The Car "Wardrobe"
#1
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The Car "Wardrobe"
Do you have a car "wardrobe"? This is a collection of cars that you keep whereby each car serves a different purpose and is driven on different occasions. For example:
1. daily driver: a safe, reliable, low cost to maintain sedan or compact SUV (e.g. Subaru Legacy, Camry, Accord, Mazda 6)
2. volume hauler/off-roader: a large SUV, minivan, or truck (eg. Toyota 4 runner, Land Cruiser, Toyota Sienna, F-150)
3. party car: luxury sedan/SUV for attending formal events, weddings, going to the opera (if you're into that) = Lexus LS, MB S-class, Panamera, Bentley, Escalade
4. fun car: sports car, convertible, or muscle car for weekend use (e.g. Porsche 911, RCF, M4, Corvette, Hellcat, GTR)
Many cars straddle across these categories. The Lexus IS 350 can be used as a daily driver but may also be considered a fun car. The Porsche Macan can be a daily driver, a hauler, and a fun car. The Escalade can be a hauler as well as a party car. I'm not sure I buy into this approach. I would rather have cars/vehicles that have specific functions and are used for specific occasions. Thoughts?
1. daily driver: a safe, reliable, low cost to maintain sedan or compact SUV (e.g. Subaru Legacy, Camry, Accord, Mazda 6)
2. volume hauler/off-roader: a large SUV, minivan, or truck (eg. Toyota 4 runner, Land Cruiser, Toyota Sienna, F-150)
3. party car: luxury sedan/SUV for attending formal events, weddings, going to the opera (if you're into that) = Lexus LS, MB S-class, Panamera, Bentley, Escalade
4. fun car: sports car, convertible, or muscle car for weekend use (e.g. Porsche 911, RCF, M4, Corvette, Hellcat, GTR)
Many cars straddle across these categories. The Lexus IS 350 can be used as a daily driver but may also be considered a fun car. The Porsche Macan can be a daily driver, a hauler, and a fun car. The Escalade can be a hauler as well as a party car. I'm not sure I buy into this approach. I would rather have cars/vehicles that have specific functions and are used for specific occasions. Thoughts?
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I see your point although in the context of this thread, wardrobe is exactly the concept I want to convey....in the sense that a wardrobe provides a person a different "outfit" for a different occasion. "Stable" is just a collection of cars (or horses) with no implied differentiation in purpose, beside racing perhaps.
Last edited by gyrase321; 03-29-15 at 11:52 AM.
#5
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Not really. I do like having two types of vehicles in the household. For instance, I wouldn't want to own two sedans. I like having a luxury sedan for every day and work (I drive a lot for work) and an SUV for trips, weekends, hauling stuff, bad weather, etc.
Now that we have kids the SUV will likely get replaced with a minivan, but the idea is the same.
I love cars but I don't see the value in having a car without a driver to drive it daily, so no third car for me.
Now that we have kids the SUV will likely get replaced with a minivan, but the idea is the same.
I love cars but I don't see the value in having a car without a driver to drive it daily, so no third car for me.
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The reason for this thread is that I have noticed car magazines and blogs rank cars that really shouldn't be ranked in the same category since they don't serve the same function. For instance, Car and Driver ranks the BMW X5 higher than the Lexus GX based mainly on the criterion of "sportiness" or being "fun to drive". But the GX isn't supposed to be a sporty vehicle. It is a luxury volume hauler/off-roader, and a mighty reliable one at that. This faulty analysis is I suspect the result of the magazine's inability (intentionally or unintentionally) to conceptualize cars as tools having different functions. Or, in the metaphor of wardrobes, as clothes intended for different occasions. Car and Driver writers (and Jalopnik, et al) seem to think that all cars should be sporty and fun to drive.....or that we should all be wearing shorts and running shoes to the opera.
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#8
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For instance, Car and Driver ranks the BMW X5 higher than the Lexus GX based mainly on the criterion of "sportiness" or being "fun to drive". But the GX isn't supposed to be a sporty vehicle. It is a luxury volume hauler/off-roader, and a mighty reliable one at that. This faulty analysis is I suspect the result of the magazine's inability (intentionally or unintentionally) to conceptualize cars as tools having different functions. Or, in the metaphor of wardrobes, as clothes intended for different occasions. Car and Driver writers (and Jalopnik, et al) seem to think that all cars should be sporty and fun to drive.....or that we should all be wearing shorts and running shoes to the opera.
For instance, someone who wants a sporty car and also needs to tow a small boat or wave runners, etc. They can't afford to purchase a GX and a BMW 530 M Sport. But, they can afford to purchase an X5. Its a compromise.
Thats why Car & Driver rates cars that are a little different but are still within the same category together as opposed to separately. Someone spending $60-70k on an SUV is going to consider both those vehicles, and whichever one they choose is going to depend on whether their need is greater than their want. Car & Driver is not meant to be unbiased. Reviews are never unbiased, their subscribers pay for their opinions of which vehicles are best. So its not a faulty analysis.
I too would rate an X5 over a GX...but...I don't need to tow or go offroad. Most people don't...
Last edited by SW17LS; 03-29-15 at 12:02 PM.
#9
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Yup, refer to it as my stable. My FJ is my bad weather, off road, hauler, drive-and-park in NYC car. My mini is the everyday commuter car (30 miles round trip, this replaced my SC effectively) and my S is the weekend, jaunts out to Hamptons car. But they all get used interchangeably every now and then.
I agree that sometimes the comparisons are confusing at times. I also think this refers most to SUVs since that segment still seems to be evolving. The sedan segments seem more mature and set in their categories. The "compromise" segments are solidly their own segments now (want a sports car, luxury cruiser, inclement weather vehicle? There are myriads to choose from) When buying my FJ, I xshopped lots of unrelated vehicles (from highlander to range rover to Honda). I preferred to buy more task specific vehicles when purchasing.
I agree that sometimes the comparisons are confusing at times. I also think this refers most to SUVs since that segment still seems to be evolving. The sedan segments seem more mature and set in their categories. The "compromise" segments are solidly their own segments now (want a sports car, luxury cruiser, inclement weather vehicle? There are myriads to choose from) When buying my FJ, I xshopped lots of unrelated vehicles (from highlander to range rover to Honda). I preferred to buy more task specific vehicles when purchasing.
Last edited by T0ked; 03-30-15 at 07:59 AM.
#10
Do you have a car "wardrobe"? This is a collection of cars that you keep whereby each car serves a different purpose and is driven on different occasions. For example:
1. daily driver: a safe, reliable, low cost to maintain sedan or compact SUV (e.g. Subaru Legacy, Camry, Accord, Mazda 6)
2. volume hauler/off-roader: a large SUV, minivan, or truck (eg. Toyota 4 runner, Land Cruiser, Toyota Sienna, F-150)
3. party car: luxury sedan/SUV for attending formal events, weddings, going to the opera (if you're into that) = Lexus LS, MB S-class, Panamera, Bentley, Escalade
4. fun car: sports car, convertible, or muscle car for weekend use (e.g. Porsche 911, RCF, M4, Corvette, Hellcat, GTR)
Many cars straddle across these categories. The Lexus IS 350 can be used as a daily driver but may also be considered a fun car. The Porsche Macan can be a daily driver, a hauler, and a fun car. The Escalade can be a hauler as well as a party car. I'm not sure I buy into this approach. I would rather have cars/vehicles that have specific functions and are used for specific occasions. Thoughts?
1. daily driver: a safe, reliable, low cost to maintain sedan or compact SUV (e.g. Subaru Legacy, Camry, Accord, Mazda 6)
2. volume hauler/off-roader: a large SUV, minivan, or truck (eg. Toyota 4 runner, Land Cruiser, Toyota Sienna, F-150)
3. party car: luxury sedan/SUV for attending formal events, weddings, going to the opera (if you're into that) = Lexus LS, MB S-class, Panamera, Bentley, Escalade
4. fun car: sports car, convertible, or muscle car for weekend use (e.g. Porsche 911, RCF, M4, Corvette, Hellcat, GTR)
Many cars straddle across these categories. The Lexus IS 350 can be used as a daily driver but may also be considered a fun car. The Porsche Macan can be a daily driver, a hauler, and a fun car. The Escalade can be a hauler as well as a party car. I'm not sure I buy into this approach. I would rather have cars/vehicles that have specific functions and are used for specific occasions. Thoughts?
This reminds me the 4P's, in this the 4C's: daily car, utility car, status car, fun car. But as every theory evolves, there is yet the 5th C: race car. I know some will add "bike".
#11
Unless you live in an urban environment where you literally cannot park two cars, anybody can own a 2nd car/beater. Granted it might be a piece of junk, but my $600 Toyota truck has served me well for the past 4 years and 20,000 miles. Its handy to have something you can just climb into all nasty/sweaty/dirty, haul mulch, haul greasy car parts, drive in the snow, park on the street in ****ty neighborhoods, etc. If you scratch it or dent it who cares.
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