I get it, and even agree, that the vast majority of us only really need one car. And even then, a lot of us could probably get along fine with zero cars, albeit with much less convenience and infinitely less happiness. But if you were to have all the optimized cars (or trucks, or transport modes) for the various use cases in your life, then how many and what kind of machines are we talkin’ about here?
Take me, for example. As a homeowner, I need something that can haul a bunch of mulch or concrete pavers or shrubs or whatever it is I need to recreate – badly – the thing my wife saw on HGTV the previous weekend. Can my 2015 RAV4 do this? Yes. Is it ideal? No. I shall need a Ford F-150, the most basic one will be fine.
But do I want to daily a Ford F-150? No, I do not. And never mind that I work from home. For my imaginary 30-miles-each-way commute, I require something frugal to own and operate, comfortable to be in, and at least kinda cool. The Toyota Prius ticks all those boxes, and if it’s good enough for Bozi, it’s good enough for me.
OK, so I’ve got my hard-workin’ F-150 and my sensible daily, but what do I drive on those four-hour schleps to Austin (I’m up near the DFW airport)? Yeah, fine, the Prius can do it, but I think I need a more dedicated highway cruiser. Toyota Crown Hybrid, maybe? I’ve seen a few on the road, I like ’em.
All good choices, I think, but do they stir my soul? Not really. And doggone it, every car person needs a soul-stirrer. I shall have a Mustang GT.
Your turn:
How Many Cars Do You Need?
Top graphic images: Ford; Toyota
How many cars to I need? Just one. A reliable daily driver.
For a fun car or something unusual or something with more space (like a moving truck), I’ll just rent it as needed.
At some point in the near-ish future, my household will go up to two cars after my daughter graduates… but that will still just mean that I personally only need one car.
I need:
1)Something reliable, low-maintenance, and practical. Also fun to drive. Currently this is my JSW TDI.
2)An air-cooled 911. Currently this is my air-cooled 911.
3)Something else relatively inexpensive, old, interesting and fun that will rotate every couple of years.
Need? 3. One each for myself and wife that are dailies… and a summer sports car for fun.
Currently have 4… Flex because I can’t bring myself to get rid of it even though the kids are gone, wife’s Abarth, my Mustang, and a Frontier that’s currently the daily.
When I lived in San Francisco – I had no car for 14 years.
And it was wonderful not paying parking tickets, insurance, fuel, parking space rent & maintenance – – much less car payments.
I have one car now – and while it doesn’t do absolutely everything I might think I need at any a given time – it does 100% of what I need all the time.
Need? 1 tow rig for the horses.
Should have? 1 tow rig + 1 commuter
Like having? 1 tow rig + 1 commuter + 1 parts runner
Have? 1 tow rig + 1 commuter + 1 parts runner + 5 motorcycles
1
Just hard to find a perfect one, which includes no costing so damn mach.
So, keeping it cheap by keeping my old car with the oil leak and no heat.
The correct answer depends on your marital status. Single: 2, married: 3. Spouse has a DD, I have a DD and I am always looking for the next fun car. What kind of daily depends on your personal needs- we have a PHEV for around town and a truck for my work. I’m currently eyeing FB Marketplace for the next fun find.
None.
I desire working public transit to get around. Something like the UK has, which, compared to America (which is where I live), well… by and large, it exists in the first place.
As I have had those who DO live in the UK give (to me rather sadly hilarious) pushback, in the past: imagine for a moment that the member-nations of the EU are all small states that are part of one single sovereign nation. Now imagine you live in Bognor Regis, and by some chance you have an appointment in Paris next Wednesday. If you take a car, that is 6-1/2hrs driving, give or take, and that assumes perfect timing through the Chunnel! But, you live in the UK, you can take a train. If you live in a major city, you probably would have to *rent* a car to take one long-distance like that, because you neither own one nor desire to.
Imagine if, instead, your only option was to travel not to Brighton but to *London* by car or taxicab, and then on to Paris. That’s what it’s like here. If I were to want to take the train to visit my father, I would have to get to a city an hour’s drive from me, which by bus would take all day (no joke, no exaggeration, ask and I’ll step you through the route!) and the train would then drop me off in a city that is… just as far by car, five hours’ drive, from my father as I am now.
Say what you will about your Pacer trains, they are better than a very, very long walk — or, simply not going, which is what I do now, and it makes me sad. I’ll take a Pacer over nothing at all, any day of the week!
For a vehicle that makes me smile? I desire a leg no longer afflicted with lymphedema (which would be useful for other reasons!), an operable sense of balance, and… actually, *two* vehicles. One is a homebuilt monowheel skateboard (I will never buy the OneWheel brand, given their positions on Right-to-Repair and battery DRM) and the other is a landsurfing rig. Both seem… fun.
I suppose, nominally, there is a third vehicle, but in order to explain that, I would have to explain some other things, and The HAMB did not like it when that came up incidentally over there — being quite particular, and if I may say, quite rude, about staying on-topic — so I’ll be avoiding that here, as well.
The answer isn’t 7, but that’s what I have. 4 drivers plus 1 18 year old that should be a driver. So there’s 5 dailies, plus a Miata for summer and a MGB that needs to go away, but I’ve been too busy to list it and now winter is here.
1 lease ends on January 1st, so then I’ll be down to 6 and I hope to maybe get it down to 5 if I can get rid of the MG. Next summer I’ll probably need 6 again when the last kid had better have a license and be driving to a summer job. I’m trying to keep flexible because we have a 93 year old grandmother who is still driving, but we will get her 2020 Equinox with 18,000 whole miles on it when she decides to hang up her keys.
Kind of depends on the car you own and your tolerance for bumming rides, or how accomodating the dealership is I suppose.
Are you a used car driver? if you buy mostly 30k mile cars secondhand, probably from just off lease specials or something then one car is a gamble, but probably OK if you know enough to do basic maintenance and listen to your car vs the radio. you will likely in most cases at least get to 60k miles without a lot of fuss.
If you buy new only and get rid of cars in 3-4 years and don’t drive a million miles a year, you definitely only need one car.
If you are Ralph Orlove or really anyone under a certain age living in New York or down town Chicago, you probably should stick to your scooters and bikes, cars are too much for you.
If you are more along the lines of what I suspect is the majority of Autopians you probably need 2 cars minimum. one to drive and one for backup because likely both are north of 60k miles and you probably need one for daily use and one for other activities. but one could be daily driven in a pinch until funds for replacement parts are scored.
Some of this gets skewed by how many others you have in the house.
I could probably make due with less, but my wife and I both have a Jeep as a daily driver (2012 Liberty for me, 2014 Grand Cherokee for her). Then we have a 2002 Dodge Dakota that we use for dump runs, vacations, and other such things. All the vehicles are paid off, and in good shape.
However, the mileage is up on all 3 (160k, 180k, and 190k respectively). And the mileage isn’t awesome on any of them.
If I had unlimited time, and could find rust-free examples, I think this would be my stable:
Daily Driver – smaller wagon with awd/4wd (as we live in the northeast, and need to get around in the snow). But I could be convinced to switch to a hybrid maverick with all wheel drive. If I did that, I could then make the “spare” vehicle be something either fun (like an older wrangler), or something super fuel-efficient (like a used prius), as I have been having to drive 500-700 miles per month for work lately, and it would be nice to be in something more efficient).
Need? I think 2, 3 if you count the spouse. Being a “car guy” is actually pretty cost effective as long as you’re not filling the garage with late model depreciating cars, but for that to work out you have to have a spare to drive if one breaks. Repairs are cheap when you can take the time to research it, source the parts, and do it on your own time.
But we all know “need” doesn’t really mean need. There’s room on my property to build a big pole barn, and I think 10 cars worth of space with 6-8 actually in there would be a very nice workshop/collection.
Need?
Individually, I could get away with my truck…
I need something that I can haul my pups around with, I do a fair bit of hauling as a homeowner, and my wife and I do numerous weekend camping trips with our 20′ trailer. I need 4wd in the winter, and appreciate having a vehicle that can carry my skis and/or bike(s) when adventure calls
But in the warmer months when I want to do a quick trip in town, or do a longer commute down to the city to run errands or get my hair cut, I want something smaller, more maneuverable, easier to park, and ideally with a removable roof.
OK, so my Truck and my Del Sol.
But then my wife needs a car. She also needs something with AWD/4WD to deal with mountain snow storms, and it needs to be comfortable enough that we can use it for a road trip if we’re not bringing the puppies along.
So yeah…3 vehicles for me & my wife.
FWIW, as my daughter finishes college and I administer my late father’s estate, that number has grown to 5 cars/trucks…plus a Suzuki Burgman scooter.
Nice to start out with the faulty logic that one “NEEDS” a full size truck for occasional trips to a DIY home center….
This isn’t necessarily faulty.
Depending on where you live and what your home needs, owning a truck is a preferable alternative to renting one or destroying the interior of a vehicle that really wasn’t meant to do truck stuff.
Over the years, I’ve trashed the interiors of several vehicles (Isuzu Trooper, Acura MDX, Nissan Pathfinder, and even a Saab 9-5 wagon) trying to haul stuff that didn’t quite fit…Nevermind hauling various oversized loads (including thousands of pounds of rocks, bricks, and green waste) to the dump.
And then there is the time I chose to rent a truck from Home Depot to pick up some furniture, only to get it stuck in an unexpected snowstorm.
I’ve managed 20 years as a very DIY homeowner without a truck.
There are rentals, delivery, and dumpsters for the big stuff.
I’ve managed sheets of plywood / drywall / insulation, 12 foot cement fiberboard siding, 16 foot lumber with wagons over the years.
Snow falls on personal and rental trucks just the same.
We haven’t even touched on the topic of trailers which are WAY cheaper than trucks for the occasional use.
I did 20 plus years without as well. You know what beats having to do all of that in the interest of avoiding owning a truck?
Owning a truck.
Yes, most truck owners don’t do truck stuff, and most homeowners can get away without owning a truck. But it’s a logical fallacy to claim that no truck owners need a truck based upon your personal experience and ability to work around the margins.
It’s a bit!
Need: anything not rusted out that can get the family reliably where we need to be, fit 4 people comfortably and tow a ~3000 lbs single axle utility trailer.
Want: now that’s a longer list.
At least 3-4:
a big SUV, a spare car grocery-getter, a convertible, an off-roader, and maybe something vintage.
For NEED, with the current life events I’ve had, I’m going with total drivers + 1. We had 3 cars, cracked up my daily driver and still maintained normal life operation with our regular non-commuter(25 year old truck), then wife’s daily got a warning that needed warranty repair, she gets my new daily until that’s fixed, and again I’m driving the truck until that’s back from the dealer.
My plan before the last few weeks was to get down to number of cars as total drivers, and maybe trade my motorcycle in for like a Polaris slingshot but think the universe is saying it’s good to have a running backup.
the proverbial 25 year old truck is hard to get rid of for most. We inherited a 2006 Silverado with no AFM/DFM, but Z71 spec. It has close to 300K on the clock, but after replacing all of the brake lines and some components it is just fine for winter use for the wife. She parks the G70 even though it has AWD when it snows. it costs very little to keep it around and repairs are pretty cheap still. so really the hardest thing about owning it is getting in it and driving it in the summer to keep the fuel fresh and the battery charged.
Need? One. Have? Two, from when I did need a truck. It was just easier and cheaper to keep it since it was already paid off.
Ideally, public transportation would take care of my need for the one, but I live in the USA, so…
Need ? Zero, Own ? Three, They are a hobby for me, A 1990 VW Transporter, 1972 VW Dormobile camper and a 1994 R33 Nissan Skyline.
I just enjoy working on and looking after them, I do maybe 1500 miles a year. Work from home and only really drive for pleasure.
Considering between my wife and I we currently have 5 cars and I’m considering a 6th, “need” reminds me of this famous scene.
https://youtu.be/sh-gB07JftY?si=sO7PIBK7YGiPBgds
+1 here and thanks!
“I was born a poor negro child in Mississippi.”
What a movie…
Ironically I was laying awake in bed last night thinking about this very question.
We had been a Toyota truck family for decades, owning two of the smaller 1990s trucks, and nothing more.
When I bought my better half a Scion xB, we had too many cars for us to insure and take decent care of.
So we sold the last of our Toyota trucks to a very close friend who lives just a mile away. Our agreement was that I could borrow the truck should I ever need to do so.
Over 3 years later there has not been a need to borrow the truck, yet. My friend has 7 vehicles so the Toyota has been driven maybe 15 miles in the last several years. I could buy it back for the $700 bucks he paid me for it, anytime.
Yet I have not found a decent need or reason to do that.
As always, YMMV.
I’d say dos! Something sensible and something fun are must haves
Need? Two. I have a Fiesta ST and a Suburban. One daily driver and one for adventuring / road tripping / bad-roading / passenger hauling / load hauling / towing.
I have a third car as a toy.
I need parsh (plural).
How many is plural? Well, how much space for parsh do I have? How many various parking spots across the world do I have here?
I have 3:
17 Ford Raptor Supercab – long distances and winter
16 Fiesta ST – 30 mpg daily driver except winter
05 CTS-V – fun sunny days and car shows
And a Honda motorcycle and minibike. And a motocompacto scooter.
That’s probably enough.
2. That way when you fiddle with something and break it, you have another car to drive that will inevitably break while you’re working on fixing the first.
3 is no good (especially if the 3rd is completely reliable) because it will make you complacent about fixing car 1 and/or 2