This post from MSN Money got me to thinking. They quote the annual cost of owning a car as follows:
AAA says fuel, tires, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, license, registration, taxes and financing for a year really cost this much:
- Small sedan, $7,086
- Medium sedan, $9,108
- Large sedan, $10,972
- Minivan, $9,903
- Four-wheel-drive SUV, $11,473
In this example, the author got rid of her one-and-only car. She's saving a lot of money and is feeling great (walking a lot.) But I've been wondering about a different scenario -- is it worth it to get rid of a second car in a family?
Almost every couple I know has at least two cars. One guy in my office even has five cars and only four people in his family (only three are driving age)! In America these days, many kids get cars as soon as they are old enough to get behind the wheel. We have cars, cars, cars everywhere!
I think this stems from the fact that we love our freedom -- and nothing says "freedom" like being able to go wherever you want whenever you want. And how can you do that unless you have a car? It's hard to be "wild and free" on a bus schedule.
Here's the breakdown of the pros and cons of owning a car IMO:
Pros
- Freedom to go where you want when you want
- Convenience (don't have to plan to manage one car or public transportation)
Cons
- Costs
- Convenience (in many bigger cities, having a car is a huge convenience hassle)
Now, can you make a compromise between having two (or more) cars and only having none? Is it worth it to move to one car?
Well, you and I would certainly save a ton doing this, but for me the convenience factor far outweighs the cost. As long as I can afford a second car (and I can -- we've paid cash for all the cars we've ever purchased including our second car), I'm going to have one. If it costs me $10k per year, it's worth it. I see this as one of the fruits (benefits) of hard work -- the ability to have a second car and make life much easier for me and my family.
When we were first married, I spent about a year taking the bus to work. We lived in Pittsburgh and our company had just moved from the Northside (a relatively easy place to drive to from where we lived) with company-designated parking to downtown (across the river) with very few parking options (and the ones that existed were expensive.) I wasn't at the level where the company paid for my parking, so if I wanted to park anywhere close to work, I had to foot the bill myself. So, I took the bus. It was a nightmare -- having to be on a set schedule, lacking any sort of flexibility, having to deal with delays, having to deal with the sort of people that ride the bus (I know, that can sound terrible, but if you've ever ridden the bus, you know what I mean.) Other than days when we had bad snow and hideous traffic, riding the bus was the worst. The absolute worst. (BTW, I tried the option of driving to the Northside and taking a shuttle over to downtown, but that combined the worst of both worlds -- still cost a good amount and involved all the issues that made riding a bus a problem.) Ultimately, I decided to pay for parking myself and park downtown. It was a big budget hit for me, but made my quality-of-life so much better.
On the other hand I'm guessing that people that live and work in cities like New York and Chicago, cities that have good public transportation options, can make it pretty easy without a car. In fact, this is one cost in favor of living in a big city (and there aren't many, as you know.) Sure, you'll have costs of cabs, subways, busses, etc. and have to put up with some inconvenience (plus a sorted cast of characters that also takes public transportation), but you'll still end up saving a ton and won't have to deal with the inconvenience of trying to drive and park a car in a hostile environment (which is what an ultra-urban setting is for many drivers.)
Not much of a real conclusion in this post, but I wanted to bring up the topic, ramble on it a bit with my thoughts, and hear what all of you think of the issue. Have at it!
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