Going from a daily and a toy car to a single car?

So I suffer from the infectious disease that most of us do on this forum in regards to automotive ADD. Except my actual ADD doesn't kick in that often beyond the day dreaming stage.

Right now I have my 2000 mk4 Jetta TDI as my daily/commuter car and my 1990 NA6 miata as the toy that mainly gets used for autocross once a month and occasionally a track day.

If I keep both of these cars say for another 5yrs+ (which I would be ok with) I would want to spend about

1-2k on the Jetta to clutch/chip/injector/turbo upgrade to make it a lot more enjoyable to drive (160ish whp 300lbft tq vs the stock 90/110)

And about 3-4k on the miata (Xidas, 15"wheels and tires, hardtop)

That would put me about 8k total into my Jetta with it probably being worth 5-6 still unmodified. And 7k into the miata (3500 into it or so right now with rollbar/tires/sways)

This puts me rather close to C5z06 territory which is another car I keep thinking about and would end up costing me 800 bucks a year more in gas than the jetta but thats about one tank a month. This is of course assuming wife really means it when she says I don't have to have a car that takes child seats with her working from home :P

After going to Long Beach Grand Prix the sound of the vettes was just so intoxicating it got me thinking again. Having two cars is nice when one is down, but also parking three cars with a two car garage is annoying and leaves one in the driveway getting dirty (and its my daily)

Is a miata so much fun it's worth dumping that much money into vs the vette? Would the vette make a good dual purpose car without sacrificing too much? I definitely get to AutoX a lot more than track days

'TIRES' How much more money will you spend on tires with a Vette?

The big question is, can you leave the 'vette unmodified? For a toy car, you probably need suspension and some other parts so that'll add up, too.

As I sit here staring at my 911, I can honestly say that the world is a better place when you get to drive a great car. The only potential downside I see is your wife's car going down for some reason and being stuck, even briefly, with one car that is useless for the family. If you can get around that, it's time to start shopping!

BoxheadTim wrote: The big question is, can you leave the 'vette unmodified? For a toy car, you probably need suspension and some other parts so that'll add up, too.

A C5 Z06? Yes, you can leave it unmodified. I did aside from a skip shift eliminator, K&N, and short shifter/shift knob. But honestly those hardly count since install time was maybe 2 hours total for everything combined and cost less than $300. People really aren't exaggerating when they say it is the best performance car per dollar.

Hard to say... I drive a lot (over 30K a year) so having a single car for a reliable DD is difficult. Sicne I do all of my own work on the TDI, I need a second car to drive if the TDI is down for service. Much of why I need to replace my E30 is because it has proved to be an unreliable back-up DD.

Sounds like you want a C5 and there's nothing wrong with that. Perhaps keep the TDI and sell the Miata? Is your garage big enough that you could install a stacker lift (see Woody's thread about raising a garage door) so you could park the TDI inside under the Vette?

If the Miata breaks you can still drive to work tomorrow. If the Vette breaks you're walking.

Don't waste money modifying an old economy car for the street.

Drive what you like and what you can afford - lifes too short and all that.

<2 cars = left stranded.

And a Corvette will eat more consumables than your two current cars combined. You want that for a DD?

How many times has a modern car left you guys stranded? I haven't been stranded in years of driving E36 M3ty middle aged cars. A C5 Z06 isn't going to strand you. Most people seem to make it through life with just one car.

Stranded on the road is different than stranded in the garage when we took it apart for something and are waiting for parts of the time to get it back together, etc... The first is fairly unlikely on a newer car that you stay on top of, the second is somewhat under your own control

dculberson wrote: How many times has a modern car left you guys stranded? I haven't been stranded in years of driving E36 M3ty middle aged cars. A C5 Z06 isn't going to strand you. Most people seem to make it through life with just one car.

He's talking about track work, much more likely to strand you. The Z06 is the best of the Vettes, but nothing's bulletproof once you start hammering it on a race track.

Track work = 1 or 2 HPDE a year with friends not pursuing any track records or trophys. I do autocross for the same with BMW CCA but again its mostly for driver development and fun. I run in the non BMW class so it's not really a competition

Only actual mods I had planned if I did get a C5 Z06 is a set of rear wheels for the front so I can run a square setup, brake pads/fluid. And since I mostly AutoX probably not even worry to much about cooling upgrades but. Trans/diff/oil coolers/brake ducts if necessary.

Consumables wise yes the vette will cost more than the 500 for a set of 4 tires wise compared to the miata. I've yet to have a tire shredding car, either I am real easy on tires or I have just been lucky. I did 6 track days and 15k miles on my Kumho Ecsta MX's back on my SVT focus that had full race suspension on it

The miata is a lot of fun don't get me wrong. Maybe I am just too much of a number cruncher. If I spend 3-4k more on the miata it's pretty much all money I won't be able to recoup except for the cost of a hardtop and maybe half. If I buy a C5 z06 it might depreciate some more but how much more is it going to drop in say 5 yrs?

It's easy to be easy on tires when you aren't driving a 3100lb 400hp car that makes you want to drive like a shiny happy person all the time.

That was part of the reason I ditched the Mustang, I couldn't control my desire to drive like an arse.

Maybe I've never had a car you COULD drive like an arse :)

Keep the 2. I went to a one car and I hate it. It's not a C5 Z06 but it's brand new and it just doesn't tickle me like having a Trans Am and a daily. C5s are nice and all but would you really want to daily one?

Keep the 2. I went to a one car and I hate it. It's not a C5 Z06 but it's brand new and it just doesn't tickle me like having a Trans Am and a daily. C5s are nice and all but would you really want to daily one?

Tires tend to melt with torque. :) Seriously though. Can you love a C5 Z06? Pull up the edmunds long term test to get an idea on costs. Don't forget you save on insurance and taxes/registration too.

I'm in the same boat right now. I just want to simplify and be happy while paying off some debt.

I say keep the jetta and buy the vette if you're really attracted to it. Only having one car is insane to me, especially if it's something that tempts you to drive it hard. Do yourself a favor and leave the stability control on so you dont put it into a curb at autoX like that white c6 video (too cool for stability/traction control WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEcrunch). What would happen if it was your only car and you bent some stuff with unintentional contact? Great inconvenience + the cost of a whole miata.

Mustang GT?

Honestly reading the Edmunds long term and listening to this video makes me want one more lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLM4RtsrnSA

Vigo wrote: I say keep the jetta and buy the vette if you're really attracted to it. Only having one car is insane to me, especially if it's something that tempts you to drive it hard. Do yourself a favor and leave the stability control on so you dont put it into a curb at autoX like that white c6 video (too cool for stability/traction control WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEcrunch). What would happen if it was your only car and you bent some stuff with unintentional contact? Great inconvenience + the cost of a whole miata.

I would maybe agree with you if space was not at a premium. If I had a 3 car garage or a larger lot.

Insurance cost wise the vette is less than the miata+jetta.

I don't think I would want a mustang without the coyote v8, and I like that the vette can get 28 highway if you are patient

DirtyBird222 wrote: Keep the 2. I went to a one car and I hate it. It's not a C5 Z06 but it's brand new and it just doesn't tickle me like having a Trans Am and a daily. C5s are nice and all but would you really want to daily one?

I did and I might do it again. It rides really smooth and the seats are comfortable. I never found it harsh. It's fun riding that wave of torque. The only downside of driving a Z06 on the street is that it's like playing "Just the Tip." Let me just tip into the throttle a little more...oops! I'm doing triple digits!

I would maybe agree with you if space was not at a premium. If I had a 3 car garage or a larger lot. Insurance cost wise the vette is less than the miata+jetta. I don't think I would want a mustang without the coyote v8, and I like that the vette can get 28 highway if you are patient

So, your implied response to my question about something happening to the vette is 'it wont happen to me', right? I initially wrote a part for my last post that had a diatribe about people making decisions based on thinking 'it wont happen to me' about bad stuff and thinking they can control everything, but i deleted it before posting because it was too snarky for something you hadnt prompted.. yet.

But we don't only have one car, and wouldn't only have one car. We would have two. One of which is my wifes but since she works from home besides some rescheduling so I could do drop off and pick up at daycare would be inconvenient but not impossible.

I am quite the opposite of a 'won't happen to me' guy. As a motorcycle rider my wife called me mister safety because ATTGATT and the bright shiny vest etc all the time no exceptions

now I would have one car vs the two I have currently :)

Jaynen wrote: But we don't only have one car, and wouldn't only have one car. We would have two. One of which is my wifes but since she works from home besides some rescheduling so I could do drop off and pick up at daycare would be inconvenient but not impossible. I am quite the opposite of a 'won't happen to me' guy. As a motorcycle rider my wife called me mister safety because ATTGATT and the bright shiny vest etc all the time no exceptions now I would have one car vs the two I have currently :)

Sounds to me like you've already made up your mind!

Less maintenance if nothing else...