This isn’t a bragging type of question. Trust us. We’re not lighting our cigars with $100 bills around here and forgetting that we have a Bentley parked around back by the servant quarters. No, this is more of the compulsive junk owners question. Chances are that if you’re a gearhead of any stripe, you’ve owned a ton of cars over the years since you’ve been old enough to do so. Both Chad and I have had a pile of stuff that ranges from the cool to the weird and slightly embarrassing.
Anyway, I thought of this question while having a conversation with a guy I had no talked to in years. He asked me if I still had the Mustang Cobra I had when we last hung out. For a second I was like, “HUH?” Then all the memories of the Mustang came flooding on back. It is weird. I really liked this car and had some great fun in it on road trips with my wife, at the drags, at the autocross, and even commuting through a New England winter with it. It was one of the nicer things I have ever owned, but it always slips my mind and I have no idea why. Since I owned the Mustang I have had an SVT Focus, a Powerstroke diesel F250, a Taurus, a gas F-250, the crap ass Pacifica, Buford, Goliath, Brutus the wrecker, and a Ford Escape and there was a laundry list of stuff that led up to the Mustang Cobra. Am I the only one who occasionally needs to be reminded of stuff I used to own?
After talking to the guy, I went and dug up some photos I shot of the car eons ago and they are below. It was a nice piece, even though it was a bit unhappy on uneven, wet highways. Long story short, I was driving to work one morning minding my own business and was forced to make an emergency lane change when an animal ran into the road. I ended up sliding backward down the highway and into the median at about 70mph. I hit nothing and completed my drive to work…with pants that were slightly heavier than when I left the house.
So….spill the beans –
BangShift Question Of The Day: Have You Had So Many Cars That You Actually Forget Some Of Them Sometimes?
I’ve got so many NOW that I forget some of them . . . . (and if I could sell ’em all, I might be able to make the down payment on a nice one)
Compulsive junk owners…good way to describe my buying habits. I’ve bought and sold a bunch of cars and I really try to take pictures of every car that I’ve owned, because otherwise, I will forget about them. I’ve had some VERY forgettable cars, some that I never even drove.
Byrd’s got a great article on the 460 turbo Maverick in the November ’13 issue of Car Craft!
I’ve not only forgotten past cars I’ve owned, I often forget stuff I have stashed away. My Mom asked me when I was going to come get the car out of the basement…which made me ask “what car?” I moved out over a decade ago!
To this day I always wondered if one or more cars are still in a garage that was rented out back in the 80’s! I do have more titles than cars right now.
I keep a list of them on my web page, so I can remember….
Squirrel, you’re just a copycat… 😀
Or was that me…? Can’t remember!
I dreamed once I found a car of mine in an abandoned barn… or, well at least I couldn’t remember the barn… lol
I put those cars in two categories-those I would love to have back, and those. I wish I never e had. Plenty of both, and I remember them all (I think).
man don’t make me cry about all the cars I let get away, challenger dart scamp maverick f 100 701/2 falcon that one hurt.
I remember them all. I’m neurotic like that.
I’ve had over 40 cars since I was 15. Some junk, some drivers and some really fun cars.
definitely over 50. some good, some not so good.
Must be 15 years ago my wife and I were killing time on a long drive. She started the list and I reached 86 different cars (incl. drag cars) Longer list now :-}
Right now I own 6, over the years 30 plus? My current fleet consists of…
94 Buick Road Master
69 Chevy 3/4 ton Long Stepside
69 GTO
66 Nissan Patrol
62 Pontiac LeMans
23 Model T Touring
So to anwser your question, Yes!
Age has more to do with remembering the cars than the sheer number of cars. The other problem is that in more than one instance, I’ve owned the same car more than once. I guess I could sit down and make a list…
I tend to drive my cars until they rot out from under me, so I remember them all.
I remember sitting with the missus one day about 20 years ago and she asked this exact question…exactly how many cars have you had? So we started to make a list.. got to around 120 cars and to this day I keep remembering cars I forgot to put on the list….
that is part of this disease, buying more than I can ever finish, gotto go just bought 66 mustang 6 cyl for granddaughter who is 13. Guess wife and I will have to drive it and shake it down.