I have good news! You found a lamp lying on the ground and after rubbing it, an oil-covered genie appeared! Even better, this ghostly wish-granting broseph just gave you exactly $135,220. Look, I don’t know why the genie didn’t give you an even $135,000. Maybe it started off as $136,000 but he had to take a finder’s fee. Either way, you now have a cool $135,220 in your bank account. You could do the responsible thing and invest this money, pay off bills, buy property, or do whatever is considered to be adulting. However, you’re an Autopian, and you’ve been inspired by David rebuilding his car collection in California or by me and my fleet of aging German disasters.
If given exactly $135,220, what cars and how many of them would you buy? Since I love boats, motorcycles, planes, and trains, those will be acceptable, too.
This oddly specific dollar figure comes from the mind of Matt Hardigree. See, our Publisher has fallen into the trap of playing with a car configurator. Today, he configured a Porsche 911 Carerra T, a lovely sleek sports car with a starting price of $124,900. For that price, you’re getting a 911 992 with a rear-mounted 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six good for 379 HP. Spec the car with the Sport Chrono Package and a manual transmission for a sprint to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, 3.8 with a PDK. Sounds fun!
Matt’s spec would include Ruby Star Neo paint ($3,270), a smooth pink-ish color. He also added in the Front Axle Lift system ($2,770) and picked the manual transmission option and some other bits. Honestly, that’s not important. What’s important is what vehicle thing would you do with $135,220 burning a hole in your pocket?
The first thing I would do is buy a Smart Crossblade, like this one currently for sale in New Jersey for $59,622.
Admittedly, I’d haggle on that price, but mint condition examples of the Crossblade have been selling for around $50,000 for at least a decade. Why would I pay that much for a Smart? Well, it is the Holy Grail of all Smarts. The Crossblade was a concept car put into limited production with less than 2,000 units known to exist. It’s not just all show, either, as Smart waterproofed the interior so you could drive the thing in the rain, or through a car wash.
Anyway, with my prized Smart in possession, I’d next run down the list of my dream motorcycles.
I’ll also want a Honda CBX, which will likely run around $12,500 for one in decent shape. Of course, I have to get a Royal Enfield Diesel. We’ll say that’ll set me back $5,000. No motorcycle collection would be complete without a Hayes M1030M1 jet fuel military bike. And beside them all will be a Suzuki RE-5 rotary motorcycle for about $8,500.
Surprisingly, that leaves me with $49,558 in the bank. A really nice Volkswagen Phaeton W12 will set me back about $20,000. I’d spend the rest of it on imports like an MGF roadster, an Autozam AZ-1, and a Smart Fortwo with a manual transmission.
Matt theoretically would spend that $135,220 on just a single car. I could score four rare motorcycles and five cars for that price. What would you buy with $135,220?
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Have always wanted my own personal junkyard in a field, so would buy hundreds of old cheap cars and be in heaven…or start acquiring a variety of dream cars such as: 1969 Dodge Superbee (really, any old Mopar), 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V, 70’s/80’s Chevy C-10, AMC Eagle, Toyota truck and Delorean from BTTF, Honda CRX/Prelude/NSX
“I’d buy me a used car lot
and I wouldn’t sell any of ’em
I’d just drive a different car every day
dependin’ on how I feel”
1. New Subaru BRZ Premium manual $35k
2. Used 2020 Jaguar xf sportbrake wagon about $35k
3. Nice Volvo 1800es. ~$25k
4. Mercedes w123. Sedan or wagon $20k. These can certainly be had cheaper, but as the only car my wife would be interested in, I should get a nice example.
5. Model T touring in nice driving condition. $10k
6. I would probably throw the remaining $10k at my ’53 chevy sedan. It would be money wasted, but no more so than the $35k on the Jag that will be worth $5k in 3 years.
-$35k for a newer GX460 to replace my twenty year old GX.
-$10k for a new YZF450R to replace my 15 year old Yamaha Raptor.
-$50k for a new Honda Odyssey to replace our old Odyssey.
-$10k for a project vehicle of some sort (CJ5, GM squarebody, Wagoneer, etc.)
-Remainder used for project car budget
$75k – V8 Vantage, 6 speed, in Midnight Blue with Sandstone interior
$35k – E39 M5, Lemans Blue with Carmel interior
$10k – ’92-96 C4 Coupe, 6 speed, in any non-boring color combo
$15k – Rover SD1/3500, LHD, 5 speed, including the cost to bring it up to driver condition
I would buy a brand-new F-150 regular cab short bed ($38,810). I would use it for the frame for my 1952 Ford f-5 step van (both have a 122′ wheelbase). I would get an uncut half-cab 66-77 Bronco and use the rest of the money to get a smart car and put a Hayabusa motor in it.
This assumes I know what cars costs. It’s one parsh, Mercedes. How much could it cost? $10?
Maybe I’d get an aircooled 911 and a Cayenne. Gently used, although a little more wear on the 911 is fine. Two parsh at the same time is always the answer.
Lotus Esprit V8
MV Agusta F3
Ducati 916
KTM RC390
Whatever’s left spend on a used Gladiator with some scratches on it so I’m not stupidly resistant to doing truck things with it
That’s the answer within the spirit of the rules, but to be honest after my childhood dream car of the Lotus, it doesn’t really matter what I do with the rest. I may as well spend it on restoring one of Grandpa’s trucks that I have.
I figure diversification will mean at least one or two will be running at all time. Joining my:
— Volvo wagon (groceries, people hauling, road trips)
— BMW 128 (fun road trips)
…will be today’s objects of desire from BaT:
— Vixen 21 (really long road trips) 23k
— BMW 2002 Touring 19k
…and…
— a Lancia Fulvia (~25k)
— a RX-7 FD (~20k for a clean one that burns oil, eventual K20 swap)
— a 1986-89 Acura Integra (15k for a nice one to reunite with my first)
— and the last ~33k ought to get me into a decent Austin Healey 3000 for grand entrances
Ok, I’m doing a vixen now.
Do I have to decide right now? Can’t I first fill a small pool with the cash and take a dip like Scrooge McDuck?
*me, hitting the bottom of the empty pool and dying because it’s all in my bank account and not physical and also, physical money is disgusting*
That’s the nice thing about physical money: You can always have more printed fresh.
06 Viper SRT 10 Coupe -76k, 2022 BMW M550i -50k and a Mk6 Jetta GLI (Mine was $8500)
135k! I would get like three running and driving 240sx’s. Yeah that frame rails will be Swiss cheese, and the strut towers just gone. And one will probably have to be a convertible. But still, so much clout!
Driver Quality XKE $80,000.
Honda CB400F Super Sport $5500
The remaining $50,000 split between an Italian sports car or sports coupe (Alfa/Fiat/Lancia) from the 60s or 70s, and a big American boat from the early to mid sixties.
But I could also go modern with the last $50k and get an FD RX7. Decisions decisions.
Oh man. I’m gonna have to drop about $50k expanding and fixing my garage. I want the nicest lowest mileage GMT-800 Suburban I can find. Lets call that $15k. I’m gonna throw about $5k at putting my ’74 Buick Apollo back on the road. I’d better get my wife a screaming chicken 2nd gen Trans Am if I know what’s good for me. Lets call that another $20k for a good one.
Lets see, that leaves me about $42k for toys. I’m gonna budget $25k to find a nice 5th gen Camaro SS with a manual, preferably with the 1LE package. Imma need a new ItalJet 200 scooter for I’m guessing $8k. Lets toss $6k at Honda for a CRF300LS. That leaves me a few grand left. I’ll try to find a used Vespa 300GTS.
I’d buy exactly one car. The Ruby Star 911T right there in that photo. We already have 3 cars, and space is limited, so multiple cars is out of the question. Plus, I LOVE the 911T. I’ll take mine sans PDK though.
One 6 figure car. Why would you buy more of those $10k cars that you already buy on impulse anyway?
Exactly. Why buy MORE garbage with that money? I’m a firm believer in quality over quantity.
I think i’d mostly buy really nice overpriced examples of used cars:
• Restored BMW 2002
• Bugeye WRX hatchback
• Jeep Comanche
I’d probably import some stuff too. Maybe a 2CV, Fiat 500 (the old one, of course), and perhaps some JDM stuff like a 4×4 Delica and an Autozam. Not sure if that would stay under budget.
The Yellow Blackwing I just configured was $114,100. That leaves enough left over to get my wife a car too!
For me:
That cute Datsun 521 pickup for sale near me – $5k
A used Indian FTR1200 – $10k or so
For Dear Spouse, 3 horses, 2 dogs:
Dodge RamCharger hybrid – $60k-$90k?
Horse trailer with living quarters – $8k-$40k depending on what’s left
Have to divvy things up fairly after all.
One
I would probably buy a minimum of 27.044 vehicles.
Also W12 Phaeton (nice, private seller 4 seaters are usually closer to 15k, when they come up) to complete my idiot-trifecta.
S212 E63 AMG (I miss my AMG. Thank the Lord God Almighty pricing on these is coming back to reality.. probably going to be my next car, unless I find the perfect Phaeton or 911).
If I play my cards right, that nets about 60-70k for a medium decent 997.2.
Used Viper for me, whatever new car my wife wants and then all the questionable projects, minibikes and go karts I can find!
My wife needs a new car first.
Lets say $65k. Could be a $55k Grand Highlander Hybrid, could be a Lexus RX/TX or Volvo XC90. Can’t even test drive the Toyota, so who knows what we’ll settle on.
Leaving $70,220.
I’d like a 4WD kei truck with a dump bed for “DIY home stuff”. US market pickup trucks are overpriced, rarely are spec’d to have longer beds, and zero have dump beds from the factory. I could probably stash the kei truck in my backyard somewhere. I’m not driving cross country to buy some lumber, it’ll do fine in my local area. Honda Acty or similar. – Looks like $8k can get that done.
I’d get a Bolt for a commuter car, but I think I’ll be buying something else that requires that garage spot for protection. Bolt doesn’t do me much good if it can’t get to the charger in the garage.
So upgrade my Prius. Used Gen IV Prius AWD with relatively low miles – $23k.
$39k left.
Call me a Boomer. I’ll certainly let my Dad borrow it someday. Looks like I can get a 2011 or so Corvette convertible, 6MT. V8 cruising, top down, won’t cost a fortune to maintain. Trunk can fit a few bags of luggage. I won’t show up to Cars and Coffee with it like it is a Ferrari, even it was the only red convertible 6MT built on a Thursday with the legendary Bowling Green UAW shop steward “Joey C” installing the wheels.
I am completely out of places to put vehicles, with 4 cars and a trailer, so before I even think of anything else, I need more parking. And the only place I can go is behind the house.
So first, I’ll punch out the back wall of the garage and build back, knock down the deck, and create a new rooftop deck on top of the new garage space. I figure that gives me room for 2 more smallish cars inside, with the trucks and trailer staying outside. This would all probably run me a hundred grand or so.
So now I’ve got $35,220 and two garage spaces to fill. One would have to go to a Morris Minor pickup for my wife; I can get a nicely restored one for $12k or so – leaving $23k for something Italian for me. A decent Alfetta coupe would do nicely, and leave plenty of money for the inevitable repairs.
Prius Prime as a daily ~$35k
Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing ~ $70k
BMW Z4M ~ $30k