If you had a chance to build your dream lineup of cars in your garage, which ones would you choose with a budget of up to $75,000? We asked the internet and made several interviews with people who told us about the diverse selections that they would make if given this budget to fill out their driveway.
We told our participants that the only rule was to fit under the budget. They could choose as many cars and as many types as they wanted as long as the total cost was under $75,000. They could be new or used, big or small, and red or blue (or any color for that matter).
Theoretically, you could choose to stock your dream garage with 10 used Nissan Altimas for $7,500 each. That would be a very strange dream, but if that is what you desire, then who are we to stop you from attaining it. You could also opt for 1 expensive Audi A7 and not have to worry about maintenance for a handful of vehicles either.
So, let’s find out what our respondents had to say about their dream garage with a $75,000 budget.
The Ideal Garage with $75,000 to Spend
The Practical Family Man
Name: Duncan
Age: 43
Status: Married with 4 small kids
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Dream Garage:
- 2024 Kia Carnival: $30,000
- 2018 BMW 540: $30,000
- 2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI: $15,000
Duncan was very practical with his approach to this challenge. He chose a minivan, a luxury sedan, and a fun car for the weekends. He said, “With 4 kids, we need to have a minivan in the stable. Then for work, I would upgrade my current Camry into something with a little more luxury so that I can treat my clients (and myself) to something a bit nicer.”
“I’ve always wanted a fast, little car on the side, so I went with the GTI, which is still practical enough to haul parts of the family when needed.”
The Single Life Garage
Name: Corey
Age: 26
Status: Single
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Dream Garage:
- 2024 Chevrolet Corvette: $72,000
- 2004 Ford F150: $3,000
Corey did not hesitate to introduce the newest Corvette C8 into his dream garage. Technically, the MSRP of the Corvette fits this budget, although we think he would have a hard time finding one at that price in this market.
“I’ve always wanted a Corvette and the newest one has such a beautiful design. I think it looks better than a Lamborghini. I’ll take an F150 to help with trips to Home Depot on the weekends, but I think the Corvette would serve me well as a daily driver. Right now, I’ve got a GT-86, so this would be a nice improvement.”
The Sophisticated Teacher’s Garage
Name: Cheryl
Age: 29
Status: Married with 0 kids
Location: Tampa, Florida
Dream Garage:
- 2019 Mercedes-Benz AMG E 53: $60,000
- 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: $15,000
Cheryl’s got the right idea by choosing an understated missile of the sedan and a practical SUV to go alongside it. She noted, “I’m a teacher, so I don’t want to get something over the top, but I still would like it to be nice. I think the E 53 is the perfect stealth car for someone who likes speed like me.”
“With the leftover money, I would go with a Range Rover since I’ve always wanted one and I think it would complete our driveway quite nicely.”
The Sports Car Garage
Name: Derrick
Age: 63
Status: Married with 2 adult kids
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dream Garage:
- 1993 Cadillac Allante: $10,000
- 2004 BMW M3: $20,000
- 2002 Lexus SC430: $12,000
- 2007 Honda S2000: $18,000
- 2005 Porsche Boxster: $15,000
That is certainly one way to fill out a garage. There is nothing practical about these choices, which are mainly 2 seater convertibles. It’s amazing how far $75,000 can get you in the used market these days, especially for some of these legendary names.
Derrick stated, “I love sports cars. I don’t have to think practically since the kids are out of the house and I’m close to retirement. If you gave me $75,000, I would buy all of the roadsters that I’ve missed along the years.”
“I’d choose one to drive each day per week and then see which one would be my favorite to take for the weekend.”
The Honda Garage
Name: Miranda
Age: 43
Status: Married with 2 teenage kids
Location: Dallas, Texas
Dream Garage:
- 2015 Honda Accord: $10,000
- 2019 Honda Pilot: $20,000
- 2024 Honda Civic: $22,000
- 2024 Honda Civic: $22,000
Miranda’s family seems to gravitate towards a particular brand, but we can’t quite put our finger on which one. All jokes aside, it looks like a very sensible decision, especially with teenage drivers in the family as well.
Miranda said, “We’re a Honda family, so I would use the $75,000 to upgrade our current cars and get two new Civics so that the kids have something safe to start driving with.”
“I would use the Pilot and my husband would take the Accord instead of us sharing our old CR-V right now. I think this would be the best use of the money since we wouldn’t have to deal with many extra costs for repairs down the road.”
The Nature Lover’s Garage
Name: Brian
Age: 26
Status: Married with 0 kids
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Dream Garage:
- 2021 Subaru Outback: $30,000
- 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: $35,000
- 2013 RAM 1500: $10,000
Brian would use the $75,000 on cars that are designed for the outdoors. It seems to match his lifestyle out in Colorado, so we can’t fault him for these choices.
He stated, “$75,000 would be amazing to get some new cars for our adventures. Currently, we just have an older Subaru Forester, but we would upgrade that to an Outback and add in a Jeep and a pickup truck.”
“We would use the Outback for day-to-day activities as well as for our camping trips. The Jeep could be used to go off-roading and then the pickup truck can be used to haul things to help us with improvements around home.”
The Horsepower Garage
Name: Tony
Age: 50
Status: Married with 1 adult kid
Location: Los Angeles, California
Dream Garage:
- 2010 Cadillac CTS-V: $30,000
- 2017 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG: $45,000
These two monster vehicles add up to over 1,000 horsepower, with 556 coming from the CTS-V and another 503 horses from the Benz. It seems that Tony has somewhere to get to quickly and we think these two are the perfect choice for a speed demon.
“I’ve been looking at these two for years now. They would provide the pure power that I’ve always wanted. Right now, I’ve got a 370Z that is still really fast, but these cars are in another league.”
The Futurist’s Garage
Name: Nicole
Age: 22
Status: Single
Location: Austin, Texas
Dream Garage:
- 2020 Tesla Model 3: $30,000
- 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E: $45,000
Nicole is preparing for the future by choosing these two fully electric vehicles. It is a nice balance, too, with a sedan and an SUV that should cover all of her needs.
She said, “I would use the budget all on electric cars. I think it would save me money in the long-run, too, since I wouldn’t have any gas costs.”
“Right now, I’m driving a Nissan Leaf, but I would definitely go for something bigger and more practical, and I think the Tesla and Mustang combo would work perfectly.”
Summary – Dream Garage with a $75,000 Budget
When you let people’s imagination run wild, you get a lot of different outcomes. In this case, we saw folks choosing from as little as two cars to as many as five.
The whole spectrum of brands and costs were covered here, too.
Most people found a good value by going with used cars and they chose some pretty practical choices for the most part. It looks like $75,000 can go a long way with some proper planning.
Our favorite response was from Derrick, who eschewed convention and went with five sports coupes. But, of course, everyone has their own family situation and interests, so we cannot judge what is the best choice for anyone.
Also, they shouldn’t get too excited just yet. They’re going to have to earn this $75,000 budget since it won’t be coming from us!
