I know we’ve gone back and forth on the topic of having multiple vehicles and the breaking point of having the “third vehicle daily driver”.

Assuming all vehicles are paid for, and you are financially able, would you keep 3 vehicles and upgrade the daily driver to a 5 year old vehicle instead of a 20 year old vehicle, or would you upgrade one of the 10 year old vehicles to something nicer and more fuel efficient plus ditch the daily driver?

The daily driver day is fast approaching. Has about 350k on it. And I don’t think it’s worth putting any more money into it. There’s “hey look at me I’m frugal” and there’s “my clothes stink after riding in it after it rains”.

Personally, I wouldn't keep the third vehicle.
It's not needed if you have two drivers and two cars; there's no need for the expense of registration, insurance and (possibly, depending on your state) property tax.

If it's sentimental, then none of the above applies.

I’d get rid of it and buy a 3 year old Tesla for around 25k.

Two are more than plenty enough for me.

I’m considering the 3rd. Daily is an F-150 super crew long bed, number 2 is a ‘66 Galaxie. I’m starting to feel like a 125k Accord might be calling my name. I need something to just wear out without any regrets.

At 350k I’d say you’ve arrived at worn out. Look around what is your best candidate to just wear it out with no regret? Maintenance for sure, but no worries about how will I justify replacing this.

I need a truck fairly rarely but I certainly do need one, $60,000 is a lot of $ for a work car. I’m the current caretaker of the Galaxie, after its 60th birthday it deserves an easy life. There is my situation and reasoning, I felt very good last time I was at 3 in the driveway.

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
There is my situation and reasoning, I felt very good last time I was at 3 in the driveway.

I was thinking about a five year old CRV or the like AWD and 30mpg

My "daily driver" is a 2013 VW Jetta that I personally love, and I would not want anything newer! The 2013 year model was the last year of the 2.5L 5-cylinder engine which I strongly prefer over any of the smaller turbo-boosted engines. I normally get in the 30-35 MGP range around town, and a bit better on the highway. The engine itself was in production and use for decades, and is deemed by many mechanics as "bullet proof" since they so rarely need repair! It is such a great car that I bought a 2nd one and gave the first one to my daughter. The first one has never been in the shop (or needed repair) for anything more than basic maintenance since I first bought it in the summer of 2018! Oil and filter changes, one set of new tires, and back brake pads (front's are still good after all this time). Most reliable car I've ever owned, and the second one is well on its way being just like the first!

In addition to the amazing engine, it also lacks all most of the electronic wizardry that has a tendency to fail, and/or distract from a driver's attention to the road (aka; big screens on the dash)! If someone were to offer me a brand new vehicle right now, I would have to decline it.

Why do I need 3 is my first question and what does #3 do for me that #1 doesn't and vice versa is my 2nd.

Of the two options, going to two vehicles by trading in/selling the daily driver and one of the 10 year old would seem logical.

You'll get better mileage, probably much better safety features into the bargain. Better safety features on a car you drive the most is not a small thing.

Until recently, the fleet at Casa de vthoky looked like this:

- the 24 year old SUV with 330k miles
- the 10 year old sedan with 105k miles
- the 1 year old SUV with 20k miles

Both SUVs run at about 16-18 mpg, the diesel sedan at 38. I made the sedan my daily, for its “fuel cost per mile” advantage. The newer SUV became the road trip vehicle, as it is newest (most reliable), and the old SUV became my local-trip workhorse, great for taking kayaks to the river and things like that.

I’ve got an intense loyalty to the old SUV. It brings a small dose of “hey look at me, I’m frugal” plus a huge dose of “for how long can this thing keep going?” Thankfully, there is no stink-after-rain feature. That one has been with me through almost half my life, two jobs, two dogs, multiple trips up and down this end of the country. It’s taken me places I didn’t think I’d get to go, in conditions I didn’t think I should tackle. I love it.

The problems for me were that the old SUV sat a lot, which is hard on a vehicle. I felt like it was being neglected, even though it is ready and willing every time I turn the key. And then there’s the parking situation. I like to keep vehicles in the garage. We have two garage spaces and three vehicles, so one sits out all the time. Again, Old Faithful got the short straw.

Recently, the math showed that the sedan was actually the one not earning its keep — its “service costs” (maintenance, taxes, registration, and insurance) were greater than the amount it saved us in fuel consumption. So now it’s a two-SUV house, with a conscious effort to alternate which one gets driven to work. Rust will kill the old SUV before its engine and transmission give out, I’m reasonably sure. I’ve had to have the frame welded once already. But it costs nearly nothing to maintain and insure, and its tax cost is similarly small, so it makes economical sense to keep it going for as long as it will go. I can daily it (or at least 50-50 it) and keep the miles down on the newer one, on the path to keeping it for a similar 20+ years.

So back to the original question: I’d probably go from three vehicles to two, and take advantage of reduced insurance costs. In the case reflex/deflex describes, a third vehicle makes mighty good sense.

Both me and my wife drove 11 year old Toyotas, both paid off for 5+ years. 2015 Highlander axle with 148k+ mi and I a 2015 Tacoma limited with 186K. We also have a fun car, 2014 Mustang convertible with 45k mi. Owned for 2 years, we put about 2.5K a year on it. It’s a car we don’t need, we have never driven it to a place we needed to go. We are fortunate to be able to have a fun vehicle. We also have 2 vehicles we own that our college age kids drive.

in Jan , the Highlander head gasket started leaking, so we traded and upgraded to a new 2026 Gran Highlander. Great vehicle, my wife is self employed, so lots of tax advantages to go new.

I really wanted to keep my Tacoma until 250k +, but then one day said, it’s time, I do a couple of long road trips a year and don’t want a high mileage car. Picked up a nes 2026 Tacoma TRD off road and couldn’t be happier. I did keep the older Tacoma and traded my sons Corolla. He wanted the truck to make money.

That said, a 3rd or spare car is a luxury, that I enjoy every time I drive. We work hard at our regular jobs, and are fortunate to have the means to be able to have the added vehicle.

Five years ago and prior I could never have afforded the number of vehicles we own.

I still smile every day I take the convertible out. Because. Of the convertible, I could justify not needing a sunroof in the Tacoma… such a first world need…

I'm totally lost on this question. How many vehicles do you need for what you want to do. Of what type? There is no math that makes having an extra vehicle given the fixed costs versus extra miles on a current vehicle. and there is no math that makes upgrading simply to upgrade versus waiting till death arrives on a current vehicle from too many miles.

I like a little mix, within reason. 9 months ago my options were a full sized Silverado or my motorcycle. Last Fall I bought a 2020 Civic, ‘salvage title’, 42k miles, $13k even. It previously had front, side damage. I went through it, including rear brakes, works great.

My idea was to give my truck a break, now 193k miles. The Civic is my new daily driver, may get the motorcycle out today.

One thing about that Civic, it has the reliable 2.0 Honda engine, which I wanted. I dabble between new & used with vehicles.

Jerry, what's your daily that's got 350k on the ODO?

3 car gang reporting for duty, SIR!

I may be the wrong person to ask since I have FOUR vehicles but here goes…

I’m fortunate to have the garage space to keep these vehicles inside and protected from the elements which, in my experience, plays a huge part in keeping them running fine.

As far as a daily driver I vote for that to be the newest, lowest mileage vehicle so that it will potentially be the most reliable. In our case it’s a ‘23 Tesla Model Y Long Range. It has about 25K on it and has cost us $0 in maintenance. I’ll probably need new tires around the 30K mark but I rarely have tires lasting much longer for some reason regardless what vehicle I drive.

Our other vehicles include a Ford F-350 that is used for hauling projects etc and also hauls our truck camper when needed. It has just turned 100K.
The next vehicle is a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon that we overland with and occasionally run around town with. It has 59K on it.
The last is my Porsche Spyder.it is only taken out on beautiful days and is a pure joy to drive especially in the mountains of WNC. It has 18K on it and will likely never get sold until I’m too old to shift..

I do as much of the maintenance myself as possible as I actually enjoy the process so the costs to maintain these vehicles is minimal.

Indiana has liberal bmv policies. Sliding scale on registration fees that zeroes out after 9 years. My 2016 Lexus GX460 costs $78 a year to license. We can have up to 12 vehicles w/out a dealer tag and liability insurance is cheap compared to most states.

That's why I keep a fleet, right now I have 6, oldest being a 2008 and newest is 2016 so I pay lowest license fees possible and I don't carry collision. Same agent for 30 years, I have one policy with Cincinnati Financial and add/subtract with a quick phone call. Avg price of ins is $40 month per vehicle.

I’d wait until the daily driver breaks and then get another one. Of course I would be looking in the mean time to see if something good pops up.

We have 3 bc we have 3 drivers. It were I in your position, I’d drop the one w/the most miles and begin driving one of the others.
The $ saved in not paying insurance would be what swings my vote.

Get rid of the 20yo one

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
I'm totally lost on this question. How many vehicles do you need for what you want to do. Of what type? There is no math that makes having an extra vehicle given the fixed costs versus extra miles on a current vehicle. and there is no math that makes upgrading simply to upgrade versus waiting till death arrives on a current vehicle from too many miles.

I’m sort of with you on this. I don’t understand if all three vehicles are for just one person or the first two are for a couple which then simplifies for each person having one car.

The only person I knew who could afford a “third” car used it for his airport travel car because he traveled often and didn’t care about that car. He had other cars as well.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Jerry, what's your daily that's got 350k on the ODO?

3 car gang reporting for duty, SIR!

2006 RAV4 in paint peeling felony stop white