Give me one good reason why we should keep this car. Actually, give me at least three. I’m ready to call it done.
On Monday, my husband called from work to tell me that the brakes on one of our cars went out. Fortunately, this occurred when he was pulling into the parking lot, so the problem didn’t cause an accident. It is a scary thing of course, and I wonder why our regular maintenance checks didn’t catch a potential problem.
We expected the repair bill to be reasonable, about $100 or so. So, we were floored when the shop called and told us that there were multiple problems involving the breaks, with a the bill coming to $800!
One of the few differences of opinion I have with my husband is this third car. This car, which I brought into the marriage, is a gas guzzling SUV from 1998 (12 years old). I do like the car, although without a GPS and adequate room for three car seats, I seldom drive it. My husband does get use out of it, but we wonder if it is enough to justify keeping it. I also feel a sense of guilt at having three cars, even if they aren’t all used that much.
On the pro side, this car would allow us to split up with the kids, if they wind up having different activities at the same time. The second car is a truck and not kid friendly. So keeping this car would allow us to meet everyone’s chauffeuring needs.
Another reason to keep this car is that it serves as a back up. If something happens to one of the other cars, we have this spare. Since we aren’t in a position to replace a car anytime soon, keeping a car that is paid off makes good sense. It also keeps the milage on the truck low, qualifying us for a low milage discount, as well as less wear and tear on that vehicle.
On the con side, we have been putting a lot of money into repairs lately. And while the repair cost still does not approach the value of the car or replacement costs if we needed to buy a new car, the expenses are still a drain.
With a third car, we also have additional cost for insurance. We do get a discount on this, but again, it is another expense. When we don’t use the car that often, paying insurance for it seems as though it might not be worth it.
What do you think?
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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