Working in automotive media is both a blessing and a curse. This really is a dream job, and it affords me a kind of life I never thought I would have. Some of my colleagues have bought houses and had kids, or live in some seriously expensive postcodes. I’m different. I live in a cheap apartment in the Midwest that’s near cornfields, and I instead spend the vast majority of my money on vehicles and healthcare. I have amassed 23 vehicles, more than most people not named Derek Bieri or Ron Dauzet. Almost all of them work, too! But it’s wild to keep them going. Here’s what I had to fix this year.
I’ve always had a collecting bug in me. As a kid, I had a few thousand Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I was probably one of the biggest Hot Wheels collectors back then and didn’t even know it. My parents purged most of my collection as I got older, and now I’m down to a more reasonable 300 or so diecast cars.
When I was younger and much poorer, I collected stuff like cheap used Apple iPods, vintage iMacs, and old video games. That would later transition to collecting smartphones from failed startup companies and then computers that I built myself. At first, I had just one car, the trusty 2012 Smart Fortwo that I bought new. Sure, that car took up most of my McDonald’s income, but it was a dream come true.
Real Cars Are Just Big Hot Wheels, Right?
I accidentally got into collecting real cars when my 2012 Smart caught fire in 2016. A good friend who worked at a Mercedes-Benz dealership scored me a deal on a brand-new limited edition 2016 Smart Fortwo Edition #1. A requirement was that I trade the 2012 in, but we later found out that shipping the car to California would have cost more than the trade-in value. So, honoring the deal he made, my friend gave me the trade-in value, anyway, and let me keep the car. Oops, I had two Smarts.
A year later, I’d get a third Smart when a kind fellow in Colorado gave his 2005 Fortwo away entirely for free just because he couldn’t figure out a minor wiring issue. How could I say no to free? Crap, I had three Smarts.
A year after that, I would get a motorcycle license and discover that there was a whole world of awesome motorcycles that cost well below $1,000. Before I knew it, I had something like six ’80s Japanese motorcycles in a parking space at my apartment. Working for Jalopnik supercharged this. Now I had money. Sure, I could have thrown this money into an investment account, and honestly, I should have. Instead, I started buying up all of my teenage and childhood bucket list cars.
That’s sort of where I am today. I have most of the cars I adored when growing up, and a good chunk of the cars that I love as an adult. My secret? Most of my cars have tons of miles, are usually somewhat broken, and were acquired for well less than they would normally be worth. Sure, many of these cars have dings, dents, a couple of missing pieces, and broken air-conditioners, but I don’t care. I feel quite happy and lucky that I was able to accomplish this.
Speaking of blessings and curses, working from home is one of them. On one hand, I don’t have a commute. On the other hand, it means I drive my vehicles only for fun. I don’t have a “daily driver” because I don’t have a daily drive. My own cars basically move only on weekends. It also means that my own vehicles drive around 5,000 miles to 7,000 miles a year. Do the math, and that averages out to something like 300 miles per vehicle, or basically a tank of gas for the average car. That’s about right with my experience. Most of my vehicles go for a drive to the beach or out in the country, and then they come back home.
My rule is that everything has to be driven at least once a year, and everything has to run. I don’t want to be like ol’ David Tracy with non-running cars sitting for years. That means if something breaks, it has to be fixed. It might take me time to fix it – I do write 4,000 to 5,000 words a day, after all – but there has to be progress and an effort.
The Fleet
In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what my current vehicle list looks like right now:
Cars
1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe.
1989 Suzuki Every.
1997 Honda Life.
1998 MGF.
2006 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI.
2007 BMW 530xi.
2003 BMW X5.
2012 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI.
2008 Saturn Sky Red Line.
2005 Smart Fortwo.
2006 Smart Fortwo diesel.
2009 Smart Fortwo Cabrio.
2012 Smart Fortwo Coupe.
2016 Smart Fortwo Edition #1.Motorcycles
2024 CFMoto Papio SS.
2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350.
2005 Triumph Rocket III.
2005 Buell Lightning XB9SX CityX.
2005 Genuine Stella.
1978 BMW R 60/7.
1976 Suzuki RE-5 Rotary.
1972 Yamaha U7E.Buses
2002 NovaBus RTS-06
I was curious how the fleet adds up, so I crunched the numbers: my vehicles produce 1,991.3 horsepower; have 72 cylinders and one rotor; displace 39.99 liters; roll on 78 wheels; and shift through 110 transmission gears.
Anyway, let’s jump into it. To save this piece from being 10,000 words long, I will only write about the vehicles that needed more than routine maintenance. If I don’t mention it here, it’s because I had a great year with that vehicle.
2002 NovaBus RTS-06
This is the vehicle in my fleet that’s the most in flux. When I bought the bus, it was my understanding that an RV plate was all I needed to legally drive it. That assumption was wrong. Illinois is one of the states that requires the drivers of large RVs to have a license with the correct weight class. In this case, I need a Class B license to legally drive my bus. This means that the bus has been parked for over a year.
The difficulty here is that, to take the Class B test, you need to have the vehicle at the testing station. But it’s also not legal for you to drive it there. I’ve been told that, a lot of the time, the DMV will look the other way and pretend that the vehicle somehow magically got there. But sometimes, you get a stickler and, surprise, now your 39,999-pound GVWR bus is getting impounded. It’s not worth the risk to me.
Ideally, I want to get a Class A license, because I’d love to drive a semi-truck just for the fun of it. I sort of have an idea for that. I’d love to write about what it’s like to get a CDL. Ultimately, I think the bus might have a fate of being donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, as the museum has better resources to preserve it than I have. Admittedly, I want to give my bus one last ride before that happens. So, time to fix my license!
1948 Plymouth Special DeLuxe
This is the one vehicle in my fleet that doesn’t run. I’ve long wanted to own a classic American car, and thanks to the legendary Willie Shaw and The Autopian‘s wrenching hero Stephen Walter Gossin, I finally have one. I highly recommend reading my piece about Willie’s story; it’ll make you feel all warm inside.
I paid only $1,000 for this piece of classic Americana back in July 2024. I hoped to have it running by the spring of this year, but work and life got in the way.
I feel like I’m so close to the finish line. I have cleaned out the fuel tank and rebuilt the carburetor. I have gotten the electrical system going again, freed up the wheels, freed the engine, replaced the points, replaced the spark plugs, and confirmed great compression.
Now, I’m stuck. I have air, fuel, and compression, but no spark. Potential causes could be the ignition coil or maybe wiring? There are some loose wires under the dashboard. Honestly, I just need to hunker down and spend a day troubleshooting spark. I want to give myself a deadline of spring 2026, and I want to hold myself to it.
2009 Smart Fortwo Cabriolet
I bought this car at the end of 2024, and it was in almost perfect condition with a verified 27,000 miles. It didn’t have a bit of rust, its convertible top was in mint condition, and the leather seats didn’t even have a crack or crease. A Smart Fortwo Passion Cabriolet was always my ultimate dream Smart, but I was never able to afford to buy a good one until now.
Teenage me would probably be stoked to hear that she would own one of these one day. Well, also surprised about other major life changes, too!
Unfortunately, most Smart Fortwo convertibles hide a dark secret. For some inexplicable reason, Smart engineered its convertible tops to rely on a track system that’s largely made out of plastic. At the front of the convertible top is a pair of plastic sliders. Allegedly, according to internal documents at Smart, these sliders have a lifespan of only four years. However, there are no public-facing documents or repair procedures for replacing them. So the sliders never get replaced. One day, they’ll break randomly and cause the roof to jam.
I learned all of this through the man who travels between two continents to singlehandedly save every Smart convertible that he can. That’s Richard Bowden, and thanks to his brilliant mind and only 30 minutes of time, my convertible Smart truly is perfect now. Seriously, it took him only 30 minutes to replace the sliders.
2007 BMW 530xi
I bought this stately wagon from our secret designer, the Bishop, a couple of years ago. This is the nicest car that I own in terms of luxury, status, prestige, and features. It’s the vehicle I drive when I want to make a statement upon arrival.
This year, one of the plastic connections in the cooling system decided to shatter, and the car puked its coolant out onto the pavement. Luckily, I was at home when it happened. I ordered the parts, then they were stolen by a porch pirate. That pirate was kind enough to return my package once they realized they had stolen nearly worthless radiator hoses.
I installed the new hose, bulletproofed the cooling system, and gave the BMW a flush and fresh juice. It couldn’t be happier. I also recharged the air-conditioner. The Bishop told me that the car has a leak, and requires a recharge every couple of years. So, I’m just continuing his tradition. Finally, though the speedometer wasn’t broken, I replaced it with a digital one just for the fun of it.
2012 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
This car has always sort of been the troublemaker of my fleet. Due to a title goof, I wasn’t able to register this car. I wasn’t able to sell it, either. So, it sort of just sat in stasis for years. Over that time, I had the dual mass flywheel, water pump, and timing belt replaced.
This year, I finally went through the Illinois bonded title process and, for the first time in years, I now have a valid title to the car. It was shockingly easy, but took forever. I enjoyed the car for a little bit. Now, I’m going to sell it.
1997 Honda Life T-Type
I paid only $258 for this car in Japanese auctions this year, and was shocked that it was in immaculate condition. I’m talking not a speck of rust, and bolts that zip off with the kind of ease that you get when you wrench on a car from California. I love the little Honda Life because it’s a perfect example of a normal car from Japan.
Everyone loves to import legends like Honda Beats, Nissan Skylines, Suzuki Cappuccinos, and endless Kei trucks, but they’re sleeping on Japan’s normal cars. What’s great about Japan’s regular cars is that they’re still very weird compared to anything you can buy in America, but because they’re ignored by enthusiasts, they can be had for pennies. Everyone loves to smile and wave at my little Honda. People take just as many pictures of it as they would take of a car that costs 10 times more. It’s still fun to drive, too!
However, my Life wasn’t perfect. Upon receiving the car, I took note that it had properly crusty tires, destroyed front wheel bearings, and a dying front right axle. I had my trusty mobile mechanic fix all of that, and the car has been perfect since. I think I’m in around $5,000 on the Honda Life, and that includes the repairs and paying for tariffs.
1998 MGF
Most enthusiasts cheer the Mazda MX-5 Miata on as the answer to everything. But the Miata NA and the NB don’t do much for me. Instead, the ’90s roadster that my heart fell for is the MGF. I like to think of the MGF as being like a British Miata, but with an engine behind the seats, a complicated suspension, and looks that are as cute as a button.
I paid about $2,000 for this car in Japan, and it instantly became one of my favorite cars. I love the way it sounds, I love the way it handles, and I love that, for the low price that I paid, it was in almost perfect condition. All I needed to do was replace the broken convertible top window. That required some drilling and some riveting, but I had it done in only an afternoon of work.
The one thing I will need to do next year is pump the hydraulic suspension up, but that’s a problem for 2026 Mercedes. I even bought a set of Japanese glow license plates to go on the car for when I park it at shows.
2005 Genuine Stella
This scooter was one of my greatest wrenching victories in a long time. I bought my Stella for $500 in 2019. At the time, the woman who sold me little Marmalade told me that it hadn’t run in five years. I then let it sit for six more years, breaking my rule about every vehicle needing to run.
This year, I had to change the scooter’s destiny. I replaced its carburetor, cleaned its fuel tank, and bypassed a bad wire. That’s all it took to get it running. Since then, I had to replace the turn signal relay, the mirrors, and the oil tank sight glass. Once I got through all of that, Stella became pleasantly reliable. I put 3,000 miles on it through the spring, summer, and fall.
How well is it running? I can consistently hit a GPS-verified 60 mph, which is something most Stella owners can’t do without mods. The greatest part is that I’m still in for well under $1,000 on this scooter. Talk about cheap motoring!
I still have some repairs to do. The scooter’s left switch panel needs to be replaced, I need to replace one of the carburetor gaskets to stop a leak, and I need to install the new tires that I bought for it. I also want to upgrade the headlight to an LED.
The vehicle I spent the most time on this year was my wife’s 2012 Scion iQ. I’ve lost count of the hours that I’ve spent diagnosing issues with the dying gas pedal, the dying cruise control, the dying headlights, the whining CVT, the misfire, the stalling, and the poor fuel economy. Then there was the time spent actually replacing the coil packs and spark plugs, which was way harder than it needed to be.
The only easy repair I had with the iQ was replacing the tailgate struts, which took five minutes and only a flat screwdriver. But hey, my wife will probably be trading this car in soon enough, so maybe I won’t have to worry anymore.
I generally do not keep track of costs each year, but if I had to estimate, I’ve maybe spent around $2,000 on various fixes this year. I save a ton of money by doing work myself and through affordable independent mechanics.
Amusingly, I’ve also had some non-car repairs. At home, I’ve had to replace an air-conditioner, a garbage disposal, a baseboard heater thermostat, an oven thermostat, and the elements in the water heater. I suppose I also had to repair my Social Security card. I feel pretty accomplished about this year, overall.
Here’s To Another Great Year
I’m not sure what 2026 will bring. I hope to sell a few cars and maybe either keep the Autopian’s Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet or buy a Mazda MX-5 ND1. But honestly, that’s about it. I am happy with what I have, and don’t expect to make any huge changes anytime soon.
Instead, I want 2026 to be about experiences. I want to finish getting my pilot’s license. I want to experience cars in another country. I want to fly in a Boeing 747 and aboard one of the last DC/MD trijets. Really, I just want to be the best me that I can be and continue making my dreams come true.
I couldn’t have achieved any of this without my loving wife, who enables my exploits in more ways than one. Likewise, I’m still forever thankful that Jason and David took a chance on me all of those years ago. Without them, my life would have taken a completely different direction. So here’s to 2026, may the cars be great and put smiles on everyone’s faces.
Top graphic images: Mercedes Streeter
The insurance and registration fees on 23 vehicles must be astronomical, let alone the cost of renting storage facilities.
I’ll reiterate here:
I think a Lexus CT 200h is the goldilocks replacement for the Scion IQ. It’s a fancy Prius.
Also, if I was closer I’d use my (Canadian) commercial license to deliver your bus to the test centre. But alas, geography is a cruel mistress.
I mean, why bother driving to where you already are?
(kidding)
Mercedes! Not sure how IL works but worth looking into! If you can reclassify and title it as a motor home, you can possibly declare a new GVWR to have it lower than the limit.
In Texas, what I had to do was weigh my bus empty, then there is a formula that applies to the empty weight and an assumed minimum load capacity to determine a minimum GVWR. Then you can declare your own GVWR when you reclassify (from bus to motorhome) that is no less than the calculated minimum and no greater than that manufacturers established. My bus is 25,999. This is how U-Haul is able to rent out the 26ft trucks with a GVWR at 25,999 as well to anyone with a class c license.
It’s been so great reading about your adventures and car collection over the years. I can’t wait to hear about more of your flying, that’s such an impressive accomplishment already.
you are far braver and stronger than I am to keep so many vehicles, I’ve only just finally bitten the bullet and got a second car that I have been eyeing for 5 whole years. and that still only leaves me with the 2 cars and motorcycle.
I feel like the next import from Japan for Mercedes should be Marie Kondo. 🙂
There’s a lot of overlap in several of the cars and motorcycles, could definitely boil that down quite a bit.
Also I hope the Autopian is doing well but you probably aren’t making Leno money, even without having too much upkeep, there’s still taxes and registration and insurance on all that.
But the biggest gain would be time, and that is priceless, focus on the ones that truly spark joy, keep a couple reliable dailies for yourself and the Wife, and cycle the rest out.
2026 Mercedes needs to sell 15 to 20 vehicles. It will free up massive time and money for the things she really cares about.
Yes. On top of that I’d recommend calling the Illinois Railway Museum about the bus tomorrow. Or, at least the next business day.
Is it just me or does the headline sound like the intro to an AA (Automobile-aholics Anonymous) meeting?
I am beyond excited to read the upcoming story about the Extra! What a fun little plane.
2026 Mercedes should really try to bring that MGF to British Car Field Day 2026 on Father’s Day (Sunday, June 21, 2026) from 10am to 2pm.
https://britishcarfieldday.org/home/
People there would love to see it. We’ve only gone twice so far, but I do not think there’s been a MGF there recently.
About:
Originally conceived in 1982 as a casual country drive followed by a picnic lunch for member families of area British car clubs, British Car Field Day (BCFD) has evolved over the past 40 years to be the place for British car and motorcycle owners to showcase any and all road vehicles built in England!
Today, BCFD hosts over 200 British vehicles placed in 25 classes. Voting is performed by each registered owner which are provided a ballot as part of their registration. Awards are provided up to first, second and third place, depending on class size. Also included are “Best of Show” and “Diamond in the Rough”. A “People’s Choice” award goes to the vehicle with the most votes from our walk-in patrons.
Proceeds from BCFD benefit Children’s Hospital and Boy Scouts of America. In 2023, BCFD has also added a contribution of $500 to an area High School auto tech class for tools and supplies. BCFD Committee members also hold a tech session with students of the tech class describing the care and maintenance of these Little British Cars. We hope that exposure to these cars inspire students to learn more about collector cars and include their maintenance and repair in their future skill base.
My wife has a 1977 MGB. It really needs a spare tire and a fuel gauge. If I can get those functional, we might try to drive it there in 2026. Being a ’77 without overdrive, it tops out around 50 mph. So it’d probably take us 5 hours to go the 200+ miles to get there, but one thing I’ve learned from reading your stories is that if you have the chance, do it!
Also, we have 6 vehicles in our fleet. The wife just told me yesterday that we have too many vehicles. My answer was that we didn’t own enough property. 🙂
Currently, my limitation is parking, or I would have a few more. Working on that though.
I will admit, I am only familiar with local DMV and insurance requirements. . .but that many cars must consume a lot of resources keep all these cars on the road between insurance, registration fees, inspections, etc. just to meet the legal requirements.
But happy you can live your dreams and we are better for it thanks to the articles you create. Hers is to a great 2026.
Get the AC fixed,rather than recharged.
I’m no eco warrior (I do own a 7.4 liter pickup truck) but R-134a has a ghg potential 1430 times the same volume of CO2. Each pound that leaks out is the equivalent of burning 71 gallons of gas!
They already (VERY ANNOYINGLY) banned the small quantity cans in my state, but I do understand why.
This. Money spent to preserve, and minimize damage to the environment is far more worthy than just spending more to acquire another air polluter.
Part of vehicle ownership is being a responsible citizen…just sayin.’
There MUST be an Autopian in the area who can drive the bus to the testing station for you! Getting a class A isn’t as easy as it used to be (at least in my state). I just showed up with a truck and trailer, did the written and driving test and got a license. But that was last century, and I’d been doing it semi-legally for decades (farm kid). Now you have to go through an accredited training program.
I’m no mental health professional, but this just sounds insane. I find it hard enough to keep up with maintenance, cleaning, and regularly driving on a fleet of 4. Please take care of yourself.
Former mental health professional here.
And I once even stayed at a Holiday Inn.
Well said…
The math with tiny cars and scooters is always fun-
Displace 39.99 liters but 1/4 of that is the bus and the add in the bimmers and toureg and now your at half the displacement with 1/8 of your vehicles.
My math looks similar with the 50cc scoots adding cylinders and wheel count, but barely moving the needle on displacement.
MGF suspension pump-up task takes less than 30 minutes. Satisfying when its done.
I’m down to two and a bit cars, and this year I sold my two nineties race-rep motorbikes that just had an expensive rebuild/needed an expensive rebuild, and bought a shiny new CBR600RR instead.
I miss the old project bikes, but the imminent failure of something critical was a constant worry, and had affected how I ride. With a new shiny bike I just ride it, without worrying about where the hell I’d find parts if anything happened.
I miss every single one of my old cars, and recently visited my old RX7s, one of which had weeds growing in it through the floor. I haven’t the energy to keep any more cars roadworthy, and when car I own part of sells I won’t be replacing it.
Of course they haven’t driven you insane because most of them can’t be driven.
Sometimes I miss the days when I could have fun with stuff like that. My Jones was the Volvo 240, and there were times I owned a dozen or more concurrently. Enjoy it while you can!
I feel like 2026 Mercedes will want to have a word with 2025 Mercedes about all the tasks she dumped on her…
Please prioritize the Plymouth! Not just for the alliteration. The car has such a lovely backstory and seems like it’s soooo close.
Seconded! Do it for Willie, get that lovely beast on the road. I’d love to see it at a meetup…