Do you prefer a do it all car or more than one car?
Discussion
J4CKO said:
I keep gravitating to getting a new Fiesta ST (or maybe a Mini) as a do it all car.
Meant to be huge fun - dont need a weekend car.
Its a Fiesta - So it does normal small car duties
Pretty economical
Quick enough
Handles
Just not very special looking/common as muck.
I dont have a viable garage so loads of classics and Westfield type stuff is out, I kept a 944 cab outdoors and it was ok, but rusted and the passenger door filled with water, I just cant be arsed with anything needy.
Did the barge thing, was very nice but dont do the mileage to warrant one, they are designed to soothe the miles away but dont do many miles, generally too big for parking spaces. Autos are great but again, not needed for lower mileages for me.
Cant imagine having six plus cars, we had four at one point, felt like was always taxing, mot'ing, servicing and insuring but depends on your situation and enthusiasm.
I cant understand having cars that never get used, especially those that have something nice sat moldering away on the path under tarpaulin, I have a mate who has a drive full of old s
tters, drives his wife insane, to be fair he has thinned it down a bit.
I have owned a few older barges: 5 series and 7 and don't have an issue with parking spaces. They're great alongside a hatch. Of course an ST is fine but depends on how many longer journeys you do. I would prefer the Focus ST estate for an all rounder daily to hold the bike but if you're just going to have one car, the fiesta ST does pretty well on track. Meant to be huge fun - dont need a weekend car.
Its a Fiesta - So it does normal small car duties
Pretty economical
Quick enough
Handles
Just not very special looking/common as muck.
I dont have a viable garage so loads of classics and Westfield type stuff is out, I kept a 944 cab outdoors and it was ok, but rusted and the passenger door filled with water, I just cant be arsed with anything needy.
Did the barge thing, was very nice but dont do the mileage to warrant one, they are designed to soothe the miles away but dont do many miles, generally too big for parking spaces. Autos are great but again, not needed for lower mileages for me.
Cant imagine having six plus cars, we had four at one point, felt like was always taxing, mot'ing, servicing and insuring but depends on your situation and enthusiasm.
I cant understand having cars that never get used, especially those that have something nice sat moldering away on the path under tarpaulin, I have a mate who has a drive full of old s
tters, drives his wife insane, to be fair he has thinned it down a bit.300bhp/ton said:
otolith said:
Why not check out the US and worldwide sales of the Wrangler... all countries have small roads. The US probably has many 1000's of miles more of them than the UK does.
I've only had one period of running a single car in the past 12 years, very shortly after I took voluntary redundancy and gave back my company car.
After having a daily driver and a "fun" car or two, I decided to try running just one car. It needed to be big enough to carry stuff, and fast enough to get a modicum of enjoyment from driving. I settled on a 2 year old Touareg 3 litre diesel. It did pretty much everything, but was just too big for the narrow back lanes and tiny parking spaces outside customers' houses.
I had to get a small car too.
I've now replaced the Touareg with a Superb 280 estate, and the Citigo with a Kia Picanto turbo. I find myself using the Kia most of the time. It's fast enough to have some fun - similar performance to an old-school warm hatch - and perfect for visiting customers. Too small for DIY shop runs and collecting big clocks from customers though, so I still need a big estate car.
Not sure I get enough use out of the Superb to warrant the expense of running it though. When the time comes to replace it, I'll probably get something a lot cheaper (and slower).
After having a daily driver and a "fun" car or two, I decided to try running just one car. It needed to be big enough to carry stuff, and fast enough to get a modicum of enjoyment from driving. I settled on a 2 year old Touareg 3 litre diesel. It did pretty much everything, but was just too big for the narrow back lanes and tiny parking spaces outside customers' houses.
I had to get a small car too.
I've now replaced the Touareg with a Superb 280 estate, and the Citigo with a Kia Picanto turbo. I find myself using the Kia most of the time. It's fast enough to have some fun - similar performance to an old-school warm hatch - and perfect for visiting customers. Too small for DIY shop runs and collecting big clocks from customers though, so I still need a big estate car.
Not sure I get enough use out of the Superb to warrant the expense of running it though. When the time comes to replace it, I'll probably get something a lot cheaper (and slower).
Car wise I’m now down to one, a BMW 420d gran coupe Xdrive.
Theoretically it covers most of the bases, comfortable, frugal, reasonably practical (hatchback) and fast enough for day to day.
I previously had a BMW 645 for V8 goodness and a Nissan Navara for dragging crap about and driving in winter.
The reality of one car is that it’s obviously no-where near as practical as the Navara or anything like as much fun as the 645.
For me I think something fast coupled with something like a pickup or van was about ideal.
I also have 4 motorbikes so at least I can have my fun with them!
Theoretically it covers most of the bases, comfortable, frugal, reasonably practical (hatchback) and fast enough for day to day.
I previously had a BMW 645 for V8 goodness and a Nissan Navara for dragging crap about and driving in winter.
The reality of one car is that it’s obviously no-where near as practical as the Navara or anything like as much fun as the 645.
For me I think something fast coupled with something like a pickup or van was about ideal.
I also have 4 motorbikes so at least I can have my fun with them!
In answer to the OP, I've sadly never been in the position to be able to "split" my my car needs into multiple cars so I've always chosen a "jack of all trades" and having to accept the limitations that come with that choice.
As such I've always chosen big 5 door or estate cars that were reasonably quick, like a 740i or 2x RS6's etc or bought a stock big car and tuned it to make it quicker, such as various V6 and TDCI Mondeos etc.
The one time I decided to buy a pure performance car (a Nissan R34) back in 2003, the limitations its "small" internal size caused (tiny boot, more of a 2+2 design rather than a 4/5 seater) meant that I had to rent/borrow cars very often for even simple things like Tip runs etc.
Ideally I'd have 3 cars - A nice wafty one for long drives or daily driving, a performance car for the weekends and a dirt cheap estate "shed" for dirty jobs like tips runs, redecorating, moving my drum kit about etc so I don't ruin my nice "wafty" car.
As such I've always chosen big 5 door or estate cars that were reasonably quick, like a 740i or 2x RS6's etc or bought a stock big car and tuned it to make it quicker, such as various V6 and TDCI Mondeos etc.
The one time I decided to buy a pure performance car (a Nissan R34) back in 2003, the limitations its "small" internal size caused (tiny boot, more of a 2+2 design rather than a 4/5 seater) meant that I had to rent/borrow cars very often for even simple things like Tip runs etc.
Ideally I'd have 3 cars - A nice wafty one for long drives or daily driving, a performance car for the weekends and a dirt cheap estate "shed" for dirty jobs like tips runs, redecorating, moving my drum kit about etc so I don't ruin my nice "wafty" car.
IanH755 said:
In answer to the OP, I've sadly never been in the position to be able to "split" my my car needs into multiple cars so I've always chosen a "jack of all trades" and having to accept the limitations that come with that choice.
As such I've always chosen big 5 door or estate cars that were reasonably quick, like a 740i or 2x RS6's etc or bought a stock big car and tuned it to make it quicker, such as various V6 and TDCI Mondeos.
Obviously I don't know your situation. But I'd have thought most people have the capacity to own a couple of cars if you wanted too.As such I've always chosen big 5 door or estate cars that were reasonably quick, like a 740i or 2x RS6's etc or bought a stock big car and tuned it to make it quicker, such as various V6 and TDCI Mondeos.
Something like an MX-5 or MGF can be had for £500-1000. Classic car insurance should make them peanuts to insure. Sure, there are a few costs, but they should all be in the realms of most people getting something if they wanted too.
300bhp/ton said:
Obviously I don't know your situation. But I'd have thought most people have the capacity to own a couple of cars if you wanted too.
Something like an MX-5 or MGF can be had for £500-1000. Classic car insurance should make them peanuts to insure. Sure, there are a few costs, but they should all be in the realms of most people getting something if they wanted too.
It's not just about being able to afford it, it's about having space to park any extra cars.Something like an MX-5 or MGF can be had for £500-1000. Classic car insurance should make them peanuts to insure. Sure, there are a few costs, but they should all be in the realms of most people getting something if they wanted too.
TameRacingDriver said:
300bhp/ton said:
Obviously I don't know your situation. But I'd have thought most people have the capacity to own a couple of cars if you wanted too.
Something like an MX-5 or MGF can be had for £500-1000. Classic car insurance should make them peanuts to insure. Sure, there are a few costs, but they should all be in the realms of most people getting something if they wanted too.
It's not just about being able to afford it, it's about having space to park any extra cars.Something like an MX-5 or MGF can be had for £500-1000. Classic car insurance should make them peanuts to insure. Sure, there are a few costs, but they should all be in the realms of most people getting something if they wanted too.
Also having two cars can be a pain in the arse if you don't have off road parking for them all or plenty of parking on your street, which is the case for much of the country now.
I also think there is a mental barrier; people seem to think it's incredibly extravagant of me to have more than one car even at the times when selling the lot of them couldn't buy you a weekend in Butlins Minehead
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 7th July 18:23
Everyone's situation is so different that there is no universal solution . Over my own life, as a batchelor a 2 seater sports car was all I needed. As a family man I needed 4 seats - and when I had a caravan 4wd. Now the family and caravan have left I no longer need 4WD, but still need 4 seats and enough space for 4 up holidays. My wife now wants a car she can call her own - which must be fairly small,. And I want a serious sports car - but not something that is so raw that she won't drive it or we can't use it (2 up) on holiday.
We have finished up with an Ibiza ST - big enough 4 up for holidays but small enough for my wife as HER car. And I've got an A110. Others with similar requirements would come to different compromises. If my OH was happy to drive a bigger car I'd have had other options.
We have finished up with an Ibiza ST - big enough 4 up for holidays but small enough for my wife as HER car. And I've got an A110. Others with similar requirements would come to different compromises. If my OH was happy to drive a bigger car I'd have had other options.
Edited by bcr5784 on Tuesday 7th July 20:19
TameRacingDriver said:
It's not just about being able to afford it, it's about having space to park any extra cars.
Unless you are central London. I’d have thought most people could find a space to park a car. I do accept it could be a factor. But probably for the minority. Likely more of an excuse than an actual reason. 300bhp/ton said:
TameRacingDriver said:
It's not just about being able to afford it, it's about having space to park any extra cars.
Unless you are central London. I’d have thought most people could find a space to park a car. I do accept it could be a factor. But probably for the minority. Likely more of an excuse than an actual reason. As a poster above me said, I can also do without the extra bills!
MOAR cars!
Expensive though with multple VEDs and building up insurance from 0 NCD on each policy.
Expensive though with multple VEDs and building up insurance from 0 NCD on each policy.
LetsTryAgain said:
Running a fleet is the petrol head way.
No matter how much you mess up attempting to fix one car at the weekend, come Monday morning you can always take one of the others.
No matter how much you mess up attempting to fix one car at the weekend, come Monday morning you can always take one of the others.
TameRacingDriver said:
300bhp/ton said:
TameRacingDriver said:
It's not just about being able to afford it, it's about having space to park any extra cars.
Unless you are central London. I’d have thought most people could find a space to park a car. I do accept it could be a factor. But probably for the minority. Likely more of an excuse than an actual reason. As a poster above me said, I can also do without the extra bills!
Not sure if that’s an excuse or a reason?
I’ve had two cars (plus my wifes) for years, getting down to one has made life quite a bit less complicated. Having 17ft of pickup to get round every day on the way to work is a total pain.
300bhp/ton said:
otolith said:
Yeah, America, where they are soccer mum cars, not "LET'S OFF ROAD" cars.
I can only assume you have never heard of YouTube?Maybe you should hit up JeepForum or Pirate4x4 and have a look what people use them for.
I have had two cars. An economical and comfortable diesel for 20k ish a year and an Elise for fun.
I did have the Elise as my only car but that was when I worked away most of the time and didn’t live far away from work. Jobs changed thus I needed a diesel.
Kept the Elise for another few years. But in the end I hardly used it. I sold it. Glad I had it but don’t miss that car (personal reasons)
Now I am thinking should I get a caterham. I have always wanted one and would like to try one. But they are a lot of money to buy. I don’t think id use it much. But even if I kept it for a year and sold it on atleast I have tried one.
Thought about upgrading the daily to something a bit sportier but I think the two car route would be better.
I did have the Elise as my only car but that was when I worked away most of the time and didn’t live far away from work. Jobs changed thus I needed a diesel.
Kept the Elise for another few years. But in the end I hardly used it. I sold it. Glad I had it but don’t miss that car (personal reasons)
Now I am thinking should I get a caterham. I have always wanted one and would like to try one. But they are a lot of money to buy. I don’t think id use it much. But even if I kept it for a year and sold it on atleast I have tried one.
Thought about upgrading the daily to something a bit sportier but I think the two car route would be better.
otolith said:
People who put videos up on YouTube. Not people who, like vast numbers of Americans, buy a 4x4 for taking the kids to school and driving to the mall. The idea that all or even most of the bloody things are being bought for the joy of chugging around B-roads pretending to be a farmer is just fantasy.
Nobody pretends to be a farmer in a Wrangler. They are not a utility vehicle. And are you seriously suggesting ever sports car is bough by people who track them or driver to the fullest? That there are no posers at all in that camp?300bhp/ton said:
otolith said:
People who put videos up on YouTube. Not people who, like vast numbers of Americans, buy a 4x4 for taking the kids to school and driving to the mall. The idea that all or even most of the bloody things are being bought for the joy of chugging around B-roads pretending to be a farmer is just fantasy.
Nobody pretends to be a farmer in a Wrangler. They are not a utility vehicle. And are you seriously suggesting ever sports car is bough by people who track them or driver to the fullest? That there are no posers at all in that camp?You may well enjoy posing with it (or otherwise trundling about taking up most of the road) on a B-road, but I remain unconvinced that many PH'ers (which is who I was originally talking about when I said it was probably just you) would.
Maybe it's just me who doesn't see the fun in taking an oversized, slow, ugly, wallowing lump down a B-road.
The closest I've been to success with a 'do it all' were an Escort Cosworth back in 2000 and a B5 RS4 in 2005. Fast, comfortable, 4 seats, big boot, etc.
Downsides - both became dull after daily use.
I am now firmly in the 'more than one car' category with:
Old Range Rover - dog/family/farm/shooting/tip runs
640d GC - work daily, long distance family weekends
120d - shopping/school run mule
Noble - weekend blasts, car wker friends meet ups, general tinkering projects
Recently sold - E93 335i - convertible occasional sunshine drives for many of the above scenarios - must replace soon!
Downsides - both became dull after daily use.
I am now firmly in the 'more than one car' category with:
Old Range Rover - dog/family/farm/shooting/tip runs
640d GC - work daily, long distance family weekends
120d - shopping/school run mule
Noble - weekend blasts, car w
ker friends meet ups, general tinkering projectsRecently sold - E93 335i - convertible occasional sunshine drives for many of the above scenarios - must replace soon!
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