4 Benefits to Being a One Car Family

I once read a book about living happily without a car. But Sarah and I like having at least one around.

We own a 2001 Toyota Corolla with 176,000 miles on it. Sarah brought it into the marriage fully paid for and it currently shows no signs of dying soon. We change the oil and try to keep up with all the maintenance that comes with a car.

We just had a baby, and there has been the temptation to get a second car so that we can both have the freedom to get up and go whenever we like.

Here are four benefits we have discovered while being a one car family:

1. Money – two cars means twice the property taxes, more fuel purchases, more maintenance bills, and many other costs to owning vehicles

2. Health – we have 2 bikes, and since we live in an urban setting, we are just a bike ride away (or city bus) from ANYTHING (from the grocery store to the post office to the places where we work); biking is a fun way to get that cardio workout

3. Time Together – a result of living with one car means more trips together and planning out days and trips so that our car rides meet both of our needs; that means we do a lot of errands together and thus spend lots of time together in transit

4. Environment – we’re not green freaks, but I guess it’s nice to think that we’re only emitting fumes from one car rather than two

So, for now, I guess we’ll keep driving our Corolla ’till it dies without getting anything else.

What works for your family?

Car Review – 2009 Dodge Nitro

This past weekend, I got to take a 2009 Dodge Nitro from Richmond, VA to St. Louis, MO and back. I rent a lot of vehicles for my job and I thought I would share my personal opinion about some of them in case it helps anyone out there. First of all, I usually get a smaller vehicle, but I took advantage of a “free upgrade” coupon from Budget and enjoyed the larger and more sporty Nitro this time around.

Overview: The Dodge Nitro has an “oversized boxy jeep” look to it. It can be driven in 2WD or 4WD. It seats 5 comfortably (there might even be some hidden seats in the far rear, but I didn’t check).

PROS: Lots of visibility when you check your blind spots. Lots of room. Sporty look. Satellite radio. Comfortable driver’s seat. Feels like a solid and strong vehicle.
CONS: Not the best gas mileage. No radio controls on the steering wheel (I like that feature in a car). Acceleration pick-up seemed to drag a little when I wanted to speed up quickly. My model did not have any driver’s seat adjustments other than the floor latch (for forward/backward) and the recline latch.

I’ll try to do more car reviews in the future. Whether you’re in the market for a car or just curious about new models, I hope this helps.

-Jesse Joyner

Life Without a Driveway

When you live in an urban setting with no personal driveway, I guess you’re in for life’s unexpected surprises – like getting towed when your car is parked as normal in front of your apartment. The funny thing is that I was in my apartment, a mere 30 yards from my car, which was parked on the block where I usually park it. It just happened to be the bi-annual (or whatever) street cleaning day. The last time I messed up on this one, they just slapped a ticket on my car and drove around it with the street cleaner. This time, they decided they wanted to babysit the Corolla in their “pound” for a day or two. Now, I get to go to the sitters and pay them $60 to get Chamby (named so for her Champagne color) back. Ahh, what a life.