The Use Case Rule

[SSO]

I've been having a number of discussions with a friend on different potential acquisitions this year and how they fit under a Use Case Theory. Its killed a few acquisitions that I might have made in my younger years and is generating a lot of discussion on how a 430 Scuderia 16M would fit given the other cars we currently own.

I finally tried to document the approach and implications: Use Case Rule

Thoughts on the approach?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Coming from a much less wealthy point of view, I agree with your reasoning. I recently changed my entire garage minus one vehicle and if I think about it, it really came down to having a bunch of stuff but not really having a use for it that I enjoy. The only car I kept was a worthless Crown Victoria that sits as a sea can blocker for someone else that I have plans for next year. My Corvette I thought was one of the attainable dream cars, but it was a nightmare and I turned it into something that was fast but totally unenjoyable to drive. I put only ~8000km on it in three summers of ownership, did not enjoy anything more than the occasional street drive, wasn’t getting any faster at Castrol with it and it was costing me a huge part of my income to run. I bought a truck and a car hauler to remedy the fact that I didn’t want to drive it to events, which became mostly irrelevant once I traded the Corvette (my dad is building a small trailer and changing vehicles to tow his car to events still since I no longer can for him). I took a CTS-V and some cash on trade but my girlfriend hummed and hawed about driving manual and eventually it became pretty clear at best the car was maybe a nice summer journey vehicle for me, was fun but extremely slow at Castrol and was basically sitting stored with the hope of gaining some value to offset the massive running costs of the Corvette. So now I’m down from 4-5 vehicles including the trailer to two relatively cheap to run vehicles that fit my income situation a lot better, and I find I don’t hesitate to go for a little drive for no reason now as fuel and complete vehicle ownership costs are much less. On the flip side as well I’m not expecting any of the current vehicles to depreciate much which puts my mind at ease as well.

[A2VR6]

Sounds similar to an approach that i've heard of: "tool for the job".

[Buster]

@SSO ... I saw this for sale and thought of you. Your thread was timely! Local car.

https://www.lamborghinicalgary.com/l...segg-agera-rs/

[Buster]

As for the article itself - all good points.

The Use Case rule really applies to both space and budget - both of which are a constraint for me. I've got 4 spots in the garage, but one is taken up by kids toys and bikes. One is taken up by the family hauler (3 kids under 12). One is going to have my fun AMG daily driver replaced by a truck for mountain biking and activities duties.

So I'm left with one space for a fun car. My AMG GT departed earlier this year to make room, but it's tough to figure out what to fill it with. With more budget and more spaces, a person can get more granular with your Use Case categories. I need a one trick pony. Given that we don't have a plethora of fun roads close by to Calgary, and our new track is still under construction, a pure driver's car is generally wasted here. No point in an Elise or similar track/canyons focused weapon. Here, you have to err on the side of GT capabilities - so you can do weekend trips into the mountains and catch some fun there. It's interesting that regardless of budget or space, we are still making some of the same decisions - is the car useful for my lifestyle, am I getting track usage, can I afford giant repair bills, etc.

[SSO]

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As for the article itself - all good points.

The Use Case rule really applies to both space and budget - both of which are a constraint for me. I've got 4 spots in the garage, but one is taken up by kids toys and bikes. One is taken up by the family hauler (3 kids under 12). One is going to have my fun AMG daily driver replaced by a truck for mountain biking and activities duties.

So I'm left with one space for a fun car. My AMG GT departed earlier this year to make room, but it's tough to figure out what to fill it with. With more budget and more spaces, a person can get more granular with your Use Case categories. I need a one trick pony. Given that we don't have a plethora of fun roads close by to Calgary, and our new track is still under construction, a pure driver's car is generally wasted here. No point in an Elise or similar track/canyons focused weapon. Here, you have to err on the side of GT capabilities - so you can do weekend trips into the mountains and catch some fun there. It's interesting that regardless of budget or space, we are still making some of the same decisions - is the car useful for my lifestyle, am I getting track usage, can I afford giant repair bills, etc.

That sounds like a tough brief to fill. GT that will eventually be good on a track. A Ferrari F12 might work but will not be cheap to run. I'd also give a 997.2 GT3 a look.

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@SSO ... I saw this for sale and thought of you. Your thread was timely! Local car.

https://www.lamborghinicalgary.com/l...segg-agera-rs/

Thanks but a K'egg is a car you you want to own once in your life and I've already ticked that box.

[killramos]

I don’t think I’ve ever owned any car that could be considered worthy of “collectible” status.

But until last fall I had 4 cars kicking around, and ultimately I sold the only one that was any good because I literally never used it.

For practical reasons, whether it was the need to haul the dog around, projects, road trips, hail paranoia etc. I ended up driving my winter beater jeep 8 times out of 10 while my AMG was rotting and depreciating in the garage. Ended up selling the jeep and getting a much nicer daily driver pickup so I wasn’t always driving around a piece of garbage. And worked to offload the C63.

Somehow my wife’s little Lexus and her mustang have remained immune from this purge lol.

Boring story, but the closest I can come to relating.

[dirtsniffer]

Wrong thread

[ExtraSlow]

My Automotive life is pretty boring as well compared to most of the "car guys" on beyond, but I do get it. Sometimes it's more hassle than it's worth wondering which vehicle to choose to drive to grocery store. One thing people at all income levels can enjoy is more time and a simplified lifestyle, and a smaller fleet just takes less time to care for, and less mental space as well.
I still feel like 3 vehicles was about right for my family of 2 adults and 2 kids, but for a lot of years, I was counting my pennies too much, and wanted upgrades on 2/3 of them. Decided to drop the two worst ones, and upgrade into 1 swiss army knife kind of vehicle, and it's mostly good. Still miss the small car for downtown commuting, although only do that about 6 days a month now, so it's not a big issue.


Sorta relevant, I have a relative who has been provided a company car from his work for 20 years, and since he works at a rental car place, he can swap back and fort from SUV's to pickups to smaller sedans at his pleasure. He hasn't owned a personal vehicle in those 20-ish years at all, and he's considering buying one. The issue is, he's so used to the flexibility that he has a really hard time figuring out his use case at all. A 1-ton truck with a camper on it would be good for his fishing trips. A true GT car would be great for ripping out to the mountains or to a lake. He's saved up enough pennies that he could buy some legit nice cars, but he's so confused with options, and so clearly doesn't "need" anything, that he's been sitting on this idea for a couple of years.

[dirtsniffer]

I really don't know what my plan is. Trucks are so damn awesome I don't see myself without one.
New faster truck
Or supplement with a 3 series, camaro, genesis.. corvette? Do I need to drive my kid ever? Ya, probably not a two seater.

[ExtraSlow]

as a parent of young kids, it's hard to figure out the use-case for a two-seater, because there are more opportunities for a fun drive with the kids than without.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

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as a parent of young kids, it's hard to figure out the use-case for a two-seater, because there are more opportunities for a fun drive with the kids than without.

My gf does not like my version of a fun drive so I think I’m ok for the future...

[SSO]

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as a parent of young kids, it's hard to figure out the use-case for a two-seater, because there are more opportunities for a fun drive with the kids than without.

If they are still pretty small, you can always drop them in the back of a 911.

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Somehow my wife’s little Lexus and her mustang have remained immune from this purge lol.

Boring story, but the closest I can come to relating.

My wife's Maserati Granturismo is also has complete immunity to any Use Case discussions.

[dirtsniffer]

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My gf does not like my version of a fun drive so I think I’m ok for the future...

A truck with a jumpseat up front can lead to some fun drives

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

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A truck with a jumpseat up front can lead to some fun drives

I just got rid of one of those.

[brucebanner]

We're currently down to two vehicles in the household. One suv & one summer only car. We don't need another daily but I dislike the suv and have been looking steadily since we've gone down to one daily. I plan on selling the summer only car this upcoming year as well since it's only good for making noise around town and heading to the straight line race track, @Buster 's favorite place.

Trying to figure out a more "fun" year round vehicle (trackhawk without the trackhawk budget) while also upgrading the summer only car too.

The use case is interesting and something I generally try to put into consideration personally. Then I look at my dad who really likes and collects classic GM muscle cars, which essentially all have the same use or in some cases non use for him. Use case theory goes right out the window.

Everyone's situations are unique to them though, so whatever can manage and enjoy, go for it.

[90_Shelby]

I don't live in Aspen, therefore my budget isn't unlimited and since I have kids, I can't justify a two seat sports car. We typically commute in one vehicle but need the option to drive either vehicle anytime for multiple purposes. I'm very pleased with the two cars in my garage and they never fail to make even the most mundane drive exciting.

707hp Jeep and 600+hp wagon



Snowstorm, take the Jeep


Mild winter conditions, take the wagon but expect to break the tires loose at any speed under 150km/hr.


Summer vacation or mountain biking, either option works. The wagon handles the curves better but the Jeep is not bad at all for an SUV and passing on the highway is never an issue.

[90_Shelby]

I don't feel the need for a pickup truck so I bought a very small utility trailer for dump runs, landscaping or runs to home depot.



The option to tow with both is handy


They can hold their own light to light or at the drag strip as well

CTS-V


Trackhawk


They aren't the fastest or the coolest, and the interiors are worse then a Kia, but when it comes to multi-purpose vehicles for a car guy, these do the trick for me.

[A2VR6]

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My gf does not like my version of a fun drive so I think I’m ok for the future...

This. Wife doesnt like my version of a fun drive either and likely doesnt feel comfortable with me taking the kidi solo on one so a 2 seater still works ok in my case. If i head out on a fun drive it's usually just me so hence why I was fine with going from a 4 seater fun car to a two seater fun car.

[rc2002]

The way I see it, use case is a consideration for those (pretty much the overwhelming majority) who don’t have the space and money to collect cars. If you’re not a collector and want to be efficient with money it always makes sense to minimize the number of vehicles while maximizing utilization and enjoyment.

The article feels like a flex. If you had enough money to buy a P1, F50, F40, etc does use case really matter? Storage and depreciation seems like it should be a secondary consideration if you had that kind of money, no?