A question about large car collections

Paging Cotton...

sevenracer said:

Paging Cotton...

Haha yeah.  I have a lot of cars.  Outside of tires rubber has not been a problem for me.  I generally do annual service and oil changes,  keep everything on battery tenders, and try to get them all out at least every few months.  I would say tires and batteries are the biggest problems for me.  I spend quite a bit annually just on those two things.  Gas going bad is another issue,  so I try and keep stabil in everything.  I'm actually seriously thinking about downsizing,  but even then I don't think I would get lower than 15 or so cars and bikes.  It's a lot of work having so many.  I spend every evening and most weekends in my shop and I absolutely never get caught up on repairs.  Usually I have several major repair jobs stacked up.  My new shop will have a four post and two post lift,  so that will help me get things done faster,  but still with so many cars I'll never get caught up.  And as I type this saying I'm thinking about downsizing I just bought this bug and it's being shipped from Vegas.  

I gain or lose a car every few months, but I just counted 12 that aren't parts cars. Nothing particularly expensive or collectible and most of them have had a period in project status. For just being a guy with a job and nothing more than a 1.5 car garage, it is not optimal ...but not likely to change. Here's how I manage:

The garage is for the current project and 'extra' engines. Projects typically get a month or two of garage time, then I catch up on the maintenance of the general 'fleet' before the next one rolls in.

Oil changes are in the spring and fall. Typically I'll run synthetic (Rotella T6 in most cars) for a year, but I look at a sample (glass jar and poured on a coffee filter) every 6 months and change if it looks degraded.

I buy extra filters, washers, plugs, wiper blades, and misc expendables to add to stock when I buy repair and restoration parts.

I quit buying expensive covers and now buy cheap ones that I use for about a year before replacing. I buy a couple new ones every few months and the old ones go on parts cars or projects.

I usually drive four different cars during the course of a week and my daughter who lives in town always has one of my cars. My wife rarely drives anything other than the Element and I rarely drive it. I try to avoid driving a car unless it is going to be driven for at least 20 minutes before it gets put away. I don't run them in the driveway just to run them... they need to be driven or stored.

The "daily fleet" is Cayenne, Element, Boxsters (4) which my daughter normally has one or the Cayenne, and the Dung Beetle (which I typically drive if the weather is bad). Projects are 2 active, two stored, and my Challenge car. All have current tags, but the Scirocco and Challenge car are not insured ("Black tagged" as it's called in Oklahoma).

I think that four dailys and two projects would be about right for me.

In reply to Cotton :

I knew you had several cars, but your comment of no lower than 15 made me realize I completely underestimated your collection. How many do you have, if you don't mind sharing? 

I'm completely in awe of you guys who spend so much of your free time maintains your fleet. 

In reply to AAZCD :

I think you're definitely smart in having so many of the same model, and even more from the same manufacturer(ish). The nut & bolt-level knowledge you have of Boxsters seems like it would make maintaining that many much easier.  

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Having cars with common parts and design makes a big difference. Before I bought Porsche/VAG cars it was mostly Hondas. My fleet was similar, but Del Sols, Accords, CR-Vs, and the Element.

I gave away my last Sol about a year ago. My wife will never part with her Element.

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to Cotton :

I knew you had several cars, but your comment of no lower than 15 made me realize I completely underestimated your collection. How many do you have, if you don't mind sharing? 

I'm completely in awe of you guys who spend so much of your free time maintains your fleet. 

Around 40 including bikes,  which is just way too many for one person to manage.  I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track because at one point my wife asked how many we had and I actually didn't know.  Right now I have 7 for sale and once those are gone I plan to get some more ready to go until I get to a number I can handle.  My problem is I really like a variety and I love buying cars,  but don't like selling.  

I'm rapidly approaching retirement.  I used to think it would be a time where I'd acquire more cars and motorcycles, but now I'm realizing it may be better to purge and get down to a more manageable level so I can spend my retirement driving/riding them, instead of working on them.  As it is, I'll go out to the garage, look around at all the different projects that need to be completed, and I just give up and go back in the house.   

I guess in the absolute sense my collection is pretty small - I have a summer daily driver, a winter daily driver, one vintage car, one vintage pickup, and about a dozen bikes (if I count a few that are parts bikes for some of the others.)  I'm thinking the best solution would be a one car as a year round daily, one vintage car, and one bike, but I can't make up my mind what those should be...my ideas change daily.

In reply to Ian F and NOHOME:

Unfortunately, I'm the worst side og ya both. I'm too busy being a pack rat, I don't have time to be organized!  I WISH I was, but don't kick myself hard enough. I do better work in my buddy's garage, 'cause everything has a place and is clean; much agreed that that is most calming. Just can't seem to make that leap on my own!

I didn't marry till I was 45, and my wife tells people she knows I'll never get rid of her... I've never gotten rid on anything before, why would I start now?

On topic, a friend lived above the garage of a guy in our town to maintain his motorcycle collection... most newer, but some older. All ridden... by him family or friends. Maintaining them was his "full time" job. Pretty cool job, but he got bored with it after about 2 years.

In reply to stuart in mn :

At 55, I've just built my first shop, so I don't have to work at friends, or outdoors. Been spending my adult life collecting tools, parts and projects. Now I'm looking ahead, and thinking I should have bought  more running, and kept them running or sold, instead of building up like they have! I'm up to a car I drive to work, a one ton truck I keep to use, well, like a truck, and my wife's. My 48 F6 I hope to be buried in, and 7 projects. One bike that runs, and 5 projects. My wife is trying to teach me better! But does support the habit enough to be the coolest ever! She just thinks keep the coolest ones, get them running and dump the rest. Sounds great on paper!!!

But I AM trying... I promise...

It's interesting to read all the different experiences people have with multi car collections. I have six, nothing great but I like them. One of my big issues is that I am a bit of a perfectionist.  I like to keep car covers on them when not using them so after having one out I clean it when i get back.   You can't put a cover on a dirty car and I want it ready for the next time.  Sooooo I drive them less to avoid all the work of cleaning all the time preferring to take the daily instead. Sort of defeats the whole purpose of having "fun" cars. I know.....I am borked. Don't even get me started on winter prep.

Feedyurhed said:

It's interesting to read all the different experiences people have with multi car collections. I have six, nothing great but I like them. One of my big issues is that I am a bit of a perfectionist.  I like to keep car covers on them when not using them so after having one out I clean it when i get back.   You can't put a cover on a dirty car and I want it ready for the next time.  Sooooo I drive them less to avoid all the work of cleaning all the time preferring to take the daily instead. Sort of defeats the whole purpose of having "fun" cars. I know.....I am borked. Don't even get me started on winter prep.

I can relate to this as well.

In reply to Feedyurhed :

That's the way I was with my 94 Miata, even though it wasn't all that nice. That's also one main reason why I'll never paint or fix the bodywork on my current 90.

I suppose I have one advantage in that I am not a perfectionist when it comes to the appearance of my cars. I like them to be presentable, for sure, but I don't want cars that become fair weather queens.  It's one reason why I have no concerns about restoring my 1800ES myself - I know it won't be perfect and I'm fine with that.  I want a fleet of drivers. While my goal is to have covered storage for all of my cars that don't seal well from the weather (and apparently, this includes my 2006 MINI...), I don't know if I want covers for them for the aforementioned "cover on a dirty car" reasons. 

I have 7 between the wife and I although I'm the only one that'll ever work on them.

I aim to have a DD for both, count is 2 so far.
She wants her classic, I want my classic, 'we' have a classic. count 5 total so far.
Truck has proven to be useful, count 6 total
Car #7 is a parts car for me.

I'd like to make her classic 'the truck' but thats a far shot.
Both of my cars will have to perform double duty; DD to be a fun road course and the classic to be a fun straight line. 
Five seems to be the 'realistic' goal number for me, six if the wife doesn't want to co-operate.

AAZCD said:

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Having cars with common parts and design makes a big difference. Before I bought Porsche/VAG cars it was mostly Hondas. My fleet was similar, but Del Sols, Accords, CR-Vs, and the Element.

I gave away my last Sol about a year ago. My wife will never part with her Element.

My collection of cars isn't exactly what people go to a car show to see, but I agree with the common parts and design.

I own 3 2nd gen Explorers (00 4wd, 97 4wd ,98awd. First 2 with the 4.0 ohv, last one a 5.0) and it's handy to know what you are doing and need. Like when I had to do end links for all of them in the span of 2 weeks. These are our winter cars.

Other than that we have our summer cars ( her 13 golf and my 02 zx2) my project cars ( 82 rampage, 84 Caprice) and my work truck, and first car I ever owned (91 ranger). Keeping up on oil changes can be fun at times, but it's nice to have 4 cars that can use the same tires and rims, plus 2 more that can do the same.

This also doesn't include the 2 work Vans lol

I have 7 total.  The two dailies are new and dealer maintained.  I don't want to work on cars I need for daily use.  That leaves five others and honestly, that's too many.  I'm really looking forward to being diwn to three, and as long as no one tells my wife two wouod probably be ideal.  If I had more storage and traveled less for my job, my ideal number could be 3 or 4.  All of my cars can drive but not all are currently legal paperwork wise.  The tax office in Dallas is always a huge timesuck and beatdown.