I maintain that one car is all anyone really needs, but I also maintain that everyone should have as many cars as they want, so don’t @ me. I can also assure you that I do not walk my talk, as I absolutely want at least two cars, need be damned. But what two cars? There are endless dream-garage permutations (which usually involve more than two cars), but when you’re talking sensible, real-worldable choices where you haven’t won Powerball, it gets a lot tougher to nail down just two choices.
When I announced the AA topic in Slack, Thomas piped up to say, “If we’re talking really sensible new car money, Mazda MX-5 Club plus Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid AWD with the 4K tow package,” to which Mark chimed in with “MX-5, yes, but make my second car a Chevy Express cargo van.”
I was thinking along the same “something + Maverick” lines myself, but as the vehicle I would drive most often would be the not-Maverick, I think I’d tire of always folding myself into a Miata for anything I didn’t need a truck for. And so, I’m going Volkswagen GTI and Ford Maverick – hybrid, but base or a click above is fine.
Now, I know there are hotter hatches than a GTI, but just under 300 horsepower is plenty for me, and the GTI keeps things sensible with its $35,000ish pricing. Plus it’s the quintessential “hot hatch” and I’ve always wanted one. And more importantly, it’s still a super-practical hatchback that my wife won’t mind driving, except she can’t drive stick, so she’ll be driving the Maverick.
Your turn:
What New Cars Would You Choose For A Sensible Two-Car Solution?
Top graphic images: Volkswagen; Ford
ME:
Sienna XLE, middle seats gone, carpeting replaced with dynamat and hard vinyl
Blank Slate with bluetooth speaker and tonneau cover (solar?)
But these are specialized to my current life.
ME 30 years ago
Tacoma SR5 4WD Extended Cab with Tow Rating
Ariel Atom on a trailer
Again, very specialized to my life back then.
You:
IDK, Two Miatas,
Re: two Miatas, for several years my two-car garage was an MX5 and an Elise.
Toyota Crown Sedan (the real, Japan-only one, not the freakshow they sell here)
Lexus LC500 Convertible
What do you define as ‘sensible’? Is it related to the price of the two vehicles? Is it related to the optics of the vehicle? I see a Rivian mentioned here in the comments, but that’s the same price range as a 911 Carrera 2, and if I say that I’m going for the 911 I’m pretty certain there will be protestations that it’s too expensive.
I’m going to say ‘sensible’ means the average new car price ± 1σ, so $40,000 to $62,000. This means I have a combined ceiling of $124,000, and I am 100% forcing myself to buy two cars. For this experiment, I want a nice, fun daily driver and a second vehicle that I can get dirty when hauling stuff. I’d like something that could tow/haul motorcycles (those don’t count, right?) and handle wet, greasy, or dirty stuff in the bed.
For the daily, I’m going with an M2. It’s a small, fast, manual, RWD coupe with an inline 6. The way I’d option it, the car comes out to about $70k, meaning I have about $50k remaining.
For the hauler, a Tacoma TRD Sport with the 6-ft bed, 4WD, and a manual transmission for about $45k. If I could get a single-cab pickup with an 8-ft bed and a manual, I’d do it, but I don’t think anyone makes one. I’d look at the Slates, but I don’t know that a new, unproven brand is a ‘sensible’ choice.
See, I even ‘saved’ $10k.
Volvo V90 hybrid + early nineties 205 1.9 GTI
I have 3 kids and a long commute. Our current setup is a 2023 maverick hybrid for me and a 2011 suburban for my wife. Any big towing or camping trips the suburban can handle. Long drives and housework the maverick can handle. Once the maverick is paid off I’ll get my wife a minivan (hopefully a sienna) because we just don’t need that much towing. I think this is the perfect setup for any family in the suburbs.
New drinking game.
Start at the beginning and take a shot every time you read Maverick.
If you really want to get drunk, take a shot when you read Miata.
Both!
Whiskey for Maverick.
Tequila for Miata
Proving, once again and as always…
Miata Is Always The Answer
Honestly, it’d be the Solterra & Frontier. As long as there’s a chance I need to drive my grandmother around at some point, I’d want something I bet she had a better chance of getting into (otherwise I would’ve said Bolt). I’m about to have responsibility for an entire house for the first time in my life, so I need a truck, but the parking situation makes a Ram 1500 far too big, and I’m not betting on a Maverick being enough. A King Cab 4WD Frontier would allow me to do house things, and it’d be the gasser I can use for the trips I take on average of every 4 years. Would it be the most comfortable or efficient? No, but I used to daily a Dakota with shot suspension and its best tank averaged like 13mpg, so the Frontier can’t be nearly as bad!
Within my budget, I’m already living it: 2022 Ridgeline for my wife, and a modified stage 2 Mk8 GTI built for the NC mountains for myself. If I had the means, a 718 Spyder RS would replace the GTI.
If I was in a position to buy any new vehicles, I’d have a house, so it’d be great to have a practical electric runabout and a fun 2+2 that can handle short road trips.
I’d hold out for one of the new small EV trucks (Slate, Ford) and pair that with a GR86, maybe spruce up the 86’s interior the same way that Mercedes’ wife’s Miata’s previous owner did (wow, that’s a lot of apostrophes). I could commute in the truck when I don’t feel like paying for gas and slap a dog bed in the 86’s small back seat for weekend outings.
Right now I have a 986 and my wife has an RD1 SE (with the magic seats), so we’re set for a while, maybe at some point I’ll get a third small car with a rear seat so we don’t have to take the crossover whenever we have the dog in tow. Might get a Protege, those have been piquing my interest lately and I’ve never had a FWD car.
Our household has a Honda Pilot and a Focus ST. Pretty nice duo. For something new, would probably be a Rivian R1S and Acura Integra Type S.
Jeep Compass so I have awd and a vehicle with a hitch and BMW 1300 GS for the lolz
Late to the party. There isn’t much “new” that interests me, except my GR Corolla.
I guess I’d say GR-C, Miata or the 86 twins. And a Slate truck with the SUV cap.
I’ve rapidly come to the conclusion that the RAV4 Prime – Plug-in Hybird, now – meets about 98.9% of my needs. If I need to haul anything bigger than I can fit inside it, I’ll use a trailer. The R4P can tow 2500 pounds which, on my trailer, means I can pull right at a ton. My son already uses the trailer from time to time, bringing back large loads from Lowe’s behind his first-gen Volt.
For the rest of everything that I need to do or, indeed, am likely to do once in a rare while, I could rent a vehicle.
And the R4P would stay with the missus. She’s very petite so the RAV’s added height gives her a bit of extra confidence when duking it out among all the other sport-utes on the road.
For me, commuting? Bolt. Fifty miles round trip. Plug in. Rinse, repeat ad infinitum. It’s perfect for that.
Best two car combo.
Any pickup truck with a six foot bed, 15000 pounds payload, 7000 pounds towing at a minimum; and an AWD crossover for grocery shopping.
If limited to 2 cars, I’m with Thomas. Maybe switch it up to a Kia Niro Hybrid instead of the maverick, but the Maverick is a solid choice.
I’ve always thought the ideal enthusiast’s garage would contain at least 4 vehicles. The “fun” car (whatever fun means to you in your automotive endeavors), the “project” (something you think you can make into a better “fun” car at some point than your current “fun” car, at which point you may either keep the current fun car or sell), something to tow the project and/or the fun car around with (not only to pick up the project and get it to your garage, but if a fun car to you is a dedicated rock crawler or track car, you would probably want to tow them to/from wherever you use them), and a reliable beater for daily driving, and for parts runs for the other vehicles.
To each their own, but FWIW…
I put 90,000 miles on a ‘19 Niro Hybrid. Very comfy, great fuel economy approaching 50mpg. Limited towing capacity, an indecisive transmission, and the engine beginning to use oil at 120k (!@* Kia) led me to trade it in. Also, even with good tires it wasn’t that great in ice and snow.
The ‘25 AWD Maverick that replaced it has been aces. I gave up about 10mpg and a bit of cabin comfort but gained a lot of practicality for my needs (including occasional hauling and towing). The Mav is far more sure-footed in the winter even on the stock all-season tires. And the eCVT never hesitates, unlike the Niro’s 6-speed dual clutch setup.
I can’t play this. I’m more in the Mercedes 23 car solution camp.
Ford Excursion- can hold 4×8 sheets doors closed.
Honda Civic hatch – does every little thing wel
I’m close to persuading my brother that he should get an MX-5 to go with his Land Rover Defender 110.
A fully caged race car and a tow vehicle. I’m quite happy with my caged Bolt EV, and would happily upgrade to a 2027 model and turn it into a race car. And for the tow vehicle, a Chevy Silverado EV with the max range battery.
Or maybe I’d make my race car a brand new Taycan instead, if it’s money no object.
Okay, I want to know more about the racing Bolt. Any mechanical upgrades? What kind of racing?
I have noticed that my wife’s Bolt EUV is surprisingly zippy and well-planted for what it is. I can imagine autocross being a hoot.
I don’t know if I can post links here, but let me try:
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a65177882/ev-lemons-endurance-racing
https://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewtopic.php?id=42134
Hats off!
We’re currently a 4-car household while I enjoy my new-to-me Nissan D21 pickup and fix up my Nissan D22 pickup to sell. We could do 2 cars easily enough, I don’t commute.
In my European dream world: Toyota Crown hybrid AWD wagon, Mercedes Sprinter based horsebox with living quarters.
In my future-America dream world: Slate truck, 3/4T+ extended-cab 8′ bed EREV.
In present world: Toyota Crown Signia wagon, F350 XL supercab 8′, which comes out to ~$95,000 MSRP total.
Maverick Hybrid AWD 4K tow package
All the other new cars I would get haven’t come out yet (Slate, Telo, Ford EV pickup, Ram 1500 REV, etc.)
Edit: Answer is always Miata
I have been asking myself this question for months now, but with a slightly different premise, what USED 2 car stable under 45K makes sense. We’ve got the Maverick hydrid already for around 20K, but now I’d like the 2nd to be sporty and fun. Convertible? Luxury? Handling and speed? All of it would be great. Unfortunately, Miata is not the answer. We’re both tall and they just feel claustrophobic (we finally sat in one).
It’s a tough decision. I’ve wanted a Vette my whole life (among others), but at my age it’d look like ‘retiree in a Vette’. I wish I had kept the Saab 9-3 convertible. That punched a lot of buttons.
That’s easy, you want a BMW convertible.
I’ve looked at a few 4 series, that’s a nice car, but I had a X3 that was constantly in the shop and draining my back account, so I’m a little hesitant.
So call me a little strange, but I want my foreign cars built by a foreigner in the foreign country of the manufacturer. So I want my Japanese cars built in Japan and my German cars built in Germany. So unless you had a 1st gen X3 (as I now do) you had a BMW built in South Carolina.
Early 00s 911 can be had for 20-30k
In my small area, these don’t show up often, but definitely should check it out.
I already have the perfect 2 car solution (for me), which is a 2016 Subaru WRX and a 2001 Ford F250. So I guess just the new versions of my vehicles.
The question is it a 2 car solution for one person or are spouses/partners included? Cause those are different calculations, haha. If it’s just for me and we are talking 2 new cars that cost sensible money, it’s Miata and Civic Hybrid Hatch.
Sorry, I’ve got to stick with my four car solution.
-One $20k late model Honda Civic
-Three Toyota pickups for a combined $50k up front cost.
Is it practical? Absolutely not