Too many cars

In reply to Javelin :

I'd love to own that Cobra, but not without AC. Not in Florida.

If you draw my name again for January's box exchange...

LOL

2005 PT GT 'vert - My DD

2003 Ford Escape - Wife's DD

2003 PT GT - replacement wifemobile that decided to die the second day we owned it.

1990 Dodge D150 - Granddad's truck, it does truck things for me

1990 Plymouth Voyager - bought to flip, wife liked it too much, then it decided to go on a break, fix, repeat cycle and currently need the engine out for rebuild

1989 Dodge Caravan - was going to me my DD but might be either fixed and sold or I may build something obnoxious with it.

1989 Dodge Caravan - The never ending AWD caravan build that is collecting dust inside the garage

Note: there are no kids in my household, and I just sold the Daytona last month.

Patrick said:

With exception of probably all but aazcd, you guys are lightweights 

Only out of necessity.

I'm about to turn 64, 7 years into a 10-year bankruptcy from when my veterinary practice closed (berking Wells Fargo), no hope of retirement, one kid in middle School, another in high school.

I shouldn't even own the ES miata, but my wife insisted I keep it (for real).

2 drivers.

7 cars, three of which could drive today. 

8 motorcycles, three of which could be riden today. 

1 RV, could drive today.

At this point, I have room for lots more, but already don't have the time to do the work they need in a timely fashion. Self-limiting my AADD to prevent serious burnout.

In reply to Javelin :

Seriously? I'd probably take that deal. We're a bit on opposite ends of the country though, so which of the two is less unreliable for a road trip? Er, wait...they'd both have to make the trip, just in opposite directions.  

I decided my "normal" is five cars. Two daily drivers, two classics, and something weird that I hang onto just to say I own it (like an auto-X prepped 1.0L Metro). Seven was my normal for a while, as I kept spare beaters around for Atlanta demo derby commuter work, but now that I work from home I let the beaters go.

If I had land I wouldn't stop collecting until the government cracked down on me. It would be a nightmare for my heirs, but I'd be happy in my junkyard.

Too many projects and not enough time & space is definitely my problem.

#1 - 2017 Grand Caravan GT - my main DD and serves as my long-distance commuter. And by long distance I mean driving between my house in SE PA to where I'm currently working along the coast of NH. It's not really a "project" other than the general needs of maintenance, but even that is becoming a problem since I'm never home.

#2 - 2006 MINI Cooper S JCW - current second car and something fun to drive on the rare occasions I'm home.  I suppose I could drive it to NH, but when I'm in NH I like to go cycling and stuffing that much into a MINI is... difficult. 

#3 - 2003 VW Jetta TDI wagon - currently sitting 4' off the ground on scissor lift #1 since the winter of 2013 waiting for me to make time to finish replacing the turbo and do another TB change since the current one has essentially aged out. It also needs some body parts replaced (I'll get to that later).

#4 - 1973 Volvo 1800ES - this is a very long-term rusty project car.  I bought it for really cheap, so having it sit and wait until I have time and space doesn't bother me. It still need a lot of parts so I'm always on the lookout for deals.  Like I recently picked up a IPD front sway bar for a discount which I know from experience is a nice upgrade.

#5 - 1972 Triumph GT6 - Also in my 1.5 car garage 4' off the ground on scissor lift #2 waiting for me to finish replacing the transmission with a T-9 conversion kit.

#6 - 1979 Triumph Spitfire - bought from Doc Brown a few years ago, it is my "driver" classic.  However, the clutch slave went and like the GT6 is waiting for me to make time to finish fixing it. And the O/D switch is broken, so I have to fix that too.  And I have a rebuilt engine waiting to get installed, along with one of 3 different carb setups I have to choose from (dual SU HS-4s, dual Z-S, and quad MC carbs).  And a GT6 front brake set I bought from Curmudgeon many years ago. 

#7 - 1992 E-350 7.3 IDI extended conversion van - currently sitting in my mother's driveway (since I'm totally out of space), much to her increasing displeasure. I really want to renovated the van as a camper/bike hauler, but again - I'm never home.

#8 - 2002/3 Jetta Wagon parts car - bought a few years ago because it's the same color as my TDI wagon and while hte right side took a good hit, the left side front fender and rear hatch are good, so eventually those parts will go on the TDI, after which this car will get sold for scrap. 

#9 & 10 - a pair of DRZ400 motorcycles, first bought when I had the delusion of wanting to ride dirt bikes as cross-training for DH racing. Then I retired from DH racing. I still like the idea of having a street legal dirt bike, but right now the two take up space in my shed. And I am still waiting for the title for one of them (long story).

Of this fleet, only two can currently be driven - The minivan and the MINI.

Along with all of that, I have a house in desperate need of major repairs and an overall renovation.  Since it's all so overwhelming, I have an annoying habit of whenever I'm home, I do little more than mow the grass, sleep, and rest up for the drive back to NH. We won't get into the other hobby projects I have on the need to do list.

In reply to Floating Doc :

A/C works in the Cobra!

In reply to slowbird :

Mine broke down three blocks from my house yesterday and I had to tie strap it home with the Cobra. At this rate I might be Dorian to Florida though...

Javelin said:

In reply to Floating Doc :

A/C works in the Cobra!

Oh, I'm quite aware of that! I really like that car!

Unfortunately, I don't buy lottery tickets, or have any rich relatives, so there's no chance of getting another toy.

In reply to Javelin :

The Focus was having random shutoffs since I bought it, and then in April it finally refused to run/start unless I jumpstart it.

Friggin' Fords, eh? 

Please...there are 4 more in the front driveway and 2 busses behind the shop. 

Honestly if all 4 of mine ran. I'd be happy as E36 M3 and never want to get rid of any of them. The problem is 75% of them don't and I can only do so much being a lazy fool with limited resources.

In reply to Daylan C :

By many measures I get more joy looking at and thinking about my projects than actually working on them. Accepting that as truth brings me a sense of peace about my stationary cars. 

At one point I was the only driver and had 11 cars. Some really dumb ones like the 93 caravan because it started snowing and I had my rodeo torn down for a new rear locker. Then I had kids and learned between time and my new budget I needed to cut way down.

I now daily a beat up ranger and my zephyr is my only true project. The fact I drive beaters means my daily is even a project at times but my round trip for work is 4 miles. My wife drives a 2012 escape and gets a loaner if it needs any warranty work so It works for us. Next spring I'll be shopping for a full-size ext cab truck since my kids are growing but I'll never get much for the ranger so it will probably stay too.

While I’ve owned more cars than years I’ve lived I rarely have many at once. The most was when I was single and had a 2002 SL1, a 73 beetle, 71 beetle, 02 shadow 750, 85 xr200 and a roller 80s crammit. I think.

Now we have a Fit and my Mudstain and a dirtbike. And half a challenge car but that isn’t stored at my place. So not too bad. I’m actually in love with my whole fleet right now. Just the way they are too, no plans or desires for mods. Maybe paint though. 

I feel bad currently, only 2.5 cars and 2 drivers. The half is the tetanus trap that may have once been a ranger sitting in my shop. Now that the frame is split entirely in half, I'm kind of afraid to move it.

slowbird said:

In reply to Javelin :

The Focus was having random shutoffs since I bought it, and then in April it finally refused to run/start unless I jumpstart it.

Friggin' Fords, eh? 

Amen brother.