We’re all car enthusiasts here at The Autopian, and I think the “enthusiast” part is more important than the “car.” Passively buying a sports car you don’t care about doesn’t mean you love cars, whereas falling head-over-heels for a 1994 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible GTC shows a real commitment. As you’ll see below, as a collection of human beings who write about cars, we’ve got eclectic tastes.
It’s been a while since we’ve collectively done an update, so we’re a little overdue to let you know what’s going on with the, oh, 70+ cars spread between your regular contributors and full-time staff writers. I think the general rule here is that an Autopian writer will have as many cars as they can store. This explains why city-dwellers like Brian and I are on the low end of the list, whereas Mercedes, SWG, and Jason are towards the top.
David is a bit of an outlier here in that he lives city-adjacent and still has a lot of cars, although being able to stash cars at work has helped him cheat this (when are we opening up an office with a parking lot in NYC, folks?). In David’s defense, we’ve dropped two Jeeps and a bunch of crates on his personal residence, so he should be allowed some offset. Overall, though, I think we’re in that part of the weird car ownership cycle where many of us are reconsidering the cars we have and swapping out stuff/swapping in weird new stuff, so this list is likely to change this year.
Without further ado, here’s everything we remember we own.
Jason Torchinsky
1990 Nissan Pao
May as well start with my primary daily, the friendly little Pao. It’s been great since replacing the transmission around March, but a month or so ago on the way to the airport it started missing alarmingly, so I replaced all the plugs – which were that weird 13/16 size I wasn’t expecting, and finding a socket for that was more of a pain than you’d think – but after the plug replacement, it’s been driving pretty well, except for one weird thing: the temperature now settles at 3/4 of the way to H instead of 1/4.
Why? What’s going on here? Before I drive the little guy and real significant distance, I should figure out what’s going on there. I also changed the oil and filter and all that. But something must be up!
1980something Citroën 2CV
This is where most of my automotive focus and tinker-time have been going lately, and I wish I could give it even more time, but this is where not having a garage really bites me in the ass, because it’s been cold and wet here lately, which is no fun to wrench in. I’m an old man, now, remember!
The electrical system is in order now at least, and all lights and wipers and horn work, and the wiring is tidied up. I took off the carb and cleaned it in a bucket of carb cleaner, and while I can get it to start and run for like 5-10 seconds, it always dies. This past weekend I took out the idle jet and tried to clean it, but I’m not sure I did a good enough job.
I’m also not 100% confident in the coil? What I need to do is confirm the coil/spark is good and then move to the carb, I suppose, so I’m not conflating symptoms. I do feel like this car is close to running, and that gets me very excited. When it does run, for those brief moments, it sounds pretty great and I get visions of finally driving this thing around. I need to try and be methodical and just get this figured out!
1989 Ford F-150
The F-150 is almost fine, I think. It’s vastly better since I had the broken-toothed flywheel replaced, so I can start the truck from inside, sitting, like a millionaire, instead of underneath it, wrench in hand, like a chump. I also cleaned the radiator and replaced the water pump, but on the last trip I took with it, moving that fridge you see up there for a friend, I found that the thermostat gasket seems to be leaky, which sprays just enough coolant to envelop the truck in a nice dense cloud of steam and make it like driving a mobile sauna, which isn’t terrible, but it’s not great.
So, I need to just fix that already. Because I need it for my, um, sorghum farm. Right? My farm? We all cool here?
1973 Volkswagen Beetle
The Beetle is still sitting where it was when I yanked the carbs off it to clean them and then got distracted and let it sit too long and now it’s seized and I feel like a jerk.I will get it going again at some point, but time/money/resources mean I’m going to hope my favorite car will be patient and that it’ll forgive my miserable neglect. Sorry, Beetle. I haven’t forgotten!
I’m using pictures of it from better times because I feel uncomfortable looking at it all forlorn.
The Changli!
The Changli is also sitting, immobile, but I’m less worried about that, because it just needs some new batteries. But I don’t want to just put in more lead-acids: my plan is at some point to see if I can convert it to lithium-ion; I’ve been talking with a friend who has done this sort of thing before, and I’d like to get her out to help me do the conversion. So, I think of the Changli’s state as a little on hold, but hopeful for a significant upgrade.
1977 Dodge Tioga RV
Ugh, the RV. I have trees on my yard that feel like they have more potential to travel than my poor RV. It’s just sitting there, taking up space. I do not think I’ll have the time or will to work on this one; the interior is still in decent shape, it doesn’t leak or anything, but I really need to get rid of it.
Anyone want to buy a classic RV? It’s got a big 440 under the hood that I’m sure someone wants! I should just get this thing out of the driveway. I really enjoyed it while I used it, but it’s time.
2010 VW Tiguan
You know what’s weird? The Tiguan is actually fine right now! I feel like I need to knock on every bit of wood I see, but it’s driving fine (you know, once you ignore the perpetual check engine light, which is easy) and I just put in a new head unit with CarPlay, so it feels almost new-ish.
I should probably change its oil soon, just to be safe, but other than that? Thing’s been a trooper!
Man, that even feels weird to type.
Mercedes Streeter
Mercedes has 23 different cars, and so this is its own separate post from last week. Is there both a recently imported Honda Life and a recently imported MG F on there? Yes, yes, there are. We probably should have done SWG as his own post, but we didn’t, so please enjoy.
Stephen Walter Gossin
My first fleet rundown was five years ago, when I reached out cold to David Tracy via email when he was at Jalopnik. David, being the nice guy that he is, got a kick out of my collection of cars, put an HOA twist on the story, and published it for the world to see. That was my first appearance anywhere in the world of automotive media, after consuming voraciously for decades, and man, was I wicked amped-up about it!
A few years back, here at The Autopian, I was having a conversation with then-contributing editor Patrick George regarding the cars I had at that moment, and he suggested not only that I get rid of a few of them but that I also write about it. Jason’s wife even did the topshot art! It went over so well, we even did a follow-up piece where we featured some of the best commentary from readers/members
This is now the third opportunity I’ve received to share what the fleet/collection currently looks like here at my Evil Wrenching Lair.
If you do a quick review of the above-linked “Fleet Rundown” posts, you’ll see that there are a few cars that have now made all three lists over the passing of almost 6 years. That’s a testament to their strength, engineering quality, and to the smiles they bring. I hope you enjoy this year’s list, and any and all (positive or constructive) feedback and commentary are appreciated, my Autopian friends!
2004 Chrysler Crossfire
A silver blue metallic, with black leather, about 130k, and most importantly, it’s got the Jeep Wrangler-derived manual transmission. I love the Art Deco styling; these cars get more and more uncommon each year, and finding one with a stick that’s clean is starting to mean prices that were unheard of just a few years ago. I bought this car for $3,500 about 7 years ago, and it is garage-kept under a cover.
I think this will probably be the last manual, two-door, Chrysler-branded car, ever. It’s a keeper.
2007 Jaguar XK Convertible (blue)
This is an odd one. A local tattoo shop posted this car for sale, after someone that they claim was going through a “life crisis” pretty much traded it to the tattoo shop for an extensive back piece! All the guys at that shop were rockabilly-type dudes with cuffed jeans and black band T-shirts covered in tattoos that were into vintage Chevy trucks, so they put it out in front of the tattoo shop for five grand.
It was probably the most beautiful $5,000 car that I think I was ever going to have a chance to buy or lay eyes on, so I emptied the bank account and made it happen.
I don’t need the car, and ever since I bought it almost 2 years ago, it has just sat without a plate on it, in my garage next to the Crossfire (all storage maintenance precautions were taken, so no comments about fuel stabilizer or such I needed).
It has about 130k on it, and everything works except for the left rear quarter glass window motor. This is a classic case of poor impulse control, and I do believe this car might serve somebody else better. I have it posted for sale for 6 months now for $9,995 (market value is ~$10K-12K) and have had zero interest in it.
Not one person interested has been enough to even look at it in person for half a year, for under book value. Strange. Am I the only one who thinks this thing looks like an automotive supermodel?!
2003 Mercedes SL500
I wanted a redo after the success of my first rescue SL500 that we celebrated here on the site a couple years ago. It’s super easy to gain a false sense of bravado and hubris after a triumphant moment such as this:
View this post on Instagram
Luckily, these cars are usually found broken and cheap (when they are found, they’re not exactly commonplace), and I found this one 1.5 years ago with 67K miles on it for $3K with more than a few issues.
A failed pneumatic pump for the door/trunk/glovebox locks, a failed hydraulic roof, a failed hydraulic suspension, no heat, bad fuel tank baffles, cracked plastic interior panels, a lean code, a knock in the rear suspension, and more.
All of those items failed in the first 67K miles: German engineering for the “L”. I posted it for sale for $6500 3 months ago after dumping $2K+ already on this car to even get it to this point. Zero interest thus far. Not surprised.
1995 Dodge Stealth
I think probably one of my favorite articles that I’ve ever written here for the site was about my first Dodge Stealth a couple years back. I’ve had a passion for that car ever since I was a preteen with a poster of one on my wall. That article ended with speaking about how time changes your perspective and about letting go of childhood dreams.
Well, it seems like I wasn’t able to do that after all, as a black R/T popped up on the outskirts of town for 600 bucks this past February that was just too enticing to say no to!
It was a farmer’s wife’s dream car that they purchased brand new in the ’90s, and she drove it up until a few years ago and parked it on the farm, only for it to sink into the ground, flat-spot the tires, and have the inside of the fuel tank rust out due to ethanol gas. They were honest about its condition in their for-sale posting, and I knew what I was getting into.
Sadly, used gas tanks for these cars don’t exactly grow on trees and are about $1,000! The car is sitting in my driveway, awaiting a fuel tank solution, a free weekend’s worth of wrenching, and some good luck. I’m hoping to have a killer follow-up “Electric Boogaloo”-style story about bringing Stealth #2 back to life.
1991 Pontiac Firebird
It’s got a hand-painted Screamin’ Chicken on the hood, first and foremost. It was formally a white car, but over the decades and multiple owners, some maniac decided the car would be much better if it were Screamin’ Yellow. It’s got the 3.1 v6, 215k miles on it, but it was only 900 bucks, and even my buddy Adrian Clark said it looks pretty cool. Another example of poor impulse control.
The exhaust was completely hacked up when I bought it, so I put a custom exhaust and a Flowmaster on it, and replaced a bad AC compressor bearing. I don’t really need this car, and it’s street-parked and very loud-looking, so I posted it for sale for $2,500 bucks, and have had zero people interested for the last 3 months.
Well, I take that back, I’m constantly getting messages from the Joe Dirt crowd about this car, but they always wanted to trade chainsaws, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, ATVs, or packs of Busch Light for it because none of them seem to have any actual money to buy a car.
It looks wild, and always makes me smile, and I don’t think such a cheap, fun, 3rd Gen F-body will come my way again, but I don’t know if that’s strong enough of a reason to hang on to it long term. This car would make a great junkyard LS swap candidate.
2007 Jaguar XK (silver)
This is another example of extremely poor impulse control. You don’t exactly see these cars with 200+thousand miles on them, and you also don’t see them for sale for under $2,000. When this car popped up for sale in South Carolina for 1800 bucks, I just went and bought it and didn’t even ask any questions.
Like I said, it has 200K+ miles on it, the timing chains rattle on cold start (which is a job I’ll probably get to this summer), and it just looks so beautiful. The major downside, outside of the mileage, is that these cars have near Ferrari-levels of parts cost. You feel like James Bond’s second cousin while driving this car. It almost makes you want to wear a suit every time you drive it.
1994 Pontiac Trans Am GT (green)
This car has been another one of my dream cars since buying my first one in Cincinnati with Domino’s Pizza delivery money as a college sophomore in 2001.
This is my 5th 4th Gen Trans Am; they have always had such an allure in my eyes. I wrote about this car previously a while back, and will note that it’s on its third engine. I’m just about finished swapping the tan interior out for black leather, it has t-tops, cold air runs great, but I’ve got over 6K invested into it now, and it’s going to have to stay with me for many a year after putting the amount of time, effort, and money that I have into it.
2002 Jaguar XK8 (green)
I bought this car for 200 bucks at the beginning of the pandemic, as a project that I figured would be great material for my nascent beginning as an automotive writer/Contributor.
I replaced a cracked head on the engine with a junkyard head from an S-Type, replaced the fuel pump (not easy), and then started on the front suspension and interior, but then David rejected the story idea headline, which caused me to lose a bit of momentum on it. [Ed Note: I’m a “teach a man to fish” kinda guy, always hoping to teach the headline-art to our team. I’m not sure why this teaching process might cause a momentum-shift, but I’m glad the momentum is back and SWG is wrenching and writing for an audience who loves him! -DT].
No hard feelings here! DT is my good buddy (he gave me a free Nash after all!). There’s always another car right around the corner to write about. It’s always All Good here at The Evil Wrenching Lair (underneath that volcano in Wilmington NC).
It needs new rear shock bushings (which is a very difficult job), but it’s otherwise the coolest V8 300hp, RWD convertible that I’ve ever found for under $500 invested.
1997 Jaguar XK8 (blue)
Yes, I fully understand this is the fourth ~20+yr old Jag on this list. Although once you factor in the fact that these cars are usually broken, usually bring a lot to the table mechanically and stylistically, and are usually really cheap to purchase, make them some of the most alluring and perfect cars for a guy like me. They fit dead center into the middle of my personal Venn diagram of desirability.
This car was abandoned for the past 5 years at my buddy’s local transmission shop.
Transmission Fix Note
I’ve referenced that shop multiple times in previous articles over the years; they put used transmissions in my old Gen 2 RAM and Titan. Doing heavy jobs like that on your back, in your driveway, is just not something that I want to do (pulling those used units from the donor vehicles was hard enough!).
He said he wanted it out of his lot and gave me the car for $1,000. It was another $1,000 to install the used trans, so you can see the allure.
A stunning, Bond-villain, 300hp RWD convertible in my favorite “James Taylor” hues (“deep greens and blues are the colors…”(that he chooses)) for $2,000 out the door. I love it; even with its 180K miles, it’s still running strong and looking gorgeous. It is currently street-parked, though, which means it’s for sale. Space is at a premium around here.
1994 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible GTC
The top doesn’t work, the wire harness going to the transmission had rodent damage, no AC, the rear windows don’t work, the engine is badly leaking oil from the front crank seal (it’s a Mitsubishi unit, so hold the Chrysler criticisms, please), the Infinity stereo doesn’t work and the red paint is now faded pink (RYOGBIV, yo!).
But it was only $400, and A) I can fix it cheaply and easily, and B) I love it. Most of these cars were junked 15 years ago; at this point, survivors are uncommon and wicked cool.
2004 Nissan Titan
Cheap Titans are usually beaten halfway to death, but they are the cheapest and most attainable full-size pickup in today’s market, in my opinion. Mine was $1200, with a janky trans and 230K, but it runs excellently now with its junkyard replacement transmission. It’s used more than any other vehicle I have due to how utilitarian it is.
Cold AC, a strong aluminum V8, and a hole through the driver’s door from a forklift. I love it!
2004 Dodge Durango
You’ve seen this SUV of mine pop up in multiple articles year after year, as it’s been my main, Steady-Eddie, reliable tow rig, and also serves as a fantastic enclosed, lockable (the Titan bed isn’t secured) cargo hauler for my local bands’ PA and amps.
I bought it for $400 with a bad compressor bearing in 2017, and it’s probably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and best cars I’ve owned out of 157 of ’em. 252K miles, cold AC, and still running strong on the original drive train.
2003 Dodge Status Coupe
I bought this car almost 10 years ago in Nashville, Tennessee for $220, and wrote about it as my second article ever, back in the early days of The Autopian (right after the site launched). Since that piece was penned, this car continues to hold my heart, and it even rescued Jason and his son off the side of I-40!
It will never be worth anything to anyone as much as it is emotionally worth to me. I plan on driving it until the end.
That’s 13 cars total, which is waaaay too many, I know. The Screamin’ Chicken, the SL500 and both blue convertible Jags are all for sale, so perhaps by the time the next one of these pieces comes out, I’ll have a more manageable number.
Hey, it’s better than where I was last year, when I had all of the above cars, plus a 350Z, Jason’s 2CV, an Altima, and my old derelict Park Avenue Ultra! All rescued, rehabbed, kept out of the crusher (mostly- see Buck article) and sold to wicked stoked new owners. The environmental aspect of continuing the usage cycle for all that plastic, glass, rubber, glue, e-waste etc. makes my environmentalist heart happy.
The goal is to sell about 2-3 cars in the near-term and use the extra space and bandwidth to really knock out some big repairs and upgrades to the ones that remain. Some may say that it’s not the coolest collection of cars out there in the world, but it’s the best assortment that I’ve ever assembled (since ’95) and they make me smile every time I look at them.
If you told broke-ass college grad/student-loan-indebted me back in 2003 that I’d have an SL500 parked next to 2 (!) XK8s, I would have probably hyperventilated and passed out.
I think there’s a natural timeline-arc for all enthusiasts where:
- You dream of owning cool cars when you’re young and broke
- You become less broke and can afford said cars (especially after they become heavily depreciated)
- You purchase too many of them, just because you can fulfill the dream from Point #1 (and you love cars)
- You realize you have too many of them and decide to focus more time/effort/money on less of a volume of cars
That certainly was/is the case for me. Here’s to a great new year of saving cars from the crusher, being better with the limited resources we have on this planet, quality/fun wrenching, helping others, and to reaching new heights with both our passion for cars and with self-betterment.
I’m all-in.
David Tracy
Since David’s elbows deep in his WW2 Jeep build, we thought it best to let him keep the wrenches spinning uninterrupted – especially since his latest story serves pretty well as a fleet update. If you haven’t already, you can give it a read right here (or just click the graphic above). DT Note: I have these cars still:
- 2021 BMW i3S REX Giga World in Galvanic Gold
- Diesel Manual 1994 Chrysler Voyager (in Germany)
- 1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ (my first car, stored in the woods in Michigan)
- 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 5spd overlanding project
- 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ parts car
- 1992 Jeep Comanche MJ
- 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ
- 1966 Ford Mustang (brother’s car)
- 1943 WWII Jeep (Willys MB, reference Jeep)
- 2025 WWII Jeep (eBay project vehicle)
Matt Hardigree
2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport
I’ve been writing it’s going to be the year/decade of the hybrid so often that it felt only correct that I should replace my Subaru Forester with something that sports an electric motor large enough to drive the car. Or, in the case of my CR-V Hybrid, two motors (although one just acts as a starter/generator). That I don’t ever think about this car is proven by the fact that I had a hard time finding a recent photo of it.
The image above was taken when I thought I might write about the service experience for the CR-V (free basic maintenance for the first two years, btw). Like the car itself, the service was generally not worth writing about. It gets about 36 MPG overall on average, albeit a little better in the summer and a little worse in the winter. It’s the safe family car I don’t have to think about, does everything well enough, and it allows me to own a high-mileage European car.
2003 BMW 530i Sport w/ 5-Speed
It wasn’t my intention to buy an E39, although I’ve always liked them. A wonderful member/reader came into my life and knew I was looking for a car to fill my new parking spot, so he offered up his high-mileage car at a price that was hard to beat. Mostly, everything just works. Ok, not everything. There was a bit of a rear sag, which turned out to be the lower control arms. It burns a little oil.
The biggest issue is that I really need to clean it out and make a couple of tweaks before I start driving it regularly. The blend door (I suspect) for the climate control system is probably stuck, as I can only get heat via the defroster. The left mirror cover came off, although I have a replacement. One of the turn signals is out, so that’s gotta be replaced. Having a five-speed transmission is great (who needs more than five), but Thomas insists that there’s a magical formula of tranny fluid that’ll make it shit smoother, so I’ll probably do that in March.
It’s slightly out of alignment, but not enough that I’ve gotten around to fixing it. I’m tempted to sell it to buy a Volvo, which is pretty obvious by now. If I had space for multiple cars, I’d keep it, but with limited space, it may not last. And then I look at it (from like 10 feet away or greater) and I think I’d regret it forever if I did.
Thomas Hundal
Ah yes, fleet update time. The time for an update on the fleet. The time for an update on the fleet, specifically for readers. Right. I’m afraid my section is going to be fairly short, partly because I only own two cars and partly because they require a little maintenance, but aren’t catastrophic. The front hasn’t fallen off, for example.
Alright, so a full set of fuel injectors on one costs almost as much as the car itself, and the other one is known to have its own common foibles, but it turns out that when you buy decent examples, you generally get decent cars. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, but cars with plenty of maintenance records indicating that major items have been done, and regular upkeep has been an ongoing concern. No serious rehabilitation projects, no welding rusty sills, everything has to run and be structurally sound.
BMW 335i
The last time you heard about my BMW 335i, I’d just swapped in a full set of fresh ignition coils. Since then, data logs look great, and the 335i has been doing exactly what’s required of it—everyday car duties. I’ve transported family and friends in it, filled it up with shopping, taken it on a few road trips, and properly washed it just about weekly, underbody and all. I do need to pick up new clips for the driver’s kick panel trim, but otherwise? It’s a potent yet pragmatic daily driver that exceeds its EPA fuel economy estimates and makes merging hilariously easy.
Porsche Boxster
As for the Boxster, it’s nearly halfway through its winter hibernation, tucked up out of the sun and moisture and receiving a little love. You know how self-help gurus say to replace “problem” with “opportunity”? Well, I have a severe car parts opportunity. Boxes and boxes of suspension components and service items to wind back the clock on this soon-to-be-27-year-old roadster, with the promise of making it even better on the road. Truthfully, none of it is strictly necessary at this point, but hey, might as well get it done before life gets busy and not worry about it again for hopefully another quarter-century.
Really, if we take away the elective suspension refresh during this winter’s storage season, it’s been an inexpensive year for the Boxster. As far as required maintenance goes, a new coolant bleed valve ran me $107.86 Canadian, a new low-speed fan resistor ran me less than $50 Canadian, and an oil filter plus 8.25 liters of oil ran me $87.42 Canadian. Convert that to freedom bucks, and we’re talking $0.12 per mile or so in required upkeep for the 2025 warm weather season.
Adrian Clarke
Despite Matt’s proclamations to the contrary, my 2010 Mini Clubman continues to be a faithful and stress-free companion, two and a half years into our time together. In that time, I’ve only added about 7000 miles to the odometer, not because I’m swanning about in press cars all year but simply because most of my driving is short errands around town. That usually wreaks havoc on a car’s mechanical, but the Mini has been fantastic – it passed its MOT in July with a couple of advisories relating to worn front brake discs and front suspension arms, but those are minor wear items future Adrian will pay for someone else to replace, as I don’t deign to chip my nail varnish wrenching myself.
Above: How it started
Below: How it’s going
The local garage that carried out the MOT for me also did a routine service during the year and neglected to reset the service warning. So I’ll be splashing out for Bimmerlink and a Bluetooth OBD reader soon. Also to be sorted this year is the air conditioning, which pisses out all its refrigerant after about two months. I’m not doing another sweaty summer making my own gravy.
Above: Old orange ugliness
Below: New monochrome hotness
Being a shallow aesthete, I’ve slowly been changing the car’s appearance to my liking. Since I got the car in June 2023, I’ve swapped out the headliner and associated trim gubbins from off-white to black, changed the white clock faces to dark gray John Cooper Works ones, and swapped the dash trim from silver to you-know-what. Bigger wheels have gone on, and my most recent cosmetic upgrade a few weeks ago was to fit headlights that had clear indicators instead of the orange the car came with. Another recent upgrade was the gear knob – the standard one was uncomfortable in my palm and I hated it. So a fifteen-quid replacement with a gaiter from eBay seemed to be the ideal solution – until I went to fit it and discovered the listing was inaccurate and the new knob and gaiter were for an F56 Cooper, the generation after mine. A lot of bodging and cursing was expended to encourage it to go in, but go in it did. Except a week later, because it was cheap Chinese junk, the knob started coming off in my hand as I changed gear. So I splashed out on a genuine OEM one, which I’ve not fitted yet because it’s too bloody cold.
Above: old uncomfortable knob
Below: new slidey-off knob
As ever, the Mondial continues to be a GAME DAY PLAYER. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know it had a major service and three-yearly cambelt change done in April, at a cost of just over two grand. I haven’t really driven it a lot this year, as I was hoping to sell it so I could buy a Capri 2.8 injection. That didn’t happen because Mondials are stubbornly remaining in the classic car wilderness despite their (relatively) bargain price and analogue driving experience. Also, the market has significantly softened in recent months. Nonetheless, it’s not exactly a hardship to keep it for now until I decide to stick or twist for the coming year.
It completed a 1000-mile trip to Le Mans Classic with a bunch of new mates at the beginning of July, sitting happily on fast French autoroutes at 80. The town of Le Mans itself is a nightmare when the Classic (and Le Mans proper) is on. Roads are closed everywhere, leading to the world’s greatest traffic jams due to the sheer variety of classic machinery that makes the trip. The Mondial more than held its own with lots of waves and nods, and the managed to not cook itself despite sitting at zero miles in better than 90°F (33°C) French sunshine. Later in the year, it went to the British Motor Museum twice for both Rustival and the last Tuesday evening Gaydon Gathering of the year.
Above: With a friend at Gaydon)
Below: In exotic company at the Scramble at Bicester
I did sort of regret not getting the climate control sorted (spotting a theme here?). When the water pump went back in 2023 the resulting overheating fried the ac compressor. The climate control isn’t exactly going to freeze dry you even when it is working properly and because the compressor was going to need rebuilding, an expensive process, I never bothered getting it sorted. I’m still in two minds as to whether it’s worth doing or not.
I still haven’t found a semi-automatic electric aerial either, but as I just use a Bluetooth cassette adaptor for music, tragic attempts to hang onto my youth by listening to Radio 1 are not needed. Most recently, the Ferrari started up on the first turn of the key after sitting for about two months, to get in the Christmas Big Shop. On Sunday, it will be going to the first Sunday Scramble of 2026 at Bicester Heritage, where it always gets special parking by the entrance with the supercars. I expect it to be bloody freezing. In spite of the AC not working, luckily the heater does function perfectly.
Griffin Riley
My fleet has remained unchanged for the last two years, simply because there’s no need to improve upon perfection. My daily driver is still the almighty ’07 C6 Corvette that’s as perfect as the day I first laid my eyes on it. In the roughly two years of ownership, I’ve taken plenty of road trips and a LOT of city commuting miles, totaling 25,000 driven miles since the day I got it. Admittedly, I sometimes feel like the honeymoon stage has worn off, and it’s time for something new, but then I see it parked on the street, basking in the light, and I realize it’s still a beautiful machine that I can’t quit.
While I’ve talked a bunch about how the C6 is shockingly great at every task I could throw at it, it’s NOT great in the rain, thanks to its sports tires and huge power figures with its low profile that guarantees folks won’t see you that well in a low visibility situation. For those moments, I have my ’04 Wrangler complete with a 3” lift, some 33s, big ole aftermarket steel bumpers, a winch, and massive offroading lights that make it pretty bulletproof in most situations I find myself in. The only issue with the car is that I just don’t drive it enough anymore.
Before my Corvette days, I was dailying a 2016 Mazda 3 with a six-speed manual in it. It was a great car, but not a “cool” car, which meant that I always wanted to pull the Jeep out on the weekends to live in peak California form. Now, my cooler car is the daily driver, which means I’m not feeling the need to Wrangle it much anymore, and it’s a bummer. That being said, I’ve been thinking a lot about off-roading lately, and I’m promising myself that I’ll do it more and make sure that the Jeep earns its keep around here.
Brian Silvestro
This’ll be shorter than I want it to be, because currently, I only own one car (usually, I’m juggling at least two or three). If you read The Autopian frequently, you’ll know my only vehicle right now is a 2008 Land Rover Range Rover with over 220,000 miles on the clock.
I bought this truck from a guy on Facebook Marketplace for very cheap, and I expected it to be a heap that would cause me lots of problems. It’s kind of a heap, yes, but it’s given me fewer headaches than I expected. I even managed to drive it all the way from New York City to Chicago and back with only extremely minor issues.
My plan for the Rover right now is to keep it running with minimal spending, only fixing what I absolutely need to. This car is essentially worthless, so dumping a bunch of money into it to make it nice wouldn’t make much sense. That’s the whole point of a beater, after all. Now that I know it can pull off a 2,000-mile trip, perhaps another big trip or two is an order in 2026.
Frequent readers will also know I sold my 2003 Mazda MX-5 Miata SE back in October, and haven’t yet decided on a replacement. I’m still very undecided on that front, though, considering it’s hovering just above freezing here in New York, I’m not exactly in a rush to buy a sports car right now. That said, if you have any offbeat recommendations under $15,000, please let me know.
Mark Tucker
And then there were three. I sold my MGB GT this summer after nine fruitless years of trying to make it be something it didn’t want to be (reliable). We also sold our vintage Aristocrat travel trailer since we just never seem to want to go camping anymore.
That leaves my beloved old Chevy truck, the 2013 Chrysler 300 I inherited from my dad, and my wife’s trusty 2004 GMC Yukon. It’s a good fleet, and I don’t see it changing any time soon.
Peter Vieira
Uh, actually I only have one car right now, a 2015 RAV4 in what I like to call “Invisible Silver” because cops just don’t see this thing. I do have thirteen bicycles though, so there’s that. Oh, and there’s a Lexus NX250 in the garage, but it’s my wife’s – I only drive it to the gas station. I’m clearly not pulling my car-ownership weight compared to the other Autopians, but man, they’re pulling so much weight, I think we’ve more than established our collective 100%-enthusiastic-car-enthusiasts bona fides, no?
More cars ranging from hot to heap are sure to join the Autopian stables in 2026, stay tuned!
Top graphic images and all story photos by the respective car owners.
Mark – Is the 300 you inherited from your dad a John Varvatos edition?
Obviously your farm is the one upstate where all the weird, old cars go at the end of their useful lives.
You know what they say about supermodels though. High maintenance.
Which I think means your analogy checks out.
#ReleaseTheJagCut
Does it involve more fiber?
I notice we never get to know what the Bishop has in his fleet. I know he needs to guard his anonymity, and therefore mystique, very carefully, but what’s in the garage? A Popemobile? A Manitou with seized switchable four wheel steering that will only go diagonally? We need to know!
I think it’s a VW Beetle, an old Citroen, a farm truck, a Nissan Pao, and a Changli.
All I can tell you is that the cars he currently owns are not in my garage yet. 🙂
SWG and I BOTH have red Chrysler LeBarons? Apparently, we are the Autopians who recognize the finer things in life.
I will walk with my people.
Amen, Kenny!
I love how Torch’s Citroën looks displeased. : /
I would trade fleets with Adrian. Both my favorite modern Mini and my favorite classic-ish Ferrari – swoon. Shame the steering wheels are on the wrong side.
Don’t let that discourage you! Three of my fleet are RHD, including my daily, and after a short adjustment period, it’s a breeze
I learned to drive on a RHD Land Rover, and I have driven in the UK several times. I have no problem doing it, I just don’t want to deal with it here when the car is available in the proper configuration. Now for something that never came in LHD that I wanted (I kind of want a Pao), sure.
“I can start the truck from inside, sitting, like a millionaire, instead of underneath it, wrench in hand, like a chump.”
I think I will name my starter “Chump”.
SWG! Look into POR15 fuel tank treatments for your Stealth. I used their fuel tank repair kit to seal up a motorcycle fuel tank that was welded back together. Similar situation where a new or used tank was unobtanium.
They make a kit for cars as well, its somewhere in the $100-$200 range. As long as the tank can theoretically hold fluids for some period of time the kit could be a life saver. Mine had a ton of pinhole leaks that I temporarily sealed with Flex Tape and some off the shelf Seal-All. You just need enough of a seal for all the chemicals in the kit to sit in the tank for the correct amount of time. The POR stuff basically makes a ‘bladder’ inside your fuel tank, it’s worked very well for me.
That was my first thought too, some kind of a coating but I didn’t know if there was one specifically for fuel contact surfaces.
Yes, same, and it worked great here too. Recommend!
Great advice and thank you!
Love the Jag collection! I really like that silver XK, and can’t believe its over 200k mi. Not sure if I am the only one that would be interested but I would appreciate an article on the overview of 20+ yr old Jag ownership. Which parts are actually Ferrari expensive, and should the average home mechanic be afraid?
Wait, David 86’d a SWG headline? That seems strange considering /waves hand at Mercedes’ random articles/
It’s not 86’ing the story, it’s just teaching the art of the headline; it’s tricky at first learning how to write them, but can be super useful, not just in getting people to read stories, but it also helps frame pitch ideas.
That ‘07 Jag is tempting Stephen! Good thing it’s too rich for my threshold for a project/2nd vehicle! Doubly so since you’re just a 3 hour drive from me lol.
You are the only person on Earth that has expressed any interest in that car in the past 6 months.
I don’t get it. Cheers to your excellent taste though!
I looked at you FB ad for shits and giggles and one suggestion would be to add a few more pics (does FB limit the number of pics you can include?) to include an engine bay shot (we all complain when one of Mark’s SBSD entries doesn’t have one) and one or two top-down pics that show the back seat (the ‘verts have a vestigial back seat, right?).
That’s actually great advice that I absolutely will take action upon. Leaning into feedback from the daily SBSD is very intuitive.
Thanks for reading and for the kind direction, MaximillianMeen!
I probably don’t have to mention, but will anyway. You should remove the engine cover to show the actual fun bits under the hood (er, bonnet since it’s a Jag).
I hope it helps. Good luck!
I’m secretly a sucker for Jags. My Dad had a red XJS with a tan interior from when I was born till I was 5ish. It was terribly unreliable but I loved riding in it when it wasn’t broken.
Agree on a poster below. Some interior shots would be better than the one through the window (unless its really that bad!)
I typically post 15-20 pics on FB marketplace doing my best C&B or BAT impression shots but I have no idea if this actually helps for cars in the sub $10k range.
We’re talking about the other blue Jag, the XK (not XK8); though I completely saw how they’d get mixed up.
You’re right though, I haven’t vacuumed or cleaned out the interior in that blue xk8, so I just took one lazy photo through the window and posted the ad. When a free weekend with good weather comes around I’ll certainly clean it up and take some good shots. I’m not really in too much of a rush to sell the thing so it can sit until the right buyer shows up.
Hey, thanks for reading and for joining us here in the comments though, my dude!
Matt, will the “magical formula of tranny fluid” help me shit smoother too?
Damn comments section logic makes me look late to the game again.
“…so I can start the truck from inside, sitting, *like a millionaire*, instead of underneath it, wrench in hand, like a chump.”
Fabulous piece of writing there
More SWG content for 2026 please!
Torch: What happened to the Sienna? Y’know, the one that David fixed for you?
Inquiring minds want to know.
DT responded to a comment below with the same question:
“Jason sold it for $500 even though I still technically own it and even though it just needed a new radiator hose.”
Probably Mercedes will get that RV from Torch once she sells that bus…
Or she will get it any way…
That’s a donation that even I wouldn’t take!
What happened to the Toyota Sienna David gifted Torch so Sally could have a “reliable” vehicle. Did it grenade and I missed it?
I have been wondering the same thing. We need #minivanlife updates!
Jason sold it for $500 even though I still technically own it and even though it just needed a new radiator hose.
Got rid of it for being too reliable?
Got rid of it because it overheated; buyer fixed it with a radiator hose.
For Deals, Deals, Deals, you’ve got to come down to Krazy Steve’s Discount Exotic Beater Emporium! We’ve got Jaguars! We’ve got Mercs! We’ve got Mercs pretending to be Mopars! Everyone who buys a car from Krazy Steve gets a free Buick Park Avenue that will never run! Limited time only!
For deals, deals, deals, its Kraaaaazy Steve!
Just for the record, we got that Park Avenue both running and driving!
Which definitely sweetens the pot firm at the Krazy Steve Lot.
There’s a video in the below piece of me driving the Park Avenue, a few hours before The Autopian Cab randomly arrived at my doorstep.
It’s a fun read; thanks for the above laugh Michael!
https://www.theautopian.com/sparking-joy-and-plugs-how-to-repurpose-a-31yr-old-junk-buick/
I think you misspelled “farm.”
Torch! You need to build a garage sir. The 2CV and Pao need to be out of the damp air, with a place for tools etc. You deserve this for your wonderful contributions.
I was SO lucky that my family was willing to kick the older of our two cars out of the 2 car garage, leaving decent space to house my 2CV and the tools required. Then again, it may have simply been a ruse to get me to clear out the entire garage and neaten it. Wait a minute….
That’s a clever but solid ruse! Win-win for both. How’s your 2CV, a running and driving unit?