my wife pays for her car, it’s taxed, MOT’d and serviced by her…

Funnily enough, i pay for mine in the same way…

That’s why hers is hers and mine is well, mine.

We can both drive either… but we rarely do.

I would reccomend taking a look at an electric conversion. The main benefit i find isnt “making it easier”, but having the poke and acceleration to keep up with and accelerate with traffic. I think its MUCH safer to not be a lumbering land yacht. On the babboe, yes, as you say it is wider and it takes corners slower, but two wheelers, the Yuba (and our Urban arrow we had previously) were perfectly “nippy” for round here.

the problem isn’t the performance as much as the space needed to tuck back in. On a normal bike if you’re passing a queue of cars and something comes the other way its normally pretty easy to either squeeze next to a car on your side and stop, or squeeze into the gap between two cars front-to-back. Neither of those works well on a bakfiets so I find you’re ‘stuck’ on the wrong side of the road if you’re overtaking a queue. its different if the road is plenty wide enough, or there’s a cycle path, but in a “normal” road setup its a little compromised.

I do ~50 miles a week with 50kg of kids onboard, so it doesn’t hold me back, but it’ll be getting sold once my youngest goes to school next year (the kids will be 4 and 7 at that point, so a little big for it)

We’re a four adult family, 4 cars and a works van. My car doesn’t move other than weekends, but it’s 20 years old, so owes me nothing but I look after it – serviced by me and if stuff needs doing, it get’s fixed. MrsF’s car is used daily – commute and her social stuff – but that’s getting on for 10 years old.

Other car was bought as a ‘safety net’ for son (keeps breaking his car) and for daughter to use once she learns to drive (currently having lessons). That’s a 10 year old Aygo. TBH – we tend to use that in the week for nipping to the shops – uses next to no fuel, and is so easy to drive and park.

We’ve though about going one car previously, but my car hasn’t been a financial burden – if it started going, then I’d get rid and either get something fun, or not replace.

When we moved 11 years ago for me to be closer to work instead of long-distance car commuting, we dropped a car. Didn’t miss it – in fact it sat on the drive for most of a year before it went back to the lease company. Being close to town rather than out in rural Oxfordshire made things much simpler for the family too. Then the kids became adults and a second car for four rather than two drivers became more helpful but was not essential. Same driver to car ratio.

If you live somewhere where the presence of a particular car on the drive signals that you’re definitely in (e.g., rural) then it may be more problematic. If you do not, then it probably won’t.

2 adult, 2 young kid family here with 3 vehicles: mine, Mrs a11y’s and a shared van. Mrs a11y’s is the sensible family vehicle, most efficient, etc and most used. Mine’s the unnecessary one: similar situation to fossy, 17 years old, owes me nothing and I do what I can on it myself. It’s not been a financial burden but if it started being one I’ll get rid and not replace. I’ll never own this type of car again (cos it’s really inappropriate) so enjoying it while I can. Equally I could live without it; it’s not a status symbol to me. I used to enjoy driving hence the ‘fun’ car, but increasingly I’m embarrassed if someone associated me with fun/fast car ownership and ‘community’ based on what I drive.

Mrs a11y’s current work situation and running the kids to sports etc is our main barrier to going 1-vehicle for us: hospital-based, shifts/on-call with no viable public transport.

When we moved into current house we considered the potential for 1-car family in future (or no car when we’re ancient and no longer safe to drive). Now on a main bus route, local Co-op, pharmacy, takeaways, hairdressers, etc within 2min walk, 20min to town centre and 2 x mainline train stations (30min train ride to major cities), where previously it was a new-build edge-of-town housing development where car use was a necessity. Downside being it’s 20min drive to the nearest proper MTB riding but can’t have everything.

hoping to in the near future. I’ve just changed jobs which has meant me dropping a bi-weekly 60mile commute to the office for a once a month taxi to the airport and flight to head office.

car and van are both old, owned and depreciated but relatively expensive to tax/insure to be left sitting idle. if we can drop the car and just keep the van then that would be ideal. might wait until it looks like snow before trying to sell the car (subaru outback..)

Been a 1 car family for a while, but about to go back to a 2 car family.
5 of us and eldest just passed his driving test. It was actually cheaper (well, will be after 12 months) to get a second car and insure in his name than insure him on existing car. Also helps with the issue of different activities in different places at the same time.

enforced drop in cars for us due to change of position at work and loss of company car. it was tempting to buy another but couldnt justify the cost as my work is 2 miles away, so if need be i’ll cycle (altho on an awful ‘A’ road with cars and lorries whizzing past) and wife works in the village. so…..i’ll mostly take the car myself for safety reasons and she’ll only commandeer ‘her’ car back if she needs it for grandchild duties or whatever.

i worried that the old banger (06 nissan note) would be an issue for airport runs when we go away, but its coped admirably with 2 holidays this year. itd still be cheaper getting taxis to the airport if it died than buying a second car.

i miss the brand new focus with bass-tastic 6 music, but in this day and age we need to cut our cloth accordingly and we havent had an issue with just the one car yet.

robola
Full Member
The wife’s car is such a disgrace I refuse to go in it.

Don’t understand ‘my car’ ‘wife’s car’ at all. When we had 2 cars they were both our cars that we used more or less equally. I suppose if you do have this mindset dropping to one would be more difficult, who is losing ‘their car’.

We cope fine with one larger car, but I really miss the small nippy one for quick shopping trips etc.

we are the same. Wife’s car is a tip. Spilt coffee/tea, let the kids make and leave a mess.

We dropped to one car (just me and the Mrs) from two as my car in particular had done 4,000 in two years. Waste of money keeping it and prices were so buoyant at the start of the year I made £5k trading it in.

On the very odd occasion we need to coordinate who needs the car it’s really no hassle at all. My main issue is I seem to be the only one capable of washing it, cleaning the inside, filling the tank and screen wash. Almost lost my shit when got in it yesterday with a tyre pressure warning which needed a bit of air in them only to be told when asked, “yeah I wondered what that was so just pressed clear”

I’ve gone back to cycle commuting – gave it up due to a massive injury whilst commuting 7 years ago, after a few other incidents commuting – Manchester is shoot for cycling in rush hour. I started back when we started going back into the office – wife’s job has moved and we can’t car share even though only 2 miles appart due to traffic. So I either ride down the canal, or do another route off road via the Fallowfield Loop – loads of options. I am road riding as well, but not in rush hour. My car has hardly moved recently.

Thing is it’s the bike lugger – an old saloon, 4 bike roof rack, and I am not hoofing 4 trail bikes on a medium sized SUV roof. It’s also beige inside – my mates sh1t themselves getting in as it’s so clean, but it’s a synthetic alcantara fabric that is baby wipe clean, so all the mud just wipes off ! It survived two kids. MrsF’s black interior is a mare to clean.

I am quite taken by the little cheap Aygo we got, bloody best thing for popping round locally, uses next to no fuel, and it’s as cheap as chips to get parts – ours was really good bodywork, but it must have had a dodgy MOT (bought from a trader) as brakes were shot – £38 for disks and pads – fitted them myself. Few other issues, but stupid cheap.

I’d recommend one of these if you need to go down from two bigger cars – the Pug/Citroen and Toyota are all the same car, just some different body panels. Takes four adults, cheap to run/insure, OK at 70, but best in traffic. Ideal shopping trolly if you think 1 car won’t quite fit.

Both our big cars are much nicer drive, but the little ‘bug’ is quite fun. at legal speeds, and they are nippy, 68 bhp in 800 kg car ! It’s an option !

I’m the only one that washes and hoovers the three cars… MrsF just as bad. Said her car had passed MOT – never showed me the certificate…. checked on-line recently as we’ve forgot the date – there was an advisory she hadn’t told me about. Bloody lower stabiliser for the gearbox/engine was worn…. £20 part and 30 mins total job (kack car up, get tools, fit, put away). Grrrr -. MrsF oh, i didn’t realise…. FFS.

I’m expecting a EV evangelist to appear and say we all need £50k EV’s….. fark that. I’ll bike to work.

4 of us, 2 teenagers. Live in a city with reasonable transport links, kids as school and most if their activities are local. Both myself and the missus cycle whenever we can. No need for a second car, barely need one. However there odd occasions where it’d be a PITA without one.

From the other angle we are a one car family and occasionally think of getting a second, however just purchasing and insuring a car that is actually needed perhaps 5 times a year, it would be cheaper to either hire a car or get a taxi for the times we do, so we haven’t.

Is there a car club near you? Would be perfect if there was.

Or use taxis if you have to. They’re not that expensive for short journeys when you have two or more using them, can be cheaper than public transport.

I’d be happy getting public transport if it went direct to my work, we chose our house location partly based on being walking distance to a train station so my wife could commute by train.

You could also car share with a pal when riding away from home.

I remember when we had the bad snow in 2010, it was amazing seeing people sharing cars as they couldn’t get their own car out. Just goes to show that we could all cope with less cars on the road but we mostly choose them on convenience.

I think what you’re doing is very honourable and wish you all the best.

FYI I have an EV and it wasn’t anything like £50k. There are cheaper EV’s out there, still not economical unless you do a fair few miles. So although we only have one car, I drive near 20,000 miles per year. Mostly for work but we do like to go places as a family at the weekend.

family of 5 plus a dog. We were a 1 car family for a few years when we lived in London. Although I also had a motorbike and a cargo bike for my own use. Used to commute to work by bike on a normal bike (or use the tube). Was a bit annoying at weekends because if I was away in the car, my wife was stranded

Now moved out of London, commute to work by train. But 1 car would be too difficult, we lasted about 2 months with 1 car before we bought a 2nd. Still have motorbike and cargo bike. Could survive if absolutely pushed but 2 cars is much easier. 3rd car due but that’s for fun

Being a 1 car family of four with two small kids is easier in summer than in winter.

Being a 1 car family also means you need to be more organised and agree on priorities for leisure trips etc, with everyone able to compromise.

Hiring a car for a weekend has never been a financially viable option for us, realistically. Friday-Monday hire from somewhere like Enterprise is around £150 IIRC, I’m not paying that just so I can go for a ride an hour away!