Have I got a car problem?

I have exactly the same problem, i have more projects than i will ever have time to finish, and keep getting more

Mostly old fords and Land Rovers, but i have yet to meet a landy enthusiast who just has one, we all start with great intentions but I'm sure mine breed overnight, ( i currently have 5, only one of which is roadworthy, and also my sole means of transportation out of 14 cars)
Justification? Visit an autojumble, see the number of people cheerfully buying parts/cars they don't need or necessarily want, but look at the smile on their faces!
When we autojumble I frequently come home with as much stuff as i went with, but different from what i took
Its good for me, and SWOMBO has given up worrying about it, apart from which if i do actually make some money I shout about it, so she thinks its all worthwhile 😀

My issue, if there is one, is a combination of these. There's a relative handful (30 or so) of cars that I really, really want to own. Mostly old Brits and Italians, with a handful of French cars too.

The trouble is that I don't tend to have enough disposable income (or restraint) to buy good examples so they all tend to be pretty major projects. I get pretty attached to them as well, not really wanting to give up when they turn out to need way more work than I was anticipating, so I end up keeping them. Compared to most on here I've not had that many cars, but I've still got pretty much all of them! Fleet's sitting at 11 at the moment, but pretty much all of them are major projects (currently only one is on the road, and the MoT's elapsed on that one).

I don't really see it as all that much of an issue though (and luckily neither does my partner). I figure you need to have something to do with your life, and mucking about with cars is every bit as valid as the next thing (maybe not stuff like charity work, but most people don't seem to do that either). Certainly beats sitting around watching Eastenders. I actually enjoy doing stuff on them as well, so that part is therapeutic for me as well (and I just enjoy owning them, even if they don't work), so it's not all in the driving (or the purchasing) for me.

I've reached the conclusion recently that I probably want too many cars for me to actually get finished with the time and money I have available to me. So I've sold off one, plan to sell of a handful more, and have put together a clear order for which cars need doing in what order (Jag, Spitfire, Alfa/Triumph, Triumph/Alfa, Fiat, free slot).

I also make sure I spend at least a little time doing other stuff I enjoy, even if I enjoy it a little less than cars (or don't feel as compelled to do it). Helps keep you a rounded person, and gives you a backup activity for when the main one's not going well. I've got a little list to remind me when I forget what they are

Oh, and the last thing I've done is actually keep track of how much I've spent (as an extension of me spending lots of time making my paycheck stretch as far as it can). It's sitting at £14,862 for the Spit, £8,557 for the Jag, £3400 for the Alfa, £4,980 for the 2000, £875 for the BX, £8,735 for the X1/9, and £2,826 for the MGF. There's a bit of cheating involved as I'm not including stuff like postage or tools (or time!), but it all comes to £35,678. I'm not done yet, but even if I've got £15,000 left to spend (which seems realistic), that's still only a couple of quid more than the MSRP of a brand new BMW M340i. Is it the cheapest hobby? Absolutely not! Is it as expensive as you think? Probably not either. Spending £20 down the pub once a week for 10 years costs you £10,400. Doing stuff you enjoy costs money, which is why it's so pants when you don't have any!

I feel like I've got a different issue (or at least a different manifestation) than the folks who enjoy the hunt of getting a new car more than they enjoy the car itself afterwards. Perhaps an option there is to recognise that, and turn it more into a wheeling and dealing hobby. Buy cars you fancy owning, and try to sell them on to bankroll getting the next one. The goal changes from owning the car, to owning the car briefly and using it to help purchase the next one.

Mine's more about time management. Making sure I don't spend all day every day mucking about on cars to the detriment of my other half, and spending all my disposable income on car bits rather than the odd holiday and saving for a house etc. I try to acknowledge that it's a major part of who I am, embrace it and try to have fun with it, and try to moderate it where it has the potential to impact on other aspects of life that are also important (I've come to terms with house ownership and kids putting a dent in progress, but that's life).

Yeah a lot of people have told me not to count! But TBH it really hasn't been as much as I'd thought it was. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of money, but I can't really think of much else I'd have spent it on that would have got me as much enjoyment. Perhaps travelling the world (you could see a lot of the world for £35k), but doing car stuff has taught me a lot of skills that have been useful in other aspects of life which I can't see travelling doing as much of (you learn a lot travelling too, but I feel I've done enough of that as well to learn those lessons).

Sentimentality's a big thing for me as well. I find it hard to let go of cars that I view as truly mine, even when they don't really fit into the fleet by any rational standard (the plans for the Alfa 75 and Triumph 2000 will have them be very similar in capabilities and role, and the same for the X1/9 and Spitfire, and the Jag will be nearly as economical as the Citroen while being RWD and habing 330bhp more!). Oh, and the MGB is completely and utterly rotten, and the plan for it is so outlandish it'll probably never get done...but it's mine and I feel bad if I don't plan to do it.

Oh, and careful about the 'at least I'm not hoarding cars that are slowly rotting into the ground' thing. It's amazing how quickly the tables can turn on that one 2 years ago I was in a position where I could take a different vehicle to work every day of the week, and now here I am borrowing the family pickup as the only car that's on the road has missed its MoT (and needs welding to get it through, and is also blowing from one of the rings). It's not as if I've been idle over the past 2 years either. I've worked harder on cars over lockdown than I ever have before!

There's a fair bit of inadvisable purchases driving that (for a given budget I tend to choose to buy the cars I want, rather than ones that don't need work), but it really does sneak up on you!

Indeed Luckily my 7 are all fairly different in terms of capability (2 seat convertible, van, sports saloon, diesel estate, 2 1960s small cars and a sleeper 80s hatch) so don't overlap.

Fair point on the rotting into the ground. All mine are stored undercover which does make a difference to how quickly they deteriorate. Currently planning garage expansion to allow even better storage!

Beware!!! This is a slippery slope 😀
Mk2 son got his first car at 9, due to a school helper realising his interest, snd the fact that we have a small piece of land he could drive round
This escalated to a field owned by a friend
Hes now 25, he currently has three cars, capri, 105e and a sapphire, and hes gone through probably 20 since finding he xan make money at it!
Not only that, he has his eye on my 1600e!
Hes been told that if anything happens to it, he’ll not make 26!

You are all weird - I don't have a problem at all - in fact I'm the most sensible person I know (in my little car gang) with the smallest fleet of cars.

I have 7 cars (only 2 are on the road, 2 are long term projects and the others well get rotated in and out of use) and 4 motorcycles (1 is roadworthy, 2 are capable of being put on the road with a little effort - 1 is a basket case)

Mrs BC says I do have a problem but meh who the heck would believe her

When it comes down to it you need to own a lot of different cars to figure out what you really like.

What you *actually* like, not what you *think* you like. We all know the reality can be far from the dream, never meet your heroes, etc.

I’ve done over 500 cars over 20 years, of wildly varying marques/nationalities/types, and only now have I really pinned down what I enjoy owning, building, driving and working on most.

As long as you’re not losing loads of money you can’t afford to spend, does it really matter? Out of all those cars I’ve only ever lost money on two, both Vauxhalls and largely why i now hate the marque. And without a huge amount of trading up on the others I’d never be able to afford what I’ve now got, not to mention the huge amount of knowledge and experience I’ve gained from them all.

I'm beginning to think that I don't fit in here - the most I've ever owned at one time is 3 cars (one had an MOT, one was a project, and one was spares). Maybe it's because I've never really had anywhere to put more than 2 cars, or maybe it's because cash has been tight, my mechanical skills are poor, and my wife is sensible (and can't drive). How do you guys keep up with all those cars? I got frustrated when I had a daily banger and a nice (modified) classic because I didn't drive the classic enough! A daily and a (ideally driving) project is enough for me.
I might have a minor problem with bicycles though - I own 5, plus enough parts to build another 2, and a half finished trike. And that's after I got rid of 2 so I could get the car in the garage!

Cross posted with Mr Bounce.

I had a two car drive and a single (no car in reality) garage

I extended the garage to be a decent two car space

I extended the parking area to take four cars with ease (five if you get clever)

I think space is a problem - if I have it I will fill it...............

I still don't think I have a problem mind