Sports Cars? But why?

[IvanE92]

Went for a drive today, pulled the car into the garage, and couldn't help to wonder - why? Why do I shell out a considerable chunk of change each month to drive a car once a week, if that? Maybe this post is me speaking rhetorically - but lately I've been doubting the joy-to-price value proposition.

Context: 37 years old, wife, 2 kids, no other major hobbies, blah blah. We both have comfy SUVs as daily drivers.

I've had fast cars in the past. Sure, the feeling of torque and acceleration is fun - but 600 and 800+ HP cars hit 100MPH quickly. Makes for a bad ticket, or worse. That, and I quickly would get used to the feeling and always ended up wanting more power.

I've also had cars that handled well in the past. Sure, hooning around backroads can be fun, and I have awesome roads close to where I live - but to be honest, ripping around some local corners is no where near as fun as being able to go flat out on a track. Even going 6/10s on a public road can be considered quite reckless. I currently don't track my car because I learned early on "if you can't afford to fix it, don't race it." That, and the cost and time of tracking is $$$ and I ain't that rich.

And then we have modding. Strategizing is fun. Getting that mod delivered and installed is immensely gratifying. But the dopamine hit seemingly wears off fast and I'm back to wanting more. Inevitably, this path has always led me to building a car that was either too noisy, unreliable, loud, squeaky, uncomfortable... you name it.

Then there's cost. I've grown to desire increasingly expensive cars. Back in the day I thought my $2,000 CRX was perfect. Fast forward to today - and I'm quick to find that "next car" - and guess what, it's always more expensive than what I have now.

So, that brings me to this post. Sports cars - why do we own them? And is the hobby loop for me "broken"? Could use some words of wisdom here, friends. Honestly, some days I wish I wasn't a "car guy".

Please and thank you.

Updated thought #1: I'm realizing my fondest memories with cars were the drives with my friends. Those moments are so few and far between these days. The solo cruise just isn't the same.

Updated thought #2: I tried the rational-only car thing before... was miserable after 1 month.

[PKL]

I just bought a 2022 X6 as my daily, I have a 2020 M4 comp individual paint in the garage with 4k miles as my "forever car" - I'll prob drive it once per month or less, but my intention is to keep it FOREVER, teach my 18 month old daughter how to drive stick when shes 16, etc.

With that said every day I think about how I could probably sell my M4 for like $80k and I have the title in hand. But it's an individual paint perfect spec so as sad as it is that it sits under a cover on a battery tender in the garage, that's my plan!

[dgoldenz]

This is why I bought a 392 Wrangler....I tend to drive my SUV most of the time despite having a Ferrari so I wanted something that would be comfortable but still have the awesome sound and the 392 kind of does everything really well except be as luxurious as the German cars. I loved my V6 Wrangler as a daily it just didn't have enough power, problem solved. My FF is the "daily driver Ferrari" but I still only drive it about twice a week. Fortunately the value has gone up a lot and I haven't run into any major repairs (yet) so it's been awesome so far.

I also suffer from "car creep" where mid-level cars just don't do it for me anymore. I have no interest in new M3/4, RS5, C63, etc. Once you go Porsche you can't really go back to anything else for sports cars without getting into exotic territory/pricing. Given that getting a new GT3 or GT4RS at MSRP is impossible I don't really have any interest in a new Porsche, I think they'd also be cars I'd only drive 1-3x a week though. I've already had a GT3 (which was simply amazing to drive) and want to try other stuff....so what's left? Turbo S? Something from Bentley or Rolls Royce? Funny how your tastes change as you get older, and I'm only 36.

[PittsDriver]

I have to admit, when I started raising a family I sold the motorcycle and got nice reliable transportation without too much regard for how sporty it was. I figured while I'm in the phase of my life where I'm accumulating wealth it would be irresponsible to spend it on things. Five kids and a pretty successful start-up later I got back on track with turning non-renewable fossil fuels into grins. It's called delayed gratification and I was comfortable with that strategy.

I was very surprised to see the age demographic in the thread that clocked X5M owners - lots of 30somethings with young kids. Maybe they're trustafarians or some such but being that age with kids in preschool and you're spending over $100K on a SUV? Hard to see how that makes sense. No judgement here. You spends your money and lives with the consequences.

[///MPhatic]

You must understand that the path itself is the destination.

It's not about getting it finished, it's about the process itself.

This is why guys get their cars to where they want them, and then sell for another project.

You're paying money to be part of a project.

If nothing else it's something to do. What else are you going to spend your money on?

[Our03z4]

My wife and I both have expensive hobbies. In a previous line of work I saw that life is short, you could be 30 and your heart suddenly stops. Or you could say I will have fun when I retire, well I've personally known tons of people that said that and never made it. Just enjoy your life while still be responsible, doesn't mean you have to buy a 6 figure car. Heck my 84 Omni puts the biggest smile on my face. We spend about 2,500 in our hobbies each month and it's worth every penny. That said we don't have children. My parents had many awesome cars before my brother and I were born. They figured they would be more responsible with their money having kids and go back to having fun at retirement. Didn't work out like that due to a permanent life changing injury. Like I said enjoy life, never know when something could alter your life permanently.

I'll add another thing. My brother had it all 10 years ago, the wife and kids, large business, house the whole American dream. Worked hard since he was a kid. Well a whole lot of things occurred at once and he literally lost everything including the wife. After major depression and homelessness he decided money was over rated and now he travels the country, works 25-30 hrs a week from wherever he's at and is the happiest I've ever seen him.

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

If nothing else it's something to do. What else are you going to spend your money on?

could become an idiot like me and be a boater!

i've always had a decent car as a daily driver, but we havent always hada fun car. it's always been about priorities and that's the reason i waited until my 52nd year of life to order a brand new M car.

only *you* can decided if you're getting an appropriate level of joy from a hobby that may cost you $X,XXX / month to pursue. every single financial advisor would tell you to fully fund all of your long-term goals, especially retirement, over any short-term joy fulfillment. cars, boats, and travel are generally fleeting expenses with little of any tangible ROI.

but...you can't take it with you. just be prepared to continue working as a walmart greeter or in the home depot paint department when you're 70 if you havent fully funded your retirement and just have a whisper of the memories of ripping around backroads in your M2C.

[NYG]

Because we have male gonads that produce testosterone.

[dscabra]

Because done is notional. I built a Factory Five Cobra replica, and it was "done" over two years ago. Since it was "done", I've dumped another $10k into the car and see no end in sight. I'm already considering another build, probably a Daytona Coupe because as someone stated above, it's the journey, not the destination that we get the most enjoyment from.

[Murf the Surf]

Life is short and you can't take it with you. Fund your retirement, but also enjoy the day. It's really about balance (for me at least). I've been fortunate and somewhat irresponsible at times, I have always had a fun car, and boats and travelled. I worked hard, and made some good (maybe lucky) decisions. If you like cars than make that work for you. Cheers.

[NYG]

Originally Posted by dscabra

Because done is notional. I built a Factory Five Cobra replica, and it was "done" over two years ago. Since it was "done", I've dumped another $10k into the car and see no end in sight. I'm already considering another build, probably a Daytona Coupe because as someone stated above, it's the journey, not the destination that we get the most enjoyment from.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiicss. I want to build a FF Daytona R Coupe for the track so I can stop paying $1,200 a day for track insurance.

[Chapperss]

I love this as a thought exercise. Cheers OP

[ntg44]

I asked myself the same question 2 days ago. I'm at a very similar point in my life as OP, and I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm getting over the sports car thing. Right now my 2 cars as a hobby are taking time away from my family and also irritating me when I'm not doing something with either of the 2 cars because I don't have much time for them either. So they sit most of the time, a lot of the time dirty, and I'm pissed off because of it. Just seems like unnecessary headaches and expenses for the low mileage I put on them.

Never thought I'd grow out of being obsessed with cars, but I'm slowly starting to. I think it's just nostalgia over the lifestyle I used to have where they played a much larger part vs. where I'm at now. And I'm not interested in going back to that, so the cars have less meaning than almost anything else going on. I'll probably sell one of them if the right opportunity comes.

[NYG]

Originally Posted by ntg44

I asked myself the same question 2 days ago. I'm at a very similar point in my life as OP, and I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm getting over the sports car thing. Right now my 2 cars as a hobby are taking time away from my family and also irritating me when I'm not doing something with either of the 2 cars because I don't have much time for them either. So they sit most of the time, a lot of the time dirty, and I'm pissed off because of it. Just seems like unnecessary headaches and expenses for the low mileage I put on them.

Never thought I'd grow out of being obsessed with cars, but I'm slowly starting to. I think it's just nostalgia over the lifestyle I used to have where they played a much larger part vs. where I'm at now. And I'm not interested in going back to that, so the cars have less meaning than almost anything else going on. I'll probably sell one of them if the right opportunity comes.

Drive my 5.2 V10 and you'll change your mind.

[wtwo3]

Anytime I might find myself questioning why I love sporty cars... I go on vacation and rent a Nissan Rogue. When I come back home after a week of driving that.... I have my answer.

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'll see your boat and raise you HORSES.

Now that the horse is glue factory... my wife never did lower my rent

ha! my wife rode horses competitively (jumpers) until college. thank god she never got the bug to ride again. her father, to this day, after not owning a horse since 1990, says "horse is a four letter word."

she knows how to spend money on travel though...

[dscabra]

Originally Posted by NYG

Piiiiiiiiiiiiicss. I want to build a FF Daytona R Coupe for the track so I can stop paying $1,200 a day for track insurance.

A couple of pictures:






You can also visit my build thread to see the entire process of building the car:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...-Stack-is-Here!

I also have a YouTube channel with some driving videos:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbk...npK1UZHj4R-bYQ

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

trust me you think this now....get rid of it and see how long you last. I have this conversation almost all the time with car guys. I drive my m3 fullymodded and lowered maybe 4 times a month. I also live in center city so lets be honest, an electric scoter is faster. It collects dust in the garadge

but the second I get rid of it, i'll need a nice (sports) car.

[ntg44]

Originally Posted by NYG

Drive my 5.2 V10 and you'll change your mind.

Haha yes. An even faster car that I can almost never drive. Why didn't I think of that?

[Humdizzle]

If you play the game right you won't really lose too much money. modding past simple bolt on stuff is a waste imo if you aren't going to keep the car forever. you're not getting that money back. better to just sell the car and use that money on the down payment towards the better car. from gtr to ferrari to gt3 i've lost maybe 10k in depreciation over 8 years. My M3 is worth about what i paid 3 years ago.

its definitely an expensive hobby (you are either tying money up in the car, or giving the bank interest money). But i wouldn't trade it. You have to do something to reward yourself for your hard work. Mine is cars. for others its houses/vacations/fine dining/ clubbing/gaming etc. if you think you can spend money on something that brings you more joy than cars then try it. you can always come back to cars later.

one thing i've started thinking about to slow down my car habit is building a sim rig at home.it satisfies the itch pretty good.

[Alfisti]

I put a deposit down on a toy car, it's on a hoist being inspected. You fuckers are making me second guess myself.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I put a deposit down on a toy car, it's on a hoist being inspected. You fuckers are making me second guess myself.

That's good, but if it wasn't these guys giving you second thoughts then wait a couple of weeks until the novelty wears off and those second thoughts just float up by themselves.
Which toy did you put the down payment on?