I'm moving! But it creates a car conundrum...

SWMBO and I are upgrading to a house twice as big on a parcel 3 times as big (that's a whopping 2 streets away, so I'll be moving via wagon and dolly). We are very excited, it's exactly what we wanted.

Except...

No RV pad. Which means no shed and carport. Which means, potentially, no Javelin. Now I'll admit, I have car ADD and this thing at 6 years has lasted twice as long as any other car, but I do like it. SWMBO proposed that we would enjoy our new yard more as a yard than a storage area for this car and all of the detritus it requires, and suggested I keep Gladys the Rambler for the "old" car (since she's nice enough and small enough to fit in the garage) and I can replace the Javelin with something we can both autocross.

I'm torn. I was finally falling back into really liking this car after a year and half of wanting to get rid of it, but I freely admit that the prospect of an RX-8 or something that can autocross all season without bankrupting me (and that's just the fuel bill) is very enticing.

What say the hive?

Keep the Javelin!

Truckload of gravel over some landscape fabric and you have another couple of parking spaces.

Javelin wrote: SWMBO proposed that we would enjoy our new yard more as a yard than a storage area for this car and all of the detritus it requires,

Bahahahahaha! Thank you for that.

Nothing will be as good, as fast, as cheap and as fun.

In reply to pinchvalve: I believe you meant to say Miata there.

KyAllroad wrote: Truckload of gravel over some landscape fabric and you have another couple of parking spaces.

I've been vetoed on that.

larger house + larger lot = less space for cars? Does not compute

I'm a big fan of unique cars. I'd much rather own a corner carving Javelin than an RX-8, etc simply because it's more unique. The RX-8 probably handles much better, and might use less fuel (rotaries are thirsty too) but what fun is it owning a car that gets lost in a parking lot, or you pass 3 others everyday on the road?

We need a petition on here. If JAv sells the Jav he is automatically excommunicated for life.

BTW in case you didn't notice I'm for the build a pad and keep it.

I'm confused. How does no RV pad mean no carport or place for the javelin? It sounds to me like there is no room for an RV....

STM317 wrote: larger house + larger lot = less space for cars? Does not compute

Yes, please explain how that works exactly.

Id keep the car. Wouldnt be moving if it cost me my car.

sometimes as we age... we get wiser......

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

STM317 wrote: larger house + larger lot = less space for cars? Does not compute

Yes, please explain how that works exactly.

The house we live in now has a gravel RV pad with a carport behind a gate. The Javelin lives in there and there's a shed behind it that houses all of the spares. You open the gate and pull the car out onto another gravel area adjacent to the driveway.

The new house is on a cul-de-sac and is pie shaped. While there is an area on one of the side lawns to make a similar area, it is all grass and well-maintained lawn right now. We would have to pour a slab or gravel the lot, install a carport, buy a shed, and add a gate to the fence. Access for the car would then be through the front lawn. If we graveled or concreted the section of lawn that would access it, the lawn would be half the size it is now and probably negatively affect the curb appeal of the home.

Basically it would be a huge added expense to continue to house this car. As much as I like it, that expense compared to the opportunity cost is a little bitter. Especially when I could sell the Javelin for a decent price and buy something else I like that could live in the driveway AND keep the cool old Rambler in the garage, too.

It's not unprecedented for me. I sold my Porsche 944 when my first kid was born, and I sold my first serious project car (88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe) after three years and I built the motor in that one to a holy terror. There's always another car.

Javelin said: If we graveled or concreted the section of lawn that would access it, the lawn would be half the size it is now and probably negatively affect the curb appeal of the home.

Any piece of lawn maintained by me is going to have a hell of a lot less curb appeal than a slab of concrete or asphalt. When they banned weedasides in Canada, my soul was freed to not give a berkeley. I have thistles that are so big we name them!

I paved most of the front yard.

Javelin wrote: There's always another car.

Let me just highlight your own words. There are plenty of fun cars in the world, and you don't have to marry them for life.

Let it go, try not to think about any financial loss (I always seem to have sizable losses), and get something that better suits your current needs.

But of course that is the logical answer. and by nature, our hobby cars are seldom logical.

NOHOME wrote: I paved most of the front yard.

I'm currently voicing a petition from the board of outdoor maintenance to the board of landscaping decisions at my house to install pavers over the entire back yard. The front yard needs way more votes before any changes can be made.

oldeskewltoy wrote: sometimes as we age... we get wiser......

Javelin has some aging to do then, because getting rid of the car is unwise

What does the back of the garage look like? Could you install a second garage door and pull through to the back yard? (this would be really sweet!)

patgizz wrote:

oldeskewltoy wrote: sometimes as we age... we get wiser......

Javelin has some aging to do then, because getting rid of the car is unwise

I said nothing about getting rid of the car.....

Personally... I finished my pony car and moved on....

KyAllroad wrote: What does the back of the garage look like? Could you install a second garage door and pull through to the back yard? (this would be really sweet!)

A friend of mine did this, although the new door through the back of the garage accesses his new 20' x 22' shop.

But in Jav's defense, I understand. Personally, I'm starting to come to terms that 4 classic cars is perhaps at least one too many for me right now.

The Javelin doesn't fit the garage? You can't park it in the street when you're not working on it?

If my BMW 740iL fits in my damned garage, your Javelin will fit in yours. Street cars live in the driveway at our house and no one cares.

Ultimately its your choice, but you've made a lot of progress on it.

In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):

Technically it fits in the garage, but it would make the other stall practically useless on a day-to-day basis, and that won't fly.

And no, it won't fit on the street because A: Hagerty Insurance and 2. the house is on a cul-de-sac, so I have literally no parking in front of the house unless I block the driveway.

I guess I'm "spoiled" that I took over the 2-car garage as my own when we moved in and there's only ever been one car at a time in it. Of course since the work began on the nursery, its basically gotten filled with overflow from the house, but I can still get to my tools and work on a car, if needed.

It sounds like you've made your bed here buddy. You chose a house without a larger garage or parking for your current of future projects. We can't make the decision for you, but some compromise for your hobby would make this easier. My wife has agreed that our next house will have at least a 3-car garage if not larger and whenever we've looked, houses that don't meet that minimum requirement are dropped from the list.

In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):

You'll see when the kids multiply and get bigger. But once again, people and their assumptions. It's a house with a larger garage. That doesn't mean the garage is empty! Toolboxes, workbench, vice, detailing equipment, chemical supplies, paint, etc all has to go somewhere. I will have a really nice area to work on cars actually in the garage for once! Right now I have to wheel all the tools out to the driveway and work outdoors because our current garage also houses the washer and dryer, hot water heater, freezer, and attic access, which are all things that are not in the new garage. However, that doesn't mean that the car will fit appropriately without negatively affecting the rest of the garage. It's too long and wide to really fit, but a smaller footprint of a car could easily. Then I could have a car and work on it, too!