If you're an ER, do you own "his" and "hers" cars?

[73ss454]

1998 taurus 46K
2004 MB 8K
1973 chevelle 44K

 

[whitestick]

Mine is the convertible.
Hers is the Hummer for carrying grandkids, towing trailors to HD and Loews, and pulling behind the Motorhome.
She's talking about a better gas milage vehicle, but also doesn't want to give up the advantages of the Hummer.O0
If I can't convince her that a motorcycle will get better milage, we may end up with 3 as long as gas prices are so high.
And we need at least 2 due to different activities and schedules for each of us, seems ER has allowed us to pursue both together and alone time fun things to do.

 

[Maurice]

P.S. If you can think of a better plan let me know. We're about to pull the trigger.

Not sure if its a better plan, but its certainly a cheaper plan that avoids buying someone else's used car problems...

Buy a new budget car for DS - say a Honda Fit for 15k?

And keep the Camry. You could get a lot more years out of that 02 Camry with only 35k on it.

That way you've set him up for 10+ years (or until he decides to upgrade on his own) and saved yourself 15+ grand. And that 02 Camry will last for a long time. By the time you'd really need to upgrade it perhaps hybrids will be much more economical. Given the rate at which they're improving hybrid technology, its worth putting it off for a couple of years.

 

[calmloki]

... Oh and the '58 Morgan (I guess that is ours together)

I am impressed. Very cool! 5 feet of bonnet and 1 1/2 feet of engine? Wood frame? pictures?? Please?

 

[Lsbcal]

Buy a new budget car for DS - say a Honda Fit for 15k?

This could work out as a better plan. Unfortunately we've talked through this route once before and once my DS hears that we are willing to put that much out he will start pushing for another model car -- most likely one that fits his styling image. Some of the small Honda and Toyota cars don't appeal to him. He gets a little irrational when it comes to cars and girls. Yep, he's spoiled but we're working more and more on that responsibility thing .

 

[OldGuy]

DW would give up "her car" when someone pried its keys from her cold... you get the message. We had two cars when we drove in two different directions to w#rk, and still like the ability to be in two places at once.

 

[Moemg]

We have two cars but they are not really his & hers more like ours . WE trade off according to who is doing what .

 

[Martha]

For a number of years we had only one car and Greg would drive me to work or I would walk. About a year ago we bought a small used pickup truck so that we each could go independently to one place or another.

We both tend to grab the car first to use because its gets super mileage and is more comfortable than the truck. Unless someone is hauling something.

 

[Maurice]

... once my DS hears that we are willing to put that much out he will start pushing for another model car -- most likely one that fits his styling image....

Yeah, I would have done the same thing at his age...

 

[Kwirk]

DW and I each have a 2002 Camry 4 cyl XLE with ~80k miles. We almost never use both except when working so when we retire this summer we'll decide whether it's more useful to keep the red one or the blue one.

Actually, we may trade them both in for a small 4wd SUV (Rav4, CRV, Forester, or similar) suitable for exploring the continent (on road).

 

[Lsbcal]

Actually, we may trade them both in for a small 4wd SUV (Rav4, CRV, Forester, or similar) suitable for exploring the continent (on road).

We're going on a road trip through Sierras and into Wyoming & Montana. Probably will take the new Camry we're going to purchase. Reason is it's quieter and so one arrives less weary from the road noise. Also a Camry Hybrid will get better gas mileage then our Honda CRV. Probably there will be better high gas mileage alternatives in the future. We like the Camry Hybrid better then the Prius and for low mileage drivers the gas consumption difference is not too big a deal.

 

[Gumby]

In the Gumby household, the newest car is always 'hers'.

 

[megacorp-firee]

We used to have 2 cars. One sat in the driveway for about 9 months and we finally figured out that we were paying a bunch for insurance and license tags for not much benefit. We gave it away to charity. Now and then it would be convenient to have another car, but in extreme cases, we have rented a car to tide us over. These days, a weekend rental sale can usually be found in large metro areas.

 

[donheff]

Interesting question. We have had two cars for decades but neither is hers or mine. I almost always drive when we are together so I guess she just doesn't care. To me a car is a tool -- I have zero attachment to it. We planned to drop one of the cars when DW ERs (next year?) but DD moved back home so we will keep it as long as she is around.

 

[lucija]

We're both still working...

Before kids - we shared a car. I don't remember ever thinking it's mine or his.

After kids, we have two cars.

We treat both cars as "our cars". We use them according to the need at hand - bigger one for hauling & vacations, smaller one for longer trips, etc. Since our daily commutes vary (mine is virtually 0 mi), each of us tends to drive one more than the other. Also, we never got in the habit of keeping a bunch of personal stuff in the car, so we can just hop into either one of them, it does not mater which one...

 

[limpid lizard]

Single with 3 cars and a motorcycle. The motorcycle is a '51 Harley that I have not ridden in a few years. I figure I can sell it if I ever become desperate.

Then there is the '79 F250 I bought new. It has 95K on it and runs well. I pull the 5th wheel with it and usually only put 1500 miles per year on it. The 5th wheel is not much newer. It is an '84.

Next is a '94 Wrangler that is the summer fun car. It has about 115K on it.

Last but not least is the '80 El Camino with 120K on it. It is a surprisingly good road car. It has been subbing for the pickup on lumber yard, steel yard and dump trips for a couple of years. It gets the best mileage. It has a six with a stick.

All told, I probably drive 10-11K miles per year and pay $500 for car insurance. My biggest problem right now is that I want to move and I have no idea how to deal with all the vehicles.

 

[blessed]

Our Morgan

 

[OldGuy]

blessed,

What can I/we say? Nice wheels (he wrote whilst wiping the drool offin his chin). Have you yet learned how not to smile while tooling around in it?

 

[ESRBob]

Nords,
I remember driving around in my Prius with you last year in CT/NY. Was that your first ride in one? But as to your question, it is mine and DW asks permission to use (she wants one, too, but I just can't see being a 2-Prius family, though I am sure there are justifications). My car has my stuff in it and if she took it I might need something from it which messes me up.

Blessed -- you got your handle right -- nice Morgan! Always loved that car from when I was a little kid.

 

[Nords]

Nords,
I remember driving around in my Prius with you last year in CT/NY. Was that your first ride in one? But as to your question, it is mine and DW asks permission to use (she wants one, too, but I just can't see being a 2-Prius family, though I am sure there are justifications). My car has my stuff in it and if she took it I might need something from it which messes me up.

Yep, it's all your fault, you started it! I've given test drives to half our dojang, too.

Best (and most grownup) car we've ever owned, but now in short supply-- the Prius inventory has shriveled in anticipation of high fuel prices. OTOH you may find a desperate Craigslist seller, especially when the 2009 models come out.

I especially like its interior volume. I thought it'd barely carry my 9'0" longboard inside but it'll easily handle a 10'0" and maybe even a 10'6".

Our kid gave up her $5000 savings for a 23% share and it's hers to drive until she leaves for college. After that we might go down to a one-car family. Heaven forbid I should ride my bike or take the bus once in a while, and the occasional rental or taxi is cheaper than the cost of insuring a second car. Fewer maintenance hassles and more garage.

I've learned a lot of good tips & tricks from PriusChat.com, I've been accessorizing & tweaking our equipment, and spouse is starting to view it as a "geek car". So she doesn't seem especially interested in driving it, especially when I leave surf wax on the seats...

 

[Milton]

We haven't even driven the Taurus in nearly two weeks and I can see that I'm going to have to worry about dead batteries and rusty gas tanks. All this for a vehicle with a $1495 bluebook value.... I think we have more than enough material possessions to keep track of and in running condition.

FWIW: I agree with you.

 

[Lsbcal]

...Best (and most grownup) car we've ever owned, but now in short supply-- the Prius inventory has shriveled in anticipation of high fuel prices. OTOH you may find a desperate Craigslist seller, especially when the 2009 models come out.
...

In Santa Rosa, California the Prius's seem to be in good supply. No waiting lists now. There are a lot of them around town. We test drove the Prius and liked it.

We are probably going to buy a Camry Hybrid though because it's a little better for us on longer drives through several states. I guess you cannot really do this in Hawaii but then why would you want to? The DW loves those heated seats which only come with leather and nav system and pushes up the price. Still the price is about the same as a Prius. We're low mileage drivers in general so the Camry Hybrid at 34/35 mpg (probably 38 mpg average according to other drivers) will do OK for us.

 

[dm]

We trade back and forth with the Chevy Avalanche and the Porsche Boxster, she actually prefers the truck. But the 1973 Porsche 911 is all mine.

 

[Nords]

FWIW: I agree with you.

Our Craigslist is full of island bombs between $1000-$2000 (the price of shipping them to the Mainland). Even at $1495 our Taurus would probably be a tough sell, and first I'm gonna have to vacuum out about 20 pounds of beach sand and yard mulch. The floormats might even be worse than the upholstery...

But the nice thing about listing a cheap car is that I can throw the keys at the sellers and say "Let us know how you like it!"

We are probably going to buy a Camry Hybrid though because it's a little better for us on longer drives through several states. I guess you cannot really do this in Hawaii but then why would you want to? The DW loves those heated seats which only come with leather and nav system and pushes up the price. Still the price is about the same as a Prius. We're low mileage drivers in general so the Camry Hybrid at 34/35 mpg (probably 38 mpg average according to other drivers) will do OK for us.

One thing that surprised me about the Honda Civic hybrid (as well as our Nissan Altima) was that the rear seats in some cars don't fold down. We liked the Civic hybrid but we need a fold-down seat. I don't know if that's an issue with a Camry but I wouldn't have thought to ask if I hadn't already been burned once.

 

[Lsbcal]

The Camry seats fold down but not to a fully flat position like the Prius. The Prius has about 40% more cargo space then Camry & Civic hybrids. I brought a flight bag to the dealer and a few of them will fit easily into the Camry trunk but the batteries take up a good deal of room that a standard Camry trunk has. It will be OK for us but is not really a positive for the Camry hybrid.