Did everyone downsize to one car???
 

My wife and I have our lifestyle visit starting his week. We noticed most houses have only a 2-car garage. We have several cars, including a corvette, SUV, truck, and commuter sedan. We use them all. So how do we move to TV and not have to buy a 5-car garage (I don't think those even exist)? Did everyone downsize all of their cars, too, in order to move into TV? Or are there some alternatives to reasonably priced storage or extra parking areas? Any good suggestions are appreciated.

The Villages is a very big place, and depending where you live within the bubble, your need for anything besides a golf cart can vary greatly. Where we live in the Villages we rarely use a car and wouldn’t want more than one. Last winter/early spring in the Villages, I drove our car a couple times during January and then didn’t use anything besides a golf cart again until mid April. We have two cars and a truck at our northern home and use all three frequently when there, but it’s a totally different situation, terrain and road conditions that need to be navigated, and lifestyle. I suspect you’ll find so many vehicles won’t be necessary living in the Villages. If you still feel the need to own multiple non golf cart vehicles, there are many RV storage facilities located outside the bubble. You could probably fit two or three cars in one rented RV space.

I had a 2 car garage with 3 cars and a motorcycle. My stuff sat in the driveway.

One car, 2 golf carts works for us.

Last time my wife and I overwintered in TV, and car rental prices were ridiculous, we returned our car and used only the golf cart for the last two months without a problem.
Saved us many $$$$$'s.
A Village full-timer, fully retired, in my mind, could easily manage with one car.

You might USE them all down here, but I doubt you would NEED them all. Take the opportunity to simplify your life. Once you experience the fun of using a golf cart as a major part of your transport needs you'll probably decide on just a medium-sized SUV to fill in the gaps.

Found you a nice, new resale in Lake Denham with a 4 car garage. If you buy it you can give me a small finders fee. :D

I think it will be on the market for a while. Just my opinion.

Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

We don't golf so we kept two cars.
Many homes seem to have a 2-1/2 car garage, which could work for you if you leave one car in the driveway

The Florida insurance on 4 vehicles…..oh my!

several cars
 

We had the same problem as you just a little more severe. We looked from Bellview to wildwood to Leesburg before we found a building that was affordable for us. My hobby is building cars and I wasn't ready to give that up. Most everything near the villages is very expensive. We found a warehouse in Leesburg that was large enough and affordable for us and in a very nice area. 17 minutes from our home near Lake Sumter. There are also some larger storage units out there. You may have to get on a waiting list to get one. Look for something away from The Villages. They are out there if you search enough.

Now thats a dedicated hobby. Hope it's got AC!

I'm in the same sort of boat, we have a car here and multiple cars, toys and projects up north. We are going to make the transition soon and letting go of all my junk is difficult. I did it once before when I moved from the Midwest to Dallas, they suffer the same dinky garage syndrome there. It stinks at first but after ripping off the bandage its kind of liberating. Now I'm trying to figure out what kind of fun project car I can squeeze in a 2 car garage beside my pickup and golf cart.

We downsized to one car. But then, we re-upsized. But it's a personal decision. If you guys both enjoy the same exact activities and stuff, one car may be fine.

We get along with one car and one cart. It takes some planning at times but we make it work.

But if you want to keep all the toys you just need the right house. There’s a house on Conservation Trail for sale with a 6 car garage.

Do your and your wife's hobbies take you in different directions? My husband's SCORE volunteer work is now mostly by phone and email. It used to be face-to-face meetings at rec centers & library, and we needed two cars. Now we are down to one. We don't play golf, but we both play pickleball. Mostly we socialize together. My volunteer work + exercising the dogs takes me out in the car. So far we've made it work with few hassles.

My husband is a homebody, which leaves the car greatly free for me. If you socialize a lot, and/or in different circles, you'll need two cars, or one car and a golf cart.

We sold off a vintage Harley, a motorhome, and its Smart car toad when we moved here. We kept our two primary vehicles, including my Ranger pickup because it fits in the garage, and bought a house with a golf-cart garage. I don't know how we would have gotten by with just a car and a cart, but most people do it. In fact, we miss the motorhome so much we've been looking for a travel trailer the Sorento could pull. And every time I hear a Harley, I wind up browsing for a project bike, although I have no idea where I'd put it (and my wife would kill me if I bought one).

I think the "developer" missed a trick when they didn't include a hobby-garage condo in every village.

One car and one cart. Ain't downsizing great !

We have two cars, two golf carts. No garage, one carport. We keep my clunker in the driveway since I don't care if the sun eats the enamel off the sheet metal. The carts fit neatly under the carport sideways, and the truck slides nicely under the end of the carport just fine. He has family north of Florida, I have family in south Florida. Plus, sometimes it rains and I'd hate to need to buy toilet paper during thunderstorm season. The car is a convenience, and a necessity when I'm visiting family. The truck is a convenience and a necessity when spouse needs to take lawn equipment to friends who live in another village and need a hand with the shrubs.

But we use the golf carts for our daily mode of transportation, plus he golfs and I don't. So we need two golf carts.

It all works out fine for us. If spouse gave up the truck I'd probably be okay trading it and my car in for an SUV, so the equipment would still fit in the back, and I could still use it for things that aren't golf cart accessible.

Want and need are two different things, we all had to downsize here to some extent

Or as I like to say....the secret to a good relationship is separation! ;)

We're snowbirds for now, but we've been debating this as well.
We have 2 cars and a golf cart. But we just spent 6 months at our home in TV and only had the one car and the cart, it seemed to work fine for us.

We plan on becoming full timers in about a year, so we're trying to decide if having 2 cars there is worth the added expense. We're leaning towards going with one car and the cart.

Personally, for me, not fun to ride around in a golf cart. No AC, bumpy slow ride, longer times, low storage space etc On plus side parking is easier

We use one car and one cart. I have found adding extra storage to our 2+2 cart has really changed things. We added a setup where we have 4 attached storage bins (one is insulated) that sit on our rear facing seat when it's not in use. Makes grocery shopping very easy.

I think a Miata or Fiat 124 spider might be a good 2nd car. Small and fun

We sold the second car and bought a second cart: one car and two carts for us.

• - The second cart is less expensive to operate
• - We were often debating who would drive the only cart
• - In the last year we have never both needed a car at the same time
• - The money we have saved on car insurance will pay for a rental if we ever have a need for a second car

It has worked well for us for the past year.

Is it still a pleasure to get into and out of your low-slung Corvette? Maybe a good one to shift.

And a truck? Unless you plan to run a construction company here I'd sell that one, too.

Eight years ago we came here with two cars and we have two cars now. We do not like golf carts.

Every time I drive on a road like Meggison or Pinellas that has a golf cart lane very close to the lane with cars, I am very glad I am in a car.

Quit few have extended two car garage and golf cart garage. Just got to look around but not in sardine neighborhoods. ;)

Just park them in drive way and out in street like most do cause they can’t get car and in garage. Some cases can’t even get golf cart in garage dut all junk they brought with them :shocked: There are storages facilities all around villages. Need and want two different things, you won’t need all them. Vehicle and cart/ carts. Most here put more miles on golf cart than they do their vehicle’s.
But, you’ve got to have them you can build custom home with lots of garage space, there few around if got the bucks and time to wait for build?

Horse farm lots off CR42 4 plus acres you can build what ever you want there. They have their own rules.

Same here.

Totally agree with the above. In our situation, it's an extended-cab pickup truck and a little subcompact tin can. He can't move equipment in the tin can, and I am not comfortable driving the pick-up - pretty much anywhere. Looking forward to the day when we can have just one smallish car, or a SMALL pickup truck.

We kept the SUV and Corvette.

My lovely bride won't entertain the idea of getting rid of our full size pickup, she's a country girl and thinks it's a Rolls. I prefer the little sports cars but they keep getting closer to the ground and gravity keeps getting stronger.

I hope you keep that 'Untouchables' car you posted LeRoy!

Nope, it's up for sale along with all the other toys. 1950 Doge pickup, 1947 dodge 2 door sedan are the first to go. Just sold a 1941 Farmall BN a few days ago.

Letting go is tough but it's going to make me a full timer.

How about a small pickup, with a trailer for the "equipment"?

Hope you do well on the sales

The Vette will keep you young
:-)

But, happy wife, happy life :-)

You can never have too big a garage in FL.

Bummer, Paquette Farmall Tractor Museum is nearby, but think it is closed/out of business.

Discover the Paquette Farmall Tractor Museum in Florida

That defeats the purpose of having a pickup in the first place. The only stuff we need it for is things like the electric trimmer, bags for brush and hedge trimmings and weeds, toolbox, the stepladder, etc.

We found them in hopes of donating it but they were gone before we got here. Their tractors didn't all go to the same place or we may have tried to follow them. We sold it to a young man that is starting his own collection of Farmalls in Western Carolina.

It was sad to see it go, it's been in my wife's family forever. She mowed the family farm with it starting when she was 10 or 11 years old.