Thursday, June 16, 2011

Why Pay For A Second Car?

We are a one-car family.  We weren't always, but long story short...now we are!  Frankly, I thought it was going to be very difficult to just have one car.   My husband has to commute to work daily and my son commutes to school daily.  I need the car to run errands.  Turns out, having one car has saved us a TON of money and we came up with an alternative to the second car that is both fun and inexpensive.  Here it is:


Yes, it's a scooter!  My husband just loves taking it on the back roads to the train station in the mornings and evenings - makes him feel like a kid again!  

The Pros:  
1. No special license required (check your state's requirements) 
2.  Parking is FREE at the train station  
3.  Gets 100 miles to the gallon of gas
4.  No special insurance required (check your state's requirements)
5.  It's totally fun!

The Cons:  
1. Weather is a factor, when it's inclimate he takes the bus
2.  Have to be a little extra careful on the road
3.  Can't go faster than 35 MPH, so roads are restricted

We have come up with a creative (and fun) solution to our one-car problem.  "Scoot" on over to see how much we're saving!

The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:

Scooter (Brand New Vehicle & Safety Equipment $3,500, Gas $100/year, Insurance $0, Train Parking $0)

Total Fake-It Cost:  $3,600

Second Car (Used $10,000, Gas $1,500/year, Insurance $600/year, Train Parking $2,015/year)

Total Fake-It Savings: $10,515.00*

*This price doesn't include year-over-year savings on parking & gas which comes to over $20,000 in just 5 years!!!  Neither does it include regular car maintenance vs. scooter maintenance which is very minimal.

5 comments:

  1. I have always wanted a scooter... I love it!! My husband and I have two vehicles... but I think we could get by with only one... thanks again for another wonderful tip!!

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  2. What brand/type of scooter did your husband get? Does each state differ on what consists of a scooter and a motorcycle requiring the special license (vespa's for example still need the Motorcycle license.)

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  3. Hi Tanabanana! Yes, check with your state to see what the laws are for scooters. In this instance, Maryland Law does not require a special license for vehicles that cannot go above 35 MPH. My husband has a Yamaha C3. Rode it into work today and loves it!

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  4. Maybe include estimate for alternate transportation during inclimate weather?

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  5. My husband and I both used to have scooters. For a while we had two cars, but still rode our scooters as much as possible, simply for the gas benefit. I would recommend anything made by Genuine. They're a little more expensive, but extremely reliable.

    ReplyDelete

Compliments and Frugal Tips Only, Please!

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