Fighting the Minivan Urge

Episode 5 -- The Smiths Take on Global Warming: Last weekend, the County Board approved a property tax reduction for clean emissions vehicles. (For us, I think it means we wouldn't pay property tax on the first $20,000 of a new "clean emissions" vehicle we bought.). That's GREAT -- and certainly provides an incentive to buy a hybrid. But let me back up a bit...

For over a year, my husband and I have struggled with the question of do we need a second car? And IF we get a second car, what kind? We're working parents, have two young kids and a nanny of four years who drives them in her own car. In the fall, however, the kids will likely start going to daycare (no more nanny with a car), and the need for second car will increase. Oh yeah, since I had kids, I also got the disease: I was convinced we needed a minivan. My husband couldn't even utter the word "minivan" for months -- and his eyes still bulge out even when I say the "M-word."

Anyway, since my involvement with the AIRE campaign (and with the recent board decision mentioned above), I've started thinking a bit differently. I find myself asking questions like, could we get by with only one car? If we get a second car, should we consider a small (safe) gas-efficient model -- and NOT a minivan at all? (So what if we don't have seven seats...we really DON'T need them all that often, right?)Should we be looking at hybrids? Are their any minivan hybrids? (Not from what I can tell...but a Toyota Sienna minivan hybrid is supposed to be coming.)

I wish I could be a better person, like Elenor Hodges, who has kids and does manage with only one car. But I'm not sure I can be that good. We'll see -- check back in a couple months to find out just what the Smith Family decides to do. Whatever we do -- efficiency and the environment will be top of mind.

P.S. Old toilets, tubs and sinks may not be destined for the landfill after all. This company (EnviroMODE) turns trashed porcelain fixtures into recycled tiles. Might be worth checking out if you're doing a bathroom renovation.

Jennifer K. Smith, 17-year resident of Arlington
Arlington County communications mgr. (& AIRE blog manager)

Comments

[Steve]

Hey LG Ryan - Please check out the Commuter Page (http://commuter.typepad.com/commuterpageblog/) blog. We're looking for people who live car-lite to share their stories.

Jennifer - another point we took into account is that minivans and SUVs do not have to meet the same air quality standards as regular cars. They are, in fact, part of the reason the DC area is falling short of meeting its air quality goals (and recently received an F for air quality from the American Lung Association - http://lungaction.org/reports/stateoftheair2007.html) Our daughter has asthma, so we would have had to live with some severe cognitive dissonance to justify our buying a minivan. Morally, we had to buy a car that was part of the solution rather than one that added to the problem.

[LG Ryan]

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children ages 4 and 5--still in carseats/boosters) and after researching hybrids and fuel-efficiencies and our family habits, values and goals, we decided to buy a Toyota Prius as our family car. We have always been a 1-car family, so for us, it was really a matter of cargo/passenger space. We previously leased mid-sized SUVs (Subaru Forrester and Toyota Highlander) and made a conscientious decision to down-size. With our kids out of diapers, cribs and so on, we felt ready to travel light. After 3 weeks we are convinced we've made the right decision. We have cut our gas bills by two-thirds (from $30-$40 a week to just $10 this week--that's a conservative $1000/year) and driving a hybrid has encouraged us to drive more conservatively and safely. Finally, the federal and local tax-incentives/benefits are worth considering as well. I hope this helps other families make a thoughtful decision about their next family car.

[Steve]

I applaud that you are giving this some thought. Let me assure you that it is very possible to do. My wife and I have had just one car ever since we met, and our children are now 13 and 7.
She also had the minivan disease, but after years and years of not having one (I held out), she eventually realized that we actually were getting along fine with just a regular car (believe it or not, children are actually smaller than adults!). We just replaced our 1999 Camry with a 2007 Camry hybrid. By the time we need another new car, my son will be off to college, and he will have amazingly survived his entire childhood with no minivan!

Here's your tip of the day. Enterprise rents cars for $17/day on the weekend. When there's just too much happening to pull it off with one car, pay the $45 (incl. gas). Doing that 10 times a year, plus the occasional cab ride and Flexcar is way, way cheaper than the $300-$700/month it will cost you to own a 2nd car. (We also rent a minivan a couple times a year when we have out of town guests.) If you think about it, you could use a Flexcar for 2 hours a day--every single day!--for about the cost of owning a 2nd car.