Could you be happy with just one car?

Absolutely. I currently have 12 of them, but I could definitely be happy with a single car.  Because I was. For the better part of a decade, all I had was a Miata and I was happy.  After I got married, we bought the wife another Miata.  Because clearly 2 Miatas is a reasonable choice for 2 people?  We eventually bought an F100, and truck + Miata is a great combination of utility and fun.  It was mildly annoying only being able to seat 3 people maximum, and there were several times we picked up friends at the airport with two Miatas.

I could never live with just one car...ever...and the reason is one of sheer practicality. If a car is down for service and you need to go get parts or some tool breaks and you need to replace it in the middle of a job, you better have a backup vehicle. I lived with two wagons for a long time and was quite content with the utility and performance of that form factor. I still have the two wagons, sold my WRX and replaced it with a BRZ which I like much better than the WRX. I am in a good place automotively.

If I completely quit the car hobby, then sure... a van of some sort to haul my bicycles around would make me relatively happy. 

I enjoy my classic cars, but I wouldn't want to subject any of them to harsh northeastern winters.  

That said, I have a plan of some day doing something similar as briansquestionabledecisions on IG does with his Ferrari 308 and fitting a roof rack with a bike rack and a cargo box to my GT6 or 1800ES and driving around the country to various biking spots. 

Not a chance. 

I like to do too many different things from Jeep trails to racetracks, and there's no one vehicle that could cover all of it.  I'm with Codrus in liking cars that are focused on their task, dedicated track car, tow pig, etc.  'Do it all' solutions are rarely much better than adequate at anything.

Plus, it's fun to take a different car to C&C every month. 

Probably not.  What I need from a daily driven street vehicle stands in pretty stark opposition to what I want from a track machine.  Ideally I would have three vehicles.  Something like my current daily driver: A small-ish, sporty hatch/sedan with a manual.  A cheap full size van or minivan for occasional utility use, and a dedicated, street-legal track car. 

I have always been happy with just one vehicle.  I'm always enthusiastic about whatever I'm driving.

livinon2wheels said:

I could never live with just one car...ever...and the reason is one of sheer practicality. If a car is down for service and you need to go get parts or some tool breaks and you need to replace it in the middle of a job, you better have a backup vehicle. I lived with two wagons for a long time and was quite content with the utility and performance of that form factor. I still have the two wagons, sold my WRX and replaced it with a BRZ which I like much better than the WRX. I am in a good place automotively.

I always say that cars, computers, and bathrooms are things you should always have at least 2 of so that WHEN 1 breaks down, you aren't immediately up E36 M3's creek

Jay Leno seems ok with his garage....and maintenance plan.

the rest of us compromise.

we're both retired.  one car is possible.   my E30S50 swapped 318i is still my favorite car 25 years later.  quick enough, handles well, ok for trips to beach, mountains, family, and tows my 4x8 trailer for truck-chores.

of course, one pair of shoes (at a time) got me through many years of school, early marriage, one child.

but now i have dress shoes, sport shoes, work boots, hiking boots, sandals, water shoes....

..and 2-seaters, convertibles, hard tops, 2-door, 4-door, truck,  plus some Isettas waiting...

wrenching is my retirement job, so costs are manageable.

I'm good to go now.

GameboyRMH said:

livinon2wheels said:

I could never live with just one car...ever...and the reason is one of sheer practicality. If a car is down for service and you need to go get parts or some tool breaks and you need to replace it in the middle of a job, you better have a backup vehicle. I lived with two wagons for a long time and was quite content with the utility and performance of that form factor. I still have the two wagons, sold my WRX and replaced it with a BRZ which I like much better than the WRX. I am in a good place automotively.

I always say that cars, computers, and bathrooms are things you should always have at least 2 of so that WHEN 1 breaks down, you aren't immediately up E36 M3's creek

with the exceptions of bathrooms, for everything else I believe in warranties for a reason.  I rely on my computer as it's the primary way in which i earn a living (most information workers probably feel the same way) and I wouldn't rely on one that doesn't have a next business day repair contract included.  I have extra computers lying around the house that I can use but just like cars maintaining and keeping multiple computers up to date is an unneeded expense/effort.  

If I hadn't collected several cars I'm so very emotionally attached to, I could see living well with just one car. It'd probably be a 2 door hatch with a decent back seat, AWD, but able to be made RWD if/when needed/wanted, very very high quality suspension capable of on-road and off-road capabilities with ride height adjustability, and either a large displacement turbo 4 or moderately high-winding NA v8. But as is, I have several cars that I'll likely never let go. 

BimmerMaven said:

Jay Leno seems ok with his garage....and maintenance plan.

the rest of us compromise.

we're both retired.  one car is possible.   my E30S50 swapped 318i is still my favorite car 25 years later.  quick enough, handles well, ok for trips to beach, mountains, family, and tows my 4x8 trailer for truck-chores.

of course, one pair of shoes (at a time) got me through many years of school, early marriage, one child.

but now i have dress shoes, sport shoes, work boots, hiking boots, sandals, water shoes....

..and 2-seaters, convertibles, hard tops, 2-door, 4-door, truck,  plus some Isettas waiting...

wrenching is my retirement job, so costs are manageable.

 

I'm good to go now.

when it comes to shoes, i wonder if the person who can wear flip flops all day every day (pour one out for Jimmy Buffet) is living their best life.  

I have 3 cars, but I could easily live with only 1 of them. That vehicle would be an 2009 Outback XT. I haven't found any other vehicle that checks all the boxes like this one. My car has 195k on the body and 20k on a fresh engine build. It's been a fantastic vehicle through any type of weather or roads.

I have pretty obvious reasons, but:

-Manual Transmission

-AWD

-Plenty of ground clearance

-Turbo

-Acceptable fuel economy

-Ease of maintenance

-Interior/hatch space

-Parts availability   

-Good looks

-Performance potential

-Interior comfort

I am firmly in the Subaru camp as far as best all-around vehicle goes.

Buuuuut, If i could only have 1 dream car (thats still usable daily) it would be a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. It's both beauty and beast! 

I've always had multiple vehicles - a summer car, a winter car, a muscle car, a pickup, since they all have had a specific use.  As I get older, I'm thinking harder about reducing it to one or maybe two vehicles, but the problem is figuring out which ones.  I change my mind on that pretty much on a daily basis.

The answer to that question, is no, absolutely not. Don't do it! 

You can buy a new car that will be available for years, whereas the vehicles in your stable would be much tougher to replace. This hobby (addiction?) is not a wise financial decision, but I do have to point out: the 3 cars you currently own have not only fully depreciated, they're likely appreciating in value... whereas a brand new $70,000 BMW will plummet like a rock as soon as it gets out of the warrant period. 

As far as track cars go, well, you already own The Answer... 

Not counting my wife's cars, I'm currently in a 4 car situation, where each car has it's own purpose: 

-AP2 S2000 for my fun, top-down, mountain road car and date nights with the wife car. There's a good chance it's my forever car, as I've owned it longer than anything else in my stable. I've driven everything under the sun, and nothing puts a smile on my face like my AP2 when driven in anger on a twisty road. 

-E82 BMW 128i has become my semi-daily (I technically have a work car that I commute in). It's just good everywhere. Comfortable, easy to drive, fun, good visibility, could take a road trip anywhere without complaint, etc. I still have plans to tinker with it, but nothing too extreme. 

-DC2 Integra GS-R is rapidly becoming a track car to run NASA TT6 and autoX locally. Because I have other options, I don't mind that it's becoming more compromised. 

-Nissan Xterra. I bought this thing dirt cheap as a winter beater. It can tow 5000 lbs in a pinch. I don't care if it gets beat up in the winter and I can get most Home Depot runs done in this thing. 

If you're not tracking a car, and don't live in a place where it snows, I can see some consolidation... but otherwise, I wouldn't want to do it. 

With recent DMaxx issues being addressed, that and the  "V" are pretty much todo.....

i could live with one vehicle...either a Miata ND-RF , or the nicest R53 MINI on the planet.

I'm sure I could be happy with one car, but I haven't found it yet.  So I'm going to revel in my failure and enjoy the variety in the meantime.  I'm still trying to find a bad version of certain wines too.  I'm failing at that and enjoying the journey as well.  Life is a journey. 

One driver?  No problem. Have even discussed going to a single family car. But I have never since the age of 15 not had a project car.

The magic recipe that I have arrived at is one DD for work, one classic-toy car for fun and a project in the shop. As of late, the fun car is less of a requirement and I question the DD.

The fixed cost of owning a DD and a classic that don't see a lot of miles makes me question my financial sanity. The endle$$   cash-eating black hole in the shop is perfectly rational!

Pete

Well I should be happy with one but it's not happening.

Wife -Jeep Wrangler ,not going anywhere.

Me -2013 F150 all around driver road tripper ,dog hauler

     -1968 Mustang Set up for Autocross, road trips,car shows,cars and coffee. I built it from a shell. Needs to be driven more.

     - 1964 Comet Caliente pure project,don't need it ,had to have it, no engine or trans,or interior or paint......over the top open track maybe vintage racer.

Sharred-2001 3.0 auto got to have a drop top two seater. Big miles just going to drive it.

so no can't have one car.

I have run this through my mind 1000 times.

The closest I can get is a classic 911 track car vintage race car towed by a Cayenne.

The Datsun has too much sentimental value and I like the F500 to much.

With ONE small, teensy caveat... yeah, I could do just one car.

The car? My Supra. The caveat? It never breaks.

Sooooo... yeah... that's not happening. =P

In reply to roninsoldier83 :

Weirdly similar stables. I've got an Ap1 S2000, E82 135i, and a beater Nissan Frontier... I could post almost the same paragraph and it would be accurate.

I could certainly get by with one car, but I don't think I'd be happy with only one. Fun and utility can sometimes go hand in hand, but one of those facets is always compromised. Atleast slightly. Something that can haul mountain bikes and do a home depot run is never going to compare to a purpose-built sports car when the road gets twisty.  

That said, I've been downsizing from having too many cars because that's got it's problems too. There's a weird feeling of anxiety and guilt from driving 2-3 cars while upkeeping, storing, and trying to maintain 3-4 other vehicles that you barely ever drive. 

preach said:

No.

This!!!  

If I can zipper motor/trans combos in and out, sure. 
 

It would be a lowered reg cab short box pickup in 2wd. Straight 6, sb v8, bb v8, diesel, turbo or supercharger, stick or auto. Doesn't matter to me.