Garage shuffling - split the sisters?

Garage shuffling - split the sisters?

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stuthemong

Original Poster:

2,276 posts

217 months

Saturday 20th January
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I’m confused. And I’m an idiot. And I need your guidance.

Background. I’ve had TVRs for the last 15year or so, I’m currently with my second Tuscan and Cerbera. About 6 years ago I sold my first Tuscan, was out the marque, and thought I’d grown up. I hadn’t. I saw a reflex purple Tuscan about 5 years ago at str8six and I had to buy it…. Back in the fold.

I daily my Tuscan and it’s done me great, 70k odd miles and with care and love, it’s been reliable and fun car.

Stupidity continued when about 1 year into getting back into TVR with the Tuscan, a matching colour and year, 1 owner 12k mile 4.5 Cerbera came to market. I had to have it. They are sisters, one daily (Tuscan) one a high days top condition (Cerb). All good. I was happy for a time……. But as it is with us goons, some 3-4 years with these cars and I’ve been getting a bit itchy for a change. I’ve been musing to get into a new marque, Ferrari or McLaren (458/488 spider or 650spider/600lt spider) and been keeping an eye on them and the markets…. But I worry that not having a manual Oldskool would be less fun to live with, I really enjoy pedalling my tvrs.

Now it gets silly. Two weeks ago a really good guy I know reached out with a later TuscanS for sale (low miles, very very special example) that I only went to look at out of interest. Bugger. So. Right. OK. I now have a Tuscan a TuscanS and a Cerbera 4.5 and no McLaren, and I am only allowed to keep two cars on my drive due to planning. I really don’t know what to do!

Ignore Supercar itches:

A) Keep all 3. Treat the new Tuscan as showcar, get mint condition and pay for storage (£150/month). Would drive it less and it’s just kinda sat there costing me each year. Keep current Tuscan as daily and Cerb as every other week or so, as I currently do.

B) Keep the two best examples: sell daily driver Tuscan, keep low mileage Cerb and TuscanS. Split daily duties between cerb/tuscS to spread mileage (maybe 5k/year total, 2.5k each)

C) Keep best examples, add daily: Keep TuscanS and Cerb as above, but alternate Tuscan and Cerb in storage with a daily EV on the drive.

D) Keep two Tuscans: Sell Cerbera, keep daily Tuscan and show TuscanS. They are quite different (will post new thread with new toy when I get it post detail in a couple months).
Would look hilarious on the drive together. But then I’d not have my Cerb frown

Or…Go down to one TVR and get something more modern, make Supercar shaped space if I go that way:

E) sell matching Tuscan and Cerb. Frees up space on drive for EV or daily McLaren/Ferarri, keeping the TuscanS as my “special car” (it’ll make sense when you see it)

If I sell both, do you think anyone would value keeping the matching Cerb and Tuscan together like I have, or is it just me and I’m better selling individually? I’ve seen some people expect Cerb and early Tuscan to increase in value with USA imports coming up, both mine are 2001 so eligible in a couple years - should I hang onto them?

I’m really confused as I want to keep them all, but think paying storage and having two Tuscans is a bit silly / greedy, so I should be sensible, and sell the older Tuscan, but then I think the Cerb should go with it….

Wtf should I do? I’m useless and beyond help. I think I’m going to go with option B as I love my Cerb too, but it seems a shame to split them. Oh, also, my girlfriend hates driving in the TVRs due to smell so won’t get in with me, two TVRs is a bit silly in that respect and a more modern cleaner car would be sensible for household duties. Then there is a chunk of me that wants to keep them all!

Wtf should I do?
biggrin


keynsham

272 posts

271 months

Saturday 20th January
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I am not quite in the same market as you, but I always seem to have more cars than I can drive. I have a TVR, a Rover P6, a VW camper van, a Mercedes CLK convertible and a Citroen C3 Picasso. The one I drive the most? You guessed it, the Citroen! I restored the Rover and the Camper van and they serve different purposes, The TVR is a 350i wedge I fell into by accident but again is very different to the others. The Mercedes I love but hardly gets used and lives outside. I also ride motorcycles! The reality is that there are only so may nice weekends in the year and my experience is that owning a lot of vehicles usually means that they don't get used the way they should. I seem to be forever fixing issues that occur due to lack of use such as switches not working, flat batteries, knackered wiper blades etc.

Of course none of this stops me keeping them all because I love tinkering, probably as much as driving them!!

So I am pretty sure that doesn't really help with your dilemma, but if it was me, I would probably keep the lot!!!

stuthemong

Original Poster:

2,276 posts

217 months

Saturday 20th January
quotequote all
Keynsham,

Some awesome toys there too, mate.

At one point I did have a Vantage and both TVRs and I did find having 3 cars was a real pita on service/cleaning/insurance - you have reminded me of that fact. It was actually a relief to get back to two cars.

It’s a human trait to collect things, I’m aware I’m falling into the trap here and you are probably right, I need to simplify… but a) what to and b) I don’t want to biggrin

stuthemong

Original Poster:

2,276 posts

217 months

Saturday 20th January
quotequote all
stuthe said:
Keynsham,

Some awesome toys there too, mate.

At one point I did have a Vantage and both TVRs and I did find having 3 cars was a real pita on service/cleaning/insurance - you have reminded me of that fact. It was actually a relief to get back to two cars.

It’s a human trait to collect things, I’m aware I’m falling into the trap here and you are probably right, I need to simplify… but a) what to, and b) I don’t want to biggrin

keynsham

272 posts

271 months

Saturday 20th January
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I love them all! Luckily I have run out of space otherwise I would probably still be collecting!!!












porterpainter

653 posts

37 months

Saturday 20th January
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stuthe said:
Wtf should I do?
biggrin
Sounds to me like you should be ditching your girlfriend biggrin

Granturadriver

580 posts

261 months

Saturday 20th January
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The most important thing is that you don't stop using an awesome vehicle as a daily.

The frequency of use stands and falls with the proximity of the garage. If you have easy access to the vehicles, you can have many, many vehicles and enjoy them regularly. However, I have the feeling that the frequency of use decreases exponentially with every metre of distance. So you should be very careful that you find something nearby.

For vehicles with only a few kilometres, the question always arises as to whether you are allowed to tear down kilometres all at once...

You should park the new car in a garage as close as possible and swap it with the Cerbera regularly!

TarquinMX5

1,945 posts

80 months

Saturday 20th January
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keynsham said:
I love them all! Luckily I have run out of space otherwise I would probably still be collecting!!!

I thought I'd spotted a NADA P6 in the background and was going to ask, then I saw the later photo rolleyes. Are those the original wheels?
(apologies to OP for hijacking thread)

cliffords

1,370 posts

23 months

Saturday 20th January
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Sell them both buy a bigger house ,ask the girlfriend to be your wife , get married and have kids .

Caddyshack

10,815 posts

206 months

Saturday 20th January
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Don’t tell planning but there are 3 cars on your driveway in the pic.

keynsham

272 posts

271 months

Saturday 20th January
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TarquinMX5 said:
keynsham said:
I love them all! Luckily I have run out of space otherwise I would probably still be collecting!!!

I thought I'd spotted a NADA P6 in the background and was going to ask, then I saw the later photo rolleyes. Are those the original wheels?
(apologies to OP for hijacking thread)
Yes, it is a 1969 3500S NADA, exported to Long Beach, California when new 1969 and came home in 2008 when I bought it and spent three years restoring it!!

TarquinMX5

1,945 posts

80 months

Sunday 21st January
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thumbup

stuthemong

Original Poster:

2,276 posts

217 months

Sunday 21st January
quotequote all
Granturadriver said:
The most important thing is that you don't stop using an awesome vehicle as a daily.

The frequency of use stands and falls with the proximity of the garage. If you have easy access to the vehicles, you can have many, many vehicles and enjoy them regularly. However, I have the feeling that the frequency of use decreases exponentially with every metre of distance. So you should be very careful that you find something nearby.

For vehicles with only a few kilometres, the question always arises as to whether you are allowed to tear down kilometres all at once...

You should park the new car in a garage as close as possible and swap it with the Cerbera regularly!
I fear I agree with this. There is a very nice storage garage 10miles away, auto store, that will wash&detail cars so at least when you go to get it it’s sparkling and ready to go… you pay for the privilege, mind, but outsourcing making them pretty is maybe a sensible use of money as in reality never wash/polish as much as I think I want to and they always look so much better when done!

I’m thinking I advertise my older Tuscan and see how it goes, the Cerb maybe I hang onto and go from there. There are a few things I’ve wanted to do with the Cerb with a detail and bit of leather repair, I think I’ll do that anyway, either for me or the next person…. She deserves it!

I spoke with a friend on this matter today, his view was a hobby is a hobby and stop trying to optimise the cost, that I already spend less on my cars than most people as the tivs don’t depreciate. He is of course correct. A bad influence that one.

And yes I do wish I had a house with a quad garage and this would be a non-problem, alas central Cambridge isn’t particularly car-friendly. I’m just delighted to have off street parking, and that saves a FORTUNE (£400 insurance vs £1,200 per car!)



Basil Brush

5,083 posts

263 months

Monday 22nd January
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I would keep the daily Tuscan and pair it with a Mclaren or Ferrari that you can also use regularly. I suspect using TVRs is going to get more difficult and I don't think the values are going to increase much (hopefully I'm wrong). I'm in a dilema with my Tuscan at the moment as it's currently having a full body off rebuild and whilst I like to think keeping it will turn out like Will Smith in iRobot, I suspect it may be more like Fred Dibnah!