These Are Your Best Automotive New Year's Resolutions

I resolve to thoroughly clean our cars and motorcycles. I also resolve to ride motorcycles more and check the valve clearances on the Airhead. I should also replace the LeSabre’s broken taillight. I’d like a project car or fun car but lack of $ and money will prevent that.

Suggested by Slow Joe Crow

I’ve picked up some fun vehicles over the last couple of years, and they’re all in pretty good shape now after a fair amount of work, so my resolutions are:

Reduce my vehicular projects to just maintenance this year. Preventative is allowed, but no new ‘unnecessary’ huge projects. No new cars or bikes in CY24.

Ride on two wheels more. This is going to be easy, as I lost April-September due to an unexpected engine rebuild on the beemer, and now it’s good to go.

Do some vehicular photography. Take my ‘fleet’ to a nice setting and get some glamour shots.

Attend more vehicular social events; hit up C&C more than just once.

Sell the leftover stuff from finished projects/no-longer-owned vehicles and get it out of my house. I have a Thule roof rack from my WRX that I need to get rid of, a slightly-damaged-despite-being-new-in-box Malossi exhaust and a front rack for modern Vespas that was sold to me as fitting my vintage, as well as some other parts lying around.

Sub-resolution: clean up and tidy my workshop so it’s ready for future work.Figure out a way to get the schmutz out of my 996's turn signals. I don’t want to have to bake them, but I can’t get around the Fresnel lenses in the turn signal, and there doesn’t seem to be another path.

Suggested by TheSchrat

Learn to weld. It is something I’ve always wanted to learn but it is a necessity now. No one I have talked to is willing to cut and weld on my 35 year old tailgate and new old stock is non-existent. I can only assume that GM scrapped the molds because no repops either. Can’t find any junkyard parts in better shape and after almost a year of searching now and I guess I just need to give up and learn to fix it myself.

As a close second, put a LOT of miles on my adv bike this summer camping in random places around the PNW.

Suggested by 2nd Gear Start

To drive the old Falcon more. It mostly sits, and that’s a shame. I put a TON of money into it mechanically two years back. It needs to get some miles on it.

Suggested by BunkyTheMelon

Create Some Boundaries

There is no such thing as a “free” car.

My niece’s 2005 Mustang would start but wouldn’t run. Gave it to me. My BIL got a new Tesla and his wife wanted the 2007 BMW X5 4.8 (wouldn’t start) out of her driveway. Asked me if I wanted it. How could I refuse? All total I estimate $7-8k to get both where I am happy. I mean, how can you say no to a Mustang convertible and a V8 BMW X5?

By just saying no.

Suggested by 900turbo

For something like 25 years, my parents have had a ‘97 Land Rover Defender. Something of a play car for them, to enjoy the milder months out in Scottsdale. It’s fairly well-equipped (I was active offroading when they bought it and advised) - Old Man Emu suspension, front/rear ARB lockers, bumper, winch, 33" BFG M/Ts. Only 45K miles and in very good condition.

They’re hitting a point where climbing in and out of it is no longer safe for them, so sometime in the next few months, it’s coming to me.

My resolution: to manage a few creature comfort upgrades (Bluetooth for music, maybe a backup camera, half top for nice days) without completely falling down the rabbit hole. Which will be a real balancing act.

Suggested by Doogs

Get my project Mercedes-Benz C300 (W204) on the road! It’s a 2010 RWD model with the ultra-rare 6 speed manual. Been busy battling rust, age and leaks.

OK, that was my 2023 resolution. It’s my 2024 resolution, too.

Suggested by Stephen

As a glutton for automotive punishment, sucker for poor “investments” and in the middle of a reasonable amicable divorce, as soon as I’m out the other side of that last tunnel, a ‘17 AMG GTS will be had. Bring on the bad decisions!

Suggested by richardcranium

It’ll be 10 years of owning my Evo this year, so I think I’ll work on making her the prettiest in the room. New fenders, paint the roof black, new weather stripping, new wheels, side skirt extensions, nothing over the top but definitely dialed in.

Suggested by darthspartan117

Looking to sell my Pajero and move down to a 1 car house.

Suggested by the_AUGHT

1. Continue saving the manuals by buying new fun cars. Current Golf R was bought new and has been with us for 6 years now. Time to sell it and see If I can get an allotment for a manual GR86, Supra or Civic Type R

2. Continue saving old cars with N/A engines and manuals, setting them up to my liking and driving the piss out of them

3. Take my CBR600RR and Golf R for some more track days

4. Teach more people the art of 3 pedal driving (so far 12 people taught during my driving career)

5. Make more money, save more money, spend more money...

Suggested by Da Car Guru - 15,000 RPM daily driver

Don’t really have one. But I realized my Tacoma that I bought the year I graduated high school will turn 20 in 2 more years. So I hope it will make it. Just because.

Suggested by ROBOT TURDS

Come April on an Important Anniversary. I am going shopping for a new car.

Nissan Z, Civic Type R, Sporty Acura Clone of a type R, Lexus RCF (Used), Golf R, GR Corolla are all on the list. 3 Pedals and a Floppy Stick, HP, AWD are all important.

Suggested by Bob

To finally do it: drive the Charger to El Mirage dry lake bed during a week day, pay my fee, get on the lake, roll the windows up, and put my foot in the roller stroker 512 and literally see how fast I can go.

And “thanks” to that anti-Daytona non-aerodynamic nose, I’m expecting to top out at 145mph. Nothing special for today’s cars to achieve, but for a Sixties muscle car with that big block roaring at the top of its lungs, it’ll be a total blast.

That experience has got to be checked off my bucket list.

Suggested by the1969DodgeChargerFan