Going car-lite or car-free is a gradual process and takes planning. Partly it is dependent on where you live. When it's next time to move, see if your wife and you can agree on a location that makes it easier to get by without a car. I argued for an urban house close to the subway even though my wife would have been just as happy to live 10 miles farther out of town off the freeway. I pointed out I would be home earlier, and have much lower risk of traffic accident, and we could get by with one instead of two cars, and these things would make up for the higher price and smaller lot, and she bought it (and we bought it).

Meanwhile, $6500 can go a long way towards funding transportation alternatives. Do you live somewhere where cabs and car rentals are accessible? If you have a breakdown can you call a cab? If you know ahead of time you will need a car, can you rent?

As for the bike rack...get a trailer hitch, and a hitch rack that swings down or away if you need rear hatch access.