How many cars do I need GRM? Driving 24k+ mi/yr

MINIzguy said:

In reply to frenchyd :

So a regular cab short bed? 4x4, power seats and lumbar are things I'd want as at a minimum. Too bad these don't exist outside of work trucks unless I custom order, and then I also lose the bargaining power of something on the lot.

That’s exactly what I did 22 years ago, the local Chevy dealer didn’t have it but he dealer traded for it and brought it to me.  It lasted 20 years and 371,000  miles  y

I did it again when I bought my new one.  The Chevy dealer was $8000 higher for the exact same thing. This time the Ford dealer  brought it to me.  Red, short box regular cab 4X4 V8, towing package and STX level trim. They hauled it from Chicago to Minneapolis washed it and gave me a full tank of gas.  Free car washes for life.  $8000 less than the same stuff in a Chevy. 

No trade in on either deal. 

You need (to make) a Prius pick-up.

With that many miles per year (my guess is you'll drive the newer car/truck more than the Cobalt), I'd suggestion taking a hard look at what's quiet, comfortable, and economical.

The other factor I look at is depreciation.  It's very vehicle specific, but factor it in as you look new vs. used.  Look at how quickly you'll be out of warranty, etc.  Sometimes a CPO has a longer warranty than new.

Appleseed said:

You need (to make) a Prius pick-up.

 

I'm sold.

You gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers...

Bare minimum list of what you need:

1. Economical daily

2. Track car

3. Challenge car

4. Backup track car

5. Comfortable tow beast

6. Beater work truck

7. Off-road vehicle

8. Convertible weekend car

9. V8 weekend car

10. German weekend car

11. Rallycross car

12. Some sort of oddball car just because

Add in 1-5 parts cars for each of the above and you should be around 30-40 minimum.

What do you guys do about protecting all these cars?

Siding on keeping all 3. However, that means one car has to stay outside. Do you guys just constantly wash and seal the paint? Just let it go? It's the Cobalt but I don't want it looking bad.

I sold my 09 Cobalt SS with 268,000 miles on it and it was going strong.  I replaced the clutch and turbo around 200k.  Trucks are good when you need a truck.  I don't understand daily driving a truck though.  They suck to drive.  Unless big, crappy handling vehicles are your kick.

In reply to MINIzguy :

I drive a similar amount of miles as you in my sales route. If I didn’t have to deal with Alaska winters, I’d buy a low mileage certified Prius or Volt or similar to burn up for commuting and have a fun vehicle or three for the rest. Keep the BMW for the fun car, buy a motorcycle, and do other fun things.  

If going the truck route, a 2wd 5.0 or Eco boost regular cab short bed f150 could be a lot of fun... not sure if it could tow the bmw if needed but fun. 

I drive about 30-35k miles per year, so even more than you do.  That's due to a 120 mile round trip commute and having 3 very active kids.  I think the number of cars depends on your personal life style.  I tried the daily driver boring car/beater and fun weekend car route, but the reality is my fun weekend car (NC Miata) sat.  I mean literally sat.  I went 6 months without even starting the engine.  Never mind.  I've decided that having one nice car, which is fun to drive and an enjoyable place to spend hours upon hours in is the way to go.  I picked up a G37.  Yeah, it runs on premium unleaded, which sucks.  But beyond that, I enjoy getting behind the wheel each and every time.  It's right for me...having multiple cars just doesn't work right now. 

Another cobalt SS in a different color, just to berkeley with people.

How do you live with less than 6 cars....

  I have found that once I have 1 Italian car, I then somehow have 3 of them.   Of course you need a trailer, tow car/truck, and a race car.

Klayfish said:

I drive about 30-35k miles per year, so even more than you do.  That's due to a 120 mile round trip commute and having 3 very active kids.  I think the number of cars depends on your personal life style.  I tried the daily driver boring car/beater and fun weekend car route, but the reality is my fun weekend car (NC Miata) sat.  I mean literally sat.  I went 6 months without even starting the engine.  Never mind.  I've decided that having one nice car, which is fun to drive and an enjoyable place to spend hours upon hours in is the way to go.  I picked up a G37.  Yeah, it runs on premium unleaded, which sucks.  But beyond that, I enjoy getting behind the wheel each and every time.  It's right for me...having multiple cars just doesn't work right now. 

Do you worry about breakdowns with only one car?

Thought of doing the Veloster N, but then I lose some utility of the pickup and would need a rental every once in a while. Thought about adding another Cobalt but then my neighbors would look at me funny. Then a gas Colorado is still enticing if I expanded the garage to 3 vehicles.

tomtomgt356 said:

You gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers...

Bare minimum list of what you need:

1. Economical daily

2. Track car

3. Challenge car

4. Backup track car

5. Comfortable tow beast

6. Beater work truck

7. Off-road vehicle

8. Convertible weekend car

9. V8 weekend car

10. German weekend car

11. Rallycross car

12. Some sort of oddball car just because

Add in 1-5 parts cars for each of the above and you should be around 30-40 minimum.

Well, I've got #2, #5, #11 covered, and my #4 and #12 don't run.  

Plus I say everyone should have a sleeper (my #12)

Add in all the "good idea fairy project cars" that I keep seeing on here and that 30-40 number seems about right.

MINIzguy said:

Klayfish said:

I drive about 30-35k miles per year, so even more than you do.  That's due to a 120 mile round trip commute and having 3 very active kids.  I think the number of cars depends on your personal life style.  I tried the daily driver boring car/beater and fun weekend car route, but the reality is my fun weekend car (NC Miata) sat.  I mean literally sat.  I went 6 months without even starting the engine.  Never mind.  I've decided that having one nice car, which is fun to drive and an enjoyable place to spend hours upon hours in is the way to go.  I picked up a G37.  Yeah, it runs on premium unleaded, which sucks.  But beyond that, I enjoy getting behind the wheel each and every time.  It's right for me...having multiple cars just doesn't work right now. 

Do you worry about breakdowns with only one car?

 

No, not really.  The car is a '13 with only 55k miles on it.  Breakdowns shouldn't happen.  If it does, worst case scenario I rent a car from Enterprise for a day or two while it's getting fixed.  Not ideal for sure, but far cheaper than buying/insuring/maintaining a second car just for the potential of the first one breaking. 

Having said that, until very recently I almost always had at least two cars for many, many years.  But it wasn't for the reason above.  It was because I had the financial resources, logistics and more importantly the time for more than one car.  Now I've got an insanely busy life that just makes it difficult to really enjoy a second car, so I've done away with it.  My extra cash goes towards my racing addiction...uh, hobby.  If my life were to change and I had more free time, I'd go back to a second car in a heartbeat.  But not for the purposes of keeping miles off of one, or in case of breakdown...it would be for the sole purpose of fun.

To echo and add to Klayfish’s breakdown comments, with that kind of yearly mileage you really should have a newer reliable daily driver. 

I had a 2012 outback 2.5i 6spd that had popped both head gaskets and both main seals at 56k miles, then blew the mains again at 88k miles. Fixed under warranty, both times as I bought it as a CPO, and quickly to my dealer’s credit, but was quickly replaced with a leftover new 2017 Tacoma that I found while waiting for my wife to pick me up after dropping the Subaru off (it’s a Toyota/Subaru/Honda dealer). While I hated the Subaru I only sold it because I didn’t want to worry about when something was going to break next. 

#1 should be a reliable commuter you enjoy spending time in, since you spend a lot of your day in it. 

#2 should be your fun car (for me it’s a motorcycle and a 4 wheeler).

#3 to infinity... trucks, toys, and collecting. 

When I was your age, (which sounds like I'm a 90-year-old great grandfather), I had nine cars.  Heck, I had anywhere from 4 to 9 cars all the way up until I was in my late 30s.

Right now I have 4, plus a motorcycle, two boats, and two RVs.

But I'm a bit of a freakish weirdo.  2-3 cars is what I'm trying to get to.  A compact pickup for DD, a hot classic convertible for fun, and then maybe an econobox winter beater.

If you want to keep the Cobalt, I would recommend a newish DD that's lower miles, reliable rep, fuel efficient, and somewhat fun. Something like a '15 Civic SI. Then get an old F150 or similar truck for truck stuff if you really need one. Instead of dropping 30k on a depreciating asset, put 15-20k into a used newer DD and if you really want a truck, pick one up for 5k or less.

That would be 3-4 vehicles and you'd still have 10k left to sit in the bank or mod your cars or buy 5th and 6th cars or add on to garage or put into a 401k or IRA.

I've always had 2 or more vehicles since I was 21. Currently at 11 and wanting just another 2 or 3 or maybe 10 more.

I have 4 and a half e28s. I rob parts off one and a half of them to keep the others nice. I don't drive them in the winter anymore, so I've got a Civic. Also I've got a ramp truck because stuff breaks down. Also a race car, a restoration project, another project I've unofficially given up on so it sits behind my garage, one I'm fixing for a buddy, and I'm probably forgetting one or three.

I ride my bicycle to work whenever I can.

Advice for your 100 mile commute? Move closer to work.

AngryCorvair said:

Another cobalt SS in a different color, just to berkeley with people.

Same color, opposite number of doors than the original, just to berkeley with people.

I'll be closer to making a decision after I drive out to Solo nationals. May be able to justify a truck if I know I will be trailering out for long events in the BMW.

Also, 2.8k miles on the Cobalt in one month. Still doing ok, after I rigged up the lumbar on the seat.

Skimmed through and I'll make this my one serious post of the month. 

Keep the two you have now garaged and get a cheap as E36 M3 1/4 ton. I like the rangers for something you can drive the berkeley out of and replace an engine for $250. I've done it. Don't worry about it out in the rain. 

I always have two in case one breaks and my wife has one. Everything else is a toy. I'm not too economical right now with an 04 Interceptor and an 04 F250, but who the hell cares.

I'm not used to the forum format. Why is my text changing size? How did I get here? What have i done? 

Just a quick note. This place is not like AA. It's more like a bar full of drunks. They will always tell you to have one more. 

We do not tell people they have enough cars. It just doesn't happen. We even have a FB group, Enablers Unanimous. We want to make sure that all of us have access to all of the automotive opportunities, to make really questionable decisions.

Hell, ask this group of degenerates if you should buy a 60 year old bus, 1000 miles from home. I dare you.