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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to want to sell my car and become a 1 car household?

28 replies

Flibbyjibby · 09/04/2022 15:39

My husband started working at my workplace a couple of years ago and since then we obviously travel together (in “his” car) to and from work. My car has sat on the drive pretty much unused ever since. Whenever I do need to use it, I always have to jump start it because the battery has died. It is a cheap small runaround car, 12 years old and doesn’t cost a great deal in insurance/tax etc.

We have a 15mo child and another baby due in September. My husbands car is the family size car with the car seat fitted etc. I never take our baby out in my car as it is too much faff to move the isofix base and car seat from his car to mine on my days off. He does not want to drive my car to work when I am home on days off so that I can use the car seat, but I manage perfectly fine walking everywhere I need to go on those days.

I have suggested for years that we sell my car as it doesn’t get any use. DH always responds that it is useful to have “just in case”, but as I can’t take the kids in it as we can’t afford to buy two more expensive car seats I don’t really see the need to have it at all! Meanwhile it sits on the drive and I pay insurance and tax for something I don’t use.

AIBU to suggest we sell it and make do with the one car like many other families do? Is it really that difficult to manage with one car until we do really need another one?

OP posts:
itsneilthebaby · 09/04/2022 16:02

We recently did the same, although no children involved. If dp is working and I’m not, I just drop him to work so I have the car for the day and can go out. Don’t think I’d want to do it if work was very far away, but then we do live somewhere with no buses or public transport so I can’t do anything with no car

mudgetastic · 09/04/2022 16:17

Just in case of what?

We added up the costs of insurance, service and MOT and kept that just in case we needed a taxi of hire car

ISeeTheLight · 09/04/2022 16:18

We've only ever had one car. It's fine.

Hawkins001 · 09/04/2022 16:19

Plus if it's just sat their what about the parts not functioning

Hugasauras · 09/04/2022 16:21

We got rid of our second car during Covid and so far we've managed fine without. It takes a little more organising on occasion but it helps that DH WFH and his schedule when he does have to do site visits is pretty flexible so can work around us. And the money saved is good! We've always had two cars up till now, but one did always end up as the 'backup' car that spent days at a time unused.

GrumpyPanda · 09/04/2022 16:24

What are you planning to do on maternity leave, won't you be needing the big car left at home for your use?

NeedleNoodle3 · 09/04/2022 16:26

You could keep two cars until after your maternity leave.

Lilac57 · 09/04/2022 16:28

We have only ever had one car, and we manage just fine. I've recently joined a car club, as there's a couple a few minutes walk from our house, but we don't need to use it very often at all. Why does your OH think you need two? Many families don't have a car at all and manage just fine.

RumJerrySailorRum · 09/04/2022 16:28

We went down to one car, hated it, was always a logistical nightmare trying to work it all out.

We've got one each again now and will be keeping it that way for the foreseeable.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 09/04/2022 16:28

What about when you go on maternity leave? Won’t you want to pop about then? I wouldn’t do it. You’ll be so constrained surely. What about weekends? What if you want to go somewhere? Somewhere different to your DH?

mudgetastic · 09/04/2022 16:30

Depends wheee you live - I managed ( sone time back ) with no car during maternity leave

I managed to get a few dropped kurbs put in on some of my main walking routes

Helped me mentally and physically to be outside and active rather than sitting in ace

Original poster
Flibbyjibby · 09/04/2022 16:31

Thanks so far for experience and opinions from both sides!

I rarely used my car when I was on maternity leave with current baby as all baby groups/doctors appointments etc were within walking distance. Plus my parents live literally a 5 min walk away.

OP posts:
Jules912 · 09/04/2022 16:31

We did a few years ago, and it's been fine though as children got older and do more activities etc the chances of them needing to be in different places at the same time has increased.
The very few times we can't make it work without staggering drop offs, walking or using public transport we get a taxi which still costs a lot less than running a second car. That said I live in London, I can imagine this might be more of an issue elsewhere.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 09/04/2022 16:32

“ He does not want to drive my car to work when I am home on days off so that I can use the car seat, but I manage perfectly fine walking everywhere I need to go on those days“

😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 Really?? Fuck that?

girlmom21 · 09/04/2022 16:32

If all your local amenities are in walking distance and you don't want to switch car seats I'd sell the car

NeedleNoodle3 · 09/04/2022 16:34

If you stay working at the same place it will work.

MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler · 09/04/2022 16:35

We’ve only ever had one car. You get used to what you have.

SickAndTiredAgain · 09/04/2022 16:38

If you’re both planning on remaining at that workplace for a while then it should be ok. You can always reevaluate if one of you wanted to move jobs in a few years.

We just have one car, but through necessity (DH isn’t allowed to drive for medical reasons and never has been). It’s a bit of a pain sometimes but generally it’s fine. And I imagine having one car but two drivers is more manageable and flexible than one car and just one driver.

DockOTheBay · 09/04/2022 16:40

Second hand cars that work seem to be selling at a premium at the moment, so a good time to sell if you're considering it

NocturnalPolevaulter · 09/04/2022 16:41

If it's logistically feasible then get rid. Mine was turning green with mold when I sold mine last year through lack of use, flat battery etc.. Good time to sell as well. Oh, and garage we sold it to said suspension was rusted to buggery from sitting around.

Danascully2 · 09/04/2022 16:49

I have wondered the same and always walk when we can in all weathers but we don't live in a city and public transport isn't great here. I wouldn't be able to get the kids to swimming lessons after school without a car for example. Also some of their friends live in nearby villages and similar with no public transport links (and too far or not walkable due to no pavements). There are also a couple of children's attractions nearby eg children's farm which are not accessible by public transport or walking as in middle of nowhere. As they get older car seats get cheaper so it gets more affordable to have two sets. But overall I think in many places it would be very manageable where public transport is better and/or more things are in walking distance.

CapMarvel · 09/04/2022 16:57

If it's just sitting there rusting away just sell it and save the money.

user1487194234 · 09/04/2022 22:23

Personally I prefer having my own car but if want to go to one then that's absolutely fine

lanthanum · 09/04/2022 22:55

Work out the annual costs of keeping your car, and then work out how many taxi fares that would run to.

By the sounds of it, you'd be fine with just one car - and maybe just occasionally you'll drop DH at work so you can use the car that day, or you'll get a taxi.

We didn't have a car at all until DD was 3, and I didn't drive until she was 5. We're in a village, but with a reasonable bus service, and DH used to cycle to work a lot of the time. Before DD, I was commuting 15 miles to work, either by bus or in car pools. Adding up the cost of the commute, plus a local taxi fare per week, we were nowhere near the costs of running a car.

I think the problem is that once people have a car, or two cars, they can't imagine being without. I remember a colleague insisting on driving me home after a social event - despite me explaining that I had a return ticket, the bus went from directly outside the pub at 10:50, and it stopped 30 yards from home.

HairyScaryMonster · 10/04/2022 20:06

We got rid of our second at the start of lockdown as was old and due an mot. We’re each in the office once a week and it’s been totally fine managing. We’ve saved a packet that is there for ad hoc taxis of we need them but we never have.