Car hoarding - problem or passion

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Got 3 good cars (4 inc th wife’s but I’ll forget that for now). They perform different roles, one compact exec, one suv both used for commuting. Another barge coupe v8. Total value about £8k if I’m lucky.
Now obviously it would be cheaper to sell before buying something else, but I can’t bring myself to sell these good cars at such low prices as they seem so much more than the sum of their parts, and I also like them and the variety.
I want to buy something else, maybe something a bit sportier, or jdm, or a proper off reader or a cheap modern classic (if that exists). I’m constantly looking and being inspired by various threads on here.
I love the variety and if I plan a little less for the future I can afford it (no kids).
Am I mad?
Occasionally I look at these lease deals and see the attraction. The new 2l 4 pots are faster than my 5l v8 and no doubt handle far better but the thought of dropping to one car that I can’t really mess about with and fix seems in my mind to take away some of the fun of it all. Plus living in London I’ll be endlessly worried about knocks and scrapes on something worth £40k.

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otolith said:

I have the Elise, which I have owned for a decade, the Merc estate, which I need for transport, and the Z4M, which belonged to my late wife and which I kept for sentimental reasons. I have been thinking that I ought to let go of the BMW for 18 months now, but haven’t got round to it. Silly really. Still, it’s not really depreciating.

I hope I don’t come across unsympathetic but a z4m has been high on my list for a while. If you do ever sell please keep me in mind.

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slipstream 1985 said:

N+1

I’m in this boat but what if they cover the same bases? Still buy something just for the experience of owning a different car or buy something dramatically different?
I like things that have done most of their depreciation so losses are never huge and I enjoy fixing them.

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MellowshipSlinky said:

My mate has bloody loads - a small sample here.
He keeps them in a lock up where he also has his office.
Also has a barn nearly full elsewhere too...

Definitely a passion for him.

Now that is the dream! I can only imagine the cost of renting something like that around here.

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GT03ROB said:

So how do we all cope with the seeming non-stop stream of Insurance, road tax, MOTs & servicing?

Currently all 4 cars on admiral multicar and they are mirroring ncb so it's affordable.
tax,i;ve gone monthly to stop the big hits. I know it costs a bit extra but affordable.
mot's - goes in the phone diary with alerts one month prior
servicing - try to do most myself and given the low value of the cars I don't go mad with it trying to keep them tip top. i enjoy working on them when there's stuff to be done and generally trying to refresh them - building a nice set of tools and equipment slowly but surely.

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e12mat said:

This thread has made me feel much better about my paltry 3 and henceforth justification to the wife for more.

I’m definitely looking at a 4th, think there is a gap for family duties beyond the 3 series estate, thinking RRS, 760il, S8 or RS6 (maybe 3 estates is too much though).

got my first suv (soft roader rx400h) a couple of years ago. I now understand why so many have these cars. so comfy, soft, relaxed, well kitted and great for tip runs and road trips with friends.

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Well, it’s happened again, I’ve bought a bmw 135i coupe in red. It’s satisfied the sporty coupe desire and I’ve got a few plans for it. Great fun.
Problem is I’m still looking at classifieds less than a week after getting it - I guess it’s an addiction!

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CRA1G said:

My collection is only small,but I saw a mega spec M235I
with 19K come up at Auction, and always liked these little cars,so i set my limit and thought if it comes fine if not nothing lost... and yes I bought it... another handbag required for Mrs C but what alot of fun,loving it as a daily...

The successor to my latest acquisition. It’s a lot of fun. I need to get a few bits done starting with decent tyres as the ditch finders it came on are barely good enough in the dry never mind the wet.

Edited by freenote on Tuesday 20th August 18:06

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ettore said:

I manage this situation through a ‘dark ops’ campaign between me and a few chums. I commute on the train so obviously only have need for 1 car but..

Current official fleet:

FFRR - family wagon
Cooper S - runaround
911 3.2 Carrera - weekend smoker

Current unofficial fleet:

Ferrari 328 GTS (half share and kept with a chum)
Ferrari 308 GTB (half share and kept with a different chum)
Austin Seven (SORN’d and garaged miles away)
2 x Vincent motorcycles (one up and running, other in bits and both kept with a specialist miles away!)

I can probably gain official approval for 4 so obviously on the lookout for something new to replace an XK120 that recently passed through without touching the sides/alerting the authorities!.

...and I’m not the worst of my mates!

Just looked through your car history. How was the delta as an ownership proposition?

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SidewaysSi said:

I am back up to being a 5 car family since the weekend. Love them all and very different driving experiences:

- Caterham Superlight
- Elise S1 Sport 160
- BMW E36 328 - "Clubsport" spec
- Forester STI
- Nissan Note Auto (the wife's)

Been after a forester sti for years. They seem overpriced generally but I guess it’s the rarity value. What’s its role in the fleet? Is it sporty?

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I wonder if we could set up some kind of addiction therapy group where we meet up and swap cars between us all for a month or so at a time. Would be cheaper than buying and get to satisfy the cravings for trying all types of cars.

Or is that just crazy talk.

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paulg390 said:

Personally I think that would be a great idea as I love driving different cars. I used to belong to a couple of the cheaper classic car clubs for just that reason. I now have a few of my own but still hanker to drive (if not own) other cars..

My current “fleet” consists of an eclectic but cheapish (when I bought them) mix of stuff...

Clio V6
Skyline R33 GTR
Maserati 4200GT
Pontiac Trans AM
Mini GP1
Peugeot 205 Rallye (Euro)
Fiat Barchetta
Toyota MR2, mk2 and Mk3
Hillman Imp and Humber Snipe - both historic rally prepped.

Keep me posted if your idea gets legs...

Well if anyone’s game and not too far from Home Counties perhaps we could try a meet on a Sunday??

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ettore said:

Loved it, metallic verde with tan alcantara. Was actually my student wheels - blew my student loan and savings on importing it from Germany. Insurance completely crippled me (and was mildly fraudulent). Unhappily sold, happily for a significant profit. Replaced briefly by an incontinent purple MGBGT before I gave up cars for a couple of insolvent years..

Still fancy another.

Got in at the right time by the sounds of it. I think the prices now and bork potential if using (ragging) regularly would be unpalatable at best.

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Dumpy1 said:

It’s defo an addiction

Triumph stag drunk eBay purchase 12 years ago. Still haven’t finished welding.

12 years and not yet on the road! I think that would drive me mad. I get upset if one isn’t driveable and need to get it back on the road as quickly as financially possible. That being said bodywork is another issue - I have a couple needing some proper painting and dent removal but I can live with that for now.

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alabbasi said:

I stopped counting when I blew past 50. Only problem so far is when I go to car shows. After telling the 4-5 person in a row that 'I have one these' , they all start thinking that i'm full of st.

You can’t just leave it at that! Give us some more info...

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Well I came up with 7 as it’s one for each day of the week. Bit arbitrary but not couldn’t think of another goal.