Does One Car Do It All, Or Are Multiple Cars Necessary?

Automotive monogamy is boring! A man needs one loyal, reliable, dependable car that is always there for you…and then a harem of exotic exciting cars that never fail to get a rise out of you…

For me two cars is more ideal, I guess it depends on the situation. I own a Range Rover Evoque & BMW E30. I’m also a business owner & sometimes I need to carry large supplies, which can be hard when using the E30. I use the Evoque for daily drive purely for ease of use & comfort. The E30 is my toy, upgrade suspension, engine, etc. Much like Jack Olsen’s Porsche, its a street car but with good track capabilities. For me that combination is ideal, 1 car for comfort, space, easy driving & one car for fun spirited… Read more »

Well, if parking spaces come up short and you don’t want to insure two cars, to change cars depending on needs, then i think there is an option. For an all-rounder i would go for the Bmw M5, regardless if its an E28, an E39 and so on. I need to drive the kids to school and pick up grandma on the way, and she might bring some groceries with her. I won’t have a problem with that, i have plenty of room. Or maybe i’ll go on a roadtrip with my friends, with luggage, beer and some good music.… Read more »

Could I get by with one suit? Sure, but where is the fun in that? Instead i have 20. If you can get buy with just one car then by all means do it! I have 2 that serve basically the same purpose. I have an E28 M5 and a C5 RS6. Both have 4 doors and comfortably seat 4 average sized adults. Both are also tuned track capable toys. But the both provide me completely different driving expiriences. The M5 is a very raw rewarding car to drive. The RS6 is a beastly yet comfortable GT car.

I’ve had up to 5 cars at the same time but it was more a frustration than anything else: what to drive today? Is it going to rain on that original 40 year old paint? Can I afford 500 miles with that fuel economy? And so on. In the end, there were always cars that wouldn’t be driven for weeks or months, so what was the point in keeping them? I’m down to 2 cars now: one extremely sensible car I don’t even dare talk about, and a 1991 Miata that is, actually, my daily driver as often as I… Read more »

Personally I wouldn’t be totally happy with a single car. Already I’m having to borrow the girlfriend’s or one of the parent’s cars when I need to carry more than 1 passenger (I drive a Z4 M Coupe), have to transport something bulky or go on a camping or hiking trip so eventually I see myself getting a small 4X4 as a daily driver and outdoors car and keep my BMW for the evening outings, weekend drives and of course track days! My ideal garage though would have 3 cars minimum, a daily driver/outdoor combination, a GT or sports car… Read more »

B6 S4 V8 Avant 6 MT.
Yes that’s one car.
It does it all.

No way, I need a minimum of 3 Ive come to find out.

Show car/summer car/fun car = 68 BMW ’02

Rallycross car/Winter beater/Pile = 87 Audi 4000CS quattro

Daily/boring/drive when you broke everything esle = E39 528i 5speed

Those Cars can and will change but I need those 3 positions to be filled at any given time 😀

No way, I need a minimum of 3 Ive come to find out.

Show car/summer car/fun car = 68 BMW ’02

Rallycross car/Winter beater/Pile = 87 Audi 4000CS quattro

Daily/boring/drive when you broke everything esle = E39 528i 5speed

Those Cars can and will change but I need those 3 positions to be filled at any given time 😀

Well that’s a good one, i my opinion a 911 could do the job. But everyone has these moments that you have these moments that you need more luggagespace or that you want to drive more economical or that you want more comfort and sometimes you might want a stiffer and louder ‘racing’car. So i think your comparsion with the shoes discribes the situation perfectly! And after all, when you re driving and you see other nice cars it is inevitable that you dream about driving or owning them. And in my opinion dreaming is what it is about, but… Read more »

I think it all depends upon where you live. California would allow one to use a 911 for almost all situations. Chicago or Boston? Not so much…

It depends on what do you understand about ” to do it all” . If you drive your 911 daily to take your children to school (2 child + school backpack), drive 40 miles to work (traffic jam) and do the shopping (park everywhere, between people cars who don’t care about others )… people will say you will need for sure, more than one car “to do it all”. They’ll say you’ll need something more comfortable, something bigger, a car with less fuel consumption. But… those who think this way , probably, wont understand the satisfaction with litle sacrifice of… Read more »

I think it depends where you are in life. If you can accept the compromise (greater or lesser, but inevitable) in an all-rounder, whether due to financial restrictions or if that’s just good enough for you, then that’s not a bad route. However if you’re in the position to max out the envelope, only a dedicated vehicle per task will do.

1 car, no.. petrolhead knows, there is no limit.

JDM classic Impreza STi wagon…or buy a ’93-01 wagon in the states and swap it. Just because it’s a swap you doesn’t mean you need to go all out with exhaust/suspension. Stock STi powertrain in a wagon with Prodrive WR suspension. Done and done.

I think at least 2 are needed. A small wagon or hatch with some power for fun and function as well as a pickup or van for hauling and towing needs. If you have the funds and space then diversify as much as you want, but a museum of non driven cars is a waste, so keep it to 7 max.

If you have three small kids like me, you may want at least two cars. I have a Giulia Super that I can fit them in the back seat, so they can enjoy the classic experience with me. I also have a stepfront GTV of which the usefulness of the backseat is questionable so I am building it as more of a racer. But even two is not enough. I tell my wife I need at least 3 so that each of the kids can have one when I drop of the perch in 50 years! I think many of… Read more »

I am 22 years old, and have been lucky enough to have put together my very own “shoe” closet. I have five Italians in my stable along with five germans, and they all have slightly different purposes. An e34 wagon for mountain biking, a Z3 M Roadster for taking girls on dates, a 750IL for double dates, an e34 M5(as previously mentioned for the daily duties, and everyone once in a while I like to put my trust in mechanical fate, and take out my Alfa Romeo Milano Verde. I believe that more the merrier! Happy Motoring:)

In one word– No
In two words- No way

Personally I find I need more than one car. A L322 Range Rover is my daily driver, offering limo like luxury yet with all terrain tyres and a tow bar will earn its keep towing trailers, pulling tree stumps out of the garden and as a family bus. My porsche 996 turbo is a GT and supercar rolled into one, four seats, very fast and perfect for that road trip down to Italy. My w124 pillarless coupe Mercedes 300ce provides the car when I want to waft along, windows down on a summers day, very smooth and quiet, a pleasure… Read more »

My 1990 928GT does almost everything brilliantly. It has a big boot, can carry 4 people, can hoon, do burnouts and paint 11’s. it can take you 300 miles at 100mph and make you feel like you just popped out for some milk. However, you cannot load it with 200kg of tiles and grout, fit a ladder inside it, or a door. It will not do 650 miles on a tank of fuel, and it costs a fortune to service. My wife will not drive it. My W211 E320CDI does 150 mph, handles, carries ladders and tiles, bikes and logs… Read more »

There are some things that I really appreciate in cars that preclude this. I like some cars for their weirdness, personality, single-mindedness, obscurity, or history. Plus, the engineer in me loves optimization. One car will always be a compromise in a few ways and given unlimited money and shop space I would love to optimize a large number of the reasons I want cars.

That being said, for now my Alfa is doing a lot of things well and with just a few upgrades I’ll be able to turn it up at autocrosses, hillclimbs, and track days.

It is never enough! Choose the best weapon. It is even different between tracks. A car that is good for SOW would not be good for the Big Track, etc etc. Plus, we all want variety.

One car, will always be a big compromise… 😉

I agree with John (first comment) : 1 car-does-it-all is a compromise, meaning there’s something you’re not comfortable doing… I had a 911 for a while, fantastic car, but not really that practical when you try stuffing your groceries under the front hood. You *can*, sure, but it’s not its strong suit. In the other hand, I’m a strong believer of a few-cars-garage. No matter how much money you have, you only have 24 hours a day. Having dozens upon dozens of cars in a huge garage does not make sense to me. Well, it’s not a garage any more,… Read more »

An E34 M5 does many things well. Entertaining to drive and track, carries people and all their stuff, is relatively simple mechanically, is comfortable, handsome, fast and stealthy. It is well built, by hand. It is the car I would keep if I had to give the others up.

I think it depends on what “all” means to you. If a convertible satisfies your “all,” then one car can do it all. My dream garage includes 1 sports car (Porsche, thank you), 1 convertible, 1 luxo-cruiser as my daily driver, 1 4×4, and 1 pickup. Or, I could combine the pickup and 4×4. Or get a Jeep as a 4×4 convertible. SO many choices…

I think it’s possible to have a car that does everything, but you’ll still know in the end that it’s a compromise on some aspects. For a long time I drove a twin-turbo Audi S4 Avant with lots of upgrades from suspension to turbos to electronics, so it was fun on the track but could haul all of my ski gear into the backcountry for a day of adventure. I doubt any car will surpass it as an all-rounder for me. Now I have multiple cars for multiple purposes, which all well and good when I have the means to… Read more »