Car collecting is a hobby for most, but for some of us, it is ingrained in our DNA. To stop hunting for the next toy, it would become overwhelming. We need to find that next car, for better or worse. Some enjoy collecting, and some of us have to do it, or else it will drive us nuts.
At the ripe age of 16, I bought my first car. It was a 1992 Ford Explorer with four-wheel drive. It was exceptionally clean considering the low price of $4700, in 2002 dollars. I drove it for around a year before the car enthusiast bug bit me hard. It was sold and replaced with a 1992 Nissan 300zx 2+2 with a manual transmission.
The 300zx was my primary vehicle through college. I worked on it in my dorm parking lot, on jack stands, and used university water to wash it. I was an unusual sight to my fellow students and a nuisance to the staff. Amazingly, this has been my longest owned vehicle at this point nearly two decades later.
I had the 300zx for 3-1/2 years. I moved THREE times with it. Somehow a dresser will fit in the back, granted the hatch must be up, and any large pothole could shatter the glass as it rests on the furniture. After gaining meaningful employment, the Z rudely informed me it was fed up with my shenanigans - grenading two water pumps in two weeks.
I sold the Z for a Nissan Titan 4x4, and soon after bought another 300zx 2+0 as a track/toy car. Ever since this point, I have had a spare car for fun, and at no point less than two vehicles for myself. The addiction to buying cars began, and my motto ever since has been, ‘My next car is always my favorite car’.
At the point of this writing, I am currently on my 26th personally owned vehicle. That’s twenty-six vehicles in eighteen years. These are not rookie numbers, but I am also bested by many. I have purchased cars at a rate to not slide back down the socioeconomic ladder, back into government-assisted housing.
But, at this rate I’ve considered where should I go from here? There are plenty of cars I want to own, but what is the best course? Stick with what I know? Buy the best deals possible? Stick to one region? One format of an engine? Only black painted vehicles?! The possibilities are nearly endless.
If I quantify the list into the number of cylinders it looks like this:
(1) three-cylinder diesel (tractor...?!)
(4) inline gas four cylinders
(2) gas boxer fours
(8) VEE-Sixes, all gasoline
(3) inline six-cylinder gas motors
(2) inline six-cylinder diesels
(5) gas V-8 engines (3 with carbs)
(1) diesel V-8 engine
(1) gas V-10
Looking at my list like this you’ll see some big omissions. Where’s the V-12?! Where are the four-cylinder diesels? A five-cylinder could be an easy one to check off too... but sadly none have come my way.
Or if you sort them by world region:
North America: 9
Europe: 3
Asia: 14
Granted, I don’t need to sort these by country as I haven’t had anything outside of the three biggest producers of the USA, Japan, and Germany. I do want to own an Italian, Swedish, British, and maybe some oddball like a French car, as those are uncommon in the US.
Sorting it by manufacturer:
Ford: 2
Chevrolet: 3
Dodge: 2
Jeep: 2
Honda: 1
Infiniti: 1
Nissan: 5
Subaru: 2
Mazda: 1
Acura: 1
Toyota: 3
BMW: 2
Audi: 1
That looks a lot better. Sorting it by the manufacturer makes things look a lot more eclectic and diverse. Or maybe another way to envision it is that I’ve seen the parts department of nearly every dealer in my region... they’ve also taken quite a bit of my money at my protest.
Maybe you have some ideas for me? Where do I go at this point? I believe an Italian is high on the list. Preferably an Alfa Romeo, however, I’ll need to sell the M5 before owning one, as I don’t want two hand grenades parked in the same garage.
I have a lead on the filthiest E46 M3 this side of the Atlantic, but it has become caught up in a paperwork nightmare, so I may not get an opportunity to buy it. This won’t produce much for the list, but it will be a deeply satisfying resurrection.
I’ll post my complete list below for those of you to make some suggestions. Hopefully, this helps you with your car collecting goals!
1. 1992 Ford Explorer 4x4 AT
2. 1992 Nissan 300zx 2+2 MT
3. 1971 Chevrolet Camaro 350 AT
4. 2005 Nissan Titan 4x4 SE Crew Cab AT
5. 1990 Nissan 300zx 2+0 MT
6. 2005.5 Audi A4 Quattro Sedan MT
7. 1999 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 AT
8. 2006 Nissan Armada SE AT
9. 1974 Chevrolet C20 Standard Cab 2wd MT
10. 1990 Acura Legend AT
11. 2007 Honda Civic LX AT
12. 1989 Nissan 240sx Hatchback MT
13. 2003 Subaru WRX WRB MT
14. 2003 BMW 325i Wagon Sport Touring AT
15. 1999 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 AT Lifted Rubicon 3.5”AT
16. 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 Ext Cab AT
17. 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback MT
18. 2006 Ford F250 Diesel 4x4 AT
19. 2014 Mazda CX-5 Touring AT
20. 2006 Infiniti G35 Sedan 6MT
21. 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Bill Mitchell Aluminum Lite MT
22. 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 AT Std. Cab AT
23. 2017 Toyota Sienna SE AT
24. 2011 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4 AT
25. 2006 BMW M5 SMG
26. 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 AT
What should be next?! An Italian? V-12? Stick with what I know? Deals only?