Random thoughts on my car future
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Random thoughts on my car future
Don't panic, I'm not going anywhere...
I have just been giving a lot of thought to what my car hobby will take me, what my collection will include, and what the smartest way to get there seems to be at this point. This post/thread is just a collection of whats running through my head right now. I tend to think best when I write down my thoughts.
Here goes:
No intelligent discussion about a car hobby and collection can go forward without talking about a budget and impact on the family. I currently have a rule that no more than 25% of my net worth can be in cars. I'll stay out of the details in that area, but I have some thoughts on that too. Of course, there comes a point, when that is just too many cars. I sort of see the number of cars capped out at around 6-8 cars. In the end, I don't want a huge house and garage. Though you might laugh at that statement in a while. The reasons for that are more in the family impact and environmental impact areas. What cars? well here's a short list, but it changes daily, to be honest.
1) Lotus Exige (I just so attached at this point)
2) Turbo or GT2 (The engineering marvel of it all)
3) Ford GT (American History)
4) Viper GTS ACR Final Edition (It is just so raw, and is probably the second most sought after)
5) Ferrari 360 CS (It's like passion captured timelessly in a car)
6) Karmann Ghia (It was my grandpa's and he may not be around much longer)
7) Radical SR3 (Trackday car of the year, need I say more?)
8) Ariel Atom (I'm not sure really)
I am leaving the Hypercars, which I'd love to own someday, off the list as they are likely not going to happen within the next decade, without selling a few of the above. The above are cars I really like for various reasons. (I just put a few of those reasons up there). If I were to list the Hypercars, we'd be here all day, but lets face it, the chances of me having a Mclaren F1 GTR, an F50, F40, and a CCXR, to name a few, are pretty slim at this point. Especially, when you consider my 25% rule.
Add to the list above:
1) Motor home (I'll have kids at some point, and I have fond memories of camping in my grandparents motor home as a child), plus it makes a great tow vehicle, and makes track days so much more fun. Like when you drive to Spokane and do two days back to back. IT will be especially helpful if/when I get into racing. That would of course be another car! The Atom would likely get the ax in that case. Though I would likely let the race car stay in the trailer unless I needed to work on it. All major work, I'd just pay for.
2) Trailer. Probably about 20'. Definitely an enclosed type. Probably go with the trailerx. They seem to be the lightest and have great resale value.
Where do I go from here? I currently live in the suburbs and will likely work in Seattle. I will move closer to the city, but not for a few years. In the mean time, I am stuck with a two car garage and a driveway big enough for two cars. I have no room for a trailer nor room for anything to pull it. So most of this will have to wait until I move.
Currently, I have the Karmann Ghia, the Lotus, and an SLK. My wife has a Prius. If I get a car the SLK will have to go. Thats cool, because I don't plan to keep it anyway. That means i have space for the Porsche. We are thinking kids will show up on our door step in a year or so. Luckily, my wife has a prius so if we need to take the kids, that's the car. I think she will upgrade(?) to an Aptera in about 2-3 years. I might take the prius at that point. I'm not sure. it will stay outside, so space isn't so much a concern. it does count against the 25% rule, but seriously, at that point it won't be worth much with all the electric cars that will be on the road in 2011. It's not worth much now, let alone with 6 year old batteries by then.
So, lets say we fast-forward to 2011. We have a kid or two, a new house close to Seattle (call it West Seattle for now). This house is one that we have built from the ground up. bought the land, contracted an architect and viola, new house springs forth from the earth with no problems, delays, headaches, we're under budget and overjoyed. Ok, I can dream, that's what this whole post is about.
The house. We plan on having a 3 bedroom 1100 sq-ft house. It will have nearly every reasonable environmentally friendly or offsetting type of feature we can get our hands on. Underground cistern to capture rain and other household used water. This is the water that we use to take care of the landscaping etc. Landscaping designed to minimize water usage, maximize a refreshing atmosphere, and maximize carbon offset. Solar panels, wind turbine, etc.
Now you're probably thinking what about the cars? Okay, so under the house will be another room. About 1100 sq-ft give or take connected to the garage. Depending on the lay of the land. We may have a garage door to bring the cars in. Hopefully, we will do it via a "phantom park" like lift through the 2-car garage. This room will be accessed via a spiral staircase. Once in the room, there will be a projector to provide a very large high quality picture. A leather couch and two matching Barca loungers. In front of those will be a clear glass table top with a model car collection encased within. Underneath a couple of highly polished wheels to hold the table up. On top a collection of the latest "Auto Aficionado, Sports Car Market, Excellence, etc. Behind the furniture is the car collection. Of course at first, only the KG, Lotus and Porsche will be present. Cars gain entry to the "Motorsports Lounge" only after a good bath (Detailing). In front of each car is a thin podium with a "Goodwood-like" spec sheet that explains why the car is there and a few data points in case the reader is uninitiated.
Behind the cars is a small bar for beverages. Perhaps at some point a simulator as well, to break up the winter driving doldrums.
Ok, that's about everything. In the end, there is always the balance between dreams (the above) and reality. One bit of reality I didn't bring out here much, is the constant negotiating with family. However, the above thoughts have already been the victim of a great deal of compromise. We want people to be surprised at how small the house is. I do not want to take up a great deal of land, heating/cooling resources, to have the car collection of my dreams. I can envision various scenarios where the addition of children and the space they require, begins to infringe upon my "motorsports lounge" ideas. Be that as it may, I can only assert that I will fight it, like every mans does, tooth and nail.
Two final thoughts. I have been incredibly fortunate in life. However, I believe that true wealth comes from friends and family, not $$ and possessions. Cars are an art form to me. And art tends to stir the soul and stimulate the imagination. I think that is both healthy and good. In the end, I would pick good Friends and a healthy family over any car, any day.
Second, I have also given some thought to the effect that having these cars (possessions) may have on my future children. Raising kids is a very personal thing, so I won't pontificate to everyone how I plan to raise my kids. Suffice it to say, that I have given a great deal of thought to the matter and will continue for many decades to come. For safeties sake the kids will never drive the cars until they have reached a certain level of maturity, drivers skill under supervision, and have a level of respect for the danger involved in many of these cars, before I ever hand them the keys for a night. However, I must say that I hope to do just that someday, and share my good fortune in life with them. I also understand that if they are anything like me, they will find a way to drive them before I "let" them. As such, I'll start teaching them early how to drive, understand, and respect these machines. Nothing would make me more sad than being irresponsible in this regard.
Now, to go save those pennies for the next one!!
Cheers,
Trevor
I have just been giving a lot of thought to what my car hobby will take me, what my collection will include, and what the smartest way to get there seems to be at this point. This post/thread is just a collection of whats running through my head right now. I tend to think best when I write down my thoughts. Here goes:
No intelligent discussion about a car hobby and collection can go forward without talking about a budget and impact on the family. I currently have a rule that no more than 25% of my net worth can be in cars. I'll stay out of the details in that area, but I have some thoughts on that too. Of course, there comes a point, when that is just too many cars. I sort of see the number of cars capped out at around 6-8 cars. In the end, I don't want a huge house and garage. Though you might laugh at that statement in a while. The reasons for that are more in the family impact and environmental impact areas. What cars? well here's a short list, but it changes daily, to be honest.
1) Lotus Exige (I just so attached at this point)
2) Turbo or GT2 (The engineering marvel of it all)
3) Ford GT (American History)
4) Viper GTS ACR Final Edition (It is just so raw, and is probably the second most sought after)
5) Ferrari 360 CS (It's like passion captured timelessly in a car)
6) Karmann Ghia (It was my grandpa's and he may not be around much longer)
7) Radical SR3 (Trackday car of the year, need I say more?)
8) Ariel Atom (I'm not sure really)
I am leaving the Hypercars, which I'd love to own someday, off the list as they are likely not going to happen within the next decade, without selling a few of the above. The above are cars I really like for various reasons. (I just put a few of those reasons up there). If I were to list the Hypercars, we'd be here all day, but lets face it, the chances of me having a Mclaren F1 GTR, an F50, F40, and a CCXR, to name a few, are pretty slim at this point. Especially, when you consider my 25% rule.
Add to the list above:
1) Motor home (I'll have kids at some point, and I have fond memories of camping in my grandparents motor home as a child), plus it makes a great tow vehicle, and makes track days so much more fun. Like when you drive to Spokane and do two days back to back. IT will be especially helpful if/when I get into racing. That would of course be another car! The Atom would likely get the ax in that case. Though I would likely let the race car stay in the trailer unless I needed to work on it. All major work, I'd just pay for.
2) Trailer. Probably about 20'. Definitely an enclosed type. Probably go with the trailerx. They seem to be the lightest and have great resale value.
Where do I go from here? I currently live in the suburbs and will likely work in Seattle. I will move closer to the city, but not for a few years. In the mean time, I am stuck with a two car garage and a driveway big enough for two cars. I have no room for a trailer nor room for anything to pull it. So most of this will have to wait until I move.
Currently, I have the Karmann Ghia, the Lotus, and an SLK. My wife has a Prius. If I get a car the SLK will have to go. Thats cool, because I don't plan to keep it anyway. That means i have space for the Porsche. We are thinking kids will show up on our door step in a year or so. Luckily, my wife has a prius so if we need to take the kids, that's the car. I think she will upgrade(?) to an Aptera in about 2-3 years. I might take the prius at that point. I'm not sure. it will stay outside, so space isn't so much a concern. it does count against the 25% rule, but seriously, at that point it won't be worth much with all the electric cars that will be on the road in 2011. It's not worth much now, let alone with 6 year old batteries by then.
So, lets say we fast-forward to 2011. We have a kid or two, a new house close to Seattle (call it West Seattle for now). This house is one that we have built from the ground up. bought the land, contracted an architect and viola, new house springs forth from the earth with no problems, delays, headaches, we're under budget and overjoyed. Ok, I can dream, that's what this whole post is about.
The house. We plan on having a 3 bedroom 1100 sq-ft house. It will have nearly every reasonable environmentally friendly or offsetting type of feature we can get our hands on. Underground cistern to capture rain and other household used water. This is the water that we use to take care of the landscaping etc. Landscaping designed to minimize water usage, maximize a refreshing atmosphere, and maximize carbon offset. Solar panels, wind turbine, etc.
Now you're probably thinking what about the cars? Okay, so under the house will be another room. About 1100 sq-ft give or take connected to the garage. Depending on the lay of the land. We may have a garage door to bring the cars in. Hopefully, we will do it via a "phantom park" like lift through the 2-car garage. This room will be accessed via a spiral staircase. Once in the room, there will be a projector to provide a very large high quality picture. A leather couch and two matching Barca loungers. In front of those will be a clear glass table top with a model car collection encased within. Underneath a couple of highly polished wheels to hold the table up. On top a collection of the latest "Auto Aficionado, Sports Car Market, Excellence, etc. Behind the furniture is the car collection. Of course at first, only the KG, Lotus and Porsche will be present. Cars gain entry to the "Motorsports Lounge" only after a good bath (Detailing). In front of each car is a thin podium with a "Goodwood-like" spec sheet that explains why the car is there and a few data points in case the reader is uninitiated.
Behind the cars is a small bar for beverages. Perhaps at some point a simulator as well, to break up the winter driving doldrums.
Ok, that's about everything. In the end, there is always the balance between dreams (the above) and reality. One bit of reality I didn't bring out here much, is the constant negotiating with family. However, the above thoughts have already been the victim of a great deal of compromise. We want people to be surprised at how small the house is. I do not want to take up a great deal of land, heating/cooling resources, to have the car collection of my dreams. I can envision various scenarios where the addition of children and the space they require, begins to infringe upon my "motorsports lounge" ideas. Be that as it may, I can only assert that I will fight it, like every mans does, tooth and nail.
Two final thoughts. I have been incredibly fortunate in life. However, I believe that true wealth comes from friends and family, not $$ and possessions. Cars are an art form to me. And art tends to stir the soul and stimulate the imagination. I think that is both healthy and good. In the end, I would pick good Friends and a healthy family over any car, any day.
Second, I have also given some thought to the effect that having these cars (possessions) may have on my future children. Raising kids is a very personal thing, so I won't pontificate to everyone how I plan to raise my kids. Suffice it to say, that I have given a great deal of thought to the matter and will continue for many decades to come. For safeties sake the kids will never drive the cars until they have reached a certain level of maturity, drivers skill under supervision, and have a level of respect for the danger involved in many of these cars, before I ever hand them the keys for a night. However, I must say that I hope to do just that someday, and share my good fortune in life with them. I also understand that if they are anything like me, they will find a way to drive them before I "let" them. As such, I'll start teaching them early how to drive, understand, and respect these machines. Nothing would make me more sad than being irresponsible in this regard.
Now, to go save those pennies for the next one!!
Cheers,
Trevor
Last edited by Bleu Omdurman; Sep 29, 2008 at 12:24 PM.
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Nice idea I really want to downsize my home but apparently it is not the time. Currently we have 3250Sq ft and 5 bedrooms for the 2 of us and the dog. At least we purchased it on a good deal so we will make a few bucks on it. As for the cars I guess everyone has to own at least 1 Ferrari in their life just for the trip to Maranello.
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Thanks. I'll try.
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A little spare time over seas?
I like it better if you have 1500sqft floor space with room for lifts. you'll need them and the added sqft to access them.
kids you can't plan how to raise them. they raise you and it's awesome. That's the best part of your dream. Good Luck..
I like it better if you have 1500sqft floor space with room for lifts. you'll need them and the added sqft to access them.
kids you can't plan how to raise them. they raise you and it's awesome. That's the best part of your dream. Good Luck..
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Vincent,
Hopefully we get to meet up some day. I personally love looking at the various pictures of you cars here on the 6.
You have a few that are on the list I mentioned but did not spell out. I'd love someday to talk to you about those cars and how satisfied you are in owning them given the cars you have owned in the past. Love to hear you thoughts on what drove you to change and what you would do different.
Hopefully we get to meet up some day. I personally love looking at the various pictures of you cars here on the 6.
You have a few that are on the list I mentioned but did not spell out. I'd love someday to talk to you about those cars and how satisfied you are in owning them given the cars you have owned in the past. Love to hear you thoughts on what drove you to change and what you would do different.
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A little spare time over seas?
I like it better if you have 1500sqft floor space with room for lifts. you'll need them and the added sqft to access them.
kids you can't plan how to raise them. they raise you and it's awesome. That's the best part of your dream. Good Luck..
I like it better if you have 1500sqft floor space with room for lifts. you'll need them and the added sqft to access them.
kids you can't plan how to raise them. they raise you and it's awesome. That's the best part of your dream. Good Luck..
Thanks Mark.
I plan on having a lift in the garage. However, the lounge area I plan on keeping free of tools and dirt. Sort of a cross between a quite den and an entertainment room (where in other homes one might find a pool table).
So I guess if you add the 2-car garage I'd be about what you suggest. On the one side I hope to have a phantom lift (those things are almost as expensive as cancer!) to lower the cars into the Motorsports lounge. I'll park my wifes DD on top of it. On the other side will be the lift with my DD on that. That way, my wife doesn't ahve to get wet when she comes home at night. And I don't have to worry about her hitting the lift. She needs the extra space when she drives/parks.
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LOL... Yeah, my ex actually put the right side her Benz's front bumper into the ONE pillar in our 3 car TWICE in a couple of months. Then got smart, changed the way we put the cars in the garage, and she backed in one day and took her passenger side mirror off on the side of the door.
The body shop knew her by name.
The body shop knew her by name.
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Vincent,
Hopefully we get to meet up some day. I personally love looking at the various pictures of you cars here on the 6.
You have a few that are on the list I mentioned but did not spell out. I'd love someday to talk to you about those cars and how satisfied you are in owning them given the cars you have owned in the past. Love to hear you thoughts on what drove you to change and what you would do different.
Hopefully we get to meet up some day. I personally love looking at the various pictures of you cars here on the 6.
You have a few that are on the list I mentioned but did not spell out. I'd love someday to talk to you about those cars and how satisfied you are in owning them given the cars you have owned in the past. Love to hear you thoughts on what drove you to change and what you would do different.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...sd-my-gt2.html
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...nning-gt2.html
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Trevor
here is a nice GT2
http://www.autabuy.com/DealerInvento...000000&LC=&VLC=
middle of winter
car is in Omaha, NE
economy sucks
could strike a deal
here is a nice GT2
http://www.autabuy.com/DealerInvento...000000&LC=&VLC=
middle of winter
car is in Omaha, NE
economy sucks
could strike a deal
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PJ you are just evil. I wonder what he wants for it. hmm.
No, I can't tease myself. I am toying with the color thoughts though on the cars.
After reviewing Marks set up (All White) with this guys "Club House"
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/2069729-post1.html
I am thinking and rethinking the color schemes. I know, it seems petty. Just buy the things and drive is what some of my friends say. However, some cars look good in several different colors and others just don't.
So far:
GT2 or Turbo: Yellow, could be white or Orange, but I'm not sure there are any GT2s in orange.
Viper: Red w/Stripes. GTS ACR Final Edition only came in this combo
360 Modena or CS: Prefer Blue over Burgundy, or yellow over black. The CS can be what ever damn color it wants to be.
Lotus: Black of course
Ford GT: Midnight Blue, prefer no-stripes
There are so many aspects to this, when the time comes I may need to sit down with an artsy type, like an interior decorator and figure this all out. I figure the $$ I put into doing this space perfectly, is going to be about 50% of the value of the cars that eventually hold it. 1500 sq ft x$200 per sq ft.
Do you construction types think it can be done at about $200 a foot? I'd love to hear thoughts on that.
The wife and I think we are 2 years out from buying the land, 3 years out from breaking ground, so 4+ years until we move in. But that's a total guess given that I'm still in my Masters program.
No, I can't tease myself. I am toying with the color thoughts though on the cars.
After reviewing Marks set up (All White) with this guys "Club House"
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/2069729-post1.html
I am thinking and rethinking the color schemes. I know, it seems petty. Just buy the things and drive is what some of my friends say. However, some cars look good in several different colors and others just don't.
So far:
GT2 or Turbo: Yellow, could be white or Orange, but I'm not sure there are any GT2s in orange.
Viper: Red w/Stripes. GTS ACR Final Edition only came in this combo
360 Modena or CS: Prefer Blue over Burgundy, or yellow over black. The CS can be what ever damn color it wants to be.
Lotus: Black of course
Ford GT: Midnight Blue, prefer no-stripes
There are so many aspects to this, when the time comes I may need to sit down with an artsy type, like an interior decorator and figure this all out. I figure the $$ I put into doing this space perfectly, is going to be about 50% of the value of the cars that eventually hold it. 1500 sq ft x$200 per sq ft.
Do you construction types think it can be done at about $200 a foot? I'd love to hear thoughts on that.
The wife and I think we are 2 years out from buying the land, 3 years out from breaking ground, so 4+ years until we move in. But that's a total guess given that I'm still in my Masters program.