Multiple fun cars. What's our logic?

Tom1200 said:

In reply to JAdams :

My fleet and their reasons.

2011 Outback w/manual trans: gets me to work, hauls race tires, goes to old ghost towns and other soft roader destinations

1972 Datsun 1200 coupe vintage race car and track day car: it's slow as hell but fun as hell to drive due to leaf spring suspension and bias ply tires. We've owned it for 37 years and it brings all the happiness of a faithful dog.

1987 Novakar Formula 500: I originally bought it as an autocross car but then figured out it was old enough to be a vintage race car. It rips at autocross. For the cost of making the Datsun faster ($9,000 - $10,000 race engine) I could buy two F500s. Single seat race cars are cheaper to run than production cars.

Everyone keeps saying that about the Formula 500s, and I've resisted so far, but maybe I should look eventually. 

In reply to Caprigrip :

I'm backed up with toys to work on and I still get the desire to plan for the next one. 
    I've slowly moved out some of my collection because I'm almost 75 and as soon as there is an empty slot in the garage 2 more cars appear to fill it.  
  I'm preparing one just to give it away.  Forcing my race car onto the back burner. Yuk!!! 

calteg said:

Take your "logic" and "reason" and GTFO. This is GRM.

At one point I simultaneously owned an Elise, miata and S2000. Ostensibly they all served more or less the same function, but I loved them each for different reasons.

Finally my twin, except mine is Elise+Miata+ S2000, and MR2, in addition to all the other "practical cars" that I keep telling myself.

I 2006, I sold all my toys (7 cars, and 2 bikes then) as I thought I didn't need it, and maybe it is overwhelming me, and didn't have any vehicles for 12 months. Wanted to "cure myself" and rode the BART train everywhere.

After 12 months, I realized how unhappy I was. Been back in my addiction, and things have been chugging along. I buy somethign new every 90 days, rain or shine. Keeps the rest of my life sane.

Fleet: 

2008 Elise SC - Because everyone needs one

2005 Corvette  Conv - Manual - Opportunity buy - daily driver - should see an autocross this year

2003 Sentra SER Spec V  - Daily and RallyCross

2004 Jeep TJ - "Oh Berkley, it snowed"

1978 CJ - In case none of the other cars aren't screaming for maintenance - this one can always be counted on for something

2023 Bronco - The Mrs' daily 

Remember this: "Life is too short for boring cars!" 

There's no logic to support owning multiple fun cars, the questions are would you like to and can you afford to?

Did frenchy or another canoe bring this back from the dead?

I have 7 cars, would like to get down to 5, yet if I did I'd be in the market again for something.

preach (dudeist priest) said:

Did frenchy or another canoe

I believe they are the same thing.....

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

This is a fun one to bring back.   About a year after posting, I did in fact add to the fleet.   First a cheap RX8 - I assumed it would be broken and it would be a project.   It's been nothing but fun to drive and that 9k redline is addictive.  Then I added a 996 911 to the mix.  I bought it to sell it but then fell in love with the driving dynamics of it.   
 

So, three sports cars in the mix.  My Miata has been sitting - but I drove it to work the other night and it made me smile.   Each time I think of selling one, I drive it and promptly change my mind.  
 

This is fun.   Maybe one car too many in reality, but it does make me happy to walk into the garage.   And isn't that what our hobby is all about?  

I have a friend who has a wife and 3 mistresses. He has fun in the bedroom. 

I have lots of cars and bikes. I have fun in the garage. 

Variety is the spice of life. Do what makes you happy.

mr2s2000elise said:

calteg said:

Take your "logic" and "reason" and GTFO. This is GRM.

At one point I simultaneously owned an Elise, miata and S2000. Ostensibly they all served more or less the same function, but I loved them each for different reasons.

Finally my twin, except mine is Elise+Miata+ S2000, and MR2, in addition to all the other "practical cars" that I keep telling myself.

 

I 2006, I sold all my toys (7 cars, and 2 bikes then) as I thought I didn't need it, and maybe it is overwhelming me, and didn't have any vehicles for 12 months. Wanted to "cure myself" and rode the BART train everywhere.

 

After 12 months, I realized how unhappy I was. Been back in my addiction, and things have been chugging along. I buy somethign new every 90 days, rain or shine. Keeps the rest of my life sane.

Good, timely response. I was thinking of purging everything and starting fresh, but some vehicles I wouldn't be able to replace, especially not at the pre-pandemic prices I bought them at. I might just have to buy an off-site garage.

calteg said:

mr2s2000elise said:

calteg said:

Take your "logic" and "reason" and GTFO. This is GRM.

At one point I simultaneously owned an Elise, miata and S2000. Ostensibly they all served more or less the same function, but I loved them each for different reasons.

Finally my twin, except mine is Elise+Miata+ S2000, and MR2, in addition to all the other "practical cars" that I keep telling myself.

 

I 2006, I sold all my toys (7 cars, and 2 bikes then) as I thought I didn't need it, and maybe it is overwhelming me, and didn't have any vehicles for 12 months. Wanted to "cure myself" and rode the BART train everywhere.

 

After 12 months, I realized how unhappy I was. Been back in my addiction, and things have been chugging along. I buy somethign new every 90 days, rain or shine. Keeps the rest of my life sane.

Good, timely response. I was thinking of purging everything and starting fresh, but some vehicles I wouldn't be able to replace, especially not at the pre-pandemic prices I bought them at. I might just have to buy an off-site garage.

went through the purge it all and start fresh. Not worth it. 

Good luck with whatever you decide. I have gasoline in my veins and a 1inch penis. So cars are my forte, not women.

1. I only have 1, because that's all I have the garage space for. 
2. Since I have brand new fun car and already have approaching $15k in mods done, or waiting to be installed I can't really afford one.
3. S52 swapping an E30 outside in a gravel driveway in the summer in Oklahoma was exhausting. 
4. Then, having an NA track rat that lunched two motors (more changing engines) I got tired of spending every Saturday in the garage.
5. A project car sounds fun, but working on some rusty, old beatup-heat, doesn't have the same appeal at 41 as it did at 27. 

And regarding the E30 and NA, I don't know how to do things part way. I have an immense problem with scope creep when I get started with these things. 

I basically have a rule that I won't have two cars "for the same thing"

- 1 daily driver (my late-model GTI that isn't modded)

- 1 tow/general utility vehicle (sequoia) 

- 1 competition vehicle (e30 rally car)

- 1 weekend cruiser/road-trip car (Porsche)

- 1 vehicle for off-roading (Raider)

My other e30 project is a bit of a cheat, since it'll be a street car, but the intent is to use it for reconnaissance at rally, and maybe rallycross/track days since the rally car is pretty heavily  built for doing that stuff. But I am worried i won't drive it much, since it overlaps with other cars. 

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

I basically have a rule that I won't have two cars "for the same thing"

- 1 daily driver (my late-model GTI that isn't modded)

- 1 tow/general utility vehicle (sequoia) 

- 1 competition vehicle (e30 rally car)

- 1 weekend cruiser/road-trip car (Porsche)

- 1 vehicle for off-roading (Raider)

My other e30 project is a bit of a cheat, since it'll be a street car, but the intent is to use it for reconnaissance at rally, and maybe rallycross/track days since the rally car is pretty heavily  built for doing that stuff. But I am worried i won't drive it much, since it overlaps with other cars. 

I'm in the same boat.

- Land Rover LR3 - Off Road/Winter Beater/Utility Vehicle/Tow Rig (I don't have anything to tow these days)
- Mazda NB Miata - Autocross/Track/Fun Car

Right now, I use the LR3 as a daily but it is a bit painful sometimes. It's nice, comfortable and everything but the gas mileage is horrible and the parts aren't the cheapest. Not to mention there are always a few worries about it not being fully functional (although it is always 100% mechanically reliable, never left me stranded). The idea in the future is to get a reliable daily driver though. I've also been looking to switch my car lineup around because I've yearned for Porsche ownership. If only I could finish up my house projects already so I could expand the fleet more...

Because I live with the delusion that some day I'll have the time and space to enjoy them all... 

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

I basically have a rule that I won't have two cars "for the same thing"

This has been my strategy too, though I've found that my mind starts getting very granular with the roles my cars play - "well the truck is for light off roading and utility but if I bought a jeep as well it would be for more technical off roading, and maybe I could get a kei truck for hauling small things too." With that being said, I have five cars right now and I've decided that that is too many for me to manage with the amount of free time I have. So because of that limitation I'm trying to keep my categories pretty broad. My current fleet is as follows:

2012 Mazda3: Daily driver and ultra-reliable car that I can always count on and fun to drive on back roads

2002 Silverado: Tow / bad weather / utility vehicle

1998 Boxster: Bought as a replacement daily but it's really better suited to a weekend car.

1991 Miata: A pretty modified autocross / hillclimb car. While it is street legal, I really only use it for competition.

???? Stock car: My main project car and future main track machine.

I have a few redundancies and as I said earlier 5 is too many, so I'll be selling the Porsche. It's nice having a weekend car, but it eats up space and money that I don't really want to spend, and I don't really have time to drive on the weekends anyway, so its use case doesn't really work for me anymore.

And yes, I know that I have two race cars in the garage and that they are also redundant, but it's so dang cool to have them there that I don't really mind. Plus, granular categories! The Miata is for small tracks and autocrosses, and the stock car is for big ones! There, one car for each job, just like I wanted it.