell it we will have to have it replaced, but as long as it me driving it, the dent, crayon marks, and dirty floormats don’t bug me.

If our kids were all bused to school it wouldn’t be an issue, but they aren’t all at that age yet.

I do think it’s worth trying if you can or have to.

I will have to write a post responding to your 1/10th rule. It’s absolutely ridiculous. A typical family needs 2 cars. The average salary for families is around $50k. No way you can buy 2 decent cars for $5,000.

With certain cars, especially ones that are good value, it is difficult to find a newer model used car, and in some cases prices are close to identical.

Have you considered why you need to drive so much? What I mean is, would you be willing to move closer to your husband’s workplace, or with better access to public transit? It might be worth it if you can avoid the expense(s) of a second vehicle.

My wife and I have been sharing a car for our entire marriage. We recently bought a second vehicle, but only in theory – in practice our older vehicle was worth more to us for sentimental reasons than it was as a trade-in, so we kept it, but we primarily drive our new vehicle together everywhere. In fact it takes a conscious effort to drive the old truck often enough to keep it in decent shape (battery charged etc). We are lucky enough to have jobs that let us carpool. There was one period where I was working someplace in the other direction, and transit options were bad – I did get a lot of reading done. In the end I’m glad I didn’t buy a car for that job, since they laid me off after only 10 months, and I was able to find another job closer to my wife’s workplace.

I convinced several of my friends to do something like that and none ever regretted it (vs. paying a lot more for a new car.)

-Erica

My girlfriend and I recently were looking to purchase a new car, and I went through the steps, but we eventually decided to stick with our one car and commute together. You can see that post here.
http://aceofwealth.com/2010/01/tips-for-buying-a-new-car/

Good luck with your decision either way!

As far as buying new cars, I did that in 2007 and it was not a fun experience. I don’t like negotiating and actually don’t do it. I named my “out the door” price, but it took three weeks before I found a car salesman who just began the line of work after having worked in the computer industry. It must have been meant to be :) He was a great guy and understood that I wanted to buy a car, not play games. He was exceptionally and noticeably respectful. Last time I went to the dealership, I asked about him. He didn’t stay long, which doesn’t surprise me, but I doubt I will ever purchase a new car again. It’s just too hard to do, because of the way it is done. I love the vehicle and got a good enough price.

As for me, I still drive the first I car I ever bought… which I got about 9 years ago. It’s got a lot of life left in it, given my short work commute.

When my wife’s beater died last spring, we bought her a $4k “gently used” 2001 sedan. She doesn’t “need” a car, but the convenience is worth the price we paid. Actually, slight correction. Since we bought her car, mine has been relegated to “commuter” status, and hers is used for longer trips.

Added bonus: I’ve found that I spend a lot less on unnecessary items if I’m stuck at home with a day to talk myself out of what is really a splurge. Shopping in general is more disciplined because I have to use a list to make certain I don’t forget anything and buying from a list means I don’t pick up a lot of random impulse items. I think I’ve developed some great habits that will stick with me even if/when we return to being a two car household.

One car isn’t a good idea for everyone but I think some people would find the experiment valuable.

Good luck!

We aren’t replacing my van (which is only 3 years old), but buying a car for my husband to drive to and from work, and on outings for the kids extracurricular activities. We are looking for fuel economy, and good value.

As far as new being as cheap as used, it depends on the model of the car, and what you are buying it for. Some makes and models have much of what you listed as extras, and we were careful to consider every option before we bought.

Not all minivans cost $34K, ours was priced at $26K and I worked them down to $21K. I walked in with my own financing, so they took off the final bit in negotiations when I agreed to use their financing (which was a lower rate than mine!).

I think more and more there is no one size fits all answer for how to buy a car. You have to consider your needs, budget, and who will be riding in the car.

I think the only real rule now is to run the numbers. Sometimes used is cheaper, sometimes new. Like you we are of the mindset that we buy cars to run them into the ground.

So, we went out and bought an ’07 Accord. Love it, too! We already had a 1997 Ford Ranger (small truck), but I can’t drive it (manual transmission). Now we have 3 cars, so we need to sell the large truck.

I really don’t get the idea of a new car being as cheap as a used car…unless you buy a new Kia (which I’ve never driven but have not heard great things about). We went looking at new cars; the one you will want (due to all of the almost necessary options, such as power windows and locks, and roof racks, rear a/c, etc.) will cost a lot more than the base price. We’re talking $34000 for a minivan. And when the 0% financing is offered, it seems the dealers are more apt to want to get the sticker price rather than make a deal.

Great cars from my experience: Hondas, Chrysler T&C minivans, and Ford Rangers (all have great safety ratings, great gas mileage, and are highly dependable).

New vs used is a heated topic. These days though, you can find great deals on a new car where it isn’t much more than used. Interest rates and financing are low and you can find 0% deals for five years.