Time to visit Jalopnik again

[Just Jeepin']

Did I steer you wrong last time? No, no I did not.

https://opposite-lock.com/topic/28562/for-anyone-who-missed-this-sublime-jalopnik-article-yesterday

Today's reason for revisiting: @Miss-Mercedes has unveiled to the world just how many cars she owns. And they're not even all Smarts!

https://jalopnik.com/i-somehow-own-14-cars-and-a-transit-bus-what-have-i-1848048729

That Honda Beat, mmmmm. And the Every Turbo. Just a sweet collection.

[Mr.Ontop]

@just-jeepin How does one person afford the insurance on 15 cars?

[WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4]

Mercedes truly does channel the spirit that Jalopnik used to have.

I still read and comment on a lot of articles, but it's a completely different place to when I started reading it over 10 years ago.

[Wacko]

@just-jeepin
That’s a big nope for me. They lost my interest forever and I refuse to give them even one click

[Qaaaaa]

@mr-ontop As someone who has only 6, you just don't insure the ones that don't drive, even though you're supposed to

[Italia]

@mr-ontop at least with the vintage that I tend to hoard you can get agreed value coverage at a huge discount that only covers me driving(not even my wife) with the idea that I can only drive one car at a time and I have to keep a modern car insured for my main vehicle. Not what I do anymore since I moved to Italy but it was great for my old rigs in the USA

[facw]

@just-jeepin She's like David Tracy, but with the good sense to not just keep them on her lawn.

@mr-ontop said in Time to visit Jalopnik again:

@just-jeepin How does one person afford the insurance on 15 cars?

IIRC, she doesn't keep them all insured all the time? No need to insure a car in storage.

[Miss Mercedes]

@mr-ontop I have vehicles on rotation with two policies. One is a storage policy, the other is a regular auto policy. My insurers don't seem to mind that the covered vehicles always changes. At any given time only 4 vehicles are active on the regular auto policy.

The cheap storage policy is essential because yeah, otherwise insurance would be killer.

ETA: The bus, which you'd expect to be the most expensive, is actually the cheapest. RV insurance!

ETA 2: Registration is interesting. I'll just say that the cars are registered to a trust created for the cars. This was done in case of a nightmare scenario where my parents find a way to financially rope me into something again. I narrowly dodged losing everything when their house foreclosed.

[ITA97]

@miss-mercedes As I read the article, it sounds like you have a way higher percentage of running vehicles than David Tracy.

[Tripper]

@just-jeepin I actually almost posted based on that article. Under the guise of, "How many cars can you reasonably look after?" It ended up being one of those things that I typed all the way up and decided not to post...

For the record I think the number is 2 for me anyway. I definitely couldn't properly care for/enjoy 3. I can and do enjoy the two that I've got I just wish I had more space to work on them.

[MybirdIStheword]

@mr-ontop how does one afford 15 cars?

[Miss Mercedes]

Admittedly, my maintenance/repair schedule is "as needed". So if I yank a car out of storage and see that it's time for service or something's broken, I fix it or pay someone to fix it.

Honestly, I couldn't do any of this without my fiancée. Our deal is I take care of the vehicles and other equipment while she keeps us alive with food, laundry and whatnot. Fine enough for me because I can't cook worth a darn. lol We also share living costs somewhat proportionally (she pays for food, I pay for car parts), which is great because our tiny apartment has remained dirt cheap.

Our dream house is basically a small ranch on a plot of land with more or less a hangar. She wants to get into collecting old FWD GM stuff if we ever achieve that dream.

[Mr.Ontop]

@mybirdistheword That part is easier to understand if they aren't new cars.

[liam]

@wacko said in Time to visit Jalopnik again:

@just-jeepin
That’s a big nope for me. They lost my interest forever and I refuse to give them even one click

I'm happy to give Ms Mercedes clicks, regardless of if they are here or there.

[john norris]

@just-jeepin

15 vehicles? I have a new goal!!!

Thanks for this. I'll continue to use you as a Jalopnik filter. I can't handle the direct review.

@Miss-Mercedes

When I grow up I want to be just like you.

Maybe not for Smarts and Volkswagens, but certainly with the quantity and gross vehicle weight diversity.

My sister drove a smart for a while, she liked it. She let my son drive it, and he said he's never been more scared. There is a certain death trap / SUV target vulnerability to them. The Gambler stuff I could see. But Cross Country rides next to 18 wheelers ought to be a serious adventure. Please be careful.

[facw]

@miss-mercedes Not saying you should trash the bus for this, but how many Smarts could you fit in the bus if you modified it to be a car hauler?

[Miss Mercedes]

@facw Parked front to back? About three. Side-to-side? Four, I think. A good portion of the bus length is engine cradle and HVAC.

[nowhere]

@miss-mercedes "Our dream house is basically a small ranch on a plot of land with more or less a hangar."

I'm with you on that. I would guess this is true for quite a few of us here.

[MybirdIStheword]

@mr-ontop said in Time to visit Jalopnik again:

@mybirdistheword That part is easier to understand if they aren't new cars.

Not that much easier tbh

[David Tracy]

@ita97 Definitely true. I've got quite a few non-running vehicles right now — mostly because they're REALLY old and REALLY cheap.

That's a bad combo!

[David Tracy]

@david-tracy But also such a GOOD COMBO!