Right-sizing your Fantasy Garage

U

usta in Portland

Daily Driver
Your 'significant other' has convinced you that for the sake of domestic economy and marital felicity you have to reduce your classic car collection to one. You have currently five. Which four go? List existing five and reasons for ditching the four.:eek:
 
Ooooo, tuff question.....!

....wouldn't it be easier to choose between "significant other" and your girlfriend?? :hmm:

cheers, Ian - NZ
 
It gets easier...

I did this when I moved to Olympia. I reduced my 5 car collection to one, my Zagato. Then later when I got my X I sold the Zagato. When I got my Scorpion I sold my X.

I like to keep it simple, I go nuts with more than one zippy/project car. Partly just the complication of multiple projects (all my cars are projects really) and partly because I am constantly thinking about what I want to do next (or a small part of my brain is) and with multiple cars it gets confusing. It can be liberating to downsize your collection for this reason, and staying married (or whatever) is nice too.
 
This is just a...

fantasy list question but with the elimination factor- my own collection got downsized to zero from 5.5 or so (don't know how to count the uncompleted cars) 3 years ago now.
 
How about 2

I use to have
a 72 Fiat spider
95 Mitsubishi 300 spyder
87 X1/9
88 Alfa spider
74 Porsche 914

The only one left is the 87 X1/9. I have added an 86 X1/9 since than.
 
I know your pain

It's just my wife and I with 2 kids under 5 and a 2 car garage and storage shed.

I've got:

85 X 1/9 that's a Hot Rod (currently not running-head gasket)

79 X 1/9 that needs restoration (currently not running-several little things)

78 Yamaha 750 Special (currently not running-needs electrical parts) Great condition though

79 Yamaha 650 Special (currently not running-needs carbs rebuilt) Great condition though

2x 81 Honda Scooters (just got them for free and haven't tried to start them-was told they ran when they were parked 20yrs ago) Great condition

99 Harley Davidson (Runs beautifully - just needs the normal maintenance done)

97 Dodge Ram 4x4 that need the O2 sensor changed

00 Pontiac Grand Am with a trans oil leak and rough idle

10 Dodge Grand Caravan that needs an oil change

I'm feeling a little spread thin!!!

Oh! and the push mower quit running, the weed wacker pull cord to start the engine broke and the riding mower is starting to burn oil and I have my fathers 71 Speedex tractor that I would like to restore someday.

It's like eating an elephant, I just have to pick where to start!!
 
How timely of you to post “fantasy garage,” a subject that I have been mulling over for a few days. My shop/garage is 40’ x 40’ and is jammed full. My choices are to put Bob Brown’s ex trailer queen under the overhang of my 30’ 5th wheel RV or relegate one of the other vehicles to the elements. If I put the X under the 5th wheel I will have to find a home for "our ATV," my dirt bike and my lawn mower. Instead, I’m thinking about building a lean-to garage on the west side of my shop to protect the X. The enclosure would be 16’ x 8’ x 7’ tapering to 6’. I would like more width than 8', but any more width is limited by our round pen. While a lot more practical than fantasy, I think my X housing problem will be solved by building a shed.
 
I think some 'Principle' is at work....

with regards to shop space along the lines that God deplores a vacuum in a shop (as opposed to a shop vacuum) :confuse2: Many years ago I rented a 4 bay garage with about 1200sf intending to undertake the restoraton of one TR3A; within 18 months I had that car plus 3 'donor' vehicles in various stages of tear down, uncountabe bins with 'useful' parts scored at jumble sales and ebay, my X and sometimes my 124 Spider in and out for fiddling with. It was a blow to my sense of order, I'll tell you.
So to me a Fantasy Garage with Fantasy Cars is cheaper and easier to clean. And I can swap them out instantly as the mood strikes.

Your shed idea makes a lot of sense.
 
The garage currently houses the following, though not all at once. Not all these are classic cars though.

09 Highlander
06 Outback
04 Audi Cabrio
80 X1/9
7? WedgeX

87 Seaswirl 18' Cuddy
06 Kubota L3430(!)

WedgeX and the boat are for sale. First two are required for transportation, the Kubota required for maintenance. Not willing to give up the X or the Audi at this point. So, a pretty useless response, right? :cool:
 
usta in Portland said:
Your 'significant other' has convinced you that for the sake of domestic economy and marital felicity you have to reduce your classic car collection to one. You have currently five. Which four go? List existing five and reasons for ditching the four.:eek:
Click to expand...

LOL, sounds like the same conversation with my wife. She is slightly more understanding.

1) 2007 Ducati MTS 1100S
2) 1980 Trans Am, WS6 black on black edition (with a 327cid, 302 valve train)
3) 1984 X1/9 being modded for turbo
4) 2006 125cc Open class shifter kart
5) Spare parts X1/9 1974 (Being sold)
6) 2009 Smart convertible (Being sold)
7) 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT (left by my brother in-law who left for a 2 years stint in Japan)

Anyone in need of a Smart?
 
I need to clarify something...

my original post was not a report on what happened to me (nothing could be further from the truth)-it was (as it turns out, a confusing way) of asking what 5 cars would you put in your 'fantasy' garage (operative term being 'fantasy') and then which would one of those five would you keep 'IF' the worst happened:eyepop::whistle:

How much for the Smart? :shh::shh:
 
If I had to dump everything... I'm guessing I'd keep the Miata since it's been through the most with me... and it was the first car I bought brand new, blah blah blah. It's a fun car and if the X1/9 project(s) were gone, I'd have a few friends telling me "believe me, you're better off!" trying to calm the 14 year old in me that's always been panging for an X.

But why aren't there more guys here saying

"I'd tell her 'Dude with the most toys wins!' Deal with it!"

:whistle:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeznTN0YW-4"]The MAN Song! with Lyrics - YouTube[/ame]
 
Bumpers.

Hey StuffedX1/9, How are the bumpers on that 74' you have. I'm looking at doing a complete change out on my 78'. Drop me a line.
 
Fiat x1/9
Montero
Fiero
Mazda
Camper


Zombie apocalypse... The Montero stays.
Homeless and loose everything... The camper stays.
Wife or car... Fiat stays wife takes Mazda.
Fiero... Sons car and is never really here long anyway.
 
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