POLL: Do couples share cars?

My husband and I each have our own car and are responsible for the care/upkeep of our respecive cars. We work totally different hours, on differing days of the week and in different cities, so sharing a car doesn't make sense for us. It's worked out spectacularly thus far...I do sense some jealousy on his part though, because we both know well that the Prius is the cooler car, and it's alllll mine.

 

I think the question is a little flawed. Both my wife and I have our own cars, but we drive eachother's cars all the time. "Her" car is the Sienna. "Mine" is the Prius. This is because I have the longer commute, so I get the higher MPG vehicle. However, sometimes she has a longer commute because of an offsite meeting, etc. In which case, we trade cars. When we're in the middle of doing the Renaissance Faire, the van is used heavily and we both share driving responsibility for that car.

As to maintenance, it usually falls to me 'cause I'm the man. Well, that and I have a more flexible schedule at work that lets me take the car into the dealership in the morning, and still be able to drive into work after the work is done.

 

we each have our own car. he drives mine (when he is taking a longer trip somewhere) but i don't drive his. partially because i'm way out of practice with driving a manual transmission, partially because it smells heavily of automotive shop, and mainly because he doesn't want me so much as riding in a car without airbags (because, by his definition, i break more easily than he does)

it works quite well for us, he works very different hours than i do so sharing a car wouldn't be easy.

all maintenance goes to him for obvious reasons.

 

We share but we each have a primary car. Mine is the Prius, his is the Explorer. I drive the Prius to work 4 days a week. He drives the Explorer to work on the day I work from home and on Saturday & Sunday. We also drive the Prius pretty much for almost all non-work driving. The only exception is when we are carting the dogs around.

I marked that we share the upkeep responsibility. He does all of the car washing but we take them to the shop for pretty much everything else.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(devprius @ Aug 10 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]301154[/snapback]</div>

Hmmmm...devprius...let's give you the benefit of the doubt and say you do the maintenance because of your flexible work schedule, shall we? Not that *I* can do much of the maintenance anymore on any vehicle, personally, since late 70s models...but I sure am the one who makes repair runs, or at least, I am the one responsible for being the extra driver in those cases. I suspect there are MANY people of the female persuasion who CAN do the repairs, along with MANY of those of the male persuasion who CANNOT.

Sadly, however, because of a wrecked left ankle, I can't drive a manual shift car anymore, so I CAN'T drive either of dh's....not that I EVER could really drive his '75 Spitfire...VERY funky shifter, seat virtually unadjustable seats, almost impossible to find reverse gear, and VERY tight clutch WAY forward, so that 5 feet tall me could NEVER operate it comfortably. Not to mention the paranoia involved w/ the concerns about what he'd do to me if I damaged his baby... (He KNOWS the kid will mostly heal...not so the Spitfire...)

 

It's a difficult question to phrase. We each have our own car, but when I'm at home she tends to use my car (the Prius) because the fuel economy is so much better. It works quite well. She realises that the Prius is my pride and joy and always asks if she can borrow it.

 

we share sort of... my gf will not drive my car. she has a corolla. i drive it on occasion and for two days we did share it. we work at the same place but have way different hours.

she would get up, give me a ride to work at 5:30 am, go home, go back to sleep. come into work at 9. i would then take the car home at 4:45 and go back and pick her up at 8. thankfully its only 5 miles from home.

 

Our situation is quite different from others listed on here so far. We share our Prius, and it is also the only car we own... you wouldn't think that sharing one car all the time would work, but we've been doing it for about 3 years now. My fiancee commutes to NYC via train for work every day, I am a freelance photographer and use the Prius all day long to get to different places to shoot. Much of the time when we are together she gets to drive (and I get to rest ) We love the car, I do most of the cleaning/maintenace stuff since I drive the car 85% of the time (and I like doing most of it... some sort of male genetic trait B) .

So there it is, someday maybe we'll have 2 Prii (muahahaha)

 

If we are driving somewhere besides work together, I drive. I drive to work and drop myself off and she continues on. On way home she picks me up and she drives.

Prius or not...it works the same.

I am in charge all maintenance (we are from the old school)

 

The Prius is the "primary" vehicle in the household and sees the most mileage and drive time. My wife's former car (Honda CRV) is more of a work horse vehicle for Home Depot runs or rainy days for me (I commute to the office on the Vespa), so it pretty much sits these days. Sadly, I only get to drive it on the weekends. However, I do insist that I am the designated Prius pilot on the weekends.

Oh, we don't share the Vespa.

 

I didn't vote. My significant other has no opposeable thumbs so I do all of the driving and all of the maintenance.

And he's OK with that. He likes riding co-pilot.

 

Mty wife and I generally drive our own vehicles. I have one spare "beater" in case something breaks down. The Camaro she is incapable of starting, let alone drive, so that is just mine.

 

There is "HER" car and "OUR" car, I really don't have my own, but I get to drive both of hers!!

And I have to do the upkeep on both.

Phil

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Aussie56 @ Aug 10 2006, 09:04 PM) [snapback]301254[/snapback]</div>

We tried that and ended up getting a 2nd Prius. Now, everyone is happy!

 

My wife and I each have our own car. I drive my Silver 2005 Prius and she drives her Silver 2005 Prius. Sometimes, when we feel like changing things up a bit, I drive her Prius and she drives my Prius.

Actually, my Prius has the XM radio, which I can't live without, and her Prius has the iPod interface. So we rarely trade cars.

 

We have three cars, A BMW and two Pri's. We share the Pri's between me, my wife and my daughter. The BMW is mine, mine, mine

 

I walk to work, my wife picks me up for lunch in the Prius, then I bring the Prius back after lunch. She does most of her stuff in the morning. The Suburban sits in the driveway, not slurping gasoline. If we both have things going on, heehoo drives farthest gets the Prius (unless it's something requiring the carrying capacity or off-road capabilities of the Suburban). It works really well for us. I do all of the maintenance that we don't farm out, and my wife takes whichever car to wherever it needs to go for the farmed-out procedures.

 

My wife has a 2000 Ford Windstar (her choice and a gift from her parents). She drives it 99% of the time. I only drive it if I'm filling the tank or she's too tired (rare). I check the tires and the fluids on it. She's a technophobe and doesn't want to drive the Prius. Heck, she's never even sat in the driver's seat.

We use the Windstar for cargo and if there's a lot of people going. We've gone to the Avocado Festival in Carpinteria (a 200+ mile trip each way) for the past 5 years now; last time we took the Prius instead of the Windstar.

 

My BIGGEST problem with this issue is...when we go on road trips (like to LA to visit my family, about 400 miles away), that dh wants to take his '02 beemer because "it is more comfortable." Granted, overall, it IS more comfortable. BUT, I am ALWAYS more comfortable driving than, um, passengering. Not to mention infinitely less bored. And I cannot drive his manual transmission beemer due to wonky left ankle (not, please let me assure you, due to lack of know-how--I always had sticks myself until left leg problems started in '97--though started reconsidering that position after working for a few years in San Francisco between '92 and '97--and getting scared poopless by drivers unclear on the concept of manual transmission cars pulling up right on my tail at lights on steep inclines and NOT leaving me ANY room for ANY potential roll-back)(oops....rant slipped in...).

Beemer gets 30mpg highway. The cost in $ for HIS comfort, he says, not incorrectly, is no more than I have been known to pay for air travel using carriers I KNOW to be more comfortable/convenient.

The automatic car I had before the Pri was a '91 Acura Integra GS 3-dr Hatchback (bought in '98 w/ 100k on the odo...car is still running great and being used mainly by 18yo son...until he wrecks it :huh: ). DH had a '91 Beemer 5-series sedan, so YES, roadtrips were in his car. (Before that, there was "our" '91 Honda Civic sedan and "his" '75 Triumph Spitfire...so, except in dire emergencies, he generally drove us wherever when we were together.

He oh-so-graciously allowed me to take us in the Pri to LA over the 4th of July weekend, since the Pri had not yet had any major roadtrips (bought May 10).

The question NOW is...For future roadtrips, how do I go about convincing him that us taking a car that BOTH of us CAN drive (no matter how infrequently I will LET him drive the Pri) is WAY more important to MY comfort B) than taking his "luxury sport sedan"????

(Hmmm...two control freaks married to each other...is this a problem I should be addressing to Dear Abby instead of PC? :lol: )