Reliability and entertainment: The two ideals of car buying. Most people either want a reliable car, something sturdy and trustworthy for endless commutes, or a fun car, where those commutes become something to look forward to. But why settle for one or the other? Earlier this week, we asked for your picks for a fun and reliable two-car garage. Here are your answers.
The one I have now - S2000 track car, baby land cruiser to tow it and go off-roading in. Previously the GX was an F31 BMW wagon, which also worked pretty well in this context.
You could honestly use the S2000 as your reliable car, but few things beat the GX. It’s more or less a Land Cruiser Prado, but gussied up for fancy American audiences.
Ford Falcon Squire to tow my...
...Lotus Cortina to the track.
Someone’s got a type, it seems. My experience with Cortinas more or less begins and ends with Alex Turner, but I do know they look fun to hustle around a track
I’m going green for the future
There are plenty of British Racing Greens out there, but Jaguar’s is particularly good. Still, it’s smart to balance it with the reliability of the Genesis.
Can I do both as fun and reliable? Currently have my fun DD, the GR Corolla. Veloster N is still in the stable as a track car, but will be replaced at some point by a CT4V Blackwing in a manual whenever mine gets allocated and built. Single and no kids means my money goes to M.E. My Enjoyment. Halfway there in the 2 fun car garage. The GR and Blackwing will take turns on track events. The GR will be the winter DD and the Blackwing the summer DD.
My actual GR:
Not my Blackwing but you get the idea.
Damn, I’m single with no kids, and my money still just goes to rent. Teach me your GR-owning secrets.
My perfect two-vehicle garage is basically two cafe racers of different types: a retro racer inspired track bike with lights and turn signals and a super slow daily cruiser, basically polar opposites that provide the best of both worlds. I have my exotic canyon carver in the form of an MV Agusta Superveloce 800. I bought it thinking it could be the only bike I own, only to ride it for a while longer and realize this was clearly meant to be for weekends only. I bought a Yamaha MT-07 thinking this would be the perfect daily but I realize that after already getting the fast bike, I really want something more toned down (that and the MT-07 isn’t actually as fun to ride as people say it is, minus the torque).
I test rode a Royal Enfield Continental GT650 the other day and found that while the bike is really darn slow, it’s also the kind of bike that I wouldn’t mind riding every day. Something so full of character and so easy to ride would definitely have my attention for as long as I need it for (which, I’m hoping that’s either when it dies or when fossil fuels are completely phased out). But not only that, it costs 5x less than my MV and all the associated operating costs are far FAR less than I expected. I’m scheduled to have it within the next month.
Jalopnik’s own Bob Sorokanich owns an Enfield Conti GT650, which I’ve gotten the chance to ride. That engine may not rush you to MotoGP seeds, but it’s got nice low-end torque and a surprisingly fun sound. They’re good bikes, bront.
I’m pretty close now. If I had to do just 2, it would be:
- Tesla Model 3 Performance (have Dual Motor now. Side note: both reliable AND fun!)
- Fiat 500 Abarth rally car (building one now, getting there...)
There’s a special kind of courage you need to mark a Tesla as you reliable vehicle. More power to you, StalePhish.
CT5-Blackwing and Rivian R1S. I think I could do about everything I wanted with those 2
So long as you’re not trying to split lanes, there really isn’t much that you don’t have covered between those two cars. Good choices.
Fun/Reliable? Why not both?
I’m pretty happy with my current garage. Between a beater Miata and Golf R 7.5 it’s a toss up between which is more fun or reliable.
Mk7 reliability seems to be, judging from my own experience at meets, incredibly hit or miss — some are bulletproof, some disintegrate into a fine powder as soon as the warranty ends. Let’s hope yours is the former.
If money no object, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 and Toyota Supra RZ A80
both are fun, both are reliable
Hayase, you get me. Bonus points for specifying a JDM-only trim of the A80, despite there being an equivalent USDM version that would be much easier to live with. We car weebs must commit to the bit.
The 1968 Olds is the reliable one. I guess. I mean, the Spit does start every time I try it. And the Spit has never left me stranded. It just doesn’t have overdrive, so the fun has to stay at around 50 mph.
Is that an upbadged Cutlass, an original 442, or a restomod that doesn’t meet the original spec of either? Like wondering if Deckard’s dog in Blade Runner 2049 is real, does it matter?
OK, so my definition of fun might be different than y’alls but...
Reliable: Hyundai Ioniq 5. Because I need something that doesn’t burn gas but can haul me, my girlfriend and our kids a reasonable distance and can haul me and my bike to the local trails. And it looks cool.Lower maintenance, charge it in the garage, all good.Fun: A Ford Transit Connect with an Ursa Minor pop-top conversion and a shit-load of racks. Because I want something I can haul my girlfriend and me and our bikes and our camping gear and our paddleboards and all that wherever we want to go but still fits in my garage and still gets decent gas mileage. I’m never going to do a track day unless that track is a velodrome, so this seems like the way to go.
Plus they’d both fit in my garage if there weren’t so many bikes and boards in my garage.
Hey, I like your definition of fun. I’ve been researching motocamping accessories for weeks now, so I can fully get behind the idea of a camper as the fun vehicle.
My ‘55 with a 2023 Lexus GX 460. Now, my ‘55 has an crate LS3 so it is reliable, but it’s still a 70 year old car.
Once again, we return to the 1UR-FE’s fountain of reliability. Lexii just don’t break, do they?
I have the first half. I have the reliable daily driver. My beloved Fiesta. Great gas mileage, cheap to maintain and run.
Now, I just need to get the “Fun” half. I’m thinking a Shelby Cobra replica with maybe a Coyote V8 at most. Don’t need to get stupid with a Godzilla or anything. Something manageable that can still break lose for funsies.
Not one, but two two-Ford garages in our dream garage slideshow? The brand loyalty runs deep.
I’m going expensive and comfy.
Lexus LS500H
and fast but still comfortable enough for someone a little older.
Porsche 911 turbo
I’d still need a couple of more vehicles; one for hiking and a couple of motorcycles but this is a good start. If it had to just be 2 vehicles, replace the ls with a gx.
Milanst666, you may well have the classiest taste of any of our commenters who have “666" in their usernames. I’m not sure how much competition there is for that title, but still.
Fun car: a widebodied, track-ready R32 Skyline GT-R (or an R33, nothing against the R34 but I’m just fonder of the bubble era designs)
Reliable car: this legendary mfer here the 1989 Toyota Hilux Doublecab Diesel
If I went with the R32 then I could also have both cars be from the year I was born, getting two birds stoned at once. The OG Hakosuka is still ultimately my money-no-object dream car but in this slightly more realism-based scenario, the livability of the modern car wins. The Hilux can be converted to run on all sorts of different alternative fuels to stay alive into the future, should civilization collapse in my lifetime which is more of a possibility than I thought it would be growing up.
May I suggest an S14, with Rocket Bunny’s Boss kit, to fill in those Hakosuka dreams? It might veer a bit more Kenmeri, but it’s still the classic look you’re after.