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We didn't plan to, or expect to, but we did. We had 3 cars during most of our 30+ years of marriage (no kids). Almost always we had a pickup truck, a sedan/small SUV, and an old sports car (for summers).
When we retired, we sold our home, threw the golf clubs in the car and drove cross-country to find our retirement spot (we had a few spots in AZ, TX and NM on our radar, based on many vacations). Obviously we drove out west (from Virginia) together in one car (a Honda CRV).
We figured when we retired that we'd eventually need a 2nd car, but we haven't (retired in 2003). One big change: we went from the suburban-DC lifestyle (where nothing was within walking distance) to a series of small towns, which are very walkable, though not for 'big' grocery runs or big hardware stores. We also travel a lot by air. We bought a new car in December 2014 and as of today, we have 10,500 miles on it. It has spent a lot of time in airport parking lots!
We haven't really thought about it, until this weekend when we had visitors and they seemed genuinely shocked that we manage with just one car.
Yes we got rid of the second vehicle a few years ago, it ( Ford Ranger) had broke down & we did not want to put any more money into it, so we donated it. When we go out, we mostly go with each other anyhow, so a second car seems wasteful. We will probably buy a new car next year, & we might keep our old car, but there again, I can't see the point of paying for registration insurance on something that is not used. When we were both working, we needed a car each, but no longer.
We probably can do that. We have a newish SUV for daily driving plus trips, but have kept our minivan (which looks like new) for hauling stuff like garden supplies and golf clubs.
We generally go out places together. My husband could walk to the golf course if he would be gone for several hours and I might want a car. When the bigger van dies, we might give it a try.
OTOH, my mother thought her driving skills went downhill when they switched to one car and she seldom drove. She felt she lost her independence.
Yup! From 3 to 1. 98% of the time it's great. The other 2% is a pain. But not enough of a pain to make it worthwhile to buy another vehicle and pay insurance/registration, etc. Easier to deal with the occasional inconvenience.
We did it in September anticipating my retirement this year. We go everywhere together, my husband doesn't like driving, so we traded a small Toyota truck and a Ford for one Honda CRV. Both vehicles were having issues with this or that, so we decided to just go ahead and scale down.
... We have yet to 'downsize' to just one vehicle, but we're looking ahead, to gauge what we'll need (and want), once we are both retired full-time (later this year). Both our vehicles (sedan & SUV) have been paid-off for years; mine is a '98 w/ ~148K-miles on it.
A few months ago, we 'negotiated' that we should look for a vehicle that will haul stuff, and people. We 'negotiated' that a mid-sized SUV would probably be our best-bet. We also 'negotiated' that we wouldn't purchase a new one; a 1- or 2-year-old SUV would do us very well ... Well, we think it will, anyway.
Looking at so many different, beautiful vehicles only generates "vehicle lust", so I try to only look at a few different makes & models each week, and not get attached to any one-specific car or truck. That's easy-to-say, but very hard-to-do.
My biggest excuse (for lookin') is that I've been a "truck guy" for so many years, that I can't not get all 'randy' when I see one that's just-beautiful ... I get "truck-lust", big time!
Our advanced aging will only contribute to feeling that we're less-capable behind the wheel, but hopefully, that's still 7 - 10 years away. We've got a lot of traveling to do before that happens (I hope!) ...
...
Not retired yet but we've discussed down-sizing to just one vehicle when we do.
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