It’s well-established on The Autopian that my life has changed a lot over the past 30 months. In 2023, I was single and had nothing but time, but now I have a family to look after and an increasingly-complex business to run. Caught in the midst of this transition are a bunch of amazing vehicles that I simply no longer have time for. So it’s time to make some changes to my fleet, and my newest plan is… a bit convoluted, but possibly ingenious.
OK, so it makes sense to start with a list of vehicles I currently own.


First, I own this Nash Metropolitan:
I also own this 1985 Jeep J10
I own this 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee five-speed:
That ZJ Grand Cherokee is a bit of a project, so alongside it I have this parts Jeep:
I also have my brother’s 1966 Ford Mustang:

Plus I own a BMW i3S:
And I own a 1989 Chevy k1500 pickup truck:
Plus I have a 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ:
Back in Michigan, I have a Jeep Cherokee XJ that once looked like this:
And in Germany, I have a diesel, manual Chrysler minivan:
My goodness. How do I still have 10 cars?! I just sold my Willys CJ-3B! Anyway, this is all a bit… much. But the good news is: I have a plan.
The Plan Is A Bit Complicated, But It Might Just Work
First off, I’m giving the Nash away as soon as I find the right home, and the diesel, manual Chrysler minivan is basically my parents’ at this point. Should they decide to sell it, they can. My first car, my XJ, will remain in Michigan for a bit. And my BMW i3S is my daily driver; I have no plans to get rid of it. My 1991 Jeep YJ was my wedding vehicle, and it’s the ideal convertible for SoCal, so it’s sticking around, too. I have to keep my brother’s Mustang, as well.
As for the others… well, the J10 — after 10 years under my ownership — finally has to go. I won’t be happy with it until its minor rust is fixed and it’s repainted, and that’s expensive; what’s more, the J10 will never pass California emissions. And, as I’ve found that it is almost completely worthless in California due to it having minor rust, I’ve decided I’m going to ship it to Michigan.
That’s right; I’m planning to pay $1500 to ship my J10 to Michigan to see if the value delta between the rust-belt and here is enough to actually net me a significant profit. Stay tuned.
My bbeloved 1989 Chevy K1500 350 5-speed is probably going to be sold. Part of me likes that it can seat five and that it can tow, and it’s comfortable as heck for a truck, but I’m not a Chevy truck man. And so that leaves me truckless — a problem that I will remedy with the purchase of another pickup. I have already committed to my J10’s/K1500’s replacement; I’ll let you guess what that is in the comments. Hint: It’s extremely cool.
As for my two Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJs? I’m debating replacing both of them with an already-running and driving ZJ. Is it worth spending 5 big-ones on a beautiful Jeep that’s done versus me building the ultimate overlanding vehicle? I’ve amassed years worth of parts for that project, which — with its crank windows and manual locks — really is the ultimate overlanding budget-Jeep. And speaking of money: I paid basically nothing for that red ZJ, plus my kittens were born in it.
Should I keep it and hope I can someday finish the epic project, or should I buy a minty fresh one that unfortunately has power windows and locks, but at least runs and drives today? It’s not that I really need a running, driving ZJ to get around, so maybe keeping the immobile hulk for a while isn’t the end of the world… so long as I can convince my wife that we can store it in our driveway (this is proving difficult).
So that’s the plan right now. I’m keeping:
- i3
- Mustang
- YJ
- [New truck that I’m buying]
- Either my ZJ project or that new $5000 ZJ
- My original XJ (stored in Michigan for the foreseeable future)
On the chopping block are the K1500, J10, Nash, and maybe the two ZJs to be replaced by the minty one.
A logical man would just get rid of the ZJs and not replace them, but I’m obsessed with manual Grand Cherokees, so that’s just a step too far for me at the moment.
Expect news on my exciting new truck soon, and on whether shipping my J10 to Michigan made sense or was a giant blunder. Oh, and expect news on what I’ll do regarding the manual ZJs… I remain torn.
I’ll bet the new truck is a 392 Wrangler or a Mexican post-2000 Ramcharger.
If the Nash was in Michigan, I’d probably work out a deal on that one with you.
I hope the mystery truck is a manual Comanche so you can justify being rid of the other pickups and the Cherokees.
Dave- what do you consider the “proper home” for the Nash?
I hope it’s something interesting and not a Rivian .
Why would you ship the Jeep truck to storage, when you could sell it nationwide and offer to ship it to the customer? This thing is no reserve auction quality at this point. Just trust that whoever buys it will love it because why else would they spend any money on it.
The solution to the off-road Jeep problem is to buy another Jeep? Come on man. The denial is so strong, but at least now we know that you have $5k to spend.
Find someone that is not you to combine the two into one that works. Pay them $5k. Put all of your jeep parts into the two salvage vehicles and tow them over. Tell them they get to scrap or sell anything left over after the build (this part gets extra points with the wife).
There have to be lots of professional off-roading shops within 50 miles of you. Now before you protest that the kind of build that you want would cost a lot more than $5k in labor and parts that are still needed, check your privilege. You own a website that can trade exposure for a favorable price. Just find a shop willing to break even in exchange for a few stories with their name in it, plus one in depth partner story or something. Probably could get an intern to figure this out.
You are never going to have the time to build the Jeep project yourself. While I would have loved for a crazy up for 48 hours wrenching on this Jeep story like we got 5 years ago, that time has passed because now we would know it would also come with infant neglect and being a bad husband. Taking the kitten jeep out on the trail that a professional built for you is still a good story that I would like to read.
This is a great idea. I agree that it might be more than $5k and I disagree about paying in “exposure”, especially since a local shop won’t benefit from a worldwide readership, but I bet $5k could get it pretty far along, maybe even enough to go on some trails with the cats.
The off road shop closest to me has a wrap with their name on one of their rigs parked in front. It is literally the only reason I know where they are at. Global readership website traffic may not lead to direct sales, but it certainly will make google put you higher in search results. I would not expect the shop to be willing to invest more than the cost of a wrap, or more likely just the friend price. Maybe the shop can put a wrap with their name on it for 2 years because that would be funny and then people on the local trails would see it.
$5k is a lot of labor even in Cali if it does not need many extra parts between the two donor cars and parts he already has. Could do a separate article about picking up a rebuilt engine and not count that cost towards the budget. It does not have to be the best build in the world because it already has a manual so it will be good enough.
Taking the cats down a trail in the Jeep they were born in would be epic. That is the content that I really want.
But half the reason he even wants it is to do it himself. Plus he’s really bad at hiring stuff out he’s capable of doing and trusting the other professional not to screw it up.
Worst case scenario they screw it up, but the boxes of old parts are gone so the wife is happy. And only 1 Jeep to sell instead of 2.
Here’s what I’d do:
Nash: Agree, give it away
J-10: Agree, sell. I wouldn’t bother shipping to Michigan, just list it online on something like E-Bay, Cars and Bids or Bring a Trailer. I don’t think the $1,500 is money well spent, unless you’re doing it out of curiosity and for content.
XJ and two ZJs: Decide which project you want to focus on. Sell or scrap the other. You won’t have time for two very involved projects
Mustang: Agree, keep.
BMW i3s: Agree, keep. It’s your daily.
Chevy Truck: Agree, sell.
Mystery Truck: I wouldn’t bother buying another truck honestly. I know you have house projects, but I’ve owned a home for nine years, done tons of DIY and gotten by just fine without one. Get a cheap Harbor Freight utility trailer, or rent a truck from Home Depot, or pay for delivery occasionally. It beats owning/insuring/maintaining a vehicle for a very narrow purpose.
YJ: Keep… for now. I’d liquidate it when you find a JL in the spec you want.
That would leave four vehicles, 1) XJ or ZJ, 2) Mustang, 3) i3s, 4) YJ (to be replaced if/when you buy the JL). Lot easier to manage than six, especially with one of them being a major project. You do you though! I’m married and expecting a kid and three vehicles (all of which are in good operating condition) plus my wife’s is starting to stress me out. I can’t imagine double that.
Hey, you live in LA now, no body shaming allowed.
But not out loud.
Of course it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about existential voids, which I suppose would apply in this case.
I came expecting actual vehicular shrinkage. Like George in cold water, or this
Or perhaps trading the Mustang for a Mustang II and some Jeeps for the equivalent Mahindra Roxors.
It’s like confusing “Honey I Shrunk the Kids, where the kids get smaller, and Home Alone where they misplace one of their kids. And something about Trump and a restroom? I can’t remember how that fits in.
It’s all relative. To a Michigan man, that’s minor.
“Should I keep it and hope I can someday finish the epic project?”
YES! Don’t get rid of it…plus we’ve been looking forward to reading about you turning it into the ultimate overlanding cat Jeep!
FYI, if your vehicle can’t pass smog in California, you can get $$$ to retire it to a junkyard.
Is your new truck a Comanche MJ? Egal was, freue mich daruf.
I think there is an income cap on that.
There is a rather humorous list of how many parts can and cannot be missing.
David is actually buying my second vantruck (the yellow one). Sorry for the spoiler.
If you’re not driving the ZJs then I agree they should go. Or store the manual ZJ in Michigan and bring the XJ?
Interesting location for your German van… I guess your parents visited Verdun during the Olympics.
Just be sure your wife is on board with whatever you decide to do. It’ll pay off later if you do.
And you’ll pay later if you don’t.