WWGRMD: so many cars, so little time

I'm in a quandary that I'm sure no one here has ever experienced: I have more projects than I have time for.

I guess this thread may resolve itself, as I'm hoping that just writing everything down will do some good. Mostly just need a place to put all these thoughts out there where the immediate result won't be confusion as to why anyone would own a station wagon, let alone two of them.

But here's the situation. Single guy, decent job, relatively new homeowner, with 4.5 cars and 4 bikes. Maintaining this fleet of vehicles has become a full time job and needs to be resolved sooner rather than later so that I can actually enjoy using this stuff (and not be so stressed out by it). Even just replacing maintenance stuff as it wears out is starting to become a bit of a burden, not to mention wanting to do some home improvement stuff. Financially, I'm not really at risk, but could very easily fall in that hole if I didn't watch spending so closely. There are definitely things I've had to opt out of doing because the cars were absorbing so much money. I'm right at the limit of vehicles I can comfortably fit on my property. Wouldn't mind reducing my ridiculous insurance bill, too.

First step of the mental relaxation is already set: one of the bikes is going up for sale as soon as the jetting is ironed out. Aside from riding it around the yard, I haven't ridden this one in over a year. The rest of the bikes are staying and are not in question, as they all serve a purpose and are used regularly.

The cars in question are

• Chevy Silverado: reliable, only a few things to do on the list. Used to move stuff around for the house and to haul the dirt bikes, but not used as a daily due mainly to size and difficulty parking at work. Commute is short, fuel consumption isn't a big deal. Occasionally use to tow cars.
• Box caprice wagon: ~375 hp 5 speed manual. This was my daily driver until I got the 525. Was broken for 6 months and just fixed it last week. The engine turned out fantastic, it handles well, and is fun to drive. Lots of memories in this car, and a ton of time and money invested in it, particularly the engine. Before the Silverado, was used to tow the bikes. However, all the rubber seals are failing (and NLA) and has daunting rust issues. Because of the nature of the car, the list grows as fast as I can check stuff off.
• BMW E34 525i wagon: also 5 speed swapped. Definitely the best daily due to great fuel economy, quiet, comfortable, no rust, and lots of modern features. Not powerful, but very good parts availability and fun enough to drive. Anemic engine kind of lets it down. Only car with working AC. Longest list of things that eventually needs to be done to it to bring it up to my standards, but that's mainly because it has a lot of potential to be a super nice car. If I have to drive more than an hour to do something, this is the car I take.
• BMW E30 318is: first car, turbocharged, very good shape. This one does all the track day and autocrossing duties. Very reliable, most fun to drive, has a short list of things I'd really like to do it for reliability and performance if I had the time/extra funds.
• BMW E30 lemons car: this is the 0.5. Not going anywhere, but I pretty much serve as the head wrench turner so it sucks up some time and money too.

So what do you do when you have a big fleet and you are attached to everything? Do you sell a car, and then how do you pick which one? Keep them all, but let them collect dust if they only get driven once a month? Impulse buy another car as a response to stress?

I don't even know that I expect much response to this, but figured if anyone was going to understand, it'd probably be you lot.

You need the truck. Period.

The 525 best serves your DD needs. Keep it.

The 318is is your toy. Keep it, unless you'd rather just race the Lemons car.

Cut bait on the Caprice wagon. It's the most problematic, and seems like you'll not easily be able to fix all its issues due to NLA parts.

But... are you really attached to all of them? I don't think I've ever really been all that attached to a car, so for me it would be a question of what is actually useful or fun. Based on that, and your description, I'd probably end up losing both wagons.

Pete nailed it here!

Pete Gossett wrote: You need the truck. Period. The 525 best serves your DD needs. Keep it. The 318is is your toy. Keep it, unless you'd rather just race the Lemons car. Cut bait on the Caprice wagon. It's the most problematic, and seems like you'll not easily be able to fix all its issues due to NLA parts.

Sounds like its fire sale time. Except for the truck and first car. Maie the rest go away, and get some room back in your head.

No reason to not daily the truck other than parking, which im sure can be worked out rather easily.

So the two primary options are to keep everything in case you decide you want to play with it in the future or to sell stuff off. The driving factors there are how much space do you have to store stuff and how much money are you willing to have tied up in depreciating assets that you're not getting any enjoyment out of. Only you can answer those, so I'm going to tell a rambling story about my own experiences instead. :)

A few years ago I bought a Locost that someone else had built, intending to make it into a D Mod autocross car. It turned out that the car wasn't as done as it looked (gee, there's a surprise) and then the club I'd been auto crossing with fell apart, so I had effectively acquired a second project car with no real purpose. It sat in my garage for 18 months or so taking up the parking spot that belonged to my daily driver while I occasionally fixed a few things on it. Then one day a guy emailed me out of the blue asking if it was for sale, and I realized that yes, it was, so it's gone now.

Later on I acquired garage parking for one more car, so I added an RX-7 to my fleet. I knew from the experience with the Locost that I didn't have time for a second significant project car (the first being my Miata), so I was quite picky in terms of what car I bought, wanting something that didn't need a lot of work.

This strikes a chord, I only have two cars and a bike and I feel like I'm spending too much time keeping older cars (NA Miata and E30, both with over 200k) in running order.

Like many of us here, it seems like you have too many of what I call "relationship" cars. What I mean by that is that these cars all need a lot of love, attention, and constant thought to own. It seems to me you need one car that doesn't require much thought. Maybe with the right amount of financial input, the E34 could be that car, but I am not sure.

If I were you, I'd do one of the following:

1. Sell the E34, and Caprice, then buy a car that is a good DD that gets good mileage and is a car you don't need to think about.

2. Sell the E34 and Caprice and use the Silverado as a daily and don't buy another car.

If you didn't need to haul bikes, I'd say sell the Silverado and Caprice and use the money to get the E34 the way you want it and DD that car, but it seems like you need the Silverado for the bikes.

post pics and asking price of caprice wagon...

Edit, found pics:

Robbie wrote: post pics and asking price of caprice wagon... Edit, found pics:

That's sexy.

Stampie wrote:

Robbie wrote: post pics and asking price of caprice wagon... Edit, found pics:

That's sexy.

I like this way more than i should.

You currently have 3 tow vehicles.

Sell E34. Immediately frees up space and gives cash infusion.

DD Silverado. Fix AC.

Sell Box piece by piece.

Keep eyes open for E39 wagon. Buy. Install hitch.

Sell Silverado, buy utility trailer (assumes bike trailer is more than just a utility trailer with bike tie-downs).

Sell both wagons. Race car and lemons car serve a purpose but with an uber short commute you don't need the E34 and the Caprice is just taking up space.

I had the Estate /woodside decal in white 400 motor auto I LOVED that one, Best road car ever.. Yank the engine and tranny free up some space. One day something small and light will come along. Unless one bike is a Harley and another is a Ducati road racer you do not need 4 Scooters.

Relevant to my situation. I also have 4.5 cars, too much attachment and too little time.

I'd definitely at least cut the Caprice loose, or part it out...But I think the idea of letting the E34 go as well and replacing both with a carefree gas-n-go daily/distance driver would probably be a 'good' choice. If the Silverado can fill that role too, even better. If the Silverado can't comfortably do so, maybe there is something out there that could replace all three?

CyberEric wrote: This strikes a chord, I only have two cars and a bike and I feel like I'm spending too much time keeping older cars (NA Miata and E30, both with over 200k) in running order. Like many of us here, it seems like you have too many of what I call "relationship" cars. What I mean by that is that these cars all need a lot of love, attention, and constant thought to own. It seems to me you need one car that doesn't require much thought. Maybe with the right amount of financial input, the E34 could be that car, but I am not sure. If I were you, I'd do one of the following: 1. Sell the E34, and Caprice, then buy a car that is a good DD that gets good mileage and is a car you don't need to think about. 2. Sell the E34 and Caprice and use the Silverado as a daily and don't buy another car. If you didn't need to haul bikes, I'd say sell the Silverado and Caprice and use the money to get the E34 the way you want it and DD that car, but it seems like you need the Silverado for the bikes.

Option 2.

Agreed with others. Your commute is short. Your wagons are redundant. You have a reliable truck already that is both a backup DD when you don't want to drive the hot rod, and it does all the truck stuff you need too like hauling bikes. The only question I have is you say about the truck... "not used as a daily due mainly to size and difficulty parking at work". Do you park on the street in a big city? Is it a crew cab or something? is this reality or just an excuse?

The E34 will be maintenance intensive and you don't sound thrilled with it. The box Caprice is cool, but the truck replaces it's function, and you're on the losing side of value in the battle with rust. Cut ties now.

Keep the E30. You'd miss that one. It also seems with a short commute this could be the nice weather car as a quasi-DD with the extra time/$$ that would be freed up to allocate towards it.

Eventually you might want to add in a 3rd vehicle that is more of a true comfortable DD. It sounds like that's the one thing you really liked about the E34. Perhaps something here could replace the truck also with a decent tow capacity and a utility trailer, or a small nicely apointed SUV/wagon/CUV/etc.

I wish I knew who to credit for this, but I definitely read it here on GRM.

It’s advice about what to do when the question of whether or not to sell a car is bouncing around in your head.

Paraphrasing here: “If it’s not a car you would buy today, then sell it”

Well that's way more comments than I was expecting...guess a lot of you can relate, haha.

Yes, I am emotionally attached, but I think maybe the emotional attachment is easy to confuse with a sunk $$/time attachment, especially with the caprice. Definitely emotional attachment with the E30, as it does really make me happy every time I drive it. So selling would be the hard part, but once sold, I'd probably be able to move on.

No one says sell the E30 so far. I had no intention of doing that anyway, so good deal there. As some have said, I do occasionally drive it to work on nice days, or on solo trips.

Also, no one has said sell the truck, aside from xflowgolf, tangentially. And that makes a lot of sense; when I need a truck, it is good to have around, and I've fixed the important stuff. Possibly even more importantly, aside from making a new exhaust, I have no desire to modify it. It does truck things very well. In reply to xflowgolf, the Caprice wagon and a trailer are what I used to haul the bikes for years. I still have the trailer, which the E34 can also tow, as it has a hitch. The truck is far more convenient, though, and doesn't get stuck in trailhead parking lots...

So the truck stays. to the parking comment - it's an extended cab. I park in a parking garage that is tight enough that, if there is a long car or a truck parked on an end spot, it's occasionally a 3 point turn to get around the ramp. However....yeah, it's kind of an excuse. I DD'd it for a month or so before I had the E34 and when the Caprice was broken and it was fine. As a bonus, you guys get a shot of the truck and the wagon:

GTXvette, the bikes in question are a KTM 950 Adventure (travel, trail riding, dual sport rides, occasional DD), KTM 200 (trail/enduro bike), and an old Yamaha TY350 trials bike. There is almost zero overlap between those, and they generally require little maintenance. All of them get quite a bit of use. The bike for sale is a 1975 Honda TL250, which is also a vintage trials bike that, while a great bike, is at least marginally worse at trials in every way than the TY is.

The biggest surprise for me out of all this is how many people say sell the E34. I honestly hadn't even considered selling 2 of the cars, because I was struggling so much with considering selling one of them.

The reason (and call me on it if it sounds like BS) that keeping the E34 makes more sense to me is multifold. It's rust free, I actually enjoy working on BMWs, and it literally is the gas'n'go cheap daily. I have very little money into it, and the stuff it does need is just cosmetic (read, not critical). I have a build thread here for it, actually: 525i Impulse Build

I have a regular enough need to move more than 2 people in a car that having a 4 door like this is very useful. It's also a known quantity, and it's it's already mine and all the big issues are fixed. I think it would be much more expensive to sell it and change to something different. As to the cost of maintenance, E34s are decently reliable and parts are cheap - and this one has had every single one of the problem spots taken care of. But I guess I do see the point about it not being strictly necessary.

Pretty much everyone says sell the caprice...which...yeah, I guess it makes sense. A few of you said part it out, or keep the engine, or some variation on that. I suppose I could list it that way, but then I would have an engine lying around and that would mean eventually I'd end up with another car to put it in. It would also make the caprice roller a lot harder to sell.

The Caprice will not sell as a project. It needs to stay in one solid, driveable piece if you want any money back from it. As much as I loved hooning my Roadmaster wagon, it felt great to finally dump that pile. Not that my wagon was near as awesome as yours (which you handily demonstrated at that autocross last year!), it was just such a superfluous vehicle for me. I already had a comfy reliable DD, I already had a fun classic cruiser, and I already had another project at that point. It made no sense and caused more itches than it scratched.

How much towing do you really need for motorcycles? A truck without A/C in humid Indiana summers does not sound appealing after a long day of dirt biking...I would focus on fixing truck's A/C. Then make a decision if you want to sell it and just use the BMW wagon to tow bikes. A rust-free truck in our part of the world holds its value better than gold. Even better with working A/C.

Let me know if you need help with anything. I'm nearby and have A/C tools like vacuum pump and gauges.

you must not live in Michigan, because your Caprice's apparent "rust issues"... well... let's just say that looks cleaner than almost any remaining box chevy's left here. ...and on that same note, almost none of that body style ex-cab Silverado has rockers left under the extended cab portion.

I'd still sell the Caprice.

Id keep the caprice but thats mostly my attatchment too american wagons and hatred for silverado's.

Id sell the silverado and bmw wagon. Fix the caprice and drive it since your comute is short.

This is a very biased opinion.

gearheadE30 wrote: ...I actually enjoy working on BMWs...

This may be true, but you've already got 2 other BMW's to enjoy working on. Even if it's just cosmetics that the E34 needs for now, and it's gas-n-go reliable for now, you still seem to view it as a project too. Which requires time...The lack of which is apparently the main driving force here. The reason I expect so many people (myself included) are thinking to get rid of it, is largely that daily drivers do not make good projects. Especially when time is an issue. Basically, it sounds like you probably need to at least get rid of it as a project...Be that selling it, or resigning to never bringing it up to your 'standards' and it never becoming a 'super nice car'.

Determine how much time you have to work on projects, divide by 2. Determine all (not just automotive) of the projects you need and want to complete, and how much time each project will take, multiply each by 3. Cull projects as necessary until adjusted cumulative time required for projects is less than or equal to adjusted time available for projects.

Indy-Guy wrote: Paraphrasing here: “If it’s not a car you would buy today, then sell it”

I actually use that logic for keeping the cars I have. Other than a lack of time, they don't really cost much for me to own.

What can you reasonably expect for the wagon? If no more than say $2500, gut the bullet and the tranny......possible Silverado transplant, and scrap the shell. One spot open. Lemons? with the E30 firstcar sitting next to it??? push it to the curb($$$?). Another spot open. E34, keep for the creature comforts(A/C). E30 1stcar for the smile factor. And the bikes will love you for keeping Silverado. All this coming from a knothead with an inoperable chevy P/U, two four door sedans, one SUV, one british sports car (resto proj), and four non running motorcycles. BWaHhahahahaaaa, best get back to my padded cell.