Learned'd VIII: Less Bewbs, Same Nonsense

[Kompresshun]

Just as a note, Frankfort is the capitol of KY. Richmond is kind of a craphole, which was why I was surprised you mentioned it in the first place. Usually when people come here for business, it's either Lexington or Louisville.

[MinisterofDOOM]

When I think Kentucky, I think Loovhul. I of course know Frankfort exists. But it's kind of like Boise...everyone knows it exists, but nobody really cares. It's a dot on the map that serves as a reference point for all the other dots nearby that might warrant a visit.

[Dattebayo]

Boise makes me think of chips and french fries. And Jordache?

[Kompresshun]

Frankfort isn't really that impressive either. Especially when compared to most other capitols. I never have understood why Lexington or Louisville isn't the capitol here, because there is a ton more attractions in both places, but people are weird here anyways.

When we moved here 5 years ago, everyone was like "Why would you move there? What is in Kentucky? I thought they only had farms there... "

Mornin' gents.

[sx moneypit]

Mornin' Chris!

[frapjap]

Morning fellas. Stupid alignment is way off because I didn't tighten the lower control arm bolts completely and allowed the cams to turn when I drove the car (all 15 feet of it) and it royally screwed up my alignment. The steering makes a 'thunk' when I turn at the maximum angle under power. While sitting still, the wheel goes from lock to lock without protest. For kicks, I drove the car up to speed and the wheel is HARD right in order to keep the car straight. My guess is that I'm maxing out the steering angle with my alignment so far off. Does that sound right?

[Bubba1]

Just as a note, Frankfort is the capitol of KY. Richmond is kind of a craphole, which was why I was surprised you mentioned it in the first place. Usually when people come here for business, it's either Lexington or Louisville.

Just curious, New York residents call themselves New Yorkers. What do Frankfort residents call themselves? Frankforters?

[Kompresshun]

No they call themselves Democrats

When you get off at the Frankfort exit, there's a "Democrat Headquarters" right off the exit.

[nissangirl74]

Hi guys!

[Kompresshun]

Hi Bex! How's things?

My day is almost over and it seems like it has flown by. Heck this week seems like it's flying by too.

[nissangirl74]

Crazy busy (yes, this is the first chance I've had to answer that post). Things got busy in a hurry when school started back up.

[Kompresshun]

Yeah Kristen has been dealing with the same thing. She's been crazy busy ever since school started back up, which makes me crazy busy because I have to help keep up with everything else while she's busy. Only a little over a year to go for her though, so it will definitely be worth it in the end.

Mornin' everyone.

[sx moneypit]

Good morning Chris!

[frapjap]

Morning Fellas!

Its a no-go on the M3 trade. The guy got an offer for a turbo '99 Miata.

Though, it kinda got me thinking about my garage and I could use some opinions on life and your experiences.

I owe money on the Subaru and its the car I don't modify and won't mess with and is the winter driver.
The Miata is a blast to drive and having a convertible is pretty enjoyable since its a low budget convertible and all around fun toy.
I really like my t/a and don't have plans to get rid of it, especially as it ages. But its slow.

I'd really like the t/a to be faster- that's no secret. After driving it hard recently and pushing its handling capabilities, it really is a very smooth and capable car. If it were quicker it'd be a hoot to drive and I'd no doubt enjoy it much more.

But, with a ring to save for, a wedding to save for, and eventually a house to save for, the car hobby is looking grim for the foreseeable future. These things will be easier once my student loan debt is paid off (4 more years) but we all want something now, you know?

I suppose what I'm asking for your opinion on is what would you guys do/have you done?
Would you keep the three cars and keep plugging away and saving until you have more capital to spend later?

If you kept saving and kept the 3 cars, would you actually spend money on them later down the road when you (hopefully) amass more cash? Would it be hard to part with that cash over a car later on when you have potential home repairs, traveling, and other life commitments to contend with it? Is 3 cars to many anyway?

Would you sell the Miata to finance an engine for the t/a? I do like having a small sporty convertible, but this almost seems worth it.

It almost seems logical to give up cars all together, especially since two of them really don't cost anything to own aside from maintenance & low insurance. But they're a hobby. What the hell else would I do with weekends and week nights? Garden?

I'm really just spitballing here, but its a recent realization that a longer life plan (usually I plan for 5 years at a time) is needed.

[Bubba1]

Time to put on my ol' Dad hat. If you're actively trying to save money for the many big upcoming life expenses, I applaud you. That said, having one pleasure/spare vehicle is great, but I think two might be considered a tad extravagant if you're seriously trying to save money. I know that's sounds odd coming from a guy with 5 vehicles, but I'm older and have 3 adult drivers in my household. If marriage is in your future, you know that means adding a reliable DD for your wife, which would quickly put you up to 4 if you keep what you have. I also know you said maintenance and insurance are inexpensive on your 2 fun vehicles, but at the same time you're talking about spending money fixing/modding both of them. That kinda pokes a hole in the inexpensive argument, doesn't it?

My humble suggestion, as a dad, would be to sell one of your fun cars and use the proceeds to fix the other two properly. Then invest what's left. Which one is entirely up to you. Both the zoom zoom and T/A have their strong/weak points.

You also asked what else is there to do on weekends? Plenty. As far as car stuff goes, there are car shows, cruise nights, autocrosses, HPDE, NICOfests, rallies, etc etc. I personally find it more fun to drive the car than tinkering with it, but that's me. But keep in mind, when a serious GF comes into the picture, unless she's really into cars, you will likely find yourself doing a lot more non-car things with her to cultivate the relationship.

[WDRacing]

My .02

You've got 3 cars. One is a wicked fun toy, one fills the nostalgia role and one is a dependable daily driver. STOP. Do not pass Go! You're living the dream kid.

Most people want everything you have right now.

So keep them as is. Fix them if/when they break. No need to spend any more money on them to maintain happiness. Yes things could be faster, but things can ALWAYS be faster buddy.

You've got a plan, all you need to do is execute. Your car hobby is fulfilled. Focus on the rest of life and you'll truly be living the American Dream Ray.

[Kompresshun]

I'm gonna side with Joel on this one. I'd give up one of them and start saving for the more important things, while also sinking some money in the fun one you keep to make it more fun and reliable.

When Kristen and I met, I had three cars as well. I dumped the Mustang to buy a ring, because it needed a rebuilt bottom end at minimum and paint. I never regretted doing that either. Now, I did sell the Camaro eventually as well, but it was not by any means because we had to or she asked me to. I decided that it was just not a sensible investment for me at the current time.

I think you should always have a spare, fun vehicle. While that is not important to my wife, she knows that I will never give that idea up and I will not shut up until she lets me buy another vehicle. I talk about it almost every day and I think any car guy should have something fun to occupy their time.

Sure, there are going to be plenty of other things to enjoy in life as you begin your life together, but my car itch has never faded. There are very few things in life that put the same grin on my face as getting behind the wheel of something and running the hell out of it.

[Mr1der]

To keep you posted on what I'm doing, right now it's a big rancid dump at work.

THIS IS WHY SMARTPHONES ARE A BAD IDEA.

[WDRacing]

If marriage is in your future, you know that means adding a reliable DD for your wife,

Chances are, the wifeunit will already have a reliable DD no? If she doesn't, whats the reasoning behind that?

I'd give up one of them and start saving for the more important things, while also sinking some money in the fun one you keep to make it more fun and reliable.

The fun one is already fun and the TA isn't worth much money. So why sell it? It's worth more to Ray as is than the limited funds he'll get for it. Also, how can you suggest selling one and saving for important things in the same sentence as spend more money on the fun one...lol. He's got a reliable car already. Spending more money on the Miata isn't going to make it more reliable. It's just dumping more money into the car hobby.

Aint nothing wrong with 3 cars. Heck, if you come to a point where you really need the money, having a vehicle to sell is a good thing.

Depends on how much to you love the TA Ray. If unloading that dude doesn't bother you, then I suppose unloading it isn't a bad idea. I just thought you had more of an attachment to it. I know a lot of guys that have sold off cars only to later say, man, I wish I still had that car.

[Kompresshun]

It's a matter of trimming unnecessary things B. That's my personal opinion on it, but he can do as he wishes. To make it a little more clear, i'd sell one of them and keep one. Save the extra funds for more important things. There, better? b****.

Quite honestly though, i'd probably sell both of them if it were me and buy something nicer to replace both of them.

[frapjap]

Time to put on my ol' Dad hat. If you're actively trying to save money for the many big upcoming life expenses, I applaud you. That said, having one pleasure/spare vehicle is great, but I think two might be considered a tad extravagant if you're seriously trying to save money. I know that's sounds odd coming from a guy with 5 vehicles, but I'm older and have 3 adult drivers in my household. If marriage is in your future, you know that means adding a reliable DD for your wife, which would quickly put you up to 4 if you keep what you have. I also know you said maintenance and insurance are inexpensive on your 2 fun vehicles, but at the same time you're talking about spending money fixing/modding both of them. That kinda pokes a hole in the inexpensive argument, doesn't it?

My humble suggestion, as a dad, would be to sell one of your fun cars and use the proceeds to fix the other two properly. Then invest what's left. Which one is entirely up to you. Both the zoom zoom and T/A have their strong/weak points.

You also asked what else is there to do on weekends? Plenty. As far as car stuff goes, there are car shows, cruise nights, autocrosses, HPDE, NICOfests, rallies, etc etc. I personally find it more fun to drive the car than tinkering with it, but that's me. But keep in mind, when a serious GF comes into the picture, unless she's really into cars, you will likely find yourself doing a lot more non-car things with her to cultivate the relationship.

My dad is a bum, so I appreciate the dad hat, really.
The lady has a reliable DD and will be paying it off WAY ahead of the scheduled repayment plan. I bagged a good one.

At some point I won't be leaving the t/a alone. Eventually it'll get an engine but as it stands now, it doesn't particularly need one (or anything for that matter). I have a gut feeling that if I save money, I'll just keep putting off the engine replacement year after year and eventually find something more life necessary to spend that money on. I really don't want to miss the opportunity to have it all set for the next few years while I can still potentially do something about it.

There are definitely less car activities taking place since working this relationship. Thats okay, it doesn't bother me at all. It is tougher to get in the garage now than before.

That being said:

I'd give up one of them and start saving for the more important things, while also sinking some money in the fun one you keep to make it more fun and reliable.

The fun one is already fun and the TA isn't worth much money. So why sell it? It's worth more to Ray as is than the limited funds he'll get for it. Also, how can you suggest selling one and saving for important things in the same sentence as spend more money on the fun one...lol. He's got a reliable car already. Spending more money on the Miata isn't going to make it more reliable. It's just dumping more money into the car hobby.

Aint nothing wrong with 3 cars. Heck, if you come to a point where you really need the money, having a vehicle to sell is a good thing.

Depends on how much to you love the TA Ray. If unloading that dude doesn't bother you, then I suppose unloading it isn't a bad idea. I just thought you had more of an attachment to it. I know a lot of guys that have sold off cars only to later say, man, I wish I still had that car.

The t/a is the car I'd be keeping with the plan to modify from proceeds of selling that Miata. It is the car I'd say, "dammit, shouldn't have sold that." As it stands, this winter the remaining rust will be removed and the car will be repainted. The body will finally be set. In order to fund an engine project, the Miater would go for sale and I'd expect about $3500-4k in its current condition.

I think you should always have a spare, fun vehicle. While that is not important to my wife, she knows that I will never give that idea up and I will not shut up until she lets me buy another vehicle. I talk about it almost every day and I think any car guy should have something fun to occupy their time.

Sure, there are going to be plenty of other things to enjoy in life as you begin your life together, but my car itch has never faded. There are very few things in life that put the same grin on my face as getting behind the wheel of something and running the hell out of it.

This is what I fear that I've become- and thats A-Okay. We all need a hobby that keeps us interested and occupied.

It's a matter of trimming unnecessary things B. That's my personal opinion on it, but he can do as he wishes. To make it a little more clear, i'd sell one of them and keep one. Save the extra funds for more important things. There, better? b****.

Quite honestly though, i'd probably sell both of them if it were me and buy something nicer to replace both of them.

That side of the argument is prevalent, too. Is it unnecessary to have 3 cars? Probably. They're all fun in their own way, but I wonder if I'd even miss the miata if the t/a was every bit as fast as it is. Having a convertible is pretty badass, too.

The last line is the kicker. If I were to buy something to replace both of them, it'd be a C5 convertible and thats kinda against the money reason for selling one and modifying the other. If 7 grand managed to be squeaked out of both cars, thats still a good bit of balance to finance. And even then, I'd probably still miss the t/a.

Or, I could just STFU and enjoy what I have while its there and keep on keepin' on and if needed later, sell one of the cars should the need for quick cash become a necessity.

[Bubba1]

Chances are, the wifeunit will already have a reliable DD no? If she doesn't, whats the reasoning behind that?

Not necessarily. You don't normally take a GF's car into consideration when dating her. Having one with a good reliable DD is bonus points. When I met my wife, she was driving a very rusty (then 6 yr old) 1975 Rabbit that her father bought her. Lift the floor mat and there was the road. While that made waste disposal easy and discreet, I was worried her tush would end up on the roadway. So I ended up giving her my car (an '80 corolla), which was much nicer and I drove the rabbit until it finally succumbed to cancer.

[WDRacing]

b****.

SOLID LOL MOMENT!

The t/a is the car I'd be keeping

Is it unnecessary to have 3 cars? Probably.

Or, I could just STFU and enjoy what I have while its there and keep on keepin' on and if needed later, sell one of the cars should the need for quick cash become a necessity.

Oh, I feel much better knowing you'd get rid of the Miata. It doesn't say *Ray* like the TA does.

It's not unnecessary to have 3 cars at all brosef. I have 4, Joel has 5 and Greg has like 117. All three of us are pretty friggin happy.

When you have no more room for parking, worry about what cars you wanna get rid of. Until then, the more cars the better IMHO. Heck, one of the reasons I want some property is so I can buy cars left and right if I find deals on them and have a place to put them.

I'm a fan of the keep on keepin on plan buddy. If it aint broke, why f*** it up?

[frapjap]

b****.

SOLID LOL MOMENT!

Loved that, very well done, haha.

[nissangirl74]

<insert meme that says "Keep All The Cars!">

Here's my .02

Known debts are the Subie and your student loans. Both have to be paid off and getting rid of the Subie is not an option. You live in an area where it snows a**-deep to a giraffe every year, you gotta have it.

The T/A and the Miata are both paid for and are cheap to drive and maintain. They aren't costing you anything and you get enjoyment out of them both.

As far as buying a ring, paying for a wedding, and buying a house: none of that HAS to cost a fortune. You don't NEED to spend $4,000 on a ring. You don't NEED to spend $10,000 to get married. You don't NEED a $250,000 house. (I'm just throwing numbers out here. They don't reflect specifics). Therefore, you shouldn't NEED to sell the stuff that you own and enjoy in order to buy other stuff. Also take into account that other than the ring, your future wife will be paying for the wedding and the house too. It's not like you're going to get married and then she all of a sudden quits her job. With two incomes, there is no reason at all that you can't have a nice wedding, a nice house, and three cars.

[WDRacing]

Love You Bex...just sayin.

[Bubba1]

Bex, you're awesome.

[sx moneypit]

Mornin' folks!

[WDRacing]

Mornin...

[sx moneypit]

<insert meme that says "Keep All The Cars!">

Here's my .02

Known debts are the Subie and your student loans. Both have to be paid off and getting rid of the Subie is not an option. You live in an area where it snows a**-deep to a giraffe every year, you gotta have it.

The T/A and the Miata are both paid for and are cheap to drive and maintain. They aren't costing you anything and you get enjoyment out of them both.

As far as buying a ring, paying for a wedding, and buying a house: none of that HAS to cost a fortune. You don't NEED to spend $4,000 on a ring. You don't NEED to spend $10,000 to get married. You don't NEED a $250,000 house. (I'm just throwing numbers out here. They don't reflect specifics). Therefore, you shouldn't NEED to sell the stuff that you own and enjoy in order to buy other stuff. Also take into account that other than the ring, your future wife will be paying for the wedding and the house too. It's not like you're going to get married and then she all of a sudden quits her job. With two incomes, there is no reason at all that you can't have a nice wedding, a nice house, and three cars.

This^^^^