Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Do you think car sharing would really restrict your life ?

122 replies

GingerKittenTail · 17/10/2022 07:43

We’ve car shared for quite a few years
but looking back I think that’s been a mistake
I know it would have been more expensive running two cars
but the freedom would be so much more

OP posts:
NightmareSlashDelightful · 17/10/2022 07:46

Do you mean sharing a car within a household?

Or are you talking about those community/neighbourhood schemes where three or four houses ‘share’ a car?

WhatNoRaisins · 17/10/2022 07:47

It depends on what other transport options you've got. It's going to be very different if you live down a country lane with no busses, trains or pavements.

thelobsterquadrille · 17/10/2022 07:48

We couldn't car share as we both need our vehicles for our jobs (in totally different places).

I can see how it works for some people though.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Driving & parking
Hugasauras · 17/10/2022 07:48

We went down to one car during Covid and it was fine but we've gone back to two now life is back to normal again. DH uses the car for work to do site visits when he's not WFH and I'm on mat leave and have a lot of various classes and meet-ups so it's a lot easier not having to negotiate who has the car when. It is an expense though and it's not a great time to be adding a second vehicle with the cost of everything!

If DH didn't use it for work we would manage with one okay.

Brieeeeeeeee · 17/10/2022 07:49

We’ve only ever had one car because it’s always been much easier for me to get to work on public transport, and at weekends we’re either together, or one of us uses public transport or stays at home.

TeenDivided · 17/10/2022 07:49

I find it hard to imagine life without my own car.
If I had to share with DH we'd have to make far more compromises that I would care to do. Either he would have to restrict his hobbies massively or I would lose all flexibility in my life.

SBAM · 17/10/2022 07:50

Yeah. We sold my car during covid, as we really didn’t need it, but now I really miss having one, especially as my husband seems to be changing and adding days working from the office to his schedule so some days where I expect to be able to use the car I can’t.

helly29 · 17/10/2022 07:51

I couldn't as I need mine for home visits /moving between sites at work. Plus we each do either school pickup/drop-off, due to work timings.

If we lived somewhere with better public transport, then maybe

asdasult · 17/10/2022 07:51

I can't car share I live alone and rurally.

RewildingAmbridge · 17/10/2022 07:52

We went down to one, we live walking distance to town centre, five minute walk to mainline into London, and in a town with excellent cycle lanes etc. We also live walking distance to some lovely parks and the beach. We both work less than two miles from home. DHs car used to sit on the drive eighty percent of the time. There is the very odd occasion where two cars would be more convenient, but not enough to pay to run a second car. If we lived somewhere less resourced/connected or of either of us had to commute to work by car we would need two.

Ragwort · 17/10/2022 07:53

We have two cars and it is an expensive luxury but it does give us complete independence. It's absolutely not essential but we can afford it ... DH is retired and goes off to the golf club or to do his volunteering (which he needs his car for). In theory I could walk to work but it's so much more convenient to drive and I also do a separate volunteer role which I use the car for plus visiting elderly DPs and we rarely do much together Blush so in our free time we are off in different directions. Yes I appreciate we are in a very privileged position.

Ragwort · 17/10/2022 07:53

Should have added we live rurally with very limited public transport.

Frazzled2207 · 17/10/2022 07:59

We have shared a car for about 15 years

it works well for us however

  1. dh wfh full time
  2. I wfh three days a week
  3. schools (and some of the kids activities and most of their friends) are walking distance
  4. we are on the very edge of a city (not london) so there are public transport options around

we always said that with the money we’d save we’d hire a second car if ever we really needed it.
there was a week several years ago where dh unexpectedly had to work away, somewhere where he needed a car. So we rented a car for a week. Thats the only time.

i am fairly sure most families I know could manage on a single car if they wanted to. But they mostly don’t want to.

Sheepwalker · 17/10/2022 08:00

Not especially. It's a luxury we can't afford, neither the parking space nor running a second car.

Things are so much easier since Covid and DH being allowed to wfh. He can wfh on the days I need the car. I've explained to DD's coach that if we ever have to get the bus, she will be 10 minutes late and he's ok with that. Else I try to organise appointments so that we can get there by bus if necessary and treat having the car as a bonus. It's so much easier than never having the car, also for shopping etc.

ToJustGo · 17/10/2022 08:00

Dh and I have always shared a car. I think most people in our position would say that they couldn’t possibly do it, but it just takes a bit of thinking differently. And yes some compromise. We live semi rurally so we have to give each other lifts places, or we will sometimes have to walk places which may take an hour, or be imaginative with public transport. It’s worth the inconvenience to save the money

Rutland2022 · 17/10/2022 08:00

We can’t share right now as our life too complex, we live rurally (we will never move) with no public transport, I do nursery drop off and DH does pick up. At pick up time I have to be in a completely different place (stables) which is 30 mins from nursery and nursery is 25 mins from home and 2 days a week I have to go to the office which is 1hr away by car. We have no shops in walking distance, it’s 12 mins by car for milk.

We occasionally have been down to one car and it’s so stressful, we can only manage 48hrs max and that’s with me WFH. We always cave in and hire one.

But when DD starts school which is 2 min walk from our house and DHorse has passed on (she is elderly) we are going to try having one car. It will mean DH stuck in the village 2 days per week when I’m in office, plus when I take DD to my parents but he thinks he wouldn’t mind. At the very least if we keep a second it will be a very old “banger”.
Our current cars are electric so are new (although work out very cheap to run as no fuel cost, cheap home charging).

Willbe2under2 · 17/10/2022 08:03

It very much depends, we car shared for years as we really didn't need two (no kids, both commuted by public transport), but DH changed jobs while I was on mat leave to one where he had to drive in, so we got another one so we didn't have to worry/I had options if he was in the office. Now I'm back at work (and both commuting by public transport again) we could probably make do with one, but keeping both as one's likely to conk out in a few years and it is useful occasionally.

dirtyasadustpanlid · 17/10/2022 08:04

I couldn’t do it and I work from home. Mu independence and being able to go anywhere at the drop of a hat is very important to me because for many years that was not the case.

Pourmeanotherwine · 17/10/2022 08:08

We've never had a car each, Ive always cycled to work and DH used to walk ( he is now retired).
I'd consider car sharing with another household with similar low levels of car use.

DozyFox · 17/10/2022 08:09

We car share. We live in a village. Not much around here, but the absolute essentials are all available within walking distance. There's an hourly-ish bus which DH uses to get to work, as we agree that whoever is with our child has the car.

At weekends we spend most of our time together tbh, which isn't for everyone I understand. But it does mean that sharing a car is a non-issue.

CleopatrasBeautifulNose · 17/10/2022 08:12

When we both worked from home we had one car between us and that was fine, though had to think about it occasionally. Now dh is in the office and working long hours, no public transport so I'd be trapped if I didn't have my own car. I need to run the kids about and get the shop etc

Rutland2022 · 17/10/2022 08:15

I should have put the mileage we do as context, 9000 average for DH, 15000 for me. We just couldn’t do that in one car. We couldn’t charge it enough for a start.

But when we take out the daily nursery and stables trips that will stop soon, that will take out 50%+ of what we do which is huge.

Alarae · 17/10/2022 08:22

Got rid of my car last year and haven't really noticed a difference. Both DH and I pretty much work fully from home, although I may wander into the office once per week and I use public transport. DH would use the car but at a push can get the train.

Luckily where we live the shops are only 3 mins walk away. We have a park opposite and can get into the main town via the bus in 30 mins.

If people live rurally or don't wfh I can see why car sharing would be a massive pain. As it stands, once our DD starts at preschool we will be walking there, so the car may not even move for days at a time!

Maslinka · 17/10/2022 08:31

It's work that's the blocker for us. You need other ways to get to work to keep it sustainable I think. Evenings and weekends are much easier.

minipie · 17/10/2022 08:32

We live in London, have one car. That one car doesn’t get used much - at weekends only - so a second car would be a very expensive paperweight.

Swipe left for the next trending thread