It wasn’t long ago that I owned 9 million cars, had the city inspector on my back telling me I had to get my cars running and registered or else, had a neighbor literally calling me “an animal,” and had almost no clothes that weren’t covered in motor oil. It was a great time in my life, filled with adventure and learning; of course, at the same time, I hadn’t been on a date in about 9 million years, and I’d often wake up in a sweat in the middle of night frantically reaching for a pen and paper so I could write down all the cars I owned and everything that needed to be fixed. It was unsustainable, and now, after miraculously getting engaged, I’m finally — after almost a decade — bringing the fleet down to a sustainable number of cars. Here’s what made the cut.
I’ve made a few tough choices over the past few days. For the longest time, I’ve been flip-flopping between selling my 2014 BMW i3 and my 2021 BMW i3S. The former is older, has 145,000 miles, and has a smaller battery offering 75 miles of range. At the same time, the 2014 has a brand new battery and compressor, and also it’s just better built than the 2021. The 2021 costs three times as much (mid $30 grand all-in), and offers a similar driving experience, but the advantage is that it looks incredible; it’s got double the range thanks to a battery that many say doesn’t degrade pretty much at all over the first five years, 50,000 miles (which bodes well long-term); and it has a 12 year, 130,000 mile warranty on pretty much every major component. It’s basically a brand new car, and it really does feel special.
Should I sell my Jeeps and buy a basically-brand-new BMW i3 for 30 large?
— David Tracy (@davidntracy) April 21, 2024
Still obsessed with this car. pic.twitter.com/1rSYnhEtDr
— David Tracy (@davidntracy) October 12, 2024
So I’m selling off the gray i3. What else will I keep? Well, I need a wedding car in a few months, and I figure it might be nice to have something convertible out here in California. What’s more, given my limited garage space, the CJ-3B makes a bit more sense than my YJ, which won’t fit in tandem with my i3. So I’ve decided to whittle my car collection down to three. It will be the CJ-3B and i3 at home:
And then at work I’ll have the five-speed ZJ overlanding project/road trip car that I need to someday get to:
So that’s it. Three cars, plus my brother’s Mustang:
So this means the Gray i3, YJ, Jeep J10 (which won’t make it through SMOG here in CA, anyway), World War II Jeep and Nash will all hit the auction block:
The reality is that, at this stage in my life, I need to focus on having a fleet of easily-maintainable cars. The Gold i3 has a huge warranty, so that should be no issue. The CJ-3B is not far from being on the road, plus it’s bone-simple and parts are plentiful. Not to mention, I think it’ll make a cool wedding car. The five-speed ZJ Grand Cherokee will be my one real project; it’s going to take a lot of work, but I’ll be excited when it’s done. And the Mustang is kind of a family heirloom at this point, it’s simple, parts are plentiful, and it’s only gone up in value since I bought it. It needs some work here or there, but it’s not really a priority.
In my head, the Willys I’ll use to putt around town, and I’ll tow it to an off-road park (and Moab!) every now and again. The i3 will be my highway/work car/the real daily driver. And the ZJ will act as my adventure car and occasional tow vehicle. That should be an easily-maintainable collection, and enough fun/variety to keep me happy. Probably. I can’t stop looking at Ford Model T’s, so maybe one of those will show up at some point. But until then, three cars and my brother’s Mustang. That’s all I need.
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I really should probably stop looking for Tin Lizzies, since I have only a couple months to get the Willys in good enough condition that it’ll work as a wedding car. At this point, I’ve never even heard it run, but hey, at least the stakes aren’t high… gulp!
“Marriage is the killer of man!”
Kidding of course, it’s good to see you making the choices that will keep you happy and won’t upset the Mrs. The balance makes you focus, I’ve found.
Well, the important thing is…”you have a plan.” Hopefully, you’ve gotten buy-in from your significant other, i.e. fiancee!
But where will the raccoons live?
Wait, wait, I call foul….
Don’t you have an XJ stashed somewhere in Michigan still (the “I’ll never sell first car”?)
Don’t you have a diesel van stashed in Europe?
And your fiancé’s Lexus counts too
So, 7 cars. Your brother’s basically counts as yours as well.
Still, the reduction in the fleet is noble and necessary. Too many toys take up too much time.
shhhhh
Don’t forget the ute down under 😉
Aww man, I think you’re gonna regret letting that YJ go.
So, is it a boy or a girl?
1 project.
Selling all the cars you’ve been asking if you should sell for years.
Married in a couple months…
Congrats, wishing nothing but health and fun!
David maybe went with the voice of reason for some things but some other still haven’t changed like arguing with old farts in FB comments section about timing belts ????
I thought it was a good discussion. Seemed like a nice feller. A seasoned wrench!
Thank you, DT and not another word from this old fart about timing belts
HEY! I resemble that remark! Not nice to pick on us old farts on FB
Damn that’s a considerable trim. what happened to the diesel Caravan and the maroon XJ?
You are getting married for sure. This is the culling of the horde.
Good choice my man, good choice.
Solid decision David. Now stop browning T models and write those ads! The cars aren’t gonna sell themselves.
Sounds like someone is whipped…….
Congratulations …. Life goes that way. But we wanna see some baby Tracy gearheads someday….
And lastly, it won’t last. Spousal unit will realize cars are your destiny. And the fleet will grow again.
Congratulations David. It’s always a difficult decision to make. You need to divide your time between your growing family, the Autopian, and your available project time. I think the three choices are a manageable subset of your prior collection. Good luck!
You still have your first XJ right? Or did that leave while I wasn’t looking?
David,
Just 3 cars???? This sounds like a ticket to regret city!
I think you’ll feel a lot lighter when they’re gone. At some point, it’s too much and too much becomes a weight on you: this thing needs this, that needs another whatever, I really need to get around to doing XYZ when you have other things you need to do that are more important or want to do. When it gets to that point, to a degree, your things own you and it’s time for them to go. With just a number of bikes (customs and an antique, so higher maintenance), a trailer, a car, an e-kayak, two wood kayaks, and a house, there’s a lot of time I spend on maintenance and repairs that I don’t spend enjoying them or doing other things.
On behalf of all the closet pack rats out there, good job. It’s corny but true, you own stuff or it owns you.
I’m reasonably sure my cat owns all of it, including me. The cat is absolutely sure.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7902/33155882908_602fcb2b4e_c.jpg
Having followed that link, I can confirm your cat does, in fact, own all of it. You’d wouldn’t think they’d title a car to a cat, but this is the way of the world meowadays.
Loved your photo.
I’ve been watching the Model T market, too, and have been told on several occasions that they don’t really count as cars in the modern sense. Some may see this as a liability but please consider the purely numerical implications of the fact that they don’t really count as cars in the modern sense.
… Took me a second, but I gotcha 😉
You know you might just need another project car for your 1st born? Nah you can get it once you know boy or girl.
it’s 2024 and he’s gone full Californian, Boy or Girl isn’t a thing anymore.
I think this is wise. Your previous attempts at slimming down the fleet were like broke Navin Johnson in The Jerk leaving his house after the Opti-grab lawsuit.
“…and this chair.”
Ha! That Jerk scene was the first thing I thought of reading this article.
No clue what any of this means.
here ya go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSWBuZws30g&t=44s
“and my brother’s mustang” did it for me as well.
A few years ago, I got rid of everything. With work, kid, and just the pace of life, I didn’t need any more mouths to feed to say it one way. My truck and my wife’s SUV were all we have left.
One of the vehicles I sold was my beloved S-10, I still miss it. But I always told my self it was just to get a fresh start and I would grow my fleet again when I had time. Get some cooler stuff. Not sure if I was lying to myself there. . .probably.
I feel sad for the Nash,but otherwise I agree that this will be a lot more sustainable for you. Good job.
Like I’ve seen others post, three is perfect for us too. My fiancee’s Mazda3 is perfectly reliable and needs nothing other than basic maintenance. My Sportwagen has proven to be the same, though I make occasional mods to it. I can’t seem to own a daily driver without doing (tasteful) things to make it “my own.” And I’ve got a 1972 Super Beetle, so there’s always something to tinker on. I think I’d be overwhelmed with any more than those three, at least in this stage of my life. I bet it’ll feel like a weight off your chest when you are finally down to three cars!
I am right there with you. 3 is the sweet spot for my family as well at the moment. I have my Tacoma which gets used less and less lately but is always there for the random yard duty or when I need something bigger for work, my 3 which is my fun/work car and my wife’s CX50 which is also fun in a different sense but mainly the baby mobile.
I paired down from having 6 cars to my name plus 2 to my wife. And seeing as the majority of those were older, beater-ish vehicles, they all needed something at some point. It’s rather freeing to have less to deal with but now I keep getting the itch to have something that I feel needs to be looked after. Weird
I’m glad you’re doing this. It will make you happier.
Proud of you, boss. Yeah yeah, we’ve all heard and made the “David’s gone Hollywood!” comments, but we all change man. I’m sure not the same person when I met my now-wife, and for the better.
You had a lifestyle and experience that was 100% worth it. The memories, the stories, the adventures, that’s a beautiful thing to have and to have so well documented, too. But change is good, change is necessary and it can feel liberating to “move on” as it were.
https://c.tenor.com/930WKxE7-RUAAAAC/tenor.gif