When My Car Broke Down, Our One-Car Plan Passed the Test

I had just dropped my grandson off at soccer practice and was heading home when my car’s overheating warning light began flashing, accompanied by a piercing “ping ping” noise. I quickly pulled over and turned the engine off. Shrugging my shoulders, and since I was in my normal uniform of shorts and a t-shirt, I decided to jog the two miles home.

The next morning, the mechanic called to let me know it was a coolant system failure. Because they were busy, it was going to be four days before the car was returned. This would normally be a problem, but in our case, it was just a minor annoyance. A few months beforehand, we had decided to embrace frugality and sold our second car, which had only been driven 326 miles the previous year, mostly by me to stop the battery going flat.

The reason that a car-free four days was no issue was because we’d made a plan before selling our second car. We discussed it and decided that since our town is compact and easily walkable, we could always manage with our feet and our bikes. It also helps that we live within a 25-minute walk of the town center, and there’s an hourly public transport bus halt right across the street from our home.

Four days was right on the edge of what we had agreed was acceptable, any longer we would have rented a small car. So how did our car free days pan out? Honestly, it was hardly any bother at all. My wife Suzie and I nearly always walk everywhere within our town anyway, and I’m out on my bike almost every day.

Our main annoyance was one of the days when it reminded everyone why Ireland is emerald green—with lots of heavy rain. But I always go by the maxim, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.” Suzie reminded me of this as she dispatched me to the shops by myself!

Four days passed quickly and we once again became a one car household, but there wasn’t much celebration. The bill was paid and a small sigh left my mouth, but that afternoon, we walked down the driveway past our repaired car and headed on down the sidewalk and into town. It’s what we do, why change because the car is back?

I guess I’m fortunate to live in such a walkable community, which makes having a car optional. Our one-car lifestyle has been tested and found to be perfectly acceptable. The financial benefits aren’t massive, around $2000 a year, but the savings on tax, insurance, and breakdown cover certainly help. If you combine with the proceeds of the car sale and the reduced admin hassle of one car we think it was a good choice.

The most encouraging takeaway is that if we ever get to a point where we can’t drive, our current location is a standout, future-proofed small town to live in. This is a nice realisation that makes thinking long-term that bit easier.