Putting my money where my mouth is. Shrinking the collection.

So over the last year or so a few people have approached me about how much work having more then a few cars is or semi exotic ownership. My opinion has been pretty consistent. Have a daily that works for you, have a weekend car and if you like to track one of those. Stop at those three and do more events/driving and keep the wrenching to where it is enjoyable.

Some self reflection and about six months ago I came to the conclusion that I am not following my own advice. At the time I had 9 cars and a few projects lined up and enough parts that I was starting to need outside storage. You know its bad when you get mentioned on next door. Over the last 6-7 months that has changed and I have dumped almost everything to get to that three cars. I am not going to put a price on what I am saving but insurance/registration/service and just general wear and tear it was substantial. I had a decent feeling where I was spending money this way but once I put it on paper it was very clear that I was not getting the enjoyment per $$ that I thought I was. Honestly its been a stressful thing to self assess but worth it I think.

So I am going to try and stick to my own advice so far its been really freeing and I am looking forward to more events. Maybe even some overseas events and I am going to do a ring trip in the next three years. Definitely going going to try and get out to the 2020-2021 challenge.    

So I ended up with the viper as a track car, it will be put on Non-Op status starting in 2020 July and I will be doing some small safety stuff and just using it when it make sense. After years of driving it on the street its just a stupid car to use that way and making that hard cut allows me to make some changes that would never be allowed on the street like fire suppression and HANS compatible seats. No lie I may actually sell this and get a national level shifter kart of open wheel F500. Need to do the math and see if there are more events I can do. Its a expensive car to sit around and use for 500-800 miles a year. Just dropping the insurance/registration saves me almost 3-4K a year on a car I was putting 700 miles on average on the street. I am going to do a tour with it while its still street legal not sure which event. Keep thinking of actually shipping it to use in Europe for a two week tour while it is still moderately street friendly and spooking some Europeans.

I kept the Thunderbird to use as a weekend car / wrenching I love the car and if I spend my time right I can do something cool like supercharge it and add EFI. Definitely putting a overdrive on it so I can do longer tours. I have always wanted to do this but I just had so much on my plate with other stuff. Even if its down for a month or two its not the end of the world now.

So that leaves the daily. So I bought a R8 and for the first time I bought what I wanted in a car and not what I knew I could make money on or get 100% return on investment. Right color, low miles and exactly the options I wanted. The reduction in registration and insurance from before almost makes the payment on the car. Never going to track it, its staying stock except for an exhaust I had off my old one and I am just going to put miles on it.

So while I am rambling on I just wanted people to think and reflect . Don't get hung up doing everything this is supposed to be a fun hobby. Its was hard for me to get there but the less cars I have and the more events/car shows I do the happier I am. I actually enjoy car shows where I am not showing anything and I can take my dad with me. Might not be for you but it is working for me.

R8 Photo Tax. Allegedly it gets delivered on Christmas. Finalized the loan today and sent the money over for it this morning but I have horrible luck shipping cars so if it gets here sometime before Friday and its not broken in transit I am going to take it as a win.

You sir, are #winning.  Great car!

Gorgeous​​​​​​​!

That is beautiful!  I simplified my daily to a 6-speed Acura Tl (2014) and my wife a TL as well.  Between the 2 it has been oil change and putting on and off snow tires for 3 years.  My BMW now occupies about 50% of my wrenching time.  Can get back to the MGA, XK120, Guilia spider, or CJ-2.  And those run as is.  so it will now be improving.  good luck with R8 i would love one of those.

Congrats. I have come to the conclusion to thin the heard as well. Going down from 9 to 4.  3 I put on sale last saturday. One sold Monday, 2 will be sold on X mas day. 3 gone in less than a week, be down to 6. The other two will sell after  new years. 

I will have 3:

DD - SUV - for family and kids

Weekend - Sports Car - 2 seater

Track/semi DD -Sports Car - 2 seater (was going to sell this one too, but after I put the ad up, for some reason couldnt. I am not usually emotionally invested in the cars, but I owned this car long time ago, sold it, and took me 4 years to find another perfect example, so i am not willing to let go yet on this one).

 wife will have 1.  

Beautiful!  I feel your pain but on a different price spectrum.

I have 10 cars right now, not including my work vehicle or my wife's 2018 armada.  I am contemplating selling everything but the 5-speed 4runner and the corvair and getting a 2009 Cayman.

I took pictures of my mr2 yesterday to list it for sale and I am hoping to do the same with the z28 this week.

The Viper is a great car and an awesome track machine but it wouldn't be the car I'd chose as a sole track car.  Too expensive to risk, too insane to drive.  Are you trailering it to the track?  If I had a true blue track car at this point I'd probably go E46 M3 and then make the decision whether to drive it or trailer it to the track and build it accordingly.

I've never had as many cars as you but feel the same way, 3 is the most I really want to deal with.  DD for my wife (cayenne diesel, under warranty), DD for me (golf R, under warranty) and my 996 Turbo (fun car, track ish car).  I'm debating picking up a 94 Corrado VR6 as a fun summer type of car but have to think hard about it as I've only put 3000 miles on the 996tt in the 1.5 years I've owned it.

It makes more sense for me to get a truck use wise but one will barely fit in my driveway and won't fit in the garage...

So another fun-ish type of car will probably split the use of the 996tt and it and possibly the Golf R, so cars will begin to sit around...

I've reduced the fleet down from a high of five down to three over the past few years and have seen the benefits. We could probably use one more, but I really should swap one of our vehicles if we decide to get something else.

Congrats on the R8 - I love that color!

I'm going to go from 6 to 5 next year as well.  You are all correct.  The maintenance, registration, insurance etc is a total killer.  I just have to decide if I want to track Boxster or other potential candidate.  I am selling the Miata (don't need two verts) and the 2K project car after the event.   That will leave me at 4 with room for one more. 

Illinois is raising our yearly plate fees to $153 from $103.  Multiple cars can get expensive.

Congrats on the R8

I shall now be an enabler; ditch the Viper and get an F500, I love mine and recently ran it at a test day. My car has an older obsolete engine yet it still kept up with 450hp cars on the straights so the acceleration is going to be what you're used to plus the corner speeds are much higher. If you buy one of the motorcycle engined cars those are even more rapid then my 2 stroke car. The only hitch will be the events available to you as not all events accept open wheel cars.

As I've recently had to help go through all of my mother in law's stuff I redoubled my garage cleaning. I got rid of two motorcycles and will likely sell the Kart as well. 

We have the daily drivers for me, the wife and our son.

For me own use I've got 4 cars; the camper van tow rig, the Datsun, the F500 and my boring but handy Subaru Outback. I do have my Beta 520RS that I ride regular and the 62 Honda 90 that I use as a pit bike. 

Less really is more; I think a 3 car rule is pretty good as any more than that seems to take control of your life.

First off thanks for letting me type all that and get it out of my system. I have no work this week and I am sitting at home in the rain with no cars to work on and waiting for the pickup of the new car and going slightly insane. Almost hopped on a flight tonight to just drive the new beast home. Its only 400 miles or so. Its Christmas though and not a single ticket available. Of course I sold the trucks and trailer so no way to drag it back like I normally would do but that is a fleeting issue.

docwyte said:

The Viper is a great car and an awesome track machine but it wouldn't be the car I'd chose as a sole track car.  Too expensive to risk, too insane to drive.  Are you trailering it to the track?  If I had a true blue track car at this point I'd probably go E46 M3 and then make the decision whether to drive it or trailer it to the track and build it accordingly.

Its never been my sole track car. I had the spec Miata, I had the spec FFR cobra and I used to run a few other things. Honestly its Stockholm syndrome with that thing I love it and yet it tries to kill me regularly I rarely used to bring it out. I will never be able to drive it at the limit I am just not good enough, as an example my instructor cut 6 seconds a lap out of my LS FTD in three laps. He and I are equal in the low power non aero stuff. Its a axe murder above 7/10ths and it gets to that limit real quick. I could get easy ~100K for it, it has almost 60K in mods and that would pay for some serious travel. Not sure if I could ever replace it. But 100K goes a LONG way on a used dedicated track car with spares and fees.

Story time. I had an original CSX Shelby about 18 years ago. I got lucky and bought one cheap and sold it when I thought I bought my first real place. I kick myself over it because I will never be able to replace it. Same as the 330GTC. The viper is like those cars, that I will never find it again with the modifications I want in the condition I want at the original price I paid.

So its going to stick around until I find something I am 100% sure will be better. It can sit on the lift for the next couple years while I figure that out and maybe even rent some stuff from friends to see what is better.

Datsun310Guy said:

Illinois is raising our yearly plate fees to $153 from $103.  Multiple cars can get expensive.

Yeah California is bad. I think all in the worst year it was 2200$ in just registration. My insurance bill in the worst year was mid/high four figures as well. Its nuts out here. Insurance right now is down to 2.5K a year, with the R8, and I count myself seriously lucky with just that.REgistartion should finally be under 1K next year with the non op on the viper.

Too many cars is one less than you have room for. Or at least that seems to be where I hit my limit.  I really should reduce my collection by at least two or three, but I can't do it right now.  I would like to get the fleet down to 6 - a DD (hopefully a van EV in a few years), a long-trip camper/tow vehicle, and 4 classics to fiddle with. 

Registration and insurance is less of a bother to me when the cars are old enough to have antique registration and thus have no annual renewal and no annual inspections in PA. 

My goal is to get down to 5, but it is not going to happen anytime soon.  

I am trying to rent a 7000 sf building right now..

Even better than the R8 (and it's tits, by the way) is your philosophy. I can dig that. 

Insurance is pretty cheap with Hagerty.  I added the 94 miata to my policy and I think it went up $11/year.  So if I add a corrado that won't be much of an additional cost either.  Registration on an old car here isn't much either as Colorado goes by car value.  Registration for the other cars stinks as they're still worth a decent amount...

But, but, the Lightning???

I'm not much of a Ford guy, but I liked that truck.

I went from 3 cars to 2 (one is the wife's) and it still feels like I have too much to do sometimes. I sold the 3rd car because it was costing me money and I had it for reasons that weren't clear. 
I'm learning that simpler is better.
Though having said that, when I have the space I would like to go back to 3. I'll need a dad car at some point 

bigdaddylee82 said:

But, but, the Lightning???

I'm not much of a Ford guy, but I liked that truck.

Yeah that was a hard one to do because at 15k or whatever I had in it it was a fantastic little thing. But take heart it's living with a new owner who has a GT500 drag car and he is using it as his daily. So it's happier then when it was with me. 
 

In reply to docwyte :

Yeah, Even on my regular insurance that same miata is a little over $100 a year. I just looked up my renewal costs and that is $68. So not bad if the car is over 10 years old. 

I think the right number is four -- the three you mentioned plus a tow vehicle for the track car.  (plus a trailer, but since that doesn't have an engine I don't count it as a "car").  I'm currently at five, Audi for the DD, FD for the fun street car, M3 for the track car, Silverado for towing, and trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my Miata.

That's a good-looking R8!  Is it a V8 or V10?

codrus said:

 

That's a good-looking R8!  Is it a V8 or V10?

V8. Did not like the weight on the rear in the V10 though it is way faster. Also I had a V8 coupe before and never once felt it was underpowered for a DD.  Plus the V8 has a nasty snarl when you open it up. Less F1 and more stock car. 

so no Christmas Miracle truck could not get it so it shows up on Thursday. 

I'm at 4 but after the new year getting ready to go to 3:

2011 Lexus GX460 (wife's DD, family long distance, off road and tow rig)

2013 Jeep Wrangler JK (my DD)

2005 Mustang GT (auto cross)

1976 Porsche 911 (project)

I've recently realized I don't have time or funds to do the 911 properly.  The Mustang has a couple of "wants" and not "needs" but most of my car money goes to the Jeep payment and maintenance on the fleet.  So...I've recently decided to sell the Jeep, get the couple of "wants" for the Mustang and turn it into a dual purpose DD/autocross.  I'll use all the remaining funds to fix the 911 and get it operational again.  It doesn't help that my kids are also pestering me to get the 911 running again.  Plus they also like the Mustang and 911 more than the Jeep. 
 

I also figured which makes more memories? Rolling up at school drop off in a air cooled 911 and loud lowered Mustang, or in a Jeep JK in a sea of minivans and soccer mom SUVs?  Yeah I'd pick the 911 or Mustang too. 

I agree wholeheartedly. Unless you have enough resources to have a team working for you like Jay Leno or to make it your full time job with bottomless budget for maintenance and repair parts then you just can not truly enjoy a dozen car fleet. Most guys I know with that many cars have big plans that just never materialize. I've got four - two daily driver total non projects and two drivable fun car projects. Even at that it's too much given all the other priorities I have. Plus a fifth car is usually on deck for being torn apart or flipped but they're never a "permanent resident" if that makes sense.

Weary,

Let me build you a shifter kart. I enjoy working on karts with new parts. Let me know what tracks you will practice and race at, and with which organizations. Between half a dozen dealers I know who's got good stuff and whose is poor, and can get good deals in the January-February doldrums; it'll cost at least a grand more in March and two grand more in April.

-chaparral