All cars are back on-site and I have mixed feelings

[AkioOhtori]

Well... all good things, etc etc. About 2 years ago I started renting a couple of storage units to house cars in. The idea is I have 4 covered spaces at my house and 7* cars, so adding two off-site covered spots solves a lot of problems, especially during tornado/hail season(s). This reached a breaking point in 2020 when the Land Rover and Jeep both got significant hail damage (both since repaired).

*Note: Seven cars for two people. I only own a totally reasonable five haha

Additionally while I can fit 3 cars in the garage, I have a single-lane driveway, so getting out the furthest back car would require moving up to 5 cars so... yeah.

Well that all changed last month when I checked my credit card statement and noticed two unexpected charges. Turns out the large chain, Extra Space, that bought out my storage company decided they wanted more. A lot more.

Double, in fact.

They did a 10% increase this time last year, so I expected it to go up but... JFC...

So... after unsuccessfully appealing and never getting a call back from the regional manager... I'm out.

Bad review is pending final paperwork.

So... on one hand it is nice to have the cars back on site and see all the kids in one place. On the other it is a parking disaster so... here we are. Still trying to get out from under the Jag and may post about that again soon.

But... for now... nice to have the kids back but parking is a mess for a while...

Addendum (12:45 CDT)

Feel like I need to clarify the situation here a little...

Cars are my hobby. Not my only hobby, but certainly my main one. It's a thing.

In case it needs to be said: all of my cars start, run, and drive and are all taxed, titled, and insured. All of the tires are in-date and in good shape, and all the other stuff. Nothing is in the lawn. This is just the case of having a large collection of running, driving cars. The Volvo (mine) and the Jeep (partner's) are taken care of by outside mechanics too, so the total number under our actual care is more like five.

Absolutely they don't get driven as much as I'd like, but that is a work from home thing. Back when I had a commute I would rotate cars every day, some weeks taking a different car to work every day of the week. (This is actually a separate article I have in draft which I guess I need to dust off...)

Renting off-site wasn't required but was convenient. It meant less car shuffling and no worrying about bad weather. It also freed up the use of a garage bay from time to time when I needed to do a larger project or wood working. BUT while I was happy at $160/mo, more than that and I can't justify it so... here we are.

[e90m3]

@AkioOhtori This might go against the whole ethos here, but I don't see the appeal in owning that many cars.

[AkioOhtori]

@e90m3 I'll DM someone and help will be on the way soon (with a ban hammer). Hang in there bud! We'll get you the help you need!

Err I should say it is seven cars for two people. I own five, which is approximately 0.5 too many, and my partner owns 2, which for him is about 0.9 too many.

[Peter_Black]

@e90m3 yea, i'm similar with bikes.

while I can appreciate many, I don't think I can realistically own more than 4 or 5 to ride at the same time, I simply wouldn't have the chance to. even if I change to a different one each day, it still sits a WEEK between uses.

I think I will get 2 or 3 as pure collectables (come out once in a blue moon) but I think 7 will be my limit

[e90m3]

@AkioOhtori If I was super rich and had a warehouse then yeah. Dealing with that many cars on a budget and having to work a job? Not enough time and not enough money.

[MUSASHI66]

@AkioOhtori I honestly don’t know how you (and a bunch of others here) do it. I can see having a reliable daily and fun sporty and fun off road vehicle, if they worked fine. Three cars for three separate applications. Even two, if you can get by with the sporty or off road one being your daily as well. But 5 of your own, plus 2 of your partners , not being able to store them at home and paying monthly to own a project that occasionally works but has the good up most of the time… I just couldn’t. I’m too cheap and too impatient.

I know this isn’t the right place for this sort of an opinion and oppo would just tell you to keep the Jag and buy more cars.

No luck selling the Jag yet? Is it finally free of error codes?

Edit - wow, three of us already?? Unexpected.

[AkioOhtori]

@MUSASHI66 said in All cars are back on-site and I have mixed feelings:

No luck selling the Jag yet? Is it finally free of error codes?

No and no haha. Working on some strategies now (including a hefty Oppo discount) but for now it is still with me

[MUSASHI66]

@AkioOhtori Oppo is proven spot for a large number of masochists so you might be in luck and you’ll find someone who wants it

[Qaaaaa]

@e90m3 As someone who owns that many cars, it legitimately makes zero sense, but mostly they accumulated because something cool shows up that's a good deal, so it just kinda happens. No "appeal" involved so much as "why not?"

FWIW I don't see any reason to own even a single watch, but...

[e90m3]

@Qaaaaa Cars take up a lot of space and needs maintenance. Then next thing you know, you've got a field filled with 50 dilapidated, neglected cars that you're gonna fix some day.

[jminer]

@AkioOhtori I couldn't imagine stuffing all your cars in a driveway. That's definitely enough money though to make it worth it (for now).

@e90m3 @MUSASHI66 I've done this with projects both 4 wheeled and 2 (and am doing it now with bicycles) but I'm nowhere near as dedicated as @AkioOhtori and my cars were usually mostly out of commission (most I ever had was 6 for 2 people). I had better odds with motorcycles and had 6/13 in riding shape at one point. Bikes are small though and the last half was projects in the queue.

I'm seriously impressed by @AkioOhtori's dedication and skills, he's a seriously awesome OPPO.

[Qaaaaa]

@e90m3 Yes. So? As long as the cars are in a space the owner has a right to put them in and they're not leaking fluids into the water table, it's not really hurting anyone besides the people who want to wax poetic about the broken cars they wouldn't be fixing either.

[WilliamsSW]

@e90m3

[benjrblant]

@AkioOhtori you don't really want the c30 anyway, right? RIGHT?!

[MUSASHI66]

@jminer You went as far to rent space for them as you couldn’t store them all at home? That’s dedication.

I could see it if I owned a giant garage and 2 separate shops like my father in law, with a private back yard and 5 acres of space. I guess I am approaching this from my suburban house owner perspective. While I could fit 4 cars in my garage and another 6 would easily fit on the driveway, I just couldn’t do it. I don’t like having things that don’t run.

I love my Abarth, but if it gets to a point where it’s on jacks more often than on the mountain backroads, , it’s out of here.

Just different personalities. One isn’t better than the other. Unless you have an HOA

[ibRAD]

@AkioOhtori This is a good reminder why I pay my bills personally every month rather than having automatic charges to my card.

[LooseonExit]

@MUSASHI66

Add me to the ban list...

It's not me (anymore) but I don't blame others for doing it. I really can't see paying extra (any offsite cost) to do hobbies, but also that's just me. I owned a stupid amount of Jeeps/4x4 simultaneously, but they all stayed at my friend's shop, pretty easy in college and early adult days...

It's far too tedious for me to deal with now though. When I had the Buell, Camaro, and Dakota, I felt it was a lot to keep up with. Now with the ZR2 and Cruze I feel we can easily add a fun car as they're both new(er) and low maintenance. I always thought I'd have a few fun vehicles at the same time, but my whole thought process on it has shifted. I'm willing to own and care for one at a time. Have it for a bit (1yr ideally, certainly under 2yrs) and on to the next. That will allow me to own and try a bunch of different things without a lot of hassle.

[MUSASHI66]

@LooseonExit Same here - I am fine with some maintenance on newer cars, I just don't have it in me to spend every other weekend fixing stuff.

[theturbomrt]

My wife and I have:
Four cars
A three car garage
A three-wide, two-deep driveway

We are still annoyed by the inconvenience and are looking to pare down.

We have:
1991 MR2 Turbo
2008 GX470
2005 Highlander (which has sentimental value)
2006 Odyssey (which has utilitarian value for kiddos)

And I'm not getting rid of the toy or the tow pig so... here we are.

Seven would be divorce material.

[AkioOhtori]

@MUSASHI66 I actually spent a couple years trying to buy a shop outside of town but never had any luck. Though I could make it work within my budget ($120k) but every time I started the process of buying it fell through for some reason or another.

[ITA97]

@e90m3 said in All cars are back on-site and I have mixed feelings:

@AkioOhtori This might go against the whole ethos here, but I don't see the appeal in owning that many cars.

I don't know, I own five bicycles.

[jminer]

@MUSASHI66 No I kept everything on site, I had a big garage and a couple acres out almost nowhere and motorcycles take up very little space.

[davesaddiction]

@AkioOhtori

out from under the Jag

So, you're the tapir, then?

Slowly bleeding out?

[glemon]

@e90m3 I like to think I want to own a half a dozen cars or so, but I think I finally have my own personal equilibrium figured out.

My wife has a daily driver, have a daily driver, same as it ever was, same as it always will be. I usually have one car I call a hobby car, older, fun car. The last few years I have often had a second hobby car. I have found when I don't have a second hobby car I am very constantly on the hunt for one. When I do have a second hobby car my searching falls way down, so I must be more or less satisfied.

I will note that when I have four cars my 3.5 stall garage plus lift is full. I really don't like parking cars outside.

So under current circumstances four car guy. I don't know if the mindset changes if I have an extra stall or shop. But four seems plenty to keep me busy.

[Highlander]

@AkioOhtori Ironically the only car I need to get rid of is owned by my spouse. It has accident damage, a blown head gasket, roasted clutch and now a flat tire. She's like you gonna fix it? I'm like nope, are you gonna fix it? and she's like nope. Then we stop talking for a while.