A couple of weeks ago Vigo came over and freed me of the need to store a bunch of parts by taking them home with him. While he was here we were talking about maintaining a fleet of cars and how my current fleet of five was excessive to some but barely adequate to someone like Vigo.
Then last week happened. First the 2 went to it's grave. Then a friend found himself with a dead truck and the need to get work done to keep a very expensive client happy, so my truck went off with him to help. Then that evening the wagon spit off an alternator belt and all of a sudden I found myself down to just two cars!
Five cars isn't excessive, it's barely adequate!
I get nervous when only two cars are running. I used to have a safety net with friends who had more cars than drivers, but they've either left the area or "simplified" their lives (meaning: sell everything, buy one new car) so that's gone.
I only have two cars, and I hate when one is down. I may need more cars! 
You need more cars. I need more cars. Lots of us need more cars.
mndsm
MegaDork
10/13/13 7:52 a.m.
mazdeuce wrote:
A couple of weeks ago Vigo came over and freed me of the need to store a bunch of parts by taking them home with him. While he was here we were talking about maintaining a fleet of cars and how my current fleet of five was excessive to some but barely adequate to someone like Vigo.
Then last week happened. First the 2 went to it's grave. Then a friend found himself with a dead truck and the need to get work done to keep a very expensive client happy, so my truck went off with him to help. Then that evening the wagon spit off an alternator belt and all of a sudden I found myself down to just two cars!
Five cars isn't excessive, it's barely adequate!
I know that feel. I woke up one day and the ms3 had puked a battery, and the mx6 has something electrical, the prism needs a starter, left me with only ONE RUNNING CAR. Omg it was worse than quitting smoking.
I don't have a car currently. My wife has one and I have the bike. Don't know what I'm going to do come winter if the company truck goes down.
I've commandeered an acronym/phrase from the IT world to describe this strategy: RAIC - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Cars.
It's a striped array if you have to swap batteries or tires around in order to drive one or the other...
I've noticed that Jay Leno hasn't been able to resolve this issue either.
A friend of mine used to tell a story where he had 6 cars and a motorcycle and wound up having to put his helmet on to go to the parts store once...
With the Leaf added to the fleet, exactly half my vehicles run.
Yes: Leaf, Dodge van, EX500
No: Ranchero, 2002, CB160
If I had more parking, I'd probably go get a tiebreaker...
(Actually, we're intentionally not caving preemptively to the urge for a "long distance" car, but that's not as funny)
I had to ride my bike to the parts store in college. Bought a new radiator. Strapped it to my backpack and rode home. Didn't fit. Rode back with the original and the bad one. Rode home with old and good new one on my back. At the time it didn't seem weird at all.
I'm back up to three cars running and feeling pretty good about that.
06HHR
Reader
10/13/13 8:45 p.m.
Five vehicles in the household, two out with kids in college and three here at home plus one I was storing for a friend. (I've delivered it to him since then) Still, I had to ride my son's bike to the parts store a couple of months ago. Replacing brake shoes on the truck, Wheel cylinder starts leaking. Wife wasn't home, project car on the big jackstands (no engine) and the only other running car in the yard had no valid license plate or insurance (being stored for the aforementioned friend). Was kinda fun actually, been awhile since I rode around town and didn't have very far to go, maybe a mile or two. Yeah, five is not nearly enough..
some way would say I play with fire.
1977 Fiat Spider - Not running
1987 Saab SPG - Not Running
2003 Land Rover Discovery II - Daily Driver
Saab should be up and running in a month or two.
After a year with just the miata, I'm relieved to have the Nova for those 'just in case' situations.
Or when I need to haul more than, you know, one person or one person sized object.
mad_machine wrote:
some way would say I play with fire.
1977 Fiat Spider - Not running
1987 Saab SPG - Not Running
2003 Land Rover Discovery II - Daily Driver
Saab should be up and running in a month or two.
damn, you need a cavalier in the driveway just in case the rover pukes.
Five running cars is a practical minimum for a 2-driver family, IMO. Right now my wife's car is fine (oughta be, it's brand new!) my DD has a vacuum leak, the RX-7 needs a look at the front end, and it's too rainy to ride the motorcycle. That leaves the Dually and 9 mpg. I need an econobox, but I don't have one! 
Fleet is good for folks like us, but if you're the average American it is not needed. Figure that your average family has 2 cars, both are probably leased or under warranty. When it breaks they can get a loaner. Not a big deal. Both are also probably a Toyota or Honda or Ford Fusion, so the liklihood of it breaking is much less than our Italian/Swedish/German/Modified Japanese stuff.
yamaha
PowerDork
10/14/13 12:05 p.m.
I get nervous every winter when I reduce the fleet to one operational vehicle.....but thats why the pos has full coverage. If its wrecked, I get a rental.
calteg
Reader
10/14/13 12:18 p.m.
I'm up to 4 running cars now! Of course the miata leaks oil at an alarming rate...
I've found that once the fleet grows past 5 cars, it starts taking up an inordinate amount of time/energy
slefain
UltraDork
10/14/13 1:17 p.m.
I went home for lunch in my Camry and drove back to work in my '69 Olds. The '75 Duster is on the sideline until I fix the charging issue. Pretty much I have multiple cars while my wife has one, but her's is the absolutely newest and nicest.
What happened to the 2?!?
