To ask if you have successfully become a one car family

[TheSecondMrsTanqueray]

DH gets the train to work. I mostly wfh now. DD uses my car when she's home from uni but, although, we live rurally there is public transport and we could put her on DH's insurance.

Anyone given up a car? How did it go and were the savings worth it?

Yes we did, when DH retired as his company car went back. The reason we didn't bother replacing it was that he worked from home loads so we always had one car stuck on the drive.

Sorry posted too soon...

We manage fine - we have no kids at home and I wfh so we just see at the start of the week depending who might need the car for specific reasons and plan the rest around it. He's very enthusiastic about public transport which helps (even though it's a bit shit where we live)

Surely it's very easy in some areas and very hard in others? I live 10 minutes walk from the centre of a large city. We only have one car but could probably do without one altogether. Very different in a remote rural area.

We had no car at all for many years and have had one for the last 2 years.

I don't drive so we have no choice.

We manage fine because we both WFH and if we go somewhere it's usually together. I do am dram and get a lift home from theatre rehearsals when DD is in bed.

It does mean DH has to do a lot, including all school runs and extracurriculars for DD.

Yes we rang a&e and they told us to get our ducks in a row and move north I know it sounds like hell bur one car really is possible xxxx

We've only ever had one car, but live in London so good public transport.

DH WFH all of 2020 and then switched to hybrid, 2 and sometimes 3 days on campus. I retired and DS also passed his test so I gave DS my car. He needs it for work and uni to commute. It’s been fine for us, DH has retired and is classed as a visiting academic so goes in a couple of times a month for the day. So for us it’s been great. There was a good 20 years where it would have been dire as we lived between the two campus we worked on and was not easy for public transport.

Unless one person drives to work/needs a car for work I really can't see why anyone would need two cars. We've never had two. It's never been a problem. Not sure how people are affording to run two cars in this climate, it's really expensive!

We have. Hubby and I work together so only one workplace to get to. We live rurally and there's no public transport so we take our child to college on our way to and from work. We have to plan a bit more if we all want to be in different places but it's doable. Don't regret it due to the cost savings.

Thanks for replies. Have finished work and catching up now.

We sold our 2nd car during covid as both wfh. We now go into office 1 day pw each, so alternate. If in on same day, husband will use one of his motorcycles, unless its raining, cold....etc

The more I think about it the dafter it seems that DH's car sits in the station car park all day and mine sits on the drive!

Fine to have 2 cars when we both needed them to commute.

DD finishes uni in May then goes travelling in Sept so I might SORN it and stick it in the garage and see how we get on.

Also, we go to the dump twice a month, and we need an estate car for that.

@Fordian I'm intrigued - why do you go to the dump twice a month?

We’ve only had one car for years. Did have 2 at times when dh had a commute where it wasn’t feasible to go by public transport or bicycle.

Tbh we could manage without one totally if we had to - it’s mainly used for me go to to work. Drive takes 10 minutes, by bus would be around an hour each way. We live close to the centre of a large town so don’t use it much at weekends. Will definitely give it up totally once I retire.

We live in London, tube/train to work, have never had more than one car. As a PP said there are times when two would be handy (kids conflicting sports matches/activities) but we share lifts with others or use public transport. A second car would be so expensive and difficult to park.

TBH up till a few years ago when the kids’ sports ramped up we barely used the one car.

Yes and we have a shared bicycle now which is used for going to train station / shops / local trips. Much better. 2-3 taxis a year no where as expensive as running a second car

We’ve only ever had one car but we’re lucky because we live in a village with two convenience stores, a post office and a train station so easy to get to work in the city. It depends very much in your circumstances.