My family is in a state of transition when it comes to our cars. I love my 2016 Dodge Caravan, but it is officially on borrowed time. We are in that terrible limbo of deciding whether the continued maintenance of this vehicle is saving us money or costing us. Either way, it is certainly costing us time and frustration. Right now, the DVD player is broken, and the sliding door is making a horrible screeching sound. It has no Bluetooth to connect to my phone, which is more often feeling like a safety issue.
At one point we decided it was time for an upgrade — until we saw the difficulties with buying a car. Interest rates are high, and the inventory for the type of vehicle we need for a family of five is low. There just isn’t a great buying or leasing option for us. We can wait it out to see if the market changes, but in the meantime, what if my minivan has a major problem? What if it needs new tires for the winter?
We are trying something we never thought we would do. We are getting a Flexcar!
Instead of buying or leasing, Flexcar is closer to a subscription. With Flexcar we can pick a vehicle that works for our family and pay monthly to drive it. Flexcar covers the insurance, any roadside assistance and comprehensive maintenance. We pay a small yearly fee to become a member and then pick our vehicle from a fleet of available options. Next, we schedule a time to pick up our Flexcar or have it delivered to us. We chose a mileage plan that aligns with what we need. There is no down payment and no insurance needed.
So here is our plan. We sell the tired minivan — before its problems grow worse — for around $10K and use that money to Flexcar for a year. We will now only have one car on our insurance plan, saving us a little money there as well. At the end of the year, we will reassess. If we are ready to buy a car, we will still have money left over from the sale of the minivan — or maybe we just keep the Flexcar going!
By using Flexcar for the next year, we are guaranteed a variety of safe and reliable vehicles — and my anxiety over what to do is gone. There is no price tag on that! And the bonus is, we can also use this time to decide and test what types of vehicle we really want for our family. My kids are only getting older, and trying different cars for the next year to see what works for us will give me confidence on what car we may want to buy down the road. (Trying different cars is also fun for us and the kids!)
It’s called Flexcar because it is flexible. Got a college student coming home for the summer? Extended family here on a long-term visit? Are you a one-car family needing an extra car for a few months only? Flexcar is for you!
Boston Moms Followers can get 100 free miles on a first-time order with the code BOSTONMOMS
