The 3 car family - how to do it best

[Raza]

That's the crux of the question... Better to stay solidly in sports car land and supplement with daily drivable ute, or move to sports sedan land for the daily driver and suppliment with old ute used only for few days

No sporty FRC will ever feel as good as a true sports car. The multicar solution, if available, is always better. There's that old saying "a jack of all trades is a master of none" and not one that says "a jack of all trades is a preferable compromise to having specialized means."

[Lebowski]

I see no need for limiting to 2 cars - especially in the northern climates if your an enthusiast

Basic question remains should the sporty car be a daily driver, or the utility car be the daily driver

Of course there's not a "need" to limit to 2 cars, it's just significantly cheaper and more efficient.

[MrH]

#coilovernation G is just as fun as the Z, but so much more usable and refined.

This speaks more about the 350Z than it does about the G

[MrH]

Of course there's not a "need" to limit to 2 cars, it's just significantly cheaper and more efficient.

I don't know if it is.  If I combined what the 4Runner and S2000 are worth, I don't think I could find a single replacement I would be happy with.  $30k for the 4Runner and $16k for the S2k.  What's $46k and under that I would enjoy anywhere near as much as having these two?

[shp4man]

Coastal California standard is:

Mom has sedan , minivan or small SUV, (but boobjob importance far exceeds vehicle importance), dad has crewcab, late model pickup, with some toy vehicle, like a dirt bike, motorcycle or muscle car in a million pieces that will never be finished.

Not my style.   

[Lebowski]

I don't know if it is.  If I combined what the 4Runner and S2000 are worth, I don't think I could find a single replacement I would be happy with.  $30k for the 4Runner and $16k for the S2k.  What's $46k and under that I would enjoy anywhere near as much as having these two?

What they are worth now is not necessarily what they cost new if that's what you're comparing to, and there are costs (insurance, maintenance etc) and other considerations (keeping them clean, garage space etc) aside from purchase price.

I understand the appeal and I did the 2 cars / 1 driver thing for years, but at this point I have zero desire to own three cars for two drivers, even if that meant me driving a less fun dd (yeah I'm an unthusiast whatever)

[r0tor]

Or... best of both worlds with a manual wagon.

The Outback is still fun on twisty roads while being able to haul a crapload of things. It's comfortable to DD (though my standards are low), unassuming enough (doesn't get a ton of attention from people), but still is fun and engaging when you want it to be.

The only thing it's really lacking is steering feel but even that's not a big deal, especially on the street.

No

[r0tor]

I don't know if it is.  If I combined what the 4Runner and S2000 are worth, I don't think I could find a single replacement I would be happy with.  $30k for the 4Runner and $16k for the S2k.  What's $46k and under that I would enjoy anywhere near as much as having these two?

So if you were replacing 1 and your daily commute was 90% 70-80mph cruising on pourly maintained highways,  which would you replace

[12,000 RPM]

I don't know if it is.  If I combined what the 4Runner and S2000 are worth, I don't think I could find a single replacement I would be happy with.  $30k for the 4Runner and $16k for the S2k.  What's $46k and under that I would enjoy anywhere near as much as having these two?

997 C4S
S7
Golf R + PSS95s
Macan S

Lot of options

[ifcar]

That's the crux of the question... Better to stay solidly in sports car land and supplement with daily drivable ute, or move to sports sedan land for the daily driver and suppliment with old ute used only for few days

It depends on the commute and whether the fun car is something irreplaceable that you want to keep miles off.

[MexicoCityM3]

997 C4S
S7
Golf R + PSS95s
Macan S

Lot of options

Only the 997 can even touch his S2000. All the other choices are significantly less fun.

[AutobahnSHO]

That's the way I understood it.

Do you have a separate vehicle for Lowes?

[AutobahnSHO]

Sporty car should be daily driver.

+1

I drove Miata unless it was really stormy out. Then people who don't look for little cars in the first place are even more clueless. So I would take Legacy.

[MrH]

Only the 997 can even touch his S2000. All the other choices are significantly less fun.

Yep, pretty much.  I've been watching 997 prices for awhile.  I want a 997.2 (the direct injection engines are a lot more reliable), but a decent one of those is $50k+.  A 997.1 is too expensive of a risk.

[r0tor]

Yep, pretty much.  I've been watching 997 prices for awhile.  I want a 997.2 (the direct injection engines are a lot more reliable), but a decent one of those is $50k+.  A 997.1 is too expensive of a risk.

By the time you make the move, kiddies I'll be coming to squash that dream.  Act now!

[MexicoCityM3]

By the time you make the move, kiddies I'll be coming to squash that dream.  Act now!

If anything, a 997 is a lot more kid friendly than his S2000.

[MrH]

I'm not rich enough to justify $80k in cars just for myself.  Maybe someday. 

[r0tor]

If anything, a 997 is a lot more kid friendly than his S2000.

That's why I enjoy the RX8 so much as it's involving as an S2000 but can also carry a family...

I just wish it could be quieter and have a more relaxed cruising mode to handle my now normal daily drive.

[MrH]

That's why I enjoy the RX8 so much as it's involving as an S2000 but can also carry a family...

I just wish it could be quieter and have a more relaxed cruising mode to handle my now normal daily drive.

If you think your Rx-8 is loud...

The S2000 is the loudest car I've owned, by far.  It's pretty tiring to drive to and from work honestly.  If my bonus was actually going to be good this year, I would probably jump to an ND miata this winter.

[r0tor]

The road noise is insane.  Like 3-4 clicks of the radio as you go from 40mph to 70mph.  It is completely tiring. 

I don't think it was always like that, but 10 years ago I probably didn't care about road noise and seldom took it on highway trips.

[Rich]

OldmanSpin

[12,000 RPM]

Question I have for MrH/r0tor....

From what it sounds like, you guys have shitty commutes, shitty roads and shitty weather for a good portion of the year. How many miles do you drive a year, and how many of those miles are in the fun car?

I was averaging about 5K miles a year on the motorcycle out of a total of about 20K, but with the G that has plummeted. I don't think I will break 2K this year and I'm honestly thinking about selling the bike or taking it off the road and doing track days. I don't do "fun drives to nowhere"... my commute is pretty sweet, sim racing is enough for my lizard brain, and I just don't have the time. IS there some minimal mileage before you would say the 2nd car's not worth it?

[Laconian]

I was averaging about 5K miles a year on the motorcycle out of a total of about 20K, but with the G that has plummeted. I don't think I will break 2K this year and I'm honestly thinking about selling the bike or taking it off the road and doing track days. I don't do "fun drives to nowhere"... my commute is pretty sweet, sim racing is enough for my lizard brain, and I just don't have the time. IS there some minimal mileage before you would say the 2nd car's not worth it?

I'm in the same bucket. I barely have 2k miles on the Miata. We carpool to work and my company gives free Lyft rides for carpoolers for the exceptions when the carpool doesn't work. We could rock one car just fine. The decision to keep the car is an emotional one, not a rational one. I can afford to indulge my emotions in this case.

[giant_mtb]

I'm honestly thinking about selling the bike or taking it off the road and doing track days.

Dude you've been talking about doing track days for years and have yet to do one.  Be honest with yourself.  You scare yourself driving on the street.

[Lebowski]

The reality for me is, 98% of my driving yields virtually no opportunity for any sort of spirited driving.  Mostly around town, residential neighborhoods or sitting in traffic or stoplight to stoplight stuff, and some stints on the highway w/ cruise control on at ~80mph. And I don't track my cars. I like the M3 but if buying today would probably get something cheaper and more mainstream, for my 1.25 mile commute on a brick street I might as well be in a Honda Fit (ok that's hyperbole, but the point remains). 

[Laconian]

Unthusiasm reigns

The traffic here is what kills my driving happiness. People just keep building farther and farther out into the rural areas. The tiny roads which were lots of fun a few years ago are completely crammed with big SUVs nows; the roads simply weren't built for commuter traffic.

[MrH]

Question I have for MrH/r0tor....

From what it sounds like, you guys have shitty commutes, shitty roads and shitty weather for a good portion of the year. How many miles do you drive a year, and how many of those miles are in the fun car?

I was averaging about 5K miles a year on the motorcycle out of a total of about 20K, but with the G that has plummeted. I don't think I will break 2K this year and I'm honestly thinking about selling the bike or taking it off the road and doing track days. I don't do "fun drives to nowhere"... my commute is pretty sweet, sim racing is enough for my lizard brain, and I just don't have the time. IS there some minimal mileage before you would say the 2nd car's not worth it?

It breaks down something like:

4Runner: 18k-20k miles
S2000: 4-5k miles

I don't get all that much use out of the S2000.  Mostly because it's so tiring to drive to work and back.  It sounds silly, but if I drive it during the summer, 50-60 mins with the top down each way, in stop and go traffic on the high way, I'm exhausted by the time I get home. With big 18 wheelers blowing exhaust and rumbling next to me, then all the squeaks buzzes and rattles from the car itself...it's deafening.

I've tracked down two of the big noise issues with the car this week (the passenger seat rattles and clunks a ton.  Rearview mirror is also rattling a lot).  Still, the tire noise, buzzing clutch issue, wind noise, etc, it's loud.  That's one of the big reasons I was considering an ND miata.  Much, much nicer place to be in.  Much more compliant suspension, less road noise, none of the issues a 17 year old car has, more torque at lower speeds.  I think if I made that switch, I'd probably come much closer to 16k miles in the 4Runner, and 8k miles in a miata.

[giant_mtb]

Ear plugs.

[Lebowski]

The traffic here is what kills my driving happiness.

Here too.


I enjoy driving, if it's out on a twisty country road, but that's like < 2% of my driving and even then is usually in the 4Runner or a rental car if we're on vacation somewhere. Best driving I got to do in the M3 was when we picked it up.  Same with the C6.

[shp4man]

On the mornings I ride the Harley into work, I enjoy the bikes ability to pass slow ass drivers, and it's acceleration. But, my other two vehicles are both six cylinder full size trucks, so..