Author Topic: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?  (Read 2370 times)

ejmyrow

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Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« on: June 29, 2017, 08:57:03 PM »
Hello! My partner Erick just got me into MMM. This my first post! Here goes:

Now that I switched to taking the bus to work we only need 1 car. Woot!
(FYI since i'm not using my car hardly at all I have Metromile insurance for low mileage drivers and it cut my premium in half).

Downsizing 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?

Car A: 1997 Acura Integra
          - 94,000 miles
          - already paid for
          - insurance = $50 per month
          - we just took it to the mechanic and it only needs front axle to be replaced ASAP, back axle bushings replaced in about a year, and routine transmission service = about $600 total

Car B: 2013 Honda Civic
         - 38,000 miles
         - car payment = $280 monthly (still owe $9,500 on it and interest rate is 1.99%)
         - insurance = $95 per month when driven regularly
         - I leased and then purchased this car
         - it doesn't need anything except regular service

An added factor for us is that we would like to have kids in about 2 years and we will want a safe vehicle at that point.

We live in a pedestrian friendly little city and walk/jog/bus a lot. Erick's work requires him to have a car once in a while to drive clients.

Thank you so much for your advice!
Emily and Erick




Trifle

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2017, 05:27:06 AM »

Welcome to the forums!  Congratulations on going to one car!  That is great.

Decisions like these are personal, and you will likely get different advice from reasonable folks.  I hear you saying that safety is important to you, as is making the most financially responsible decision.  Plus the car has to look nice enough to drive a client around once in a while.

"Safe" is a fuzzy term.  The safest thing you are doing is not driving much.  :) In terms of straight-up crash testing, your 2013 Civic is probably "safer" than the 20 year old Integra.  Manufacturers have made numerous changes to car body integrity and seat angles in the past few years in response to the IIHS's new offset, side-impact, and rear-impact tests.  But if you are driving infrequently, and mostly in the city, these differences probably don't matter much.  The kids will factor into your safety determination once they arrive though.   

Financially you are probably better off selling the Civic and sticking with the Acura for a while.  Since you are driving very low miles, the Civic's gas mileage advantage doesn't help you much.  So you are better off getting rid of that loan, even though it is very low interest. 

If it was me, and if the Acura looks good enough for clients, I would probably sell the Civic, invest the proceeds, and stick with the Acura until you have kids.  At that point your Acura will be ~22 years old.  I'd thank it fondly for its years of loyal service and then sell it.  I'd look for something newer and bigger (bigger = safer, plus you don't want to be clicking car seats in and out of the Integra, I speak from experience).  Something like a 5-10 y.o. Camry or Accord hits the "family sweet spot" for a lot of people.  Reliable, big enough back seat, good safety ratings, still gets decent/good gas mileage.  And would still be "nice" enough to drive a client around. 

Good luck!   
   

ejmyrow

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2017, 10:05:40 PM »
Thank you Trifele! We really appreciate your insights!

Tiger Stache

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2017, 11:24:42 PM »
Sell the 20 year old car with one good axle and keep the 4 year old car with two good axles. The civic is a fine car to have with kids, so you don't necessarily have to get another car then. Four years on a civic is nothing.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2017, 05:56:35 AM »
Oh man, my older sisters shared...it must have been a mid-nineties Acura Integra. Soundgarden in the cassette player, bright blue. I felt like the world's coolest little kid riding with them. Always makes me happy looking at those.

Nevertheless I'll throw out a "why not both" here and suggest selling both of them and getting something more efficient like a PHEV.

ejmyrow

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2017, 10:20:52 PM »
Thank you Tiger and Shoulder Thing!  Hmm... which PHEV do you think would be most Mustachian? :D

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Downsizing From 2 Cars to 1: Which should we Sell?
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2017, 04:56:07 AM »
Chevy Volts are fantastic cars, and they are getting cheap used. Lots of people have put 100,000 miles on their Volts without problems. We drive a C-Max (bought used) because we have three kids, and that works great for us. I'm not sure I've bought gas in 2017 yet.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!