MINNEAPOLIS -

Reading, hiking, football, singing. These are just a few of the things that come to mind when thinking about what is traditionally considered a hobby. But for extreme General Motors fan Gary Monn, his hobby is a little harder on the bank account.

For Monn, buying cars is his pastime of choice, according to a recent blog post on General Motors’ Faces of GM.

As of this past August, the loyal GM fan said he has bought 56 vehicles from Luther Brookdale Chevrolet and Luther Brookdale GMC in Minneapolis over the past 10 years, showing not only loyalty to the automaker, but a connection with these dealerships, as well.

That said, this number doesn’t count the 2011 Chevy Avalanche LTZ he bought recently. Sending GM an email update on his latest purchase as they were about to publish the blog post, Monn wrote: “… and I love it. (Till the next one I fall in love with.) Make you a deal, you keep makin ’em and I’ll keep buyin ’em."

In any given year, it would be almost unheard of for a consumer to buy more than one or two new vehicles, but just in 2010, Monn bought eight.

He said, “People have different hobbies. My hobby is buying cars. There’s nothing I do that’s funner than buying a new car.”

Granted, he noted that some of the cars purchased in 2010, as well as the six more he bought during the first half of this year, are for himself, some for his wife and others for his daughters, parents and brothers — sharing his unconventional hobby with his family.

By now, Monn should be a seasoned car shopper — knowing exactly what he wants in a vehicle.

So what does Monn have to have in a new car?

Due to living in the cold, snowy state of Minnesota, Monn said all of his cars have remote start “to make sure they’re toasty warm” before jumping in them on cold winter mornings.

He also noted he buys well-equipped vehicles because they have more value when it comes time to sell them. However, it’s not just all about practicality. Monn also said he enjoys the luxury amenities.

Now that we know what he looks for in a new vehicle, GM also shared a few of Monn’s particular favorites.

Though he’s purchased a number of Chevy Avalanches, Equinoxes, Malibus and Silverados, he says the versatility of the Avalanche places it among his most favorite vehicles.

Monn, also a salesman, further explained his choice, noting, “When I had big shots in town I could throw them in the Avalanche and they had plenty of room, comfort and leather.

"And then when I needed to haul something on the weekend, I’d pop the panels off the back and drop the tailgate and I could put long stuff in the truck. Plus, it’s a head turner, it’s a nice-looking truck on the road.”

Now, what explains his loyalty to the Luther Brookdale dealerships?

Monn stressed, it really comes down to the quality of people. He said, “It really is the people. I know that’s kind of cliché, but the people here are great.”

He also went on to share that sometimes, he’ll be driving past the dealership and stop in just to grab a cup of coffee … or a car … or both.

With such a seasoned Chevy buyer, Monn was bound to have some suggestions and requests for the GM product development team.

That said, Monn showed some concern for the environment and shared, “I don’t know if engineering’s looking at it, but a hybrid Avalanche would certainly be something I’d be interested in looking at.”