Thoughts while driving home in the "family" car after checking out an interesting or "cool" car.

Comfortable, useful, and practical.
But I think that it's at least a little cool.

What do car guys mean when they say that they want to drive something cool? If you ask any car guy about what he wants, he'll usually say, something that is cool. But what does that mean? Most people just want a "good" car that fills their transportation needs. "Good" usually means one they purchased new, or a low mileage late model, with payments they can afford to make comfortably.

They don't want a car that is a burden, in practical or financial terms.

Enthusiasts carry the burden of caring about what they drive. They want a car that they like, one that they can enjoy driving. One that makes a statement about the driver. Different people want to make different kinds of statements, and that statement is likely to change with the age and circumstances of the enthusiast. 

Generally younger guys have less money, less responsibilities, and only need to drive themselves and one passenger around. They can live with a sports car or little coupe. 

Is it the car or is it us?

Is the car just a prop or is it just a reflection of us? 

I'd say that it is more of an illusion than anything else. An expensive car can make you look rich, or at least like you have extra money to spend. But many affluent people don't have any interest in driving a status symbol. They just drive something that takes care of business. They would prefer not to call attention to themselves.

If someone is seriously into horses, they might drive a Ford Super Duty truck because they use it to tow a loaded horse trailer. Someone else might drive one as a BroDozer to "roll coal." 

photo source Reddit

Utility versus illusion.

Are we what we drive?

Being able to drive something that you like is a luxury. I think that it is smart to look for something that you like, at a level that is affordable for you. You might want an Aston Martin, but some type of Mustang could be attainable now, and provide similar driving satisfaction. I wouldn't put off satisfying my automotive dreams for "someday." 

How would driving this car make things "different?" Most non enthusiasts make do with whatever they currently own. If the need for something different to fulfill a specific task is required, they might borrow or rent a vehicle better suited to the task.

Would it really make things so different? I think that a lot of our dreaming about cars just takes place in our heads. If I see a cool car driving down the street, I think to myself, "I haven't seen one of those in a while." Non car people might not even notice!

I was having all these thoughts and more, while I was driving on the way back home from looking at a car that I thought was definitely cool. Yes, I'm still thinking about that '40 LaSalle. 

On the way home I was jamming to my tunes, sunroof and side windows open.

Did I enjoy myself? I certainly did. 

Would driving that "cool car" make it any better or different? Probably not.

That cool car is hardly suitable to drive in this extremely heavy stop and go traffic.

I actually consider driving through this section of I 880 to be quite hazardous. There are frequent collisions on this stretch of highway. I would not like to drive an antique car in those conditions. 

While enthusiasts have their own interests and would like to own a car that fulfills those interests, it's oftentimes just a matter of image. Or the image that we think that we are creating. 

It's funny, but when I see an older guy, in his late 50's or 60's, driving a new Corvette, I don't think that this is a guy who has always been an enthusiast, someone who has owned a long string of sports cars and Vettes. Instead, I see a guy who finally decided to get "something" that they have always wanted. They spent a lot of their lives sacrificing, taking care of their responsibilities, and doing the sensible thing. Now it's their time. 

Of course I could be wrong, but either way, there's nothing wrong with either scenario. As an enthusiast, I've had a long list of cars and motorcycles that I bought and enjoyed because they meant something to me.

A worthy Holy Grail.

Peter Egan wrote something about his Jaguar E Type, a car that had been a Holy Grail for him. I thought it was very relevant to this discussion.

Peter Egan has been my favorite
automotive writer.

"I have discovered in late middle age there is no one thing I have to have any more to be happy. Under need, or duress, or changing financial conditions, my heart cannot be broken---- or even badly damaged --- by the loss of some material thing. There are always cheaper replacements for anything, just as enjoyable and intriguing. The world is full of old cars that are virtually free for the asking--- or hauling away."

Enthusiasts go through a lot of trouble to get the car that they want.  

Or the car that they think that they want.

Maybe too much trouble. 

But is it worth it?

Do I have a Holy Grail Car? Well, I certainly haven't found one yet. I've worked my way through a lot of hobby cars, and let a lot of really good ones slip through my fingers. Does this mean that I'm just superficial and fickle? Shouldn't I commit to keeping something?

I'll get back to you on that!

 It seems like there has been a lot more focus lately on the musings and ramblings part of my blog description,

Not a Bit O' Honey, just a bit o' this and that. A lot of talking, instead of doing stuff to, or with my cars.

(Some of this stuff is kind of old, I'm just doing some, housekeeping, hopefully next week will be better.)

Yeah, that has been the case. Lots of car stuff going on but nothing very exciting.

The extreme amount of rain we've received this Spring, had a lot to do with it. No need to get one of my hobby cars all dirty if I don't need to. It's kind of a luxury to just drive one of the Daily cars, and keep my hobby cars in the garage or under their cover. 

Now we are approaching Summer.

A few weeks ago, I went through a very thorough musical car day. 

Taken at Pacific Grove a decade ago!

I decided that I wanted to drive my '96 Mustang more. All of my hobby cars have been sitting since I got my '97 Riviera. I've done a bit of work and put a lot of miles on it. It seems to be a pretty good car, so I think that it's time to start using the other cars. It can sit in the garage for a bit.

My '06 was a lucky find.

I had hoped to drive the '06 Mustang some more, as I haven't made up my mind about this car. Should I keep it or sell it? I thought that I'd put it into daily driver rotation. But I discovered that one of the front tires is quite worn, and only suitable for the trip to the tire store. That will run me between 700-800 dollars. I kind of hate to put the money into a car that might be sold, but I paid the registration, and the insurance, so it doesn't make sense to let it sit. But it's currently in the garage.

The most logical candidate to sell is the '96 Mustang. But this is the only car that I developed an emotional attachment to. I decided that I should drive it more and decide if I would actually sell it. Now, I care who I would sell it too. I haven't invested in this car just to let some jerk tear it up. My plan is to take it to Cars & Coffee type events with a for sale sign and see if there is any interest.

I moved each of my cars at least a little. Some came out of the garage, one was swapped from right to left in the driveway. I also put some miles on a couple of them. It's important for me to keep the batteries up and the fluids free and flowing. The battery in the '96 Mustang is on it's last legs. I had it on a trickle charger, but after it sat for a week the battery couldn't crank it over. It might cost as much as two bills for a replacement, but I don't want to have to use my jump box to start it every time!

I moved the Nav and put some miles on it after putting it on the charger for several hours. I parked it on the opposite side of the driveway, as the Flex isn't usually covered.  I like the Nav and enjoy driving it, but it may be sold in the coming year. It's funny that the Nav gets the same gas mileage as my F150, and the Nav is full of every goodie and has more power. For some reason I see the Nav as a bit wasteful, but it gets twice the mileage of any '60's car that I had before.  

                                  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Today, I was using the '06 Mustang for errands, making a couple of Costco runs. I looked at the car when I got back, as it was parked at the curb. It did not make me happy to see that the inner lines of the tread were very worn looking. This was on the left front tire.

I had known that the car was going to need new tires back when I bought it, but I hoped that I could make it through this Summer. I'm going to have to let the car sit. I'm still trying to get my credit card bill down where I want it.

I had considered putting the car on non op for '24, but I waited too long, and paid the 230 bucks for the registration.

I've  even been thinking about selling it, and the additional  expense of a new set  of tires won't be recovered in that situation.

Now I've been considering a real antique car, I've mentioned the '40 La Salle that I saw on CL. I spoke to the seller last week, plans to see it got rained out, but maybe this weekend. 

                                                   -------------------------------------------------------

It is cool, and it's still for sale.

Well it turns out that I did make it out to see the LaSalle. It gave me a lot to think about. The car was pretty good and as advertised. The seller is in a bind, he really needs to sell it. He has lowered his price twice from 15,000 to 10,000, now it's sitting at 8,000.00. That sounds fair, but I currently don't have the money.

My Wife asked me why I was thinking of selling the '06, as it's one, or maybe the only one, of my cars that she actually likes. I told her because it the only one that is actually worth a little money. I suppose that what I really need is the space, more than the money.

That might be true.

I'm up against the limit of how many cars I can keep. But I'm also up against a psychological hurdle.

I don't know how a really old car might fit into my lifestyle. I told my Wife that I've never been about forever cars, and that the Mustang, or even that La Salle if I bought it, aren't necessarily something that I expected to keep around for years. At my age, maybe I'd like to try something different, they are just cars after all. 

The LaSalle appeals to me because I think of it as kind of a "Noir Car." The kind of car I'd see in those beautiful 1940's black and white crime drama movies that I love. This particular car seems to be in good condition and the price seems pretty fair also. 

                                                 ------------------------------------------------------

I mentioned that I was trying to organize some kind of Riviera Owner's activity. 

My Riv the day I bought it.

There hasn't been much response from Riviera club members. I attended several Cars and Coffee events that I notified club members about. Only a few showed up. Maybe nobody needs the hassle, they can attend those C&Cs anytime they want, with no obligations or expectations. The lack of response has kind of dampened my enthusiasm for my '97. Though I shouldn't let that happen. It is a pretty good car. And it's not like I need to have other people around to enjoy my cars. 

                                                 ------------------------------------------------------------                                            

I just discovered that the rear brakes on my truck are badly worn. That means new rotors and pads. My back has been killing me lately, so maybe, I'll get to it next week. On a positive note, I've decided what my next car purchase will be. It's a late model, less than ten years old. So no hurry there!

I'll bet that Jay Leno doesn't have these headaches.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Isn't it more fun to read about kit cars? 

 Salvaging a manual seat track for my '06 Mustang.

The seat was beat, but the track is gold,

As well as a "work around" for a non functioning power seat.

These manual seat tracks are quite rare.

Now, I've got two squirreled away! 

What's not rare is having a power seat assembly wear out in your Mustang. I replaced the power track in my '96 with a manual unit, and I've never missed the power assist. 

It's not such a problem if you are the only driver, or if the other drivers can use the same position. 

I like the manual adjuster, it will seldom break and it should never wear out. Who constantly runs the seat back and forth? It also has a cool height adjustment. 

Pull up on the handle to adjust height.

I got a real good deal when I bought the complete seat at the Pick and Pull in San Jose. Just a flat price,  maybe it was on sale. When I bought my second base, the cashier was going to charge me for every part on the seat base! Watch for the sales. This track came from a basic cloth seat, and I actually liked it better than the leather upholstery, except that it was a bit chewed up! I drove my Daughter's car with it installed and found it to be quite comfortable.

I told her to drive the car with the mismatched seat while I tried to locate a good used seat motor. It took me a while.

Since I'm not saving the seat bottom,
I just cut access through the foam.

I got into a pretty big funk when I was unable to find a new replacement seat motor for a reasonable price, they were priced at over 400 dollars! There haven't been any service parts made available yet. I'm hoping that the Mustang aftermarket comes to the rescue.

There is a work around if the seat breaks down in the wrong position. This can occur if you let kids play in your car, they love to move the seats all the way back and forth. Again and again! Keep them out!

The entire assembly fit in a heavy duty trash bag.

I went through a lot of hassles dealing with the smart junction box in my Daughter's '07. I despaired that we enthusiasts were not going to be able to maintain our cars in the future. The electronics and powered assists are the problem.  Oftentimes there are no manual alternatives. For example, there are cars that never offered manual seats.

I wonder if the manual seat tracks from my '07 F150 might fit my '06 Navigator, should the need arise. I'll explore that in later wrecking yards excursions. 

Bagged and tagged. A little peace of mind, for the future.

I actually went into a pretty deep funk, I felt like there was no future for us car guys that prefer later model cars. Simple vehicles like old pick up trucks don't have any powered accessories and they are easy to repair. Parts for later models would be unavailable, except from the wrecking yard.  I know that's why many enthusiasts choose older cars with less technology. 

If your powered seat adjuster stops working and you can no longer position the seat properly, don't despair.

The work around is to unbolt the seat and flip over for access to the motor and track. The part that breaks is the junction box where the direction of the power shaft is turned 90 degrees.The teeth of the nylon gears strip, and even though the motor spins the shaft, it can't engage. You can turn the power shaft by hand and move the seat forward or back, it will remain in place once adjusted. Now the owner/ driver can use his car again. This is not something that you will adjust on a regular basis, but if it's your car, it should fit you! If you have a co driver, then it's back to pillows and back support cushions for them.

The process is described in more detail below.

The motor power enters the 90 degree elbow from the left. It is turned 90 degrees and turns the traveller "T" shaft. The traveller moves along the shaft pulling the track forward and backwards.

When you unbolt the traveller from the track, you can turn the shaft "P" clockwise and counter clockwise to move the seat track into the desired position. Move both sides to the same position.

Bolt the travellers back to the seat frame and re-install seat. It should remain in this position. I would disconnect the power to the motor so that the seat can't be adjusted again. Sometimes those gears will engage just long enough to mess things up, again. 

If your power adjustment is currently working, do not let anyone play with the adjustment! These parts have a limited life span. I only infrequently adjust the seat position. You might get lucky and find a usable seat motor assembly at a wrecking yard, if you do, buy it! I still have hopes that the aftermarket industry will reproduce repair parts. 

Next, I'm going to collect a couple of "smart" junction boxes for my '06 Mustang. They are cheap at Pick and Pull. More time at the yard!

 

 My experience with fuel mileage.

I've made the trip to Depoe Bay in the Flex twice.

This has been an area that I hadn't paid that much attention too. Primarily because it hasn't been an important consideration. For many years I rode a motorcycle for half of my commuting and errand running needs, and I only had a 20 mile round trip commute for over 30 years. Fuel economy really didn't concern me. Though I had many younger co-workers that had commutes of fifty to 75 miles, one way! 

We do take long vacation trips and this allows me to experience the difference that higher fuel economy makes over a longer run.

Last year I took my Navigator on vacation to Oregon. 

Last Year.

I drove my Navigator because I wanted to experience what it was like to drive a big luxury SUV on our vacation. In reality I just wanted to enjoy my Navigator! It was just my Wife and I and lots of stuff. I pay a lot of attention to the trip computer fuel economy readings. With a heavy vehicle it's important to drive in a consistent manner. You save on gas with careful acceleration, from every stop. Rapid starts just burn up gas. You can't make up that lost mileage on the highway. It's also important to modulate your speed so that you are travelling smoothly with the traffic flow. If you are constantly slamming on the brakes, you are just wasting gas. It's also important to keep the speeds down, higher speeds require more fuel to maintain. I kept my speeds between 55-65 mph. on the county road portion and 70 mph. on the freeway portion. The bottom line is: Make Inertia Your Friend!

Of course you will be passed by many large trucks and SUVs doing 75-85 mph. Then the owners will complain about how lousy the fuel economy of their vehicle is!

The Nav returned 20.5 mpg. at my fill up upon my arrival in Newport. This is the best mileage I've ever recorded. This first leg of the trip was on I-5 past Weed, then we cut east to Klamath Falls where we spent the night. The next day we went north on the back roads to Medford. Mostly two lane, winding county and mountain roads. The remainder of the trip from Medford to Newport was via our familiar route.  Speeds on this leg were lower, generally between 55-60 mph.

The return trip was made completely on freeways. I took Interstate 5 and speeds varied between 60-65 mph. in the mountains, and a steady 70 mph. on the level freeway. Mileage was 19.5 mpg. 

I am quite the feather foot and usually get good mileage results from all my cars. I try to maintain steady speeds, and refrain from randomly passing cars. I know that excessive bouts of acceleration are just a waste, as I'll just have to brake again in a short time.

It always amazes me when a vehicle will blow past me, just to exit the highway a half mile ahead, such a wasteful display. But I guess that they think that they are in a hurry. I keep things in perspective, if you're driving 300-400 miles in a day, it's important to maintain a steady pace. I won't be getting there any sooner with frequent short bursts of speed.

This year we took the Flex, again just my Wife and myself. The Flex has some built in advantages over the Nav, it is lighter, a bit smaller, and has a smaller V6 engine. Speeds were held closer to the limit and the trip was made on the usual freeway route. Overall mileage for the 1,600+ mile trip was 24.5 mpg. 

I had been driving minivans for years, my short wheelbase '90 Dodge Caravan, and later my deluxe '97 Chrysler Town and Country. My Dodge would normally average around 20-22 mpg, Likewise for the Chrysler. Even my '94 Seville would only return around 22-24 mpg. These seemed to be average and acceptable.

I have had experience with one high mileage car, my '90 Honda Civic SI. Typical mixed freeway and street usage would return a reliable 32 mpg. Long freeway trips at 70 mph. could return 36 mpg. I tried an experimental 55 mph. trip and was rewarded by 42 mpg. 

Several Summers ago.

I manage to get pretty good mileage out of anything. I have driven my V6 F150 on vacation and up to Oregon before. Driving back from Grants Pass to San Jose I averaged 21.5 mpg. but this was a mostly downhill run and there was no headwind. Generally I can get 20 mpg. but I limit my freeway speed to 60-65 mph.

I have written about my philosophy of accepting the harmony of the highway, where I try to match my speeds to the conditions without holding anyone up, maintaining a steady reasonable speed, and by avoiding constant passing. I find that this makes for a less stressful and relaxing drive. Being retired means that you're never in a hurry!

While I don't consider the Flex to be a particularly high mpg vehicle, but it's attributes outweigh the mileage penalty of a much smaller vehicle. 

I read a lot of road tests and I've discovered that most road testers get fewer mpgs than I do. They are trying to evaluate the speed and responsiveness of the test vehicle.

So here's my take on the fuel mileage on my last vacation, comparing my Flex, 24.5 mpg. and my Navigator at 19.5 mpg. The Flex has a five mile a gallon advantage. Usually I like to consider the gallons needed to travel 100 miles as a standard. It takes a bit over five gallons in the Nav, while the Flex can cover that distance with a bit less than four gallons. That doesn't sound too bad. That's a bit over 5.00 extra per hundred miles. It does seem more significant when you're rolling 100 miles after 100 miles.

But then I looked at it another way, a 15 gallon fill up in the Flex, would carry me 75 miles further than in my Navigator on the same quantity of fuel. That would be a consistent advantage. Then again, I'm not making any payments on the Navigator! The difference between premium and regular gas also factors into the equation. 

Except for my vacations, I don't put very many miles on any of my cars. Would it make any sense to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle? While I care about the environment as much as the next guy, I don't see myself switching to electric any time soon, if ever.

You choose the type of vehicles that you drive to fulfill your needs and desires. Whether they are new or not. Chances are you would replace them with something similar, even if newer or a bit smaller. While I don't really need a three row SUV on a daily basis, it does make for comfortable travel.

The smallest Lincoln SUV, the Corsair, was tested by Motor Trend recently and it was rated by the EPA at 21/28/24 avg. Motor Trend testers usually fall below that average on their tests due to their exuberant driving. From other reviews that I've read the Corsair is a bit too small to function as a family SUV, it's more of a replacement for a small sedan. I would probably choose something a bit larger. Then there's the false economy of buying a 65,000 dollar car, to save a little gas! (Of course I would only consider an older MKC.)

While a lot of old retired guys will buy some type of expensive reward car for themselves, I don't see that happening in my case. I will continue to buy used, but just newer with less miles. These vehicles will likely get better fuel economy, I can't really see myself buying an old car that only gets ten mpg. I've already been there, and gas costs a lot more now.

My reality is that my need for commuting is long past, and my yearly mileage consists primarily of vacation road trips. 

The Riviera is a smooth efficient Tourer.

My current mileage champ is the Riviera, I recorded a 30 mpg. average during one leg of my trip to Mendocino. The 3800 V6 is well known as an efficient powerplant, the supercharger only causes a one mile per gallon loss, according to the EPA. Like all power adders, such as turbos, the driver has to operate in a manner that minimizes their engagement. That's what I've read about the Ford Eco Boost engines, you have to choose between the Eco and the Boost. Most drivers choose the Boost and pay with the mileage. 

Both of my Mustangs are also in the mid 20 miles per gallon camp. Again, I find that acceptable. I don't know if I could find something that I liked that could break the 30 mpg. barrier. However it's something that I'll be mulling over in the following months.

 So when should you quit working on cars?

More hands on work. Should I quit doing this stuff?

Or maybe, "when should you at least, reduce the workload? "

Kind of a tough question.

It took me several years to fill up these roll aways.

Several years ago I made the proclamation that I was going to get rid of most of my tools when I turned 70. 

That sounded safe, I was not yet 65 years of age, and had just recently retired. 

Interestingly enough, I had the attitude that I wasn't going to do much work on any cars, so I bought a newer, low mileage vehicle. The Flex, was four years old with only 30,000 miles. I even bought an extended warranty and a pre paid service plan.

I was going to live like a typical middle class car owner. 

But first allow me to digress.

Recently I had decided to put the '06 Mustang in a more easily accessible spot as I wanted to drive it more often.

I knew that it was going to need tires when I bought it. I've added five thousand more miles to the odometer since then. I have never rotated the tires during that time, truthfully, it kind of slipped my mind.

I was inspecting the tread and found that the left front tire had a worn spot, almost to the cord, on the inside edge! The rear tires had more even wear. 

That's the only tire that is bad, but now I have a problem. I can't drive the car with that bad tire, but I don't want to buy a new set of 800.00 dollar tires either. I wanted to drive the car enough to decide if I want to keep it, or sell it. I could always buy a used tire, I've done that before, but I don't think that they are a good value.

This situation led me to check the tires on my Daughter's car when we came to visit. 

I found that the front tires were worn, but not quite as badly as on my '06. If you think that I didn't want to spend any money on tires for my car, I especially didn't want to spend any on her car! At least, not yet.

So I jacked up the car and pulled the wheels to rotate them, back to front, side to side. I also took this opportunity to check the brakes.

Hopefully this will buy a few thousand more miles out of those tires. Luckily she only puts a few miles on her car.

Of course, this led me to check my other vehicles.

My newest vehicle feels the touch of my tools.

I checked the tires on my Flex, as we were going to be leaving on vacation soon. The front tires still looked okay, but the rears were better. So I got to work with the floor jack. We bought the car with 30K on the clock, the salesperson told us that it had just gotten a new set of tires. Only 30K on a set of tires? We're at 60K now, so I'd better be keeping a close eye on them. Not much life left ahead, better not take them for granted.

Doing this work in your driveway it's obvious to your neighbors that you're working on your car! That floor jack makes a lot of noise as it rolls around on the concrete. Putting your car up on jack stands makes a statement. Maybe not a complimentary one.

My neighbors are probably used to it, though I'm sure that they wonder just why I am doing all this work. There are no car people on my block, not even in my neighborhood! 

And, I'm an older guy, shouldn't "I" be past that stage? I'm sure they think," can't he afford to pay someone to do that work?"

Sprays, creams, greases, etc.

I use all that stuff. Those coffee cans
are filled with all kinds of treasures. Nuts, bolts, screws, and hardware.

Of course, they wouldn't understand.

They should have a clue, since I do my own yard work, fence repairs, and I'm still going to be painting my house later this year. 

Should I be doing this kind of work?  Is this level of involvement still appropriate?

I do ask myself that question at times.

There are occasions when I do hire other professionals. I had the flooring in my house installed by others. I quit changing the oil on my cars years ago.

I had always thought that I'd give my tools to my Son. He is a car guy. He has a small single car garage that he keeps his Boxster in. However he bought a new Tesla a couple of years ago. Then he recently had to replace his Wife's car that was damaged in a hit and run collision. They got a VW EV. Teslas and EVs in general, don't lend themselves to DIY wrenching. It's also not like he has a lot of extra room to store tools. 

So I've come to the conclusion that I'm not giving up anything yet. Especially not in six months! 

I've got the space, obviously the tools are already in my garage.

Maybe I need to structure things so that I don't need to use them as often. 

Rotating tires at home is a labor intensive job. Jacking up the car, placing it on jackstands, unbolting the wheels and moving them around. Lifting up the wheel to reattach it, tighten, repeat four times. Then jack and remove stands. Now, multiply that by six cars!

Earlier this year I had rotated the tires on my truck while it was parked at the curb in front of the house. 

Kind of redneck? My neighbors don't even cut their own grass. 

Yes, I can pay someone to do the work. But it's not just the money. It's the hassle of making an appointment. Usually at the last minute. 

That's why I take my vehicles to a drive through oil change place. 

Trying to keep up on old car maintenance is a constant challenge.

I'm having enough trouble driving the cars enough to keep the batteries charged, That's 'why I started a charging log for the two cars that spend the most time in the garage. My Mustangs. The '96 has a four year old battery which is on it's last legs. It has gone flat once already. I run a trickle charger on it monthly, until it indicates a full charge. The battery in my '06 is better, but I'll charge that every couple of months. 

I don't put a lot of miles on my hobby cars so many jobs are annual, like oil changes. Tire rotations fall into that schedule also, unless I let that go for years! 

I sometimes think, If I keep a car in the garage, unused for months, do I really even need it? Truthfully, I'm afraid to even consider that question, let alone answer that question!

I like to think of myself as a person who prefers simplicity in my life. I don't like having to juggle too many things at the same time. In most areas of my life I've been successful at that. I've let my cars get ahead of me.

Maybe I should reduce the size of my stable, less cars would mean less expenditure, less hassles, and more space. 

I think that I've heard that argument before.

While I have been aware of continuing problems with my back, certain recent events have convinced me that maybe I should be cutting back. Just keep one or two cars, with a combination of DIY and paid repairs and maintenance. It's probably that time. 

The hardest thing to change is my perception of myself as a hands on car guy. Any change will be hard to accept. But it's become necessary to look towards maximizing and extending my time as a car guy. I've got to enjoy more and wrench less. 

Let's see how this scenario plays out!