On the way to work: the one-car family

We are still a one-car family. We need another car--desperately--and we are even pre-approved for a car loan, but we cannot decide what to get. It is a whole lifestyle question: do we get a diesel car and convert it to vegetable oil (ethically appealing but logistically daunting and financially uncertain)? do we impoverish ourselves and get a newer hybrid? or do we just go with the most fuel-efficient used car we can find? but what about having enough room to take family trips? We tried a road trip to Wisconsin recently in our Toyota Corolla, and it was NOT comfortable: the 90-lb dog either sat in the passenger seat or in the backseat, where the one adult in back was sandwiched between the fur and the hard plastic of the baby seat. In either location the dog spilled over his designated area.

K, our teenager, is in favor of an SUV-type vehicle. J refuses to consider such a thing. Yours truly would ideally love a Eurovan but realizes this is not the most practical choice. I found an ancient milk delivery truck online and thought that could be the solution, except that it had no real seats and certainly no good place for an infant carseat. J would also like a truck to use for hauling lumber both for house projects and if he takes on carpentry jobs again. The milk truck might do for that, but the fuel efficiency would be questionable.

Until we resolve this dilemma, I get driven to work by J and the baby most days. Yesterday, we were on our way in to Ann Arbor, driving along Whitmore Lake Rd, when we spotted a fluffy, tan and black dog running confused in the opposite lane. Of course we had to turn around and stop traffic to rescue it. It got willingly into the front seat and sat there panting. It had Humane Society tags, so I attempted to call--but was rerouted to Verizon financial services! Yes, our service had that very morning been suspended because of a past-due bill. Unable to call anywhere, we decided to drive to the Humane Society to deliver our find.

Apparently this runaway had been returned before. The name was Coco. Coco's fur was matted, and we concluded that Coco deserved better owners, but alas, we left her (or was it a him?) there. Half an hour later, after navigating through construction and A2 art fair traffic, I got to work. Along the way, in between nursing the baby in the backseat, I called and paid our Verizon bill.

Now, we would not have had this whole adventure together if we were a two-car family, and we might never have picked up Coco. I guess we are waiting for a sign to make the transition to two vehicles, and until then, we travel as a pack.