My better half and I used to have our cars up until recently when my car finally decided that it didn’t want to work anymore! As I write this blog post, my poor car is currently sat on the driveway, looking sorry for itself, waiting for me to decide its fate.
As it will cost me more than the car’s worth to get it repaired, I don’t have a choice other than to “recycle” it. Come to think of it. My neighbor is actually in a similar position to me at the moment. However, his car is probably in a slightly better mechanical state than mine. But I digress!
Soon I really will be without a car, so for now, I am just going to share the only remaining working vehicle in the household with my other half. While some people might think that this isn’t a perfect idea, it works out well for both of us. Here’s why:
Cheaper Running Costs:
Because my wife and I tend to split all household bills down the middle, car ownership is now significantly cheaper for both of us. For example, the 1.6-liter car that she owns is considerably less expensive to maintain than my thirsty V6.
This means things like servicing and repairs are generally more affordable. Because we are both bearing the costs of running “the household car,” it means that our lower motoring costs leave us with extra cash in our bank accounts each month!
Cheaper Insurance:
On a similar note to the running costs, car insurance is also more affordable for both of us as there is only one car in the household that needs to be insured.
Although I’m a named driver on her insurance policy, I have a good few more years of a no-claims bonus than she does, which will invariably help with current and future car insurance premiums.
More Space on the Driveway:
When my car eventually departs this world and ends up being converted into metal used to build tomorrow’s cars, there will be more space on the driveway for visitors to park their vehicles on!
The road that we live on has virtually no off-street parking, and when we moved into this house, we had to convert the front garden to a block-paved driveway. Thankfully, there is enough room for three medium-size cars to park on.
The Cons of Sharing a Car:
I won’t lie to you; there are a few cons to sharing a car with somebody, and you should be aware of the most common ones:
If one of you uses the car exclusively for the day, the other will either have to hire a car or take public transport;
One of you will always end up cleaning the car more than the others (as you might have guessed, I am the cleaner!
You can’t display any “spirited” driving with your spouse sitting next to you, at least, not unless they are speed demons.
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