It wasn't under $1k but you can do some options for close-ish to that: a cargo e-bike.
It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.
It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.
With the plethora of bike trails and neighborhood routes, I'm nearly as fast as a car getting around without going overboard on pedal assist (I do about 18 mph).
But the cargo e-bike is fantastic. I've basically stopped using the bus, and everything under 30km with the kid has become no-brainer easy. I've done 1200km in 6 months now. But winter is coming, let's see how it goes.
Its so much easier/faster for doing quick errands around the neighborhood
Taking the car now feels overkill in comparison
Just another option to consider rather than getting a second car
The cargo part of the bike is pretty cool, though. I've seen some people do some cool loading hacks with a scooter, but the amount of stuff you can haul on a cargo bike is really fun. When I bought the e-bike, I rode my road bike down to the bike store, and rode the e-bike back home _hauling my road bike_. That was pretty awesome. :)