Second Car - To Buy or Not to Buy
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(Photo by Getty Images)
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Five years later, I remain happy with our now slightly beat up Prius, despite the fact that it's not the best handling car I've ever had, and it has a blind spot exactly the size of the Port-a-Potty left at the foot of our driveway by the street construction team. (Thanks guys, for putting it there, and hope no one was hurt when I backed into it.)
Having just one car worked out great for us for more than ten years. We live in San Francisco, which has a variety of good (and colorful -- look, a live chicken in a pink plastic bag!) public transportation, and there are cabs galore. When we both worked downtown, we used the one car so infrequently we had to replace the battery -- a problem with the earlier Prius models.
But things change. My husband got a job where he has to drive to work every day. And even though I work from a home office, I frequently need to make client visits, and go where the clients are. And clients can be far away!
I've been exploring buses, trains, taxis and plain old walking, but let me tell you: Sometimes you just need a car to get where you need to go. The other day I wound up stranded, and had to call my father-in-law for a ride home from an appointment. I felt like a (dumb) teenager, including my desperate desire for a car of my own.
I hate that getting a second car will be a huge uptick in our carbon footprint, at a time when we're doing everything to reduce it. Plus, if we take the plunge, what kind of car to get? There are so many more choices now than when we bought our Prius in 2004. I have to say, even though I'm way into that new solar powered sun roof, the "Port-a-Potty" blind spot on the Prius is annoying enough to make me consider a different make and model.
In two weeks I'll be visiting the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, where I've been invited to test drive a couple of their cars for a pre-BlogHer road trip. One will be a Mustang (I know, I know, call me an eco-hypocrite, I didn't pick it, although I will certainly like it) and I hope the other one will be a Fusion, their well-reviewed hybrid model.
It would be nice to be able to support the economy by buying an American-made hybrid, but is it even better to support the environment by skipping the second car and looking for more creative ways to get around, like occasionally renting a car?
Whatever I decide, I won't be calling my (totally nice but it was so embarrassing) father-in-law again!
I've been exploring buses, trains, taxis and plain old walking, but let me tell you: Sometimes you just need a car to get where you need to go. The other day I wound up stranded, and had to call my father-in-law for a ride home from an appointment. I felt like a (dumb) teenager, including my desperate desire for a car of my own.
I hate that getting a second car will be a huge uptick in our carbon footprint, at a time when we're doing everything to reduce it. Plus, if we take the plunge, what kind of car to get? There are so many more choices now than when we bought our Prius in 2004. I have to say, even though I'm way into that new solar powered sun roof, the "Port-a-Potty" blind spot on the Prius is annoying enough to make me consider a different make and model.
In two weeks I'll be visiting the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, where I've been invited to test drive a couple of their cars for a pre-BlogHer road trip. One will be a Mustang (I know, I know, call me an eco-hypocrite, I didn't pick it, although I will certainly like it) and I hope the other one will be a Fusion, their well-reviewed hybrid model.
It would be nice to be able to support the economy by buying an American-made hybrid, but is it even better to support the environment by skipping the second car and looking for more creative ways to get around, like occasionally renting a car?
Whatever I decide, I won't be calling my (totally nice but it was so embarrassing) father-in-law again!
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