Discuss adding a 2nd vehicle to your expenses.

[Project84]

Recently I discussed in my Plymouth Laser thread that I bought the car intending to have my g/f drive it to save her some expenses on fuel as well as mileage/wear and tear on her nicer, newer car. Based off that....

You can crunch numbers all day and figure out to the penny (if you calculate for gas prices at a constant price...) how much money it would cost/save you to drive a more efficient second vehicle. I've been doing so regarding the '90 Plymouth Laser vs. her '04 Pontiac Grand Prix.

For conversation's sake, I'd like to hear from others on the topic of having two cars (those of you who specifically have more cars than drivers in your household), the benefits it gives, the drawbacks, the expected or unexpected expenses, etc. (I personally now own 5 cars and 1 motorcycle, but I only insure 1 car and the bike, the others are project cars or future replacements for my current car. I also live alone, so no one is using the other vehicles. Yes, I know I have a problem.)

The way I see it, if she really wants to keep mileage off her '04 Grand Prix and aim to have that car another 10+ years, driving a cheap to maintain, more fuel efficient second vehicle when needing to commute most days is a pretty good idea, regardless even if it ends up being a minor expense.

I'll just guess that she puts 20k miles on her car a year currently. Once school starts again, that'll jump to 30k or more. If she transferred 15k of that to a car that gets 8 mpg better than hers, at an estimated 2.80/gal average, she'll save just $313. Factor in the additional insurance costs and it's about the same expense of just owning 1 car.

So the logic here is turning out to be, "half a dozen of one, 6 of the other."

The only advantages I see are:
*Saves wear/tear on the nicer vehicle
*Second cars are great for when your primary car has mechanical issues
*She would enjoy driving a "sporty" car occasionally since the Laser is 2-door 5sp.

The potential disadvantages:
*A 1990 Laser might not end up being very reliable compared to her '04 Grand Prix.
*If I cannot get the Laser to produce 37mpg highway, she wouldn't be gaining 8mpg, and any less would put the scenario into the negative $ rather than breaking even.
*Laser isn't as "safe" as the other vehicle or as comfortable (other car has heated leather)

Long winded, but lately this forum is like a ghost town, maybe this will breathe some life into the General Discussion...