How many cars are too many?

[Stevester 500E]

I was watching a surfing related podcast/yt video and the question/subject of how many surfboards are too many. The host thought 3 is the right number to own, four was thought to be too many. The conversation went on a tangent to how many cars are too many, referring to Sienfeld's Porsche collection and Jay Leno's collection, etc. The host said 3 is the magic number for other things, like watches.

For the common ordinary man, what is the correct numbers of cars to own?
The correct answer is probably...as many as you want. But I guess the question comes more from the angle of isnt three enough?

I think he had a point.

Opinions?

 

[Ertech]

I have 4 "collector "cars.
E500
E30 M3
Porsche 930
280sl
all 4 are very different built philosophy if that makes sense . I is fun nut almost a full time job keeping them perfect . you could not give me another car its to much to handle <I do my own mechanics >.

 

[alabbasi]

I think about this often as I own too many cars right now. I think that 5 is about as much as you can get up to before you turn into a hamster on a wheel. Any more, and you're constantly chasing problems with the cars and problems that you have to deal with in order to support the car hobby (storage, tools, etc.)

 

[gsxr]

How many are too many? Simple answer: "One more than I currently own."

Longer answer: It depends. Financial means, storage capability, number of drivers in your household, etc will vary. Owning a bunch of cars but having to store some/many/all of them outdoors, that's not good... outdoor storage will accelerate their demise. Rapidly accelerate, in some regions/climates. If you have a climate controlled aircraft hanger or similar large enclosed storage area... sweet! And if you have 3, 4, 5 total drivers in the household... well, 3 vehicles may not be adequate.

Now, the real question might be how many are you trying to maintain and keep drivable / reliable. I own quite a few more than 3, but most are projects (excluding parts cars), but it's difficult to keep more than 3-4 fully maintained, for the 2 drivers in our household. Owning more than you have reasonable means to maintain won't have a great result either.

 

[gerryvz]

I have found that 3, and at max 4, cars is the "magic number" as to what can realistically be driven regularly and maintained with frequency. This is for an average working person with limited spare time.

Any more than that, you have cars that tend to sit, some for shorter periods, some for longer periods.

Right now I've got four cars (plus our 2023 and 2024 Lexii, which are often every day cars / Yellow Lab bus) and I'm planning on thinning my herd by one car in the coming months (will most likely be my G-wagen after I complete the engine rebuild).

 

[TerryA]

I have 3 driving cars My wife’s 2005 Caddy DeVille that she won’t part with. My 2015 KIA Optima beater that just ran out of warranty and now has almost 103K miles. My 93 500E that sits in the garage but still is driven once in a while mostly to car shows and my hasn’t been driven in many years (like 8 or 9) 84 Euro 500SL with 178K miles. It failed CA Smog and got parked and covered. Now needs probably everything. At 82 years it won’t be fixed by me I’m sure.

 

[Gatorblue92]

I currently have 5 which I feel is one too many.

 

[DerFuror]

I always seem to have one car too many & garage space is an issue. My two oldest cars are very sentimental, somewhat rare now, & difficult to consider parting with although I know the time must come eventually. The 500E stays & always has a spot in the garage.

Less than 10 years ago, a good friend offered to sell me his 1986 or 89 560SL for ten grand. White with maroon interior. Gorgeous car. We’d even drive it up together from Texas just like roadtrips we made in the old days. What a Screaming deal.

Agonizingly, I couldn’t do it. No protected space for it & I couldn’t pick a car to get rid of to make space for it.

Every now and then I still kick myself real hard when I recall that offer.

 

[Bogeyman]

I'm gonna take the fifth on my number, but IMO it should be limited by the amount of proper storage facilities one has available.

 

[maw1124]

My view is when any of them sit outside, all the ones outside are surplus.

Now the surplus might be beaters that keep miles off the ones you love, and you can take the position that utility makes them not surplus. And I get that.

But for me any car that sits outside is a purely utilitarian beast of burden, and therefore not a "car" the way this group uses the term.

Prove me wrong.



maw

 

[northNH]

Since the first time I bought a second car (a ‘53 Porsche 356) ~50 years ago when it only involved deceiving my parents, my MO has been no one person knows about all the cars I own.

None of these cars on the current (obviously incomplete) list lives outdoors, and the first and last ones on the list are for sale…

 

[maw1124]

None of these cars on the current (obviously incomplete) list lives outdoors, and the first and last ones on the list are for sale…

That E46 looks like it lives outside...

Jokes.

maw

 

[northNH]

It was a short-lived fancy of my partner a ways back, it never made it indoors.
The Audi was her last car before she passed.
She knew about most of the others.

 

[duuder]

the real answer is three and the best answer is four

1. daily all around beater
2. the luxury car
3. something w/ a manual
4. collector/sports car

three and four can be combined but i like to have it all

 

[bclifton]

the real answer is three and the best answer is four

1. daily all around beater
2. the luxury car
3. something w/ a manual
4. collector/sports car

three and four can be combined but i like to have it all

Not a bad philosophy - I'm at four right now and my breakdown is something like this:

1. daily all around beater - 1987 300D
2. the luxury car - 2013 GL550
3. something w/ a manual - 2006 Ford Ranger (2.3 Duratech w/ 5 speed manual ) for junkyard runs and hauling stuff
4. collector/sports car backup beater car - 1987 300SDL

If you are looking to part with the G-Wagen @gerryvz I would potentially be interested - feel free to share info. I don't know too much about yours but if I remember correctly, it's a G320 w/ the M104. I have some familiarity with engine - and having it in a G would be amazing

My wife's GL550 is a pretty capable car - 420HP, massage seats w/ heated/cooling, 4MATIC, 3rd row seating... but I'm not a fan of the M278 engine due to issues that can happen. Replacing the water pump for example is a 12+ hour job for techs; who knows how long that would take me. I wouldn't even have space to store all the parts you need to take off to get at the water pump!

 

[gsxr]

My wife's GL550 is a pretty capable car - 420HP, massage seats w/ heated/cooling, 4MATIC, 3rd row seating... but I'm not a fan of the M278 engine due to issues that can happen. Replacing the water pump for example is a 12+ hour job for techs; who knows how long that would take me. I wouldn't even have space to store all the parts you need to take off to get at the water pump!

Brian, we have been eyeing the X166 GL550 like yours. Jono has pretty much nothing good to say about the M278 which worries me. The water pump job does sound intimidating. Hopefully it's not a common failure.

Has your M278 experienced the upper wiring harness / ECU "oil" issue? Are you getting oil analysis to monitor the bottom end before it unexpectedly grenades? Based on my research the harness/ECU issue wasn't too bad if you caught it before the ECU was damaged, but the kersploding bottom end could result in junking the vehicle as replacement engines cost a fortune due to limited supply and high demand. I was hoping oil analysis might provide some warning and allow time to trade in at a dealership, lol.

 

[duuder]

here's mine:

1. daily all around beater - prius
2. the luxury car - 500E
3. something w/ a manual - bmw E21
4. collector/sports car - clk BS

i'd like to upgrade my 2008 prius to the minivan looking one as ive used mine to haul building supplies like 4' by 8' pieces of sheetrock (cut in half), transmission, an engine block, and have car camped in extreme desert conditions for multiple days

i feel like i got pretty lucky w/ this collection in a way

Edit: I fit a whole exhaust and a font cover in my car, it just got tons of space

 

[captruff]

I'm not going to say how many cars I currently have, but safe to say I have too many!

Jeff

 

[steve h]

I have 4 "collector "cars.
E500
E30 M3
Porsche 930
280sl
all 4 are very different built philosophy if that makes sense . I is fun nut almost a full time job keeping them perfect . you could not give me another car its to much to handle <I do my own mechanics >.

Nice choice of cars

 

[steve h]

My view is when any of them sit outside, all the ones outside are surplus.

Now the surplus might be beaters that keep miles off the ones you love, and you can take the position that utility makes them not surplus. And I get that.

But for me any car that sits outside is a purely utilitarian beast of burden, and therefore not a "car" the way this group uses the term.

Prove me wrong.



maw

Good view in my mind. If it can't be garaged, then you should sell it. That 's why I have a big barn.........

 

[Sam SL]

I have 1 too many now. A stable of no more than 4 collector cars is the ideal number imo.

 

[northNH]

I’m kinda like a bass dozing under a rock…
No matter what, if a lure goes by with just the right flash, just the right action at just the right speed, hungry or not, I hit it.
Then I decide whether to spit it out or suck it down.
So far I’ve been better at sucking ‘em down than spitting ‘em out.

 

[TimL]

here's mine:

1. daily all around beater - prius
2. the luxury car - 500E
3. something w/ a manual - bmw E21
4. collector/sports car - clk BS

i'd like to upgrade my 2008 prius to the minivan looking one as ive used mine to haul building supplies like 4' by 8' pieces of sheetrock (cut in half), transmission, an engine block, and have car camped in extreme desert conditions for multiple days

i feel like i got pretty lucky w/ this collection in a way

Edit: I fit a whole exhaust and a font cover in my car, it just got tons of space

@duuder how do you like the Black Series CLK? I always thought it was a very cool looking car. I’m sure you like the value increase these have seen over the last couple of years!

 

[gsxr]

84 sounds like a good number to me. I'll pass on the yacht and restrict myself to a single jet, and reallocate the funds into a private road course.

"... former Bugatti president Wolfgang Duerheimer had said that an average Bugatti customer has about 84 cars, three jets, and one yacht."

With three private jets and 84 cars in their garage, the average Bugatti owner still finds joy in spending over $500,000 on custom touches to make their multi-million-dollar hypercar truly one-of-a-kind. - Luxurylaunches

luxurylaunches.com

 

[duuder]

@duuder how do you like the Black Series CLK? I always thought it was a very cool looking car. I’m sure you like the value increase these have seen over the last couple of years!

its a fun car and pretty predictable in terms of fast driving. its been my dream car since it came out

 

[LWB250]

Two "dailys" and the rest belong to my boys, but I typically maintain them so it's like having four cars. Once we get things settled around here over the next year with kids moving out, retasking and renovation, I'll start looking for a third "fun" car.

I only have two garage spaces available, but that will change as well, which also has some bearing on fleet size. I want everything to be inside.

Dan

 

[JC220]

Per my signature I have 12x MBs of my own. And my GFs GLC so 13 here that I maintain.

Definitely to many! Doesn't help many are project cars requiring alot of work. I will get there eventually but it will take many years. Ideally ill get more of them inside in the coming years. 4 in garages, 2 in a carport and the rest outside.

I would agree that about 4 would be a nice number. However once I sell my w221 I'll be keeping the other 11.

I also have at least 1x spare set of wheels for each car. That's alot of wheels to store! Plus dozens of headlamps and trailer loads of spare parts to keep the cars well supplied for my lifetime.

If I had a large shed I would have up to 30 or 40 MBs so just as well I don't have anywhere to store them

 

[Rouven036]

Good subject.
I would at this point also state that I have too many. The biggest issue is the effort to either keep them maintained or to finish the individual projects. Unfortunately I tend to get into really big projects in 2 different countries a couple thousand km apart with scarce time time by job and family.
The total fleet includes currently 9 cars of my own out of which 8 are MB plus the wife's W163 daily beater.
So I am considering to sell a few cars over the course of the next year but to pull the trigger or make the final decision on which one to let go is pretty hard.
For now it seems that I will definitely keep the evo1 and 500E, the others I can imagine to go. Even so my favourite, the evo2 is amongst them.

 

[tanger]

here's mine:

1. daily all around beater - prius
2. the luxury car - 500E
3. something w/ a manual - bmw E21
4. collector/sports car - clk BS

i'd like to upgrade my 2008 prius to the minivan looking one as ive used mine to haul building supplies like 4' by 8' pieces of sheetrock (cut in half), transmission, an engine block, and have car camped in extreme desert conditions for multiple days

i feel like i got pretty lucky w/ this collection in a way

Edit: I fit a whole exhaust and a font cover in my car, it just got tons of space

+1 on a minivan in the fleet. Couldn’t justify getting rid of our Pacifica at the $10k or whatever I would get for it. Utility is second to none for golf clubs, Home Depot trips, lacrosse tourneys, and road trips…

For me 5 is the over/under so I’m a little over right now but my kids will likely take cars when they leave for college (one next year and the other 2 years later)
1. MB GLC300 - wife’s daily
2. VW GTi Rabbit mk 7.5 6spd - daughters
3. Ford Bronco Heritage 6spd - will be my sons next year (lucky bastard!)
4. 911 GTS 6spd - was my daily but never gets driven as I’m WFH now
5. E500 - might be my daily goto once I get it sorted
6. 993 turbo 6 spd - on its way to Tuthill for a “restomod”
7. Pacifica - see above

 

[bclifton]

Brian, we have been eyeing the X166 GL550 like yours. Jono has pretty much nothing good to say about the M278 which worries me. The water pump job does sound intimidating. Hopefully it's not a common failure.

Has your M278 experienced the upper wiring harness / ECU "oil" issue? Are you getting oil analysis to monitor the bottom end before it unexpectedly grenades? Based on my research the harness/ECU issue wasn't too bad if you caught it before the ECU was damaged, but the kersploding bottom end could result in junking the vehicle as replacement engines cost a fortune due to limited supply and high demand. I was hoping oil analysis might provide some warning and allow time to trade in at a dealership, lol.

Hi Dave,

Sorry I didn't reply back sooner - yeah, we've had an array of issues, unfortunately.

The upper wiring harness / ecu / oil issue did happen. It presented symptoms of a bad alternator. When they dug in, the oil going up and through the wiring harness was found. They had to reseal the valve covers and timing cover which is not a small job on this engine. All of the coolant hoses are hard plastic which gets brittle due to the temp and breaks. The shop will just buy all new plastic bits as part of doing a job where those need to be removed for access.

Another recent job we had done: replacing the fuel pump and filter. It totally died out - we've got 165k miles on the car. There's no access to it from inside the car, so you need to drop the exhaust and then drop the fuel tank itself to replace. Bigtime PITA.

It's a great car to be in when you're driving it or as a passenger. But for maintenance, I would never on purpose buy an M278/M157 engined vehicle again I simply don't have the talent / time / tools to take on these massive jobs myself (or enough room to store the parts in my garage as the job is being done) to complete them in a timely manner. And whether you go to an indie or the dealer (and have a good relationship with the dealer), it's going to be expensive. The oil/wiring harness issue (which also involved new alternator, among other things) was a whopping $7k bill and the recent water pump one was ~$5k. Great car for road trips - but definitely pay to play

If folks are interested, here's a good technical video describing some of the problems with the M278/M157

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for the info, Brian! I wonder if an aftermarket warranty would be helpful, if you can stomach the high cost (several thousand dollars for only a couple years of coverage).

 

[gerryvz]

I would never on purpose buy an M278/M157 engined vehicle again

You should definitely consider buying an M156. It will make you

I also recommend the 2UR-GSE engine......

 

[bclifton]

You should definitely consider buying an M156. It will make you

I also recommend the 2UR-GSE engine......View attachment 203238

LOVE the M156 Still miss my 2009 CL63 (except maybe the ABC suspension)

Wish there was an X166 GL/GLS (model year 2013-2019) that had that engine- but they went for the M157.
But maybe I could talk the Mrs into a W212 E63... She definitely had 0 interest in the old diesel W126 (in my list as "backup beater car") That car being the Germany "taxi ivory" color didn't help either

 

[TerryA]

Hi Dave,

Sorry I didn't reply back sooner - yeah, we've had an array of issues, unfortunately.

The upper wiring harness / ecu / oil issue did happen. It presented symptoms of a bad alternator. When they dug in, the oil going up and through the wiring harness was found. They had to reseal the valve covers and timing cover which is not a small job on this engine. All of the coolant hoses are hard plastic which gets brittle due to the temp and breaks. The shop will just buy all new plastic bits as part of doing a job where those need to be removed for access.

Another recent job we had done: replacing the fuel pump and filter. It totally died out - we've got 165k miles on the car. There's no access to it from inside the car, so you need to drop the exhaust and then drop the fuel tank itself to replace. Bigtime PITA.

It's a great car to be in when you're driving it or as a passenger. But for maintenance, I would never on purpose buy an M278/M157 engined vehicle again I simply don't have the talent / time / tools to take on these massive jobs myself (or enough room to store the parts in my garage as the job is being done) to complete them in a timely manner. And whether you go to an indie or the dealer (and have a good relationship with the dealer), it's going to be expensive. The oil/wiring harness issue (which also involved new alternator, among other things) was a whopping $7k bill and the recent water pump one was ~$5k. Great car for road trips - but definitely pay to play

If folks are interested, here's a good technical video describing some of the problems with the M278/M157

@bclifton,
Brian, thanks for that video. I have been following the S550 prices on BaT. Now I see why they sell for cheap!

 

[sheward]

Me too. I have been thinking about one of these X166 for years. I'll stop.

 

[gsxr]

Me too. I have been thinking about one of these X166 for years. I'll stop.

Drew, I haven't given up hope, but it does complicate the search process. AFAICT if you get one with a good engine, you can keep it alive with proper oil/changes, and maybe disconnecting the stupid solenoid that reduces oil pressure in some circumstances (why is this even present?). Getting one with a good engine is the trick of course, seems like a PPI (PRE purchase inspection!) is required with a borescope to verify the cylinder walls are ok, along with checking the ECU/connector/wiring for oil, etc etc.

Alternately... sounds like the 2016-up X166 with M278 have iron cylinder liners that may not have the same issues with wall scoring? Or fewer issues. This was news to me. Probably still need the borescope pre-purchase along with ECU/oil check etc etc.

 

[TerryA]

I was starting to think that the S550 was becoming affordable. It appears to be a great looking car but from that video I see more than the cylinders scoring. What about all of the plastic crap on the front of the engine? This engine looks like a nightmare!

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there are that many people that don’t maintain these cars. Brian’s testimony and his $15K repair bill is enough for me.

IMOP, The only way to own this car is to drive while under factory warranty and dump it before it expires.

This is just my opinion.

 

[Rouven036]

There is something essential about those engines. You need to identify if the scoring appears on the longitudinal direction of the engine, I. E. the scores appear in the front side or rear (speaking of scoring in vehicle direction). The reason for this are bend rods even from new. There was an extended warranty/goodwill coverage for a few years in place which is meanwhile expired.
Affected 257/157 range.
Haven't watched the video - apologies if it's repeated info or content.

Otherwise turbo cooling plastic piping issue is another problem, especially in hot climate or high stop and go traffic environment with high under bonnet temperatures. The replacement of these is a periodic maintenance issue every couple years. Imagine those going NLA.

 

[bclifton]

Me too. I have been thinking about one of these X166 for years. I'll stop.

Realistically (all things considered), the car has been amazing. And there's something to be said about top tier comfort on 1200+ mile drives. We've taken this to the bay area several times (from Phoenix) and each time, you can put the heated seats on, turn on the massage seats, and then everybody can watch a movie (the front seats have LCD screens behind them; you can actually put on two different shows). With AIRMATIC, it's the ride quality is super comfortable too. AIRMATIC has gone bad and I've replaced those components myself; the rear air springs, the compressor, the valve block, and both front struts.

The engine is the only sad part. But it's also quite a happy part. When things are working (which has been most of the time over the past 5+ years; only had 3 incidents), it's incredibly fast (420 HP) and the fuel efficiency is not horrible. We've put over 70k miles on the car - so it definitely gets driven. We also got it for $27k - so even with the expensive repairs, we didn't lose as much as the original owner that plopped down $95k for the car

If you only have 4 cars in the stable, this is a pretty awesome luxury cruiser. And if you know ahead of time how expensive the repairs can get (it doesn't help that parts prices and labor has increased), it's somewhat reasonable. But I do love being able to service the other 3 myself (87 300D, 87 300SDL, 2006 Ford Ranger 5 speed w/ zero options).

Funny story - I can't remember if I shared here already. But this 2013 GL550 is the newest car we have. It has an electronic parking brake which I didn't know about at the time. I went to replace the rotors and pads myself. Front went perfectly. Got to the rears and somehow missed that the parking brake wasn't a drum brake. I couldn't get the caliper w/ the new pads back on and the piston wouldn't compress. I found out there was a service position that you need to set via the cluster. That made things better, but the piston wouldn't compress well.

Disclaimer: I only had a crappy C clamp at the time. Now I have the proper Hazet piston compressor

Since I couldn't compress the piston more with the tools I had, I thought it might work out like computer problems. Turn it off then back on again. I went to the cluster, turned off the service position for brakes and then figured I can turn it back on again. Well - without something for the piston to have stop against when turning it to off position, the piston kept twisting out until it flew off completely and brake fluid went everywhere. At this point, I clamped the soft brake line, hung the caliper off the control arm, and called MB roadside to have the shop fix my mistake I've since learned the proper way to do it. But things are certainly different than the W124 and W126 era!

 

[sheward]

This is the last year MB SUV I like the looks of. I really like it. Truth is I'm too old to be working bent over the fenders on anything much. I was prepared to work with the suspension components but a basic water pump job as you described is just too much. Then there is the electrical gadgets I'd have to pay for since I refuse to learn at this stage in life. When will MB stop supporting a 2013 vehicle? I may just live with my high mile F350 7.3

Funny story about the brake puck shooting out.

 

[gerryvz]

Realistically (all things considered), the car has been amazing. And there's something to be said about top tier comfort on 1200+ mile drives. We've taken this to the bay area several times (from Phoenix) and each time, you can put the heated seats on, turn on the massage seats, and then everybody can watch a movie (the front seats have LCD screens behind them; you can actually put on two different shows). With AIRMATIC, it's the ride quality is super comfortable too. AIRMATIC has gone bad and I've replaced those components myself; the rear air springs, the compressor, the valve block, and both front struts.

The engine is the only sad part. But it's also quite a happy part. When things are working (which has been most of the time over the past 5+ years; only had 3 incidents), it's incredibly fast (420 HP) and the fuel efficiency is not horrible. We've put over 70k miles on the car - so it definitely gets driven. We also got it for $27k - so even with the expensive repairs, we didn't lose as much as the original owner that plopped down $95k for the car

If you only have 4 cars in the stable, this is a pretty awesome luxury cruiser. And if you know ahead of time how expensive the repairs can get (it doesn't help that parts prices and labor has increased), it's somewhat reasonable. But I do love being able to service the other 3 myself (87 300D, 87 300SDL, 2006 Ford Ranger 5 speed w/ zero options).

Funny story - I can't remember if I shared here already. But this 2013 GL550 is the newest car we have. It has an electronic parking brake which I didn't know about at the time. I went to replace the rotors and pads myself. Front went perfectly. Got to the rears and somehow missed that the parking brake wasn't a drum brake. I couldn't get the caliper w/ the new pads back on and the piston wouldn't compress. I found out there was a service position that you need to set via the cluster. That made things better, but the piston wouldn't compress well.

Disclaimer: I only had a crappy C clamp at the time. Now I have the proper Hazet piston compressor

Since I couldn't compress the piston more with the tools I had, I thought it might work out like computer problems. Turn it off then back on again. I went to the cluster, turned off the service position for brakes and then figured I can turn it back on again. Well - without something for the piston to have stop against when turning it to off position, the piston kept twisting out until it flew off completely and brake fluid went everywhere. At this point, I clamped the soft brake line, hung the caliper off the control arm, and called MB roadside to have the shop fix my mistake I've since learned the proper way to do it. But things are certainly different than the W124 and W126 era!
View attachment 203253View attachment 203254

Sounds like a G-wagen with front discs and rear drums would be in order here