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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it’s not *that* weird to only have one car?

184 replies

OnlyTheLangOfTheTitberg · 20/09/2021 17:21

At lunchtime today I was chatting to a colleague who asked if I was going to an (optional) event in the office on Wednesday. For context, we’re currently hybrid working, 2 office days/3 WFH days each week and as one of the managers (albeit not too high up the seniority tree) I get to manage which days are which myself, with sensitivity to the needs of the business of course.

I said I would have quite liked to have been there but my car is booked in for a repair on Wednesday so I’ve had to make it a WFH day. She immediately said “can you not just use your husband’s car that day?” I said we only have one car and she said “oh” and looked quite nonplussed, as if I’d suddenly started speaking in tongues, and there was a long pause where it looked like she genuinely didn’t know how to respond to my shocking revelation Grin I asked her if she was going and the conversation moved on, so I thought. But then as she was about to go back to her desk she hesitated, and then said “so what does your husband do if he needs to go somewhere while you’re at work?” so it was obviously playing on her mind. I just said, we manage (as it happens he’s disabled so no longer drives but she doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of his medical history, and even if he were still driving we couldn’t afford to run two cars) but it got me thinking…is it so unusual to only have one car between a couple these days?

OP posts:
CosmicComfort · 20/09/2021 20:37

We are a one car family, always have been.

DH used to use the train to work, now WFH. Never been an issue and we have never wanted the additional cost.

We are unusual in our street and within our family as well. We plant to get a camper van next year when DH retires, I guess we will be 2 vehicles then!

KingdomScrolls · 20/09/2021 20:38

We only had one for any six months this year, DHs needed more money spent on it than we were willing to so we sold it and the second hand car market was a bit ridiculous. He cycles to work so that was ok, but there were a number of occasions it made logistics around DS difficult

PeonyTime · 20/09/2021 20:40

No, its not weird if it works for you.
However, I've just looked up the public transport route to get to work. It starts off with "drive a car 8 minutes"....

mommybear1 · 20/09/2021 20:42

We have always had two cars but with lockdown DH's work has now been completely made WFH so we got rid of his car. It's only been a few weeks for us but makes massive financial sense. We have had some very odd reactions from family members etc who seem to think it's very odd Grin.

ISeeTheLight · 20/09/2021 20:45

We have one car and most of our friend couples only have one car - bar one pair but the husband has a company car.
Various reasons - some medical (2 friends with epilepsy), one of my friends has a license but hates to drive, my DP can't drive (although he's promised he's finally going to learn).
We both work from home permanently (since pre covid); before that we worked in central London so no need for a car.

jessnoah · 20/09/2021 20:46

We don't have one, my MIL lives a five minute walk away and we just borrow hers from time to time and give her about £80 a month towards it. I work from home and my husband does too but occasionally goes in on the train, kids' nursery and town/aldi/parks/river is all walkable for us

NotImpossible · 20/09/2021 20:48

One here. But neither of us use it loads - everything local is walkable - so it's fine. We do need the one though as public transport isn't great and family members live rurally.

Chicchicchicchiclana · 20/09/2021 20:49

I think it all depends on where you live and where you work.

When I read about the wonderful peace and quiet of living in the country, but then the average family needs at least 2 cars to even function it fills me with horror.

MacSmirving · 20/09/2021 20:53

We live rurally and have managed quite well for years with just one car. Admittedly we're not very outgoing, so probably easier for us than it would be for others

I'm really hoping, with more people working from home, that more households will be able to move to having only one car.

Keladrythesaviour · 20/09/2021 20:53

We have three between the two of us, but one is a classic, and the other two are electric/hybrid and we both spend half our lives in our cars. We live rurally and have always had big commutes. I've managed to cut my down a lot but still couldn't do it by any form of public transport, biking or walking unless I wanted to turn around the moment I got in.

I have to admit I find the concept of one car hard to fathom, just because three is the smallest amount of cars we've ever had. 4 is relatively more normal, but DH is a total car nut so he's always taking them apart. Technically we've only got two working cars at the moment...

Taswama · 20/09/2021 21:05

We have two cars but the second one was SORN'd last summer and needs sold.
We managed with one car for years, with DP mostly driving it to work and me and the kids walking / cycling / using public transport. For an emergency, eg needing to go to the doctor, we got a taxi. It was fine. We bought a second car when I changed jobs, but my job is local again and DP is mostly WFH anyway so we really don't need two cars anymore.
Unfortunately there is no car club in our small city so occasionally we have had to miss out on activities where an available car is assumed but its quite rare as most things are in walking or cycling distance.

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 20/09/2021 21:07

@Chicchicchicchiclana

I think it all depends on where you live and where you work.

When I read about the wonderful peace and quiet of living in the country, but then the average family needs at least 2 cars to even function it fills me with horror.

I am always slightly staggered when I go to visit family who live in villages in North Yorkshire at how far they are from everything. Last time, they'd booked a "local restaurant". It was a 40 minute drive away, some of it on the A1.

Our nearest restaurant is a three minute walk, and there's another 7 two minutes after that.

Trinacham · 20/09/2021 21:16

DH and I only gave one car, but then again we are colleagues. Would be a waste of money running 2 cars when we only need 1.

Trinacham · 20/09/2021 21:16

have*

HarrisMcCoo · 20/09/2021 21:19

We only have one. Never been a problem. We work out schedule around it.

whynotwhatknot · 20/09/2021 21:27

not weird at all i think she is for going on about it

nordicnorth · 20/09/2021 21:38

We only have one car. It's brand new and very nice. We'd rather be able to afford a lovely, new, safe and reliable car than both have crap bangers like we've done previously!

We do live in a city and I use the car to commute, husband is able to walk to work.

Hullbilly · 20/09/2021 22:01

We have one. I don't get people who drive everywhere. I've worked with people who drive 5 minutes' walk away to buy a sandwich. They must not care about global warming.

MrsKoala · 20/09/2021 22:09

We only have 1. Always have. So have my parents and most people I know. Neither H or I have ever had a job you could drive to so it’s parked outside all week and we only use it for days out and a big monthly shop. If anywhere is less than 2 miles I walk as I like walking and hate driving. I hate cars in general really.

MrsKoala · 20/09/2021 22:12

When I couldn’t drive and lived in Milton Keynes people were absolutely bemused by it. At first they thought I was joking, then when they realised I wasn’t, they looked horrified and really pitied me. Grin

MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig · 20/09/2021 22:21

When I met my Dh we both had our own cars. We’ve both had long commutes, dh still does while I now have a long school run. We live rurally. Couldn’t manage without a car out here. We get three buses a day through our village, the nearest train station is three miles away and the dc’s school is 12 miles in the other direction. I’d be giving up my independence if I gave up my car. People that laugh at needing more than one car obviously live in cities with public transport on every corner.

JustABloodyMinute · 20/09/2021 22:56

We survive without a car, managed fine when we had babies, toddlers, etc. We walk/cycle/bus/train - some people find this strange, I don't understand why.

ManifestDestinee · 21/09/2021 08:57

@VelvetChairGirl

what planet are you living on? I only know one person with a car and no one knows why they even bother having it, its unnecessary in london and just a expense. I never even thought owning 1 car was common.
You're on Planet London, unable to understand that people live anywhere else. Could you be any more of a cliche?
ConstanceGracy · 21/09/2021 09:06

Not at all.
We recently had two cars until lockdown happened and then realised we could just use the one so I kept mine and dh sold his.
We’ll get another eventually when joke working becomes a thing of the past.

ConstanceGracy · 21/09/2021 09:16

Ha! *home working

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