What is life like with multiple sheds—is it economically viable, or is it a money pit? Let me show you the reality

As far as daydreaming is concerned, it is not uncommon to imagine driving a convoy. Something suitable for all occasions, refuel and get ready to drive. Admittedly, it is usually highly polished exotic rather than a bunch of rusty sh-tboxes, but the same principles apply. What will happen when this dream becomes a reality? How feasible is it to own and drive multiple old cars? Whether you want a reason to start your collection or want to be discouraged, please allow me to muddy the water.

About five years after I last owned a single vehicle, it is now usually hovering between 4-5 at any time. Miles the Skoda and Toyota iQ are responsible for daily driving. The Mercedes camper and Citroen Saxo slept in the barn, protected from the bad weather, and at the same time ready to take action in a bad mood. The fifth position is currently unoccupied, although my name is on another V5. I'll talk about it next time.

It's time to talk about money. The biggest misunderstanding is to assume that I must have a lot of disposable income to support this hobby. I haven't called it addictive. Although it would undoubtedly be cheaper to trim fat and run a lean fleet with two cars, I did manage to run them at a relatively cheap price.

Apart from acquisitions, the most expensive bill is insurance. Currently, I have three policies. Two are Adrian Flux and one is Elephant. Together, they cost about £150 a month, which is still far below what I paid for my trusted Punto's first policy.

With Adrian Flux, I have established a limited mileage policy for campers, so that we have enough mileage to check in and stay at only £120 per year. On the other hand, the only reason for choosing Elephant is that the management fee for making changes is small. Coupled with a nice application, I can flexibly switch the insured vehicle within a few minutes. It would be perfect if I want to make a new purchase in a few weeks without spending a few hours on the comparison site.

Another monthly cost to consider is taxes. My car seems to occupy an unfortunate non-optimal position-too young to not be tax-exempt, but too old to be in the low tax range. Miles is 24 pounds a month, Saxo is 18 pounds, and campervans are 23 pounds. Thankfully, if you pay by direct debit, you can easily cancel when needed. Perfect for things like RVs, it can last for months without action.

Another monthly expense is storage costs. Not something that aspiring hoarders necessarily need, but the Aral Sea air around me is very effective at decaying older engines. I was lucky to find a corner space in a farmer’s barn. £600 a year provides me with enough space for campers, plus two to three vehicles. I think that to give you peace of mind, the money is well spent.

The explanation of the monthly cost is very cathartic, leaving only unpredictable expenditures. Even in dry storage, the entire fleet needs to be stored routinely. Whenever possible, I will do this work myself to save labor costs. There are always consumables; tires, brakes, oil, filters, wiper blades, the list goes on. Of course, the annual MOT test usually brings some surprises.

Since MOT seems to expire every few weeks, I rarely get much respite from the nervous MOT website refresh to see if it passes or fails. Take the most recent round of testing as an example-Miles got me back about £500, but it was all very routine work. Saxo needs some attention from the welder, plus a bottom box, tires, and some light bulbs, for a total of close to £450. The 40-year-old Mercedes camper is a star, sailing without any indicator light bulbs.

The scary part is over, what is it like to live with a group of people? Great, in most cases. I have a sincere love for them. Everyone has their own unique personality, characteristics and problems. Open the door and inhale, and you can tell which car it is based on the smell. Especially Miles, thanks to some opportunists who once used him as a refuge for smoking. On a hot summer day, a scent wafted from the vents, and any policeman passing by would pull me over for a roadside drug test.

In fact, running multiple cars can be very useful, especially considering that the extended garage also contains my mom and dad’s cars. Need to collect Christmas trees? Take Volvo 940 as an example. If the sun is shining and the coastal road is calling, please lower the roof and ride the Porsche Boxster. Or, if you need to dispatch a very long highway, only one car can do the job; miles. It is difficult for you to find a collection of vehicles for more purposes.

Occasionally, usually in a daze after the MOT, I might consider replacing this batch with something more modern and less rusty. Maybe I even browsed on eBay. Thankfully, the emotions faded quickly, clutching that magical piece of paper, and another year of adventure beckoned—I won’t have any other way.

It may be difficult for some people to understand this appeal, but for like-minded souls who are more excited about the hard shell K11 Micra than the sparkling Ferrari SF90, I salute you. We can work together to ensure that there will be a large number of sh-tboxes on the road for many years to come.

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