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Me, I'm mostly a 2 car person, I need a minivan to haul stuff and then a fuel efficient car to save on gas. A 3rd sports car is just a luxury! And that's the way I am now!
Minivan - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport [decked out with all options, bought used in summer 2006]
Fuel Efficient Car - 1999 Honda Civic HX, bought Nov 2007. Got me a best 51.2 mpg hwy from Chicago to Memphis at 70 mph!
Toy car - 1993 Mazda MX6 LS V6 all options. Bought in 1997 as my main car and it fun and fast. If I had my last NASA job still I would have replaced this car with a BMW 330Ci. But no job so no BMW so I just toy with the Mazda uninsured.
So how many cars do you need, what's your logic in having them, and what do you have?
It's also my logic to have at least two vehicles so that in case one breaks down you still can get to work in the other vehicle.
I only buy used cars and would never lease. The only new car I would ever buy is the Toyota Prius.
Man, my cars are old! I feel poor now...
I could get along with one mid-sized SUV. But I prefer to have a nice cruiser for daily driving and a truck for excursions, projects, hauling.
Being a child of the 1950's I know for personal use no one "needs'' more than one car.
If you own more than one vehicle for personal use then you got way more money than you can use sensibly.
Back in the 50's, 60's 70's... seatbelts for each passenger were not an issue.
Government Regulation has necessitate larger vehicles for many... especially those with children...
Parents often drove for sports events... we would routinely have the entire team inside coach's wife station wagon...
Coach also had a pick-up that the entire team could ride in the back.
Both of these scenarios would be illegal today where I live.
In High School, the families set-up car pools... can't do that anymore either... kids can't drive other kids unless they are family...
So now, my friend that lives outside Santa Cruz has had to buy a car for his High School son... just like all the other parents... and the school has been forced to spend money buying land to expand parking...
The unintended results of good ideas put into law...
So yes... some people need more than one vehicle and families often now need a car for every driver...
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,754 posts, read 58,128,451 times
Reputation: 46247
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultrarunner
...So yes... some people need more than one vehicle and families often now need a car for every driver...
I keep two cars for every driver + 4 for me We each drive ~ 1200 > 2000 miles / month. (sometimes 5,000)
Everyone drives 'beaters' 200k > 500k so an occasional breakdown justifies having a few spares (tho only 4 'disabling' break-downs in 10 yrs, 2 from cell phone talking SUV's that couldn't stop in rain... Chain collisions). I get most the cars at the abandoned vehicle auction for $30 > $120 each, some from the neighbor's brier patch. I've been known to buy a car just to get a new set of tires, but only if it comes with nice aluminum wheels I need. I get 'near new' tires at the junk yard for $5 and my tire machine cost me $100 on Craigslist. It's kind of handy, I changed 20 tires last week to transition from dry to wet pavement, and in prep for snow. My neighbors kinda like having a tire machine available too. (I only use it a couple hours / yr. since it takes all of 5 minutes to change a tire.)
Most of my cars are 50 mpg VW diesels - Pickups, Rabbits, Jettas, Golfs, GTD's, Dasher, Quantum, Passats... Then there is the 20 MPG Minivan & 18 mpg RV, a couple 18 - 20 MPG Cummins 4x4 trucks + a Kenworth for the 'heavy hauling'. 7- 10 mpg Tractors and dozers are handy to have around the house. Last Christmas storm brought neighbors showing up with: A Road Grader, Backhoe, Dozer, Tractors, 4 wheelers, and lots of pickups (chained on all fours) (No cheesy SUV's in the group )
My insurance company loves me, but I could sell the whole fleet and not generate the cash to buy a couple 'real' cars..
Gosh, I forgot about the motorcycles (7 - vintage off and on-road)
+ 4 riding lawn mowers (but no riding Lazy-boys. Yet)
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 11-17-2009 at 05:48 PM..
We have 2 drivers and 4 vehicles... I drive a quad cab pickup, the DW drives the 4 door sedan (driver & parking lot vehicle). We just replaced our Mustang with a brand new "sporty" 4 door sedan (going out car), and I have my motorcycle (took the place of the old family minivan).
Can I get rid of two of these vehicles since OP suggests we have too many? No, not at all. Each vehicle has its own purpose and since they are all paid for, they serve us with no liability to the balance sheet.
Besides, this is America and we can do darn well what we please with our hard-earned money. Why let some keyboard jockey tell me how to live my life?
So yes... some people need more than one vehicle and families often now need a car for every driver...
yes, but this thread has turned into most posters defending their choice of the number of cars instead of answering the question of the topic......How many cars do NEED! Which IMO is just one. A person can do a lot with one car and a utility trailer but try and convince the spoiled American Consumer of this.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,754 posts, read 58,128,451 times
Reputation: 46247
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tightwad
....How many cars do NEED! Which IMO is just one. A person can do a lot with one car and a utility trailer but try and convince the spoiled American Consumer of this.
Good luck with that!
ONE
Probably not the spoiled farmers (the few remaining)
but... I would really miss my 50 mpg on 100 mile runs for tractor parts., with no Peak Oil of fuel costs, a Unimog will do in a pinch. (I could always take the riding lawn mower if the Unimog breaks down.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 11-17-2009 at 06:12 PM..
yes, but this thread has turned into most posters defending their choice of the number of cars instead of answering the question of the topic......How many cars do NEED! Which IMO is just one. A person can do a lot with one car and a utility trailer but try and convince the spoiled American Consumer of this.
Good luck with that!
In the strictest sense... I need several... a passenger car, a work truck and a equipment van... each has it's own strength that the others either couldn't do well or not at all...
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We each drive ~ 1200 > 2000 miles / month. (sometimes 5,000)
). I get most the cars at the abandoned vehicle auction for $30 > $120 each
, some from the neighbor's brier patch
. I've been known to buy a car just to get a new set of tires, but only if it comes with nice aluminum wheels I need. I get 'near new' tires at the junk yard for $5 and my tire machine cost me $100 on Craigslist. It's kind of handy, I changed 20 tires last week to transition from dry to wet pavement, and in prep for snow. My neighbors kinda like having a tire machine available too. (I only use it a couple hours / yr. since it takes all of 5 minutes to change a tire.)
Tractors and dozers are handy to have around the house. Last Christmas storm brought neighbors showing up with: A Road Grader, Backhoe, Dozer, Tractors, 4 wheelers, and lots of pickups (chained on all fours) (No cheesy SUV's in the group 
farmers (the few remaining) 
