I know a bunch of people on this board are multi car owners, and I mean three or more. I am thinking about switching things up a bit and want some input, because I am really unsure of what might be best.

I have two cars now and I like them both. My Giulia is my daily, has a couple months until I own it outright and I enjoy the car. It has about 17,000 miles on it and is fun for a daily I guess but I really want to daily another manual and would like to have two because they will stop making them eventually, I love driving them, and if one gets totaled I can still have one to fall back on. I could part with the Alfa, but if it is paid for and resale is so low it seems a shame to part with it with because it still looks and feels new. It also makes a nice road trip vehicle.

Ideally, I would like to keep the Cayman, add one more stick, and have something for blizzards and utility. My Giulia will do that but it kind of seems like having three "cars" and nothing really cut out for Home Depot runs is a too much of the same thing. The easy/cheaper choice is to add a used Miata RF (I LOVE the way they look) or a new BRZ and call it a day and the Giulia does the utility duty. I toy with swapping Giulia for an Integra S, or M2 or M3, or CT4 Blackwing (which I have not driven yet) with a stick. Those options get a little more expensive and don't leave me with much for snow duty (Integra would not be terrible) or the garden center, but then I would add a cheap used 4wd down the road. The other option is keep what I have and buy a two door Bronco 4 banger with a stick because people say they are fun and then I have something I can use as a toy off road and strap a snowplow to for my long driveway.

But the question to you with several vehicles.....do you find it is more of a cost and hassle and you are mostly just relying on two and the others go undriven? Another part to the story is I am currently driving 8,000 miles per year under new "work-from-home" culture a couple days a week. If I stuck with two vehicles I could up the price range of the second car and get something more luxurious which I appreciate a bit more as I get older even if it means an automatic or just stick with what I have and do something smart with the money. The Macan intrigues me but I have not driven the upper trims, only the four banger loaners from the dealer. I fear the Miata/BRZ options a bit because I want a comfortable road trip car that will fit a small dog and are sort of similar to the Cayman. What would REALLY help this whole formula is if my wife liked ANY kind of crossover/suv to go to the garden center or road trip in but she can afford whatever she wants and her last four cars were Mazda3/Mazda3/Ford Focus/Mazda3 and she hates anything other than small cars.

So I guess in a nutshell, to those with three or more, does the variety do it for you or do you kind of feel it is excessive and think just get the best two you can swing comfortably? Does my low annual driving change your answer? Something I am missing? Thanks for an honest response. Cost is not a huge concern, but I kind of think I would ignore whatever is car number three 95% of the time and it might just be a big waste.

 

Variety works for us but may not work for all. I’m currently looking at adding an extra car if I find what I’m after so that’ll give us 5. One car really doesn’t do all imo, some are good at many things but I’ve yet to find one car that handles everything all the time. Funnily enough, another Giulia is on the shortlist of an extra car as I do miss mine. Resale on them being not great is helping a bunch just not 100% convinced that’s the route I/we want to go. Next add-on car will be a year round vehicle, don’t need another garage queen/one season vehicle.

 

Super loaded question with so many directions the responses could go
I have 4 cars
2017 NSX Toy
2021 LC 500 Convertible Toy used for an occasional road trip with my wife
2022 Lucid Air GT-Performance, slowly becoming my daily but I am picky where I park it
2014 Q50S Hybrid AWD, wonderful beater car
The past 2+ years I work remotely so no commute, I have to make an effort to get the toys out once a week for about a half an hour run each

You have a Guilia that has been reliable for you, tough to give that up
Cayman, say no more
I hate FWD so phoey on the Integra Type S
I think you are wanting to add a 3 pedal car with some practicality, that would spell M3 to me
If the kind of small and downmarket interior is not an issue the GR Corolla has to be in the race

 

I guess it's horses for courses. Since moving rural my needs have changed, to the detriment of anything fun, so I have to look for excitement within the narrowed context of what will do the job. I currently have 4 cars:

- Audi Q7 TDi is the family hauler/long distance bus. It's a luxo-barge that eats miles but can still tow 7,700lb, which is handy for picking up rural supplies when required. It's fully loaded with all the nice options and I have to pry my wife out of it with a crowbar if I ever want to drive it. It really is a lovely place to be.
- VW Touareg VR6 is the backup to the Q7, because if you have a potentially unreliable Euro SUV tow vehicle it helps to have another potentially-slightly-less-unreliable one to back it up. This one was cheap so my son can learn to drive in it, and being a Japanese import it came fitted with a bunch of goodies like lowered KW V3 coilovers, rowdy exhaust, bigger Brembos and so on. It's hilarious to punt around, and disturbingly agile for a 5,000lb whale.
- Nissan Stagea 350RX Four was our family truckster for years before we moved out to the country. It's now consigned to paddock duty, with a check engine light, airbag light, screeching accessory belt, filthy interior, and so on. Being a VQ35 it may run forever, as long as I change the oil every 50,000 miles or so. It's probably about $100 from running perfectly, but about $5,000 from having a straight body. Liberating in a "zero fks given" way.
- Honda S2000. I keep forgetting I own this, it's currently at my sister-in-law's house as we needed more space for storing tractor implements. I'd love to have more time to drive it but really it's just getting in the way now, and the lack of use it gets is my biggest motoring regret. I may trade it in for a Cayenne at some point, to get to 60% of the VAG SUV collection. An old manual Cayenne came up a few months ago (only one I've seen in the country) and I was unable to convince my wife it was a good idea. I hope to never to aspire to owning the Bentayga or Urus.

It is getting expensive to run a growing fleet but as mentioned the Stagea is just being run into the ground, and with basically no mileage going onto the S2000 there's little to be done there either. The Audi is going in for a service tomorrow and I never look forward to those bills. Insurance and maintenance are only going one way, and then there's the issue of where to keep them all. The S2000 always gets a garage spot but the rest are left outside since everywhere else is full of farming equipment or hay.

To be honest, excluding cars for my kids (daughter starts driving later this year too, consider yourselves warned), and acknowledging my tractor should really be used for a lot of what the Stagea does, I'd be happy with a two car garage. Something like a Cayenne for easy daily motoring and pulling the trailer, and something like a manual 911 for the rare moment I get time to have some fun. I guess the number of cars one needs to meet all their needs depends on how many compromises one is willing to make in each, and how many itches one is willing to leave unscratched.

Specific use case, I know, but reading it only cost you a small chunk of your life.

 

We found multiple sometimes a bit excessive - currently at 6, need to sell 2
We were at:
2007 Accord (her daily)
2020 Subaru BRZ (my daily)
2006 BMW M3
2004 Honda S2000

The dailys do most of the workload.
S2000 and M3 don't get driven much. I try to drive them once every 2 weeks or so but S2000 especially often sits for over a month at a time without being driven because it's really a ME car. M3 gets driven a bit more because it's more comfortable and can be enjoyed with my wife.
But the problem is on the weekend when I want to drive the sports cars we would often get stuck driving around in the Accord due to having to shuttle around family etc. Even the BRZ would never get driven over the weekend because the rear seat room is nil.

So we ended up getting replacements for our dailys:
2024 Macan GTS. Gentian Blue, custom build. Just picked it up this weekend.
2023 Civic Type R

For us driving dynamics, comfort, and practicality were the priorities. You were wondering about the Macan. We were looking for something we would enjoy a driving / backroad roadtrip with our friends, yet carry family comfortably. The rear seats are a bit cramped and the interior is smaller than the civic. Tech is out dated. The air suspension is - phenomenal - really comfortable yet great dynamics. Connected steering feel. PDK. The breadth of ability is a tier above BMW/Mercedes/Audi. 18 way seats are also really comfortable, and noise level in the cabin is pretty quiet. It's a great road trip car. Amongst the CUVs the Macan has the most breadth; super refined ride with excellent handling. No tradeoffs in the dynamics department. Definitely would recommend you guys check one out in person. She might like it.

The Macan or the CTR can't replace the sports cars so you should definitely keep the Cayman.
For us the M3 and S2000 are a little too similar. The M3 probably will continue to get driven often as the CSL intake, handling, and interior comfort provides a really desirable experience. The S2000 I am struggling with, the street experience it provides is similar to the M3 with less comfort, and I don't track as much as I used to...the S2000 will probably be sold.

 

Currently a household of 4 cars, but will be adding one soon. I enjoy the variety of life, even with 2 kids under 3; I'll take out the S2000 or GP1 whenever I have the opportunity and the wife is taking the boys to daycare. The M3 has all the utility and is still absolute hoot to drive, but getting to drive the S2K or MINI is just so much more exciting when I drive them in moderation. I have the S2k and GP1 on collector car insurance (very cheap for replacement value coverage), they're garaged, on trickle chargers, and can be ready to go in 30 seconds, so even the most mundane errand can be fun. If you have the money and space, I'd spice it up!

Also, for fun, I stopped by the Alfa store and took a Giulia Quadrifoglio out for a test drive. Really engaging drive! Always a thought to stay in house with Alfa!

 

Get the BRZ and keep the Giulia and the Cayman based on reading your post a few times. If you want to keep two and want a change of pace, trade the Giulia on an Integra Type S or M2 six-speed.

Oh, and yes, having too many cars can become tedious, but as long as you can justify them for different reason and it doesn't strain finances too much or at all, YOLO.

 

Thanks for all the responses. They help me think about it a little.

I should note, it is just the wife and I and a mid size dog. We are both short people so we we don't need anything like a Tahoe to get around in. My wife also refuses to learn to drive a stick so I want to keep a road trip car that is also auto so she can begrudgingly take two hours behind the wheel on long trips to give me a rest.

What I was trying to figure out is what is the best way to have two interesting cars with a manual, and still have an automatic-road trip car-that can handle snow, and hopefully provide some kind of hauling capacity, and comfortable with a few features like heated seats and wheel.

Quickag, thanks for the response. I think your suggestion might be right. I waver between having something simple that I can let rip without getting into trouble and having some fun in and getting something that is super fast but not really that usable on public roads. I think the former is probably smarter. The Cayman is the closest I have owned to big torque, and it is not really what it is known for. Paired with a stick sounds like a lot of fun, but power levels are so ridiculous, as is gearing, you get to have fun with two gears these days, unless you track.

If I keep the Giulia, I can still handle most things and rent a pickup once in a while when needed I guess. Another point is that I like to go take a bike trail once in a while and I would have three vehicles that really can't have a tow hitch bike rack unless I take the Giulia to a body shop that can do some custom work with a plastic bumper. Not sure how good it would look but perhaps. Right now, my friends always have to come pick me up with their bike racks when we take a distant trail.

 

We have 4. I have an 22 F150 and she has a 20 Navigator as our dailies. I also have an 06 S2000 and a 20 BMW M2C as toys.

Our situation - we live in rural-ish PA (rough winter weather), she WFH entirely and I have about a 60mi round trip commute daily, although I WFH some days. We also have two kids so that plays into what I'm going to say.

My S2000 was purchased extremely cheaply from the previous owner, in terrible but rust free condition. I restored it back to an "OEM+" situation and have now ended up on this path of attempting to make it a reliable, supercharged, track-able car. The expenses related to this car surpassed the "reasonable" label about 2.5 years/$50k ago, but it gives me something to tinker with. I thoroughly enjoy having a "bolt on" type of project to work on. Adult legos if you will. Point being, this car is worth pennies on the dollar, but it's kind of a science project at this point and gives me something to do during the winter, so it stays for now, but my patience is running a bit thin for it because:

I bought the M2C spring of 2023. This car was intended for me to have something I could take my kids in and enjoy it together along with running errands and such on a nice day with them *and* to be my backup track day car should my S2000 breakdown (it did). What has happened to me is that I severely underestimated just how much the capabilities of the M2 would overlap with the S2000 in the track environment. The M2 feels much more "safe" in that it's easier to drive and more predictable. It's also darn near as fast around my local track as the S is (in my hands of course), but I'm not competing, just trying to have some fun and clear my head over a weekend. It does way way better at the dual role than I thought it would, and it's almost making the S2000 redundant and not worth the headache. It's really opened my eyes to how far engineering tech has come in 20 years since the S.

My F150 is fantastic. It's the hybrid powerboost platinum, so it has everything and does everything that a sports car can't, although it's not slow with its twin turbo 420hp and 570tq. With the battery assisting down low to backfill boost, it pins you to the seat at any speed. Enjoyable in its own way IMO. Of course, it's huge, has room for everything in any situation, rides really well and the tech is great. I use it to tow my cars to the track as well as use the bed outlets/onboard generator to keep food and drinks cool during our trackdays. We take family beach trips in it, lowes trips, road trips, it'll do anything.

The lincoln can do most of that too but it's her car, she wanted it because reasons, and I just work here so.

They each have a role, but with young kids I find my available garage tinker time less and less, and my appreciation for a headache free trackday experience (M2) grew a lot this year. I don't have time to (and I'm losing the desire to) wrench on a car for 5 hours for it to survive 1.5 hours on track. I like modding, but it's too much. I've found that I enjoy the actual track time much more.

I find that the S2000 mostly sits un-driven, as did my previous AM Vantage - mostly because they're only 2 seaters. At this stage in my life, to get the most use out of something it's gotta have 4 seats. Also, every time I've tried to combine a DD/sportscar into one car to do everything, I get upset because I can't get over the compromise car (WRX STI) lack of abilities. It was a crappy DD and I wasn't happy with its performance on track either.

To attempt to stop rambling and actually answer your question, years ago when I was doing the maintenance work on all of my cars it became a real pain. Yes, 4 cars was a chore because it seemed at all times someone needed something done. Oil, brakes, filter changes, modifications, etc. That got tiring. Now the lincoln and ford get dealer maintenance. It depends on how you plan on maintaining them I suppose.

Also your driveway/garage situation. I have a 2 car garage, one side with a lift in it. I usually have the S2000 on top, other car below, and the f150 most times gets parked in front of that door. If I want to take the S out on a nice day for an errand, I have to move the ford, move the bmw, then bring the lift down and get the S out. By the time I do all that, I could be most of the way to where I need to go in the first place so it really detracts from using the S (I know, I know, serious FWP). If you have a garage or driveway situation where you could hop in and one at any moment and go, that helps with usage of multiple.

With that all being said, I'm trying to somehow justify adding a CT5 V into my lineup, because 600hp rwd v8 sedan, but I'm struggling to see how its anything less than a total waste. Heh. It could replace the M2, but I love the M2. The S could go I suppose but again, worth pennies on the dollar so? The F150 must stay because I must have 4wd in the winter and I love it for what it is too. But the heart wants! Ha.

I hope I offered some sort of insight. If not, I apologize, but your post inspired a bit of personal thought experiment for me. Interested to see what others say.

 

Four cars here with a family and two small kids. I live in PA. I enjoy the variety of my garage and each car serves a purpose and has different uses and is good at different things. Mileage gets spread across all cars, most mileage goes on the Pilot and the truck, but when the weather is really nice in the summer I use one of my cars more than the truck.

Worth mentioning I WFH and my wife is a stay at home mom. So we don't drive very much.

2017 Honda Pilot for my wife and majority of everything related to the family including most vacations.
2020 GMC 1500 AT4 which is my daily, used for camping, and house stuff
2015 Cayman GTS which I use for fun and do a lot of errands in probably 9-10 months out of the year. It is kind of like my good weather DD.
2008 Honda S2000CR - still my baby and my toy. Only maybe 1000 miles a year it gets used but still love it and I take a lot of quick drives in it at least once a week or one every two weeks 8 months of the year