What happens when an obsessed car enthusiast who was convinced he’d die alone meets the girl of his dreams, gets married, and has a child? Well, he finds himself both overjoyed and in a bit of a predicament, with far too many cars that…kind of don’t work for his lifestyle anymore. Why am I speaking in the third person? I have no idea, but I got zero sleep last night, so please bear with me as I talk about my current automotive dilemma now that most of my cars no longer work as daily transportation.
Over the past few weeks since welcoming my child, Delmar (not his real name), I have been driving around almost exclusively in my wife’s Lexus RX350.
Look, I’ve reviewed her 2017 RX350, and it is truly one of the best crossover SUVs money can buy — it rides great, it’s powerful, it’s spacious, it’s reliable, and on and on. But while it’s an impressive machine for how well it performs its intended function, it doesn’t exactly stir my soul. OK, I’ll say it: It’s a bit boring, and I’m starting to go crazy.
Obviously, complaining about driving a luxury SUV is very much a first-world-problem, but you know what I mean here. I’m a car-nut who is used to daily drive a 1965 Plymouth Valiant, a 1976 Postal Jeep, a 1992 Jeep XJ, a 1948 Willys CJ-2A, more recently a BMW i3S, and on and on. To go to a literally-beige Lexus crossover is a bit soul-crushing.
Anyway, I think it might make sense to go through my current collection of cars and evaluate their utility now that everything has changed for me and “my life is over” (as the young folks say).
1985 Jeep J10, 1989 Chevy K1500 Silverado
Let’s hop right into my biggest dilemma at the moment. I own two pickup trucks, and I cannot justify that, so I need to whittle it down to one.
On one hand, I have my 1985 Jeep J10, which has always been my dream truck. On the other hand, I bought a 1989 Chevy K1500 on a bit of a whim back in January because it was such a good deal, and you know what? It’s actually a great pickup. I think I’m comfortable saying that it’s much better than the J10, objectively speaking.
But that J10 purchase was never really a rational buy. I picked it up a decade ago because I think it looks badass, and also: It’s a bit of a relic of a bygone era. It’s got a carburetor, manual locking hubs, a true bench seat, a four-speed on the floor, a stamped tailgate, and a regular cab layout with an eight-foot bed. It is a truck’s truck.
The K1500 doesn’t have a carb, manual locking hubs, a stamped tailgate, or a regular cab, and its bed is only 6.5 feet long. But man is it a great daily driver; it rides like a cloud, its throttle body-injected 350 V8 fires up and generally runs quite smoothly, offering good power. And, crucially, it has two rows of seats.
That’s my concern with my J10: With only a single row of seats, does it really make sense to keep? I mean, I get that I don’t need space for my whole family in my daily commuter, since I’ll be driving to work alone, but the J10 isn’t my commuter — it’s my classic weekend cruiser and Home Depot runner. And for that, is it realistic that I’ll be just driving around all by myself without my wife and kid?
Should I keep the Chevy so I can take them with me, even though the J10 is clearly the cooler truck? I don’t have the answer.
[Editor’s Note: I guess we’re not talking about this? I’d have thought that could make this choice easier, but what do I know? – JT]
BMW i3S
The two daily drivers in our household are the Lexus and the BMW i3S, and that may make you wonder: “Why not just drive your beloved i3S instead of the Lexus?” It’s a fair question, especially given that the i3S is actually quite a safe car, having scored excellent marks in IIHS crash testing.
The issue is that the i3S is really not the most ideal family car. The big thing is that the infant car seat only just fits, and what’s more, getting the child in and out of that seat — especially when parked next to another car — is a huge pain in the ass. You end up getting stuck in this weird space between the rear door and the front door that needs to be open to release the rear door.
The overall interior volume isn’t bad — the entire continent of Europe has raised families in much smaller cars — but relative to the Lexus, the i3 is a pain in the Arsch for loading/unloading a baby.
I still plan to keep my i3, because I’m hoping once that seat becomes front-facing, it’ll be easier to install/remove young Delmar; plus, the i3 is the ideal one-person LA commuter. But there is part of me that wonders whether I should make sure all my cars can easily fit the whole family, or if it’s OK to have one or two that don’t.
Growing up, my dad had a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee as his commuter, and it only seats five, while there were eight in our family. We had a Chevy Astro as well, so I think having one car that easily fits everyone and one that doesn’t is OK. And again, once that seat can flip around, maybe it’s fine.
[Editor’s Note: Personally, I think an i3 is a completely fine baby car. Well, the getting-trapped-in-the-doors thing sounds annoying, but I took my kid all over the place in my ’73 Beetle, and it had half as many doors! An i3 is many orders of magnitude better than that, especially safety-wise. But the Beetle wins for helping to keep your baby smelling like gasoline, oil, and horsehair. – JT]
Jeep YJ, Ford Mustang
So we’ve talked about the trucks and the daily-driver, but what about my classic cars that are a bit less utilitarian — my Sunday cruisers? To me, the fact that these can fit a child (once he’s older) means they’re in the clear. No, I can’t drive these far on the freeway like I used to, because they’re not safe, but if baby-Delmar wants to cruise around town in the YJ old Mustang, I bet he’d love it! (My old CJ-3B will hopefully have found a new home by then).
I don’t really see any issue with keeping ’round-town classics that can fit a family. It’s just the J10 that has me worried, because there’s no second row. [Editor’s Note: It’s a bench seat in the J10! We’ve had three people in there before! I was even in the middle! Elise (NHRN) and Delmar (NHRN) could all cram in there! Just you know, it’s maybe not the safest.– JT]
Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 5-Speed, Diesel Manual Chrysler Voyager
There are two vehicle that I’m a little worried about, because they’re not really ’round-town-cruisers; their best trait is that they’re great road-trippers. Do I think it would be loads of fun to drive 35 mph in a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee five-speed or a diesel manual Chrysler Voyager? Not really.
At least with the Mustang you get a nice sounding V8 and a totally different driving experience than you’re used to, and with the YJ you get open-top fun. But the ZJ and minivan? They’re great on the open road, or in the case of the ZJ, overlanding off-road.
I’d love to keep them both, because they’re amazing machines, but if I can’t regularly drive them with my family on the freeway, I’m not sure how useful they’ll be.
Then again, how much of car collecting is really about usefulness. I mean, none of this is rational; should I even be trying to rationalize it? Yes, yes I should. I’m a family man now and I have responsibilities. Frivolities need to be curbed! Right?
[Editor’s Note: I disagree with that above sentiment entirely. Some people love to tell new parents that kind of thing (I think they just get a perverse pleasure at seeing new parents’ faces go ashen when they get told they’ll never have fun again) , and I suspect David has heard it plenty. But it’s bullshit. You don’t need to curb frivolity, automotive or otherwise. You just need to involve the kid in it, because they’ll love it. There’s no right way to be a parent, and every kid is different, but I’d counsel, as a fellow dad, to keep the cars he likes, because a happy parent is a good parent. – JT]
FWIW, have an Inventory Reduction Sale and fund a 529 account for Delmar. Time to be the adult in the room. You’re now directionally correct, move on.
“ seeing new parents’ faces go ashen when they get told they’ll never have fun again”
Yeah, but when your kids start their first punk band it gets fun again. Just remember, the rehearsals are at the drummers house.
Another tip, you are probably going to know the other parents at your kids preschool for the rest of your life or at least the next 20 years.
First: welcome Delmar (NHRN)!
Second: France
Third: regarding the trucks, it can be reasonable to ask Elise (NHRN) if she intends to join you on home depot runs and such. Maybe she doesn’t, and the baby is still a baby, so he may not join either. You still have some time, then.
I guess you absolutely have to keep the Mustang (but that’s because I love them), the BMW (a sensible car despite the clumsiness of today), and one of the Jeeps. If your familiy will join you to Moab or such, the Gran Cherokee seems the choice. And if you already have a great cruising car (Elise’s), then you can get rid of the minivan (that’s because I’d love to buy it).
This is easy. Subaru brat, replace jump seats in bed with child seats, allow the little tikes to enjoy some open air motoring!
Been there. My ‘68 Dart was my daily when my eldest was born …that lasted (not easily) all of 2 years. Just too much of a hassle driving it and having an infant w/o AC in Maryland humidity. My ‘96 K1500, on the other hand, has been an awesome family car. A rear-facing infant seat fits perfectly in the middle back seat, and now that my youngest only needs a booster, she loves being able to see out the front of the truck without obstruction. I forget if your GMT400 has a split bench front, but if it’s buckets, give it a shot. They’re solid family trucks.
I know what babies smell like, and a baby that smells like “gasoline, oil, and horsehair” is an improvement.
Whatever you do, keep your brother’s Mustang. That car will draw more envious looks in 5 years when you start driving to kindergarten.
Solution: Sell me the 1500, ditch the YJ and the Grand Cherokee project for an LJ that has a bit more room in the back and still an enthusiast car that the kids will grow up loving. The YJ is kind of a dog anyway and really only fit to donate a chassis and VIN to a buggy build.
That Chrysler van is still a minivan, it’s made of sadness and being a manual won’t save it. It has to go.
The i3 is an interesting design concept, but not exactly exciting or interesting. Ditch it.
Put all the money and space you have left to the J10 as the Home Depot truck, the Lexus as the daily, a Jeep LJ for Jeep things and the Mustang because it’s awesome. You now have one really nice, reliable car and three pretty awesome cars that combined do everything you need. If you really, really need another daily, get a gently used Accord that will run until the sun goes cold and you don’t care if it gets dinged in the parking lot.
Let me know when you want me to come by to pick up the Chevy.
And while you’re building a cool LJ, make it a troop carrier for all those siblings that Delmar is gonna have with bench seats over the wheel wells like a Defender 90.
Dave, you’re overthinking it. All you have to do is go to a dark, quiet room; light a candle; and ask yourself WWJD? (What would Jason do.)
Ah, yes. “Car guy needs cars as tools not toys now” situation. What you gotta do is buckle down, but only for a few years. Keep the j10 as the Home Depot truck. Bench seat is fine for you and up to two sets of hands (being kid 1 and possibly kid 2, or Mr. Torch, 8’ bed fits a whole piece of plywood). Keep the i3. That’s YOUR commuter car, and having one of those is a holy thing. Keep the mustang because the j10 got your jeep bases covered. Keep the holy grail grand Cherokee (it’s a holy grail and could be something you work on together with the family, Jeep bases are totally covered now). Rock this lineup for 2-3 years, until the Scout you preordered is in your possession. Then you got two family cars that can do just about anything, a commuter car, and you still got 2 classics, a very responsible spot to be in and not completely miserable. Which means you can do whatever the hell you want after that. Maybe sell the Chevy yj and voyager to an autopian, keep tabs on it, and buy it back when you’re ready. Maybe let them go and find something new you pick out with your family. Maybe even enjoy having less cars than fingers (doubt it though)
Minivan – Let it go.
Grand Cherokee – Let it go.
The ‘I can save this sh*tpile of rusted garbage’ are behind you – at least temporarily. That’s not a problem. You NEVER had the time for these projects, or we’d be talking about fully functional vehicles instead of feral cat maternity wards. And you certainly don’t have the time for them now.
Open a slot for a rotating normal car. Maybe a Corolla that smells like feet no matter what how you try to get rid of it or an Accord that runs great but the AC doesn’t work and the windows don’t roll down so you need to always be moving to draw air in through your rally-style sunroof air scoop.
Unfinished projects just add to overall anxiety. Come to terms with what you can do and don’t feel regret about the things you can’t.
i3 – Let it go.
Mustang – Let it go.
Wrangler – Keep.
The Jeep is a usable machine. It keeps some off-road capability in the fleet. You were married in it. It seems in good condition. Perfect weekend car. Much better as a weekend car than the Jeep pickup will ever be. It’s great for local road trips or a day at the beach. Keep it for the human memories created with it, not the mechanical ones.
With kids, storage space, family requirements, and a job it is tough to have 8 cars. I also believe another project will appear in 2-5 years, guaranteed.
I would keep the Lexus and BMW for sure (for now). Then decide between the Jeep YJ, Jeep J10, or Ford Mustang.
The rest I would send down the road, and put their money in your “car fund”.
You worked for Jeep, you enjoy Moab, your wedding car was a Jeep. I think the Wrangler is a logical choice. In a couple of years, you’ll long to do a smaller version of the bachelor stuff you did (trust me on this). The Wrangler will make that happen. They are going to go up in value, too. 80s/90s cars are going to get very popular. It has a sport/rollbar bar.
If your wife does not like driving the Wrangler, keep the classic car she does like to drive (J10, 1500, or Mustang; the J10 would be pretty cool lifted, Howell EFI to pass smog, and a regear…)
Personally, I would recommend a 4Runner SR5 with 3rd row, instead of the Lexus. It can pull a trailer, go camping, get out to ski areas or mountains (winter driving), pull a classic car on a trailer, and haul stuff from the home improvement stores (that rear window is handy). It sucks on gas, is a bore to drive, but is great on everything else. Dials, with modern tech, and airbags galore.
In California you have some solid benefits on the i3 (Commuter lane goodness).
Side note, I saw the 6th gen 4Runner has fold-forward-but-not-flat seats while the previous gen had fold flat rear seats. Even my 2013 crv has fold flat seats. My ’99 tercel has fold flat seats. This is worth getting the previous gen if he decides to get a reliable 4runner and ditch a few of those heaps.
I’m probably going to take these one at a time.
Do you need a pickup truck? Do you genuinely love pickup trucks and need one in your life?
If no, get rid of both. If yes, keep the Chevy. Even if the idea of the J10 is your perfect truck, this particular one ain’t it, and you don’t have the time to make this one into your dream J10. These things will still be around when you have the time, or hopefully the money and you can just get it in the condition you’d want to keep it.
If you sell that J10, you can cancel my membership
Other than the Lexus, they need to go. Like, all of them. Your family is the top priority now. Get something new that’s still cool and can work with kids.
Now that I sold my XJ I realize that I should have let it go years ago when my oldest was born. Well before I spent way too much money upgrading it for wheeling I was never going to be doing again. It languished parked on the street in the baking Central Valley sun while I continued to pay registration and insurance. In the 6 years since my first kid was born I took it on a grand total of 1 trip. It was fun! But my WL Trailhawk was more than up to the same task and it also has Latch compatibility for car seats, and can tow my family camping trailer.
While selling my street bikes was a no-brainer for obvious reasons, it took me way to long to realize that my vehicular glory days were over for a long while. I kept making excuses about the XJ because it had become part of my identity since I owned it for so long. It wasn’t until after it was gone that I realized that was all in my head and it was just a 25 year old Jeep that only a younger guy with no kids could use properly.
This. Be realistic and stop lying to yourself, David.
Without reading through the hundred+ comments:
Step 1: add your own latch points to the trunk of the i3
Step 2: use the largest door on the vehicle, the rear hatch, and easily install rear facing car seat and the kid
Step 3: don’t get rear ended. And avoid stares of other people.
All joking aside, considering that the 5 point car seats for 0-5ish years old really don’t need an actual seat to be installed, only a decent surface with 3 designated clips, it would be quite nice if 2 row vehicles could “add” a 3rd “row” of a car seat or two by just putting in some metal attachment points. It’d be somewhat similar to the rear facing jump seats in the back of some old wagons, but much simpler. I’m sure FMVSS has something to say about it though
Keep the minivan. It is the best family vehicle for a road trip and other shit too.
Plus, diesels older than 97 are exempt from California’s onerous smug check (the gasoline exemption is only up to 75)
Or you could get a manual Mazda5. If that’s still not new enough, a Transit Connect 🙂
The Mazda5 is just a taller Mazda3, so all the same aftermarket support is available. The TC is just a taller Focus, so just as fun to drive.
If you desire an AMC product, get a Renault 21 Nevada. No, there aren’t any USDM Medallion wagons left, but you can import an R21 diesel wagon with the third seat. They even have 4WD models. Again, if you get a diesel, it will be exempt from smug check.
If you want a nicer Chrysler minivan, this 96 diesel should work for you:
https://www.automobile.it/—-/172232212
You might be able to import a Chevy Orlando from Canada. Yes, they were available with a manual transmission!
Also, driving an old car at 35 mph is driving a slow car fast, so yes it’s fun 😀
The minivan’s not in California, it’s in Germany.
I thought about this a lot when our little one was born. What we found: you only really need one practical car that’s safe and can carry the family. The other car(s) can be “fun” or whatever.
We have one “Practical” car – a 2014 Ford Territory seven-seat SUV – and one “fun” car – a 2013 Toyota Crown Athlete. At the moment the “fun” car is what we end up driving the most because we found the baby fits fine in it, and all his crap still fits easily in the boot. When baby number two comes we’ll probably end up using the Territory a lot more again, but that’s fine.
One thing: sliding doors rule. While the Territory with its regular doors is ok for getting baby in and out, it’s still a bit of a faff in most car parks. I’m currently working hard to talk my wife into us replacing the SUV with a Toyota Vellfire or similar MPV when baby number two comes and her family comes to live with us again.
Delmar’s only going to be small enough to be wedged into the back of a wildly impractical 2+2 for so long. Sell them all and buy a well-used Aston Martin Vantage IMO.
Father of four here, ages 18 to 35. I’ve hauled kids in everything from a minivan to a Trans Am. These are my words of comfort: you’ll figure it out. Humans have been raising children for millenia, and most if them survived. Don’t panic and drive safe.
Yeah, I always make fun of friend buying a Land Cruiser as soon as they get one kid. I’ve crossed Europe with my sister in the back of a Ford Fiesta in the ’90s when we’d go on holidays as children.
Your fleet is good enough for your curent situation. You should get rid of cars that are being neglected but not because of the child.
I agree with the editor’s note. I daily drive a 27-year-old BMW e36 and I have a 9-year-old daughter. It’s a 4 door, but I think the sedan is better looking anyway. Before that was an e46 and before that was a Mercedes w123.