Fun vs real life

[Onslaught]

I hate getting older. Back in my 20's and 30's I lived in a very nice, large apartment near downtown with a huge walk in garage attached to it. I drove impractical sorts cars and coupes and didn't have any responsibilities at all.
Now I'm less then 6 months away from turning 40. And I have a home with lots of land that's paid off. I still have one impractical sports car and an impractical sports sedan. My problem is I'm always needing a truck for the upkeep around the house. Filling up 4-5 gas containers to fill the mowers, tractor or other motorized gadgets around the house. Buying new equipment to work around the house our build a deck or buy shop supplies to finish my little body shop at my house to build project cars. Whatever it is I'm always going over to my dads house and picking up his truck 4 or 5 times a month.
If work hadn't gone to shit this wouldn't be a problem. But I'm making around $40-50K less a year now then what I normally make. If that wasn't the case I'd gone and picked up a truck already. But with the reduction if spending cash and the fact that I only have a two car garage in the first place I fear that it could be time to sell the RX-8 and pick up a damn truck.
Right now I'm about 50/50 on this idea. On one hand I love my RX-8. I love the way it drives. I love the sound that it makes when you're over 6K. I love the sound it doesn't make when you drive it like a normal car. For all the talk you hear about "Mazda should've put a turbo 4 in the" those people never took a long drive in the 8. I just took her to our beach place yesterday and that's a 4 1/2 hour drive. The engine is sooo smooth and so vibration free. In the 22 years I've been making this trip I've never been in a car that makes it as we'll as my 8. Passing on the back roads is easy. And just normal driving is as relaxing as a car that would cost much more. I really do think that the RX-8, and in particular the R3 version I've got is the closest thing to a poor mans BMW M3.
With that said the "joys" of home ownership are forcing me to become a boring car owner. So have any of you been forced into growing up and selling your automotive soul? And if so do you look back on that with regret?
This is a drunk post. Right now I'm at my family beach house. I can't pull the boats in the water with a car. I can't go to the storage area and get our kayak's out and bring them here. I must hold out until Friday when my brother gets here with his truck. All I can do is drink and have sex with my girlfriend.

[J86]

Your plan B isn't terrible, and go spend 3 grand on a beater truck.

[r0tor]

If you sell, give me the wheels first damn it

[Speed_Racer]

Why not keep the 8 and sell the Miata to pick up an older used truck (Ranger, B2000)

[12,000 RPM]

Everyone, their mom and their baby brother has a truck out here

There's a mid 90s C/K 1500 or whatever it's called sitting in my lot w/a flat tire... prob been here for years

I feel like you can get a super beater truck. I dont know if I'd want it to to a boat for 5 hours though. I drove a U Haul truck down... the transmission tunnel got hot to the touch on the hills, it was scary

[Rupert]

Not that UHauls are known for being perfect examples of the breed...

If it's just local use, I say go for a $3000 2WD 4-cyl Ranger. If you want it for longer drives, I say deal with it and keep the RX-8. Or maybe put a small hitch on it and a rack on the roof?

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I had a similar problem. So I bought a beater truck to use as a piece of equipment and a back up vehicle. I'll continue to drive impractical performance vehicles until I can't drive any longer.

Since you're drunk, care to talk some numbers on selling the rx8 to me?

[Raza]

Nope, not me.

Why not buy a beater truck for like 2 grand and keep both your Mazdas?

[Onslaught]

It would need to be 4WD. I live on a very long driveway with a massive hill on it. When we get snow or ice the only thing that can get up the hill are 4WD's. I hate the Ford Ranger with an unequaled passion. So I'd rather walk.
I was thinking a Nissan pathfinder or Toyota Tacoma.

[hotrodalex]

hahahaha we have a new easter egg car.

[Cookie Monster]

It would need to be 4WD. I live on a very long driveway with a massive hill on it. When we get snow or ice the only thing that can get up the hill are 4WD's. I hate the Ford Ranger with an unequaled passion. So I'd rather walk.
I was thinking a Nissan pathfinder or Toyota Tacoma.

OMG! You found the new shit codeword!

[J86]

~@~

[J86]

not the same as gchat!

[CALL_911]

It would need to be 4WD. I live on a very long driveway with a massive hill on it. When we get snow or ice the only thing that can get up the hill are 4WD's. I hate the Ford Ranger with an unequaled passion. So I'd rather walk.
I was thinking a Nissan pathfinder or Toyota Tacoma.

Why? What's so bad about the Ranger?

[Onslaught]

Why? What's so bad about the Ranger?

Worked on them for years. I hate just about everything about them. Probably my top 5 most hated cars/trucks of all time.

[Rupert]

Boy, I guess yer just up Ranger Creek without a paddle, then ain't ya?

I suggested Ranger because they are as reliable and tough as the others, and the Taco et al. are absurdly expensive.

And you don't have 4WD now, and you get along OK.

[GoCougs]

1st gen Tacoma is hard to beat - they cost but IMO they're worth it. But really, how realistic is it to have TWO sporty(ish) cars?

[12,000 RPM]

Yah why do you need the Miata... dump that and buy truck

Shit if my experience is any indication your Miata will sell for $9K easy

[cawimmer430]

Almost 40, eh? Why aren't you considering a Porsche? 

[ChrisV]

I had the sane issue with needing a truck for household duty, which is why I spent $2600 buying this:





Most of the time it just sits, but when I need it, it's right there.

[MrH]

That was a ridiculous steal at $2600.

I know what you mean though.  Owning a house + sports cars doesn't mix very well.  I carried a refrigerator and lawn mower in the miata.  I need to go get a wheelbarrow today (no idea how I'm going to get it home in the BRZ).

My plan is to pay off all my fun toys, and get a second vehicle eventually.  Right now, it's shaping up to be a Honda Element, oddly enough.  Basically a giant cargo cube when you take out the rear seats, but it's a spacious person carrier too.  I can get it with AWD and relatively cheap.  Cheaper than a lot of comparable trucks, and makes more sense from a versatility stand point.

I'd try my best to keep the RX-8 if I were you, but $40k drop off in salary sounds ROUGH.  I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you end up getting rid of it.  What about something like an old Trooper or Suburban?  Maybe not as high of resale as a truck, but could still haul stuff for you?

[Cookie Monster]

Don't get rid of the Miata!

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Still, I think it's important to prioritize things in a realistic manner. You obviously need a truck, and fast. I think selling the RX8 ASAP at below market value is the best thing to do.

PM Me.   

[Cookie Monster]

Actually, knowing you (somewhat), I wouldn't sell either car. You can't buy an RX-8 new and I don't think you'd really like buying a used one later down the road, due to how you maintain and care for your cars. They'd never live up to your expectations like a car that you've had since new would so I'd just keep it if it were possible to do so.

[mzziaz]

Can't give good advice without knowing your economic situation. If you are too poor to pay cash for a beater truck, you should get rid of the RX-8. However, the 8 is a car you love and a car that probably have depreciated like a rock - I'd keep it if I could. 

[Byteme]

Your plan B isn't terrible, and go spend 3 grand on a beater truck.

That's what I did.  We needed a truck for hauling building supplies from Lowes and Home Depot and for hauling trash and landscape waste the dump.  W didn't need plush, we needed utility.  We found a 1997 F150 XL, V6, 5 speed, long bed with a 5,000 tow rating.   Regular cab, no carpet, FM-AM-cassette, cruise, tilt wheel, sliding rear window. 102,000 miles, manual windows and locks.  A work truck, probably fleet when new.  Cost $2,800 plus a new battery, antifreeze, oil, filter, tranny fluid and a couple of new tires (Walmart's cheapest).

Buy one, change all the fluids, do a tuneup, clean it up, insure it with liability only (dirt cheap) and you are good to go. 

Don't get a short bed, utility wise they don't measure up, IMO.  (No pun intended.)
Get a full size truck, not a Ranger size one.  It's not going to be your daily driver so gas mileage won't be a factor and the added cargo capacity and interior room trump any advantages of the smaller truck, again, IMO.

[Tave]

It would need to be 4WD. I live on a very long driveway with a massive hill on it. When we get snow or ice the only thing that can get up the hill are 4WD's. I hate the Ford Ranger with an unequaled passion. So I'd rather walk.
I was thinking a Nissan pathfinder or Toyota Tacoma.

You need 4wd for the 1 day/year that 1" of snow sticks to the ground and every business in town shuts down?

[Onslaught]

I don't "get by without 4WD." My dad has a 1978 Chevy truck I use when I'm snowed in. None could get the Miata or RX-8 out of my driveway in bad weather. I also drive in fields around the house for different reasons and just last week had to pull a 2WD truck out if one. So trust me, living here takes 4WD. And 2WD trucks are for girls anyway.

Selling the miata isn't an option. I've had it for most if my life. It's family now. And I've sunk cash into parts and a new engine for it one day. She's not going anyplace.

As for a beater truck, that would be an option. However our beach place is over 4 1/2 hours away. So that's 9 hours of driving for every trip. It almost need to not be a beater for me to trust it that much.

The RX-8 still has 51K left before the warranty runs out on the engine. So that gives me 2-3 years to make my mind up. Perhaps by then my pay will be back to normal and buying a new truck will be easy as cake.

[12,000 RPM]

Couldn't you get something like an old Exploder? Does it have to be a pickup truck or can it be a BOF SUV?

[SVT666]

Just buy a $3000 F-150 at auction.  If you really need to get rid of a car, ditch the Miata since you never drop the roof anyway and the RX-8 is basically a 4 seat Miata coupe.  Besides, the restoration is gonna cost you lots of time and money and selling all your parts for the car will bring in some serious coin as well.

EDIT:  I see while I was posting you totally discounted everything I was typing out.