Sell the Car?

[badger_flyboy]

Hey everybody,

I'm in a dilemma and I would really appreciate advice.  I'll be heading to my first duty station for the Air Force in a month, and am considering selling my vehicle.  Here’s my situation:

23 y/o
My vehicle: 2010 Ford Escape FWD w/ 70k miles and in excellent condition.  Probably worth $8000-$9000 if I can find the right buyer
Married (wife drives 2006 Honda Civic w/ 160k miles)
Live less than 5 miles to work in Oklahoma
No biking experience/gear but I’m physically fit and I’m sure I could pick it up if I needed to

I’ll be moving and traveling for work quite often, which makes me think that keeping this vehicle is necessary.  But at the same time, I would love to cut out the cost of insurance, registration, gas, maintenance etc. 

What should I do???

(Thanks in advance for your advice :)

[FIRE me]

Hi Badger Flyboy, and welcome to the forum.

I think you could go either way on selling the Ford, but there are factors you didn't mention in your post that might tilt the balance.

How long will you be gone? Obviously, the longer you'll be gone, the better the case for selling.

How long have you owned the Ford, and how much did you pay for it? If you bought it new, and the reliability has been near perfect, I think that would be one reason to keep it.

On the other hand, if it were recently purchased, and you've had trouble with it, that's good reason to sell.

Last, and possibly most important, is how badly would your wife need a spare vehicle if the Honda were to break down? If there are friends, relatives, or coworkers nearby that would provide transportation, that would be another reason to sell.

If not, maybe you could keep the Ford as a back up and cancel the insurance. If the Honda needed a repair that wasn't same day, your wife could call your insurance agent and reactivate the policy on the Ford.

Also, if you keep the Ford, make sure she starts the motor at least twice a month and lets it idle for 20 to 30 minutes. Exercise the brakes and transmission by putting it in drive and reverse, and roll back and forth a few inches a few times. Just a few times, no need to do it continuous the whole 30 minutes. Be sure to apply the brakes during the back and forth.

[badger_flyboy]

I bought the Ford for cash in July 2015 and haven't had any major repairs on it.  My wife could figure things out if the Honda broke down, and definitely so if I can get her into biking too. 

It definitely sounds appealing to just keep it, but act like it isn't there and only use it for camping/cross country trips/moving.  Does anyone else do this sort of thing?

[FIRE me]

I do something somewhat similar. I keep a 27 year old rust bucket van as a back up vehicle for when my daily driver sedan breaks down. The van is also used for hauling anything too bulky for the sedan.

My employer has a merciless attendance policy, and I get zero sick days, so the back up vehicle aspect is a job saver.

Still, I grind my teeth every six months when I get the $180 insurance bill for a vehicle that may have left the driveway only once or twice in that last six months.