Let me tell you a little story about a guy we’ll call ‘Greg.’ Greg has a good job, a good wife, a good house, and a growing family. For many years, Greg has saved his pennies and remained a one-car man – that is, he shares a car with his wife and saves a good chunk of cash by avoiding a second car/insurance/fuel bill. This strategy has done so well for Greg, that he now drives a beautiful Lexus that he loves very much. He can afford the hefty Lexus payment because he only has to pay for one. He even splurges on premium gas to show his Lexus just how he feels. You might think that Greg has it pretty damn good, and that he’s a very smart man for staying true to only one car, even when it seemed easier to just buy another one. You might think that – and if so, you’d be right.
Greg is very proud of himself for being green enough and frugal enough to make his one-car approach to life work. He tells everyone he knows just how wonderful it is having only one car, and how easy it is to juggle the car between him and the car’s ‘co-owner,’ his wife. He brags about how even after his first child was born, he managed to keep the family down to one car and hold onto the prized Lexus when many others would go get a minivan or wagon. ‘Six years!’ he says ‘Six years, we’ve been a one car family, and we’re still going strong.’ People are always impressed and surprised. They often ask just how does he do it.
Now let’s take a moment to meet Greg’s devoted wife. She works only three days a week, so she can spend extra time at home raising their son. Though her husband would give her a ride to work, she gladly rides the 45-minute bus to downtown in the mornings to ensure she gets there on time (because punctuality is not Greg’s strong suit). She tells him she doesn’t mind the bus, and that it gives her a chance to read a book before the workday begins. Because Greg’s job requires that he drive his Lexus all over the state every day, his wife is without a car on her weekdays off work. Having no access to a car or the child safety seat that is attached to it, she seeks out activities that are within walking distance from their home; or sometimes rides uphill on her bike with her 30-pound child trailing behind in the bike chariot to go to the playground or run a quick errand. She tells Greg it is good exercise, even though it is quite difficult to ride uphill, pregnant, pulling the weight of a trailer.
Being that they live in Seattle, it sometimes rains, which makes it limiting to venture out on foot or bicycle. Greg’s wife is from Arizona and easily gets cold and does not very much like to get wet in the rain. On rainy days, she often stays home with the child and finds things to do indoors, even when her child has so much energy he is exploding off the walls. Or, sometimes, she decides to brave the bus with a toddler in tow to go to the local aquarium, science center or children’s museum. Due to the location of their home, the bus rides often take close to an hour each way, and involve transfers between various busses. Many a time, these outings have resulted in mother and child getting stuck at random bus stops in the rain, unsure of how to get home. After two hours of bus travel and the energy spent exploring new things, the child is by this time usually in a fit, either screaming or crying or trying to endanger his life by climbing out the bus windows while it is in motion. Because Greg has his beloved Lexus with a car seat in it, he does not have to take these measures to go places with his child. He simply places the child in the safety seat and goes on his merry way. He is very happy that he does not have to ride public transportation with a busy young boy.
Greg’s wife is often invited to lunch or play dates at various locations on her weekdays home with her child. She is not, however, typically able to go, as transportation is hard to come by. She also must run her errands and grocery shop early in the mornings or late in the evenings when the Lexus is no longer in use by Greg, because it is nearly impossible to travel to and from the store with bags and child in tow without a car. She is expecting a second child and wonders how she will take the children anywhere on the bus when there are not one, but two of them. She thinks maybe it is time for her to get a car of her own. She knows that Greg has said he doesn’t want another car payment and that cars are expensive. She knows that it will add to the family’s expenses, but she doesn’t need much other than a safe and reliable set of wheels to get her from one place to the next. She wonders if maybe it is time to say goodbye to the ONE Lexus and exchange it for TWO practical vehicles. She is ready for her husband to take the leap and become a Two-Car Man.
Greg is a smart man. He will do the right thing.
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