Two expensive cars for a single woman

[El Gringo]

I met a woman (who is single) last night at a group dinner who was talking about how she used to have two cars: a Landrover SUV for her everyday use, and her fun car, which was a BMW convertible. She has since sold them, but I didn't get the sense that she had a change of attitude, because she was pretty proud of them.

[Quark]

A good friend of mine just bought a Kia because she can't use her mustang for every day driving.

[BlueMR2]

A good friend of mine just bought a Kia because she can't use her mustang for every day driving.

That's silly, since I was considering selling one of my sports cars and buying a Mustang as a more reasonably daily driver.  :-)

[Fodder]

I just don't get this.

My friend has two vehicles.  An older Jeep that he has spent untold thousands pimping out (it's jacked up and has all sorts of add-ons) and a new (financed, of course) VW Golf with every bell and whistle.

And now he won't sell the Jeep, because it isn't worth all the money he put into it (newsflash, it's not worth ANYTHING sitting in storage), and he also won't drive it because it's too expensive to drive and really expensive to insure.  Might as well get some cash out of it!

My other friend, who has previously been relatively wise in his vehicle choice recently just bought a brand new Ridgeline for something like $46k including tax.  While I recognize he needs a larger vehicle to tow his trailers, and to hold his family/dogs, I'm pretty sure he could have found something suitable and reliable for less than 1/3 of that price.  :p

[gimp]

I'm'a get a 60s mustang, maybe one that runs but probably one that doesn't, and restore it. It's ridiculous but if I can afford it while saving 50%+, ...

My camera gear is worth more than a lot of old-but-still-decent used cars. That's wasteful too, except for all the use I get out of it. See above. Hobbies!

So I guess the question is, what kind of BMW convertible? New and financed? Old and restored by hand? Somewhere in the middle?

[SnackDog]

I once had a friend who was working himself at a menial job to make payments on his brand new Honda Civic.  He bought that car because he like the Honda and thought it was cool.  He already had a one year old Buick that his brother-in-law bought him, out of pity. He didn't tell his BIL he thought the Buick was uncool. He had to drive it every time he saw his sister and BIL.

[Elderwood17]

We have some people in our neighborhood - husband, wife, two boys in high school.  They have five cars, none of which appear over five years old.  One is a convertible sports car that the drive seems to drive only on weekends.  Every one else only gets one car I guess.  Their home is nice but relatively modest but I can only guess what percent of their income goes to the cars.

[dragoncar]

My other car is a tardis

[bostonjim]

OK, confession time: I have three cars for two drivers.  Parked in my garage is a 1973 MGB Roadster that I inherited from my father, and I drive it around when the sun is shining in the summer.  It's probably not something I would have gone out and bought myself, so by Mustachian rules I should sell it and put the proceeds in an index fund.

But when I am driving it I think of my dad, and it's one of the only tangible relics that I have of him that I can show my son to as he grows up.  It costs me about 150 bucks a year to insure.  So I'm not gonna sell it.  Sue me.

[skunkfunk]

OK, confession time: I have three cars for two drivers.  Parked in my garage is a 1973 MGB Roadster that I inherited from my father, and I drive it around when the sun is shining in the summer.  It's probably not something I would have gone out and bought myself, so by Mustachian rules I should sell it and put the proceeds in an index fund.

But when I am driving it I think of my dad, and it's one of the only tangible relics that I have of him that I can show my son to as he grows up.  It costs me about 150 bucks a year to insure.  So I'm not gonna sell it.  Sue me.

You're not alone. I've got an old 1979 firebird that I got from a junkyard and rebuilt everything but the power steering with my father. It mostly sits around but I drive it a few miles here and there. Not selling.

The old early 90s vehicle I was supposed to drive also mostly sits now that I commute by bicycle. I'd sell it but it's practically worthless. So the wife's car is the only one that really gets used. I probably pay $450/year to insure 2 mostly useless vehicles, that might be worth a facepunch. I do need one when I have gig at the same time the wife does (many of them well outside bike range. Also I can't fit a trombone on a bicycle.)