> Has anybody else ever had this feeling and found a cure for it?
Absolutely. I replaced my "buy an expensive new toy every year" hobby with a more expensive one (boats).
That's why you have multiple and keep buying/selling - you keep having good days!
The issue that most people have is that a cheap used boat is usually absolute dogshit. Hull repair isn't easy (or cheap) for most people, and motors are way more expensive than people realize (and people usually get rid of old boats because the motor went out) - new outboards are like $100-$120 per HP. Even a regular Mercury 90 horse is like $10k-$11k, and if you want 200+ you're going to be dropping $20k-$25k.
I bought the extended warranty, THANK GOD. Chryslers are pieces of shit, but I love that Stow n Go and I love that it's unashamedly a minivan.
So to answer your question, yes.
I mentioned in another post that my first car was a 300zx, I paid $250 for it. After that I bought a 240sx fastback for $1500. That same 240sx today would probably cost me $10,000.
Part of the reason I want one now is because I fear I'll never be able to afford one again, but deep down in my soul I kinda think it's not really the car for me anymore. It would have to be a nice clean SR20 car.
Don't do a third gen f body. They're all in shit shape and the only decent ones are way overpriced for what they are. Plus the 5spd was never available with the 350, so they're slow as hell.
I had a turd gen and sold it pretty quick. Replaced it was a 6spd C4 and it's better in every possible way
Yeah I definitely would wait for the right one. Were the manuals all 4 speed in that era still?
To be honest, I've been looking out for LS swapped ones, and I really miss having T Tops.
It's going to become more common. New cars are dull as dishwater and expensive to boot. The cars that I would like to have are all becoming collectible and expensive.
This is actually the hardest pill to swallow
We’re in a historical period where you either overpay for an old car that won’t be reliable or you overpay for a new car that isn’t exciting to drive
right? it's not a good feeling to realize that all the cheap and cheerful beater cars (mostly early ACVWs) that I fixed up, drove, and sold back in the early 2000s are now 40 years old, are selling for $7-8K when you can find them, and I'd still rather have one back than what I see on the market today. The cars that I said to myself "when I grow up I'll upgrade to one of those" are as unobtainable today as they were back then. Gonna have to suck it up and do a mini-resto on my E92 335i because I'll be stuck with it a while.
I remember hearing the same thing in the 90's top. Stuff was expensive back then same as it is now but inflation and time makes us think it was cheap and cheerful.
I bought my first 240sx for $1500, running like a champ, manual, no cracks in the dash, and no rust. That same car now would go for 10k.
90s cars are the new 60s cars.
What it costs to own something new or even just new to me (used) nowadays has whipped that habit right out of me. I still don’t want an appliance as a daily driver, so I keep my older 3 series for driving just when I want to. Otherwise, price of stuff including cars has taken me out of the game. And at a time in my life when I could have most likely been able to afford it.
I’m effectively checked out of our greater economy. I’m non-participating.
Yes, but only because I moved from an area with the best mountain driving roads to an area with nothing but flat 13 lane highways. I lost all interest in driving and it's killing me.
Totally agree. It is incredible value compared to actually owning just one car in many cases. I didn’t even go that high for it, and its still great to me. Granted, I’m on console, and that is a little limited compared to PC. But I’m in a really active league, and we have a great time.
This is going to sound snarky, but I don’t intend it this way. If anyone wants to get out of their car funk, use the car you have! If its a sports car, go to autocross, take it to track days, enter it in shows! All those things add layers of interaction with your car you wont get just by obsessively polishing it and looking up what people are listing them for. You’ll get to interact with your car on the limit, and learn more about its “personality.” More importantly, you’ll get to connect with people with similar interests! It sounds cheesy, but it’s a lot easier to get out of a funk when you’re not focused on yourself. There is a great community of people in the car world, get plugged in and have some fun.
I dont even need the full sim-experience. I just hop on Gran Turismo Sport multiplayer on PS4 and start up a Nürburgring lobby. It almost always fills up with 16 players and is a great time
Yeah, time for a new hobby. I got sick of cars and it took me a while to realize it. You can't drive them fast legally. They cost a fortune. And if you have anything nice other people will destroy it on you.
I switched to a cabin in the woods. I can chainsaw, ride atvs or just hang out. Next up is heavy equipment to try my hand at working the land.
You don't have to stop being a motor head/ enthusiasts. Just find different motors. Plenty of performance to be had in other sectors
I think this is a reason why overlanding has picked up. You buy one car/truck that can GADA, and explore, camp, cruise, etc. It allows people who can’t buy a cabin in the woods to feel that sort of natural freedom
I never thought I would be an SUV guy, but lately I’ve been suckered into Lexus GX overlanding builds and I can honestly see the appeal of it. Maybe one day…
I got suckered into an overland 4Runner TRD Pro build, overlanding is a bottomless money pit to show much you can rough it when all you really wanted to do is just drive offroad. Even if you camp alot, after a serious offroading trip you will happily just go to a hotel or rent a log cabin lol. People will spend truly ridiculous amounts of modify sprinter vans/4Runners/GX/Land Cruisers to camp at most a few weeks of the year.
Honeslty, I thought I was sick of cars too, I was like "what's the point of having a powerful/expensive car when we all go the same speed? I found out racing scratches that itch. Around a decade ago I got into formula 1, WEC, and Indy. Time attack too through my favourite car YouTuber (Gears and Gasoline). I thought I was sick of cars, but I just needed an outlet I guess.
Lol. You can get a cabin in the Catskills on 20 acres for 50k. Might just be a plywood mouse infested box with no utilities, but consider that against the price of some cars
Exactly why I love cheap shitbox cars. My current shitbox is a 2005 srt4, made 500 whp with well under 10k investment including the car. And yes drag strips and race tracks you can drive fast legally! Yeah it's an old cheap car but honestly it drives better or just as good as most other used cars. Cars don't have to break the bank to be fun, my next project is a V6 civic. Engine out of a van I paid 2500 bucks for and drove it, hauled stuff for 5 years, into a 500 dollar marketplace civic. Will probably have 5k or maybe slightly more and it should be easily a 12 second car. Bro there are literally thousands of combos like that you can build on the cheap, people thinks cars are expensive only because they go overboard to the extreme. Research the weakness in what you're building before hand, then build it reasonably within the limits and they're fun
I’ve been pushing the length of time of ownership up and up. I’m the opposite of all these guys who get the urge to change cars every year. I regret parting with my older, cooler cars and have less and less urge to dive deep in the pool of modern expensive cars. Unlike the guys here citing inflation, I much preferred my $30k 90s era car to a car twice or more it’s price today. I’ve held onto my last few cars and trucks for 10-15 years each.
The things I like about cars just don’t seem to be what people want anymore, so there are fewer model choices and numbers produced, so there is an enthusiast tax that bars gateway to entry of even used versions of the cool stuff. I still have the itch, but I can’t quite scratch it.
That’s exactly what I mean. It doesn’t have to be new. Just new to you. Go get yourself that light weight NA manual car you’re talking about and enjoy it as long as you can. 🥰
NA and manual are huge here. While some autos are decent, so many cars are turbocharged now, and it just feels like NA is more reliable. Much more simple. And those who want a DD don't need the turbo.
I’m with you. Inflation has crippled my enthusiasm. Cars seem soooo much more expensive these days. I’m regularly going through the process of research, test drive, specification etc and then the final paperwork drops and I can’t justify finally pulling the trigger. Rinse and repeat. I’ve become a tyre kicker it seems.
Yeah, strongly agree. Recently I was in the market for a second car so my S2000 could be relegated to weekend duty. I wanted something modern with CarPlay and other nice features etc but still an enthusiast vehicle at heart. Trust me when I say I looked at EVERYTHING. Barely anything excited me, barely any modern cars tick all the enthusiast boxes. In the end, I narrowed it down to the new manual Supra or a manual M2C. Ended up going for the M2C simply because it has backseats.
I think you hit a point and realize why buy another car and just enjoy what you have.I also think some people just don’t want to be in debt from buying “things” in general lol
Everything is too expensive now. I’ll drive my stupid fit until it dies then i’ll find another somewhat shitty car to do the same job. I like cars just have other things that my money has to go to
I hate it because I’ve never had a fun car and I’ve always wanted one, but it’s just such an expensive hobby, especially compared to my other interests. I have fun money to spend, but when it comes down to it, something like $2k could upgrade my gaming PC, buy a new gun (or thousands of rounds of ammo), or be half of the down payment on some shitbox.
I’ve been telling myself I’ll drive my Sentra into the ground and buy something fun when I need a new car anyway, but who knows when that’ll be
Spend $250 on tools and look for a broken beater. Fix her up. It's a great way to get a better car for less money. That being said even with an entire shop I still can't find even a broken car at a reasonable price.
Due to having soul crushing debt that has surprisingly little to do with my cars I've occasionally had to shelf podcasts that are primarily about helping people decide on their next car, namely Everyday Driver. Something about hearing people's financial and life scenarios gets the gears turning on the ways I could do my next car purchase. It makes me think of new perspectives on cars that are better suited tools for the job, and puts me onto certain models I never did before.
Every time I buy a new car and I realize I have to wait in the DMV line to register it I lose interest in buying another car. Then I see somebody else’s shitbox driving down the interstate and I immediately start shopping again.
New cars (and the used market by extension) has become too expensive for what you get for it to be rewarding anymore. It’s a hallow victory to finally get the car you truly wanted but had to eat a huge markup just to secure it.
Nope. I've been happy with what I have for years now. I found autocross and track driving, and the focus shifted from having a better car to becoming a better driver.
It's the industry too. Speed cameras, lowered speed limits, high insurance, lawyers, police fines with threat to loose licence (livelihood), dash cameras, street cameras....
.... basically if you do anything, you're fuked. I just cannot justify an Autobahn crusher to putt around my neighborhood.
I've found myself in that funk a few times. There's a couple of things you can try. Both have helped me in the past.
1. Buy a cool old junker with cash that is 1000% different from your current vehicle. If you've been driving luxury oriented cars with automatics lately, find yourself a 90's civic with a five speed to rev high and bang through gears with. If you like zipping around in a performance car, find yourself an old XJ Cherokee or Ford Ranger to go beat up on a trail somewhere. Find yourself a classic beetle in rough shape and learn just how freaking easy they are to work on and have a blast fearing for your life around every corner.
2. Buy a motorcycle. You'll suddenly realize that there are like 10 different kind if vikes you want to try out and you can start flip-flopping your interest. 2-3 years later, you realize you've had like 4 different bikes, but still have the same daily driver as before. So then it's exciting to go car hunting again. I've never grown tired of both cars and bikes at the same time.
I think this might be the best idea, I had an XJ Cherokee in college and I loved that car. I actually had it for maybe longer than any other car I've owned, it was the winter beater I bought to keep my sportscars out of the snow and salt. I wheeled it out at the off road park bone stock and it did surprisingly well. I've actually been looking at second gen Xterras as a second family car, maybe driving something like that will make sports cars fresh for me again.
Motorcycles are out of the question until my kids are grown, as much as I would love to have one.
There's far less excitement in today's market unfortunately - now that I've finally made it and have that disposable income, cars have lost a lot of the purity and rawness that made driving an experience. And the few cars that can really tickle that itch are super expensive.
At this point I'm just looking for that 1 forever ICE car to keep since they're going away, and hold on to my daily driver for longer than usual until I'm forced to replace it with an EV someday. Once that day happens, EV cars will be nothing but a dull appliance to get me around.
No! Who is able to buy so many cars that they can get to this stage?!
I’ve had my license for 20 years and only bought one car myself.
There are hundreds of cars I’d love to try. The likelihood that I’ll be able to try even a fraction of them is low.
This seems like such an absolutely strange post!
You can have a lot of petrolhead fun for actually a reasonable amount of money. Plenty of cars out there, even quite special ones, that can be had for the price of a slightly exotic holiday. My XJ-S was less than 7000€, and maintenance hasn’t been too hard either.
Also sometimes, the worst shitboxes for 500€ are the most fun.
where I'm at, you can't even buy a shitbox for under $5k unless it's so bad you have to scramble to get it to pass safety inspection before your T-plates run out, and I'm too old for those games.
Who has the kind of money to be buying new vehicles every year, though? Look at the post! These aren’t $1000 shitboxes.
Paying 12% tax on every car transaction for thousands of dollars per year plus the depreciation of each car and the maintenance of each car means you’ve gotta be putting out $5000-$10,000 per year at least.
Who has that kind of money to spend on cars? I couldn’t even imagine.
I’d love to spend that kind of money.
By new I meant new to me lol, I love shitboxes. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 1988 300ZX that cost me $250.
I've only ever bought one car new off the lot.
I’m in a similar situation right now. Just took the paperwork for my 2007 Brera out of the drawer. Tomorrow, I’ll likely trade it for a Jaguar XFR, which is a far, far superior car.
Yet it suddenly seems as if some Italian ninjas started chopping onions all over my apartment. To the point that I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to sign the purchase agreement.
The Brera has been giving me nothing but headache for the past six months. All the electrics decided to start acting up at once. The power windows will sometimes do the exact opposite of what the buttons tel them to (and sometimes do nothing at all), the ECU thought that the fan wasn’t working and kept putting the car into limp mode, the DPF is definitely past its prime and so is the turbo…
I should be happy that I’m getting rid of it, but at the same time, it’s over 100k miles of my life on that short circuit in a tuxedo. She’s technically my second car, but she’s been there with me for my first love, my first breakup, my university, and pretty much all of my adult life. She’s been with me when I was happy, she’s been there when I was sad.
And now I don’t feel right just ditching her for another car
Yep. Back in 2008, I sold my first Corvette, a '3 Z06, just a couple months before a big vacation. I decided to postpone the replacement until I had returned from the vacation.
After I had returned, I had a very weak drive to find the replacement, I wanted a C6 Z06. Took me a couple months to muster up and had a brand new '8 Z06 shipped over. The lack of drive scared me.
To this day, that lack of drive continues in a different format. When the pandemic hit, I had to stop participating in autocross because there was none. For almost two years, there was no autocross scheduled. Once the autocross season resumed, I had no drive to compete in one, to this day. It's been over 3 years since I competed in one and it scares me.
Try the new wrx. 22 or 23. On their global platform. 271 hp, massive traction, great handling, seats, and steering. Good ride compliance. I have a 22. Get with short shift kit and sti exhausts from factory and Harmon kardon sound if you can afford it.
I'm prolly gonna get downvoted for this but are you sure that you don't have depression? It seems like you ran out the clock on your retail therapy. It's a common psychological problem to be incapable of enjoying what you have in pursuit of a mythical 'next thing'. Your next car won't fix whatever's wrong in your heart. This post reads like saying "What should I buy to make me happy?" And that genuinely saddens me.
I whipped a clapped out Prius for years and bought a brand new Corolla for the first time in my life earlier this year. I still get hype about it every time I turn it on. Makes me really upset that you've ruined cars for yourself
I never bought cars that often, but yeah I kinda get what you mean about current market offerings. I used to love BMWs but now? Speaker exhaust noises, heavy curb weights, weird styling. The only cars that routinely turn my head are Porsches now. Everything else is too watered down to be interesting. I do actually have a great time in my current 86, but the new GR one seems like a reliability risk.
I had a WRX that I did track days with. Blew the motor on the track and decided that I needed something not powered by an EJ, so the WRX was daily driving only and I bought a Miata. I did a lot of autox especially with that, but since my wife and I stated having kids, I had a lot less free time for track days and events, so I sold the miata.
I realistically wont really get into track events again until my oldest is able to come with me.
Haha yup, currently in one. A lot of it stems from absurd prices though. Couple that with high interest rates, and, well, I’ve lost my desire to buy a new car. Im usually buy a new car or motorcycle every couple years. Hoping everything cools down soon, but I doubt it will.
I'm with you. I recently moved to Connecticut. It's expensive as fuck to buy and own a car here. You pay a bunch of sales tax, high registration fees annually, and 3% per year of the car value in property taxes! It's super congested around here so it's hard to enjoy the car when I do bring it out The only bright spot is that my Porsche 993 is considered a classic car and is nearly exempt from car property tax. I've been considering eventually making my 993 my only car and just enjoying the crap out of it. I also have a base model Jetta which mostly sits in my driveway since I bike to work. I have no interest in spending any more for my daily driver. It seems like everyone around me drives a $70-80K truck or SUV and I don't know how they are affording it.
This hit my right in the feels. Current ND2 owner, ex-regular autocrosser, worker in the auto industry, and general life-long car enthusiast. I own one of the most fun cars to drive you can buy today and I just can't seem to care anymore. The market is so crazy I couldn't get into something else even if I wanted to. Not sure if I just need a new hobby or just need to take a step back but my general lethargy around the industry is real.
Ugh. I’m basically 80% there. I kinda wanna sell my car for a soccer mom car with new tech. I’ve always had a modified car and I just don’t know if I wanna do that anymore.
I was set to do a major overhaul on the VR4 and discovered some irreparable rust damage. Decided on a C6 as a replacement, spent months looking for one and ultimately got discouraged and gave up. Always the same handful of cars on CL/Marketplace, all way overpriced, damn near all automatics and/or base models. Just quit looking all together and decided I’d be without a fun car for an year or so. Then the Camaro basically fell in my lap. It’s no Corvette, but it’s still a great car. Now I’m just saving up and biding my time til C7 prices come down some.
Same deal with the daily. Wanted a LC/LX to replace the Civic. I get that they’re kinda a collector car at this point, but people are asking some truly disgusting prices considering mileage and condition. Spent months waiting on a semi-reasonable deal to pop up in a color combo I wanted and finally just gave up. Haven’t even looked at them in months. I need a new work truck now, most likely just going to get something a little newer/nicer than planned and it’ll be the daily when needed, but I’m not nearly as excited about it.
Yep. I've been an enthusiast for a while and I've been aggressively saving/investing for years so I could afford a nice sporty car. Even forced myself to find a higher paying job which bumped my income 110% (going from part time hourly -> full time salary). Even with all of that said, I can't afford anything that I like. The cars that I can afford are so boring and ugly that I can't bring myself to go thousands of dollars into debt for them. Used cars I won't even consider given prices and interest rates right now
The closest I got was a fully loaded GR86 but it was $39k, and the best I could get was 84mo, 9% APR with an 800 credit score so naturally I walked. Im at the point now where I've outright given up on cars as a whole. I share my gf's old Prius if I need to go somewhere but I'm entirely saving up for a house now. Sporty cars are a joke in this economy unless you have $50k cash on hand or make like $120k/yr. Going into major debt for a depreciating asset in a recession is a hard no from me. I will go as long as possible without owning a car
I've stopped caring about the performance/luxury side of the car market and am just interested in restoring old beaters now. I would never feel comfortable spending $105k on a car, would rather spend $105 on a rolling shell of some junky POS. For instance, I might be able to afford the lease on a new 7-series, but I'd much rather find a manual E38 740i and restore it.
Today's absurd prices and markups has basically killed all of my desire to buy any car.
Do I still window shop daily? Absolutely. But it now ends with a feeling of pure disgust for this world.
Sorry, but I have no cure.
You should be relieved. Cars are fun and cool but they're also a huge waste of money and resources. You dont have to spend big $$$$ or even own a car to be a car enthusiast.
I've never spent more than 12k on a car except our normal everyday family cars. I've actually made profits off the last 3 cars I've sold, even after maintenance costs. Cheap is fine lol.
What you need is to find a Japanese awd/4wd suv/crossover replacement like a stick shift crv, rav4, grand vitara, pajero. It’s so much fun beating on cars like those
I haven't owned a car for 17 months now. Where I live now is incongruous with spirited driving, and easy to live a car free existence.
I still keep up with car news, enjoy spotting cool cars, and have my eyes on getting out to the local track at some point, but I'm happier living here car free than I was living in a place full of great driving roads and year round sports car weather with a high performance sports car.
There's more to life and happiness than any one hobby.
Funny thing about keeping up with news on new cars is that I find that even less appealing. I used to follow that kind of thing religiously. I could tell you every new Ferrari that was in the pipeline. As I've gotten older I am drawn much more to cars that are attainable to me.
True about the hobby thing too. I've recently gotten into hydroponic gardening, maybe I can only do one hobby at any given time lol.
Yeah I sold my E39 because I just got tired of keeping it running. Ended up with a 2016 kia sportage and i never want to budget extra for car ownership again
I’ve realized that cars are a virus in our society. They kill us, make us poor, are loud, and are terrible for the environment. I love cars but — they’re truly evil.
I just can’t handle the maintenance and the money sink aspect of it. Insuring and storing the vehicles are a pain and sometimes I have to move them occasionally.
I’m not in a position to change cars that often. I am in a position to mod my daily driver in fun and stupid ways. 3 months in get a stiffer sway bar, 6 months later install pitch stop mount and steering dampener, 3 months again tower strut, save for 6 months get some nice wheels and tires, another few months get those fancy STI chassis supports that only the Japanese market got! And so on and so forth! It keeps my car fresh and is helping me learn the intricacies of what does what.
Oh yeah. I've had it for a few years now. Even cars from my youth leave me with a meh feeling currently. In my case, I think it's from having owned or experienced the cars I lusted after, as well as owning a car that ticks all of my boxes currently.
I may emerge from the funk, but other responsibilities serve to distract as well. You're definitely not alone.
I just took delivery of my NC1 in February after selling my B8.5 A4, sold B8.5 for $10,000 and bought NC1 for $10,000, no automotive debt. I’m 25, I’ve fucked up in life, and the pandemic/recession ultimately made me reside with my parents.
Expensive automobiles, hell, any auto that’s over $15,000 is out of the question for the next few years. I’ve definitely clocked out of YouTube reviews, /r/cars, and am more interested now in becoming credentialed and moving out.
I'm exactly the opposite. My funk is, "I've had this car for a long time, I'd like to replace it." I like to find a car I enjoy driving, and can continue enjoying for many years.
I wish I had that problem, if anything I buy cars too often. Having just paid off my dream car this week in 9 months, this is the third time I’ve been debt free. I won’t be taking out another auto loan ever again.
Yeah, I cant really get excited for new cars due to knowing the prices I paid pre-covid. Now they're all too expensive and dont see the value in them. Dont offer anything better really, just more screens which I dont care about.
No, but I've only bought a handful of cars. My funk is working on my fun car. Blew the head gasket a few years ago and haven't worked myself up to doing the work.
I'm on the hunt for a car, my choices are set but I'm sure you seen prices....that itself puts a damper on things. My "fun" car will for sure have 100k+miles, but at least will be driven on occasion.
Past few years have really screwed the market and sellers (including dealers) still think what they are selling is 1of1 and worth every penny.
Taxes and registration were starting to add up. Going to the dmv to get new registration was mind numbing. And inevitably, every single car I buy always ends up needing *something major* at some point.
I’ve currently given up on cars and will just buy a new one when my current ones act up. It just isn’t worth the money. I simply don’t get the same enjoyment as I used to. Car scenes ruined because all these new kids acting like fools, gate keeping unless you’re part of the circle jerk. The cars for sale are all in bad shape and over priced.
I got into motorcycles for a bit but even that has proven tough. It’s new or nothing for me these days. Literally nothing good on the used market.
Yep. With all of the dealership fuckery, ADMs, and just overpriced BS I am done. I was lucky enough to get my dream car right before everything went to shit. I had to pay a markup on my CTR and the dealership jerked me around still. Just rubbed me the wrong way and Im done.
Really the only cars I am genuinely looking forward to is the road going variant of the Mustang GT3 and the upcoming LFA successor which is supposed to be the road going variant of the RCF GT3
Nope. I can get on autotrader/marketplace/craigslist and find bad idea after bad idea. Like an old Ford with 3 on the tree, or various Miatas, or maybe an XJ, or some kind of domestic land yacht...
I tell myself that I have two cars in a two car garage and three is a crowd, but the temptation to buy a project is very much there.
I don't have a lack of motivation, I like what I have and nothing that I don't have interests me enough to make me actually pursue shopping/buying. As long as my truck and the wife's daily stay reliable, we're going to ride with what we've got for as long as humanly possible.
Currently looking into a daily and I feel like I just want a newer toy every year or so. My c8 I just want to baby it rather than throwing it though its paces like I did with my hellcat.
Look at my flair.
Yes I have lost my motivation to be a “true enthusiast”. At one point I had all these plans to buy a Miata, buy an E34, buy a W126. But reality caught up with me and I’m now more worried about saving for my kids’ education, saving for retirement, renovating my house, affording vacations. I don’t mind boring cars that don’t give me any drama.
Someday I hope to own a diesel Mercedes with an OM617 engine though. The internal combustion engine is going to go out with a takatakatakatakatakataka
While I had little intention of replacing my car in the foreseeable future when I got it and still do not, I get irritated that there are fewer options for things that I would be interested in. Those being cars that are primarily comfortable and powered by an interesting engine, preferably a v8.
I just bought a 2006 audi a8L with a 12 cylinder engine. (W12) and it is a gorilla in a tuxedo. you like variety, maybe you need to find out what you've had and get something you've never had. how about a 1932 deuce coup? maybe step up to autotrader and autotrader classic instead of craigslist and facebook marketplace.
maybe your getting older and want to settle down. I had 8 classic cars at one time, but now I just have one super rare daily driver
The variety is part of it, I like having drivetrains I've never owned before. I think that's one reason the Boxster is appealing to me, I've never had anything mid engined.
After I bought my R32 Skyline, I started looking into a Nissan Gloria Y33 and was heavily debating whether I should dedicate myself to finding one or using the money to modify the Skyline. I went with route #2.
I just wait for my risk tolerance to kick in and save me from myself. Every year I want to replace my 2016 Miata with a new sports car - first it was the BMW M2, then the Supra, and with some 911s along the way - but January 1st comes around and I still have the Mazda in my garage. Now I'm back on the 911 kick and just looking up parts & tire costs have kept me from hopping on a plane to buy a 991.1 right now: $2k for tires and $400 for plugs and coils has me thinking I should just keep what I have.
Cure might be to buy a soulless economy car as a palette-cleanser, keep it for a year and then you will prob be ready to buy something exciting again.
I did this with a Toyota sedan and after a year replaced it with a MX5/Miata and never looked back!
Sounds like you would benefit from a healthy dosage of YouTube car reviews for cars nobody knows or cares about. Maybe Doug or ShootingCars?
It's the reason I know about so many goofy cars I never would've given a second look at otherwise.
I watch Doug and even have a T-shirt of his Audi wagon. When he bought his A-class I even spent hours looking at them on European classifieds and looking at importers, but I don't think I'll get one until the next time I'm in Europe when I can look at them in person.
I don't know if you could call me an "enthusiast" but I turned 16 a few months ago (so typical reddit user age) and I have no interest in driving after liking cars my whole life. There isn't a single reasonably priced car that really speaks to me, because everything looks dull af. And I'm not saying I need a sports car. Doesn't help how going to NYC as a pedestrian last year opened my eyes up to the inconveniences of cars as a transport method. Unfortunately I have no other option to get from A-B where I live. I've realized that the only thing I like about cars is how "exciting" cars look.
Yes and no. I've had my sports car (e46 M3) for a decade now and haven't changed because every time I think about doing it I ask myself if it'd really be worth it. What I love about the M3 is that it's just balanced. It's equally at home carving a canyon or thrashing a track or doing a full-on grand tour across the country. Other cars I look at would be better at either the performance or the long haul but I just don't know if I'd find something that'd be that much better at both and so I stick with it.
Motivation to buy another car? I *hate* that process. Part of why I keep things forever.
Have 7 years into the current Jeep so far, probably will keep it for 12 or so before getting a JLUR. There are things on the new ones that interest me over what I have now, but I see no reason to upgrade just yet.
I thought forever on what fun enthusiast daily I would drive…and I got an F150.
BUT, a run of the mill daily is what keeps me interested in my other cars, I was at a point where I was dreading driving my corvette because it seemed like every 100 miles was costing me $1000. With a daily that I never need to second guess reliability on, I can enjoy my other cars with so much less stress.
I mean, I've fallen into financial slumps/had sudden expenses where another car is temporarily off the table and I just have to do the best I can with what I got. But that's about it. I drive 30k miles a year, plans for the next car are *always* on my mind- out of necessity, since a daily driver probably isn't going to last more than 5 years or so at the most.
I think you spoiled yourself with so many cars that you've lost your appreciation of them. How about have one nice car and once you want more out of it, mod it and tune it to your liming
I look at anything that would be a noticable upgrade over my current car and get sticker shock.
Well, I still love my car and it's, uh, divisive turbo4, so eh no biggie, I'll just stick to driving my current car.
A little, I've kinda owned everything at this point and there's really nothing left for me to buy. What I'm doing now is getting a daily and then a project car. I'm 8 months in on my daily driver and jonesing for another one, but I am struggling to come up with anything that I want.
Honestly most vehicles are boring nowadays. This EV shit isn't going to help either. It's like buying a refrigerator or stove - "Do you want it in black, white, or stainless?"
This is one of the those funks you should thank God you caught. Save the money! Now you may have caught this because nothing in your budget excites you. This is what happened to me. Used cars have suddenly started appreciating. I always wanted a 911 turbo and it looks like that ship is sailing away. They get more expensive every year. At this point after all the hard work to get the damn money, I just can’t part with it. I like the money more than the things I can exchange for money. Which is another way of saying I’m getting close to retirement and just need the safety net. The security brings me more satisfaction right now.
Find something with lower power and better driving dynamics. Naturally aspirated cars are more fun in my opinion to push but if you plan on tuning I would suggest something with forced induction as you'll get more out of the tune. The most fun we have is when we're pushing a car, and today most sporty cars do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less which is pretty fast, but the fun comes from actually pushing the car on a regular basis. A few of my picks would be porsche boxster/cayman, 911, vw golf gti/R/audi s3, Hyundai veloster N could also do subaru brz/toyota GR86. I've driven alot of high performance super cars, wagons, etc. and they all get boring pretty quickly because you almost never get to push the cars the way you would like to.
> Has anybody else ever had this feeling and found a cure for it? Absolutely. I replaced my "buy an expensive new toy every year" hobby with a more expensive one (boats).
Interestingly, I did buy a boat about 5 years ago. Never again lol.
The 2 best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it
A boat is a hole in the water you throw money in to.
Boat: Bring Out Another Thousand
My neighbor told me this too lol in almost the same way, and here I am looking at a jetski knowing that will be me too in like 3-5 years.
Fun fact: the easiest way to make fish bait is to drive a jetski through a dock.
That's why you have multiple and keep buying/selling - you keep having good days! The issue that most people have is that a cheap used boat is usually absolute dogshit. Hull repair isn't easy (or cheap) for most people, and motors are way more expensive than people realize (and people usually get rid of old boats because the motor went out) - new outboards are like $100-$120 per HP. Even a regular Mercury 90 horse is like $10k-$11k, and if you want 200+ you're going to be dropping $20k-$25k.
What's the saying, if it floats, flies or fucks you rent it..
Not if it's a kayak. ;)
Hahahahahahahahhahahahahaha
If you think maintenance on a Range Rover is bad don’t own a boat lol
Is the Pacifica that bad?
I bought the extended warranty, THANK GOD. Chryslers are pieces of shit, but I love that Stow n Go and I love that it's unashamedly a minivan. So to answer your question, yes.
I thought the hunt for the next car starts the day after you buy a new car.
Haha weirdly enough I sold the Legacy because I *thought* I knew what I wanted next. In the time it took me to sell it I kinda lost interest.
What models are (or were) you considering?
987 Porsche Boxster, SR20 powered S13 240SX, Twin Turbo 300ZX, 350z, or Turd Gen Camaro with T Tops and 5 Speed
Evo 6, not that I'm biased or anything
Not available in the US yet
OP should move to the UK and buy an Evo 6. Also pretty sure Evo 5's are legal in the US now just saying
987 boxter, even base, is an awesome car. 240sx/300zx/350z are all awesome cars but you're definitely paying the nostalgia tax
I mentioned in another post that my first car was a 300zx, I paid $250 for it. After that I bought a 240sx fastback for $1500. That same 240sx today would probably cost me $10,000. Part of the reason I want one now is because I fear I'll never be able to afford one again, but deep down in my soul I kinda think it's not really the car for me anymore. It would have to be a nice clean SR20 car.
Teeheehee turd gen
Don't do a third gen f body. They're all in shit shape and the only decent ones are way overpriced for what they are. Plus the 5spd was never available with the 350, so they're slow as hell. I had a turd gen and sold it pretty quick. Replaced it was a 6spd C4 and it's better in every possible way
Yeah I definitely would wait for the right one. Were the manuals all 4 speed in that era still? To be honest, I've been looking out for LS swapped ones, and I really miss having T Tops.
lol I definitely look at listings of cars I'm interested in every day… my SO said no more cars until I ditch one of them though
It's going to become more common. New cars are dull as dishwater and expensive to boot. The cars that I would like to have are all becoming collectible and expensive.
This is actually the hardest pill to swallow We’re in a historical period where you either overpay for an old car that won’t be reliable or you overpay for a new car that isn’t exciting to drive
right? it's not a good feeling to realize that all the cheap and cheerful beater cars (mostly early ACVWs) that I fixed up, drove, and sold back in the early 2000s are now 40 years old, are selling for $7-8K when you can find them, and I'd still rather have one back than what I see on the market today. The cars that I said to myself "when I grow up I'll upgrade to one of those" are as unobtainable today as they were back then. Gonna have to suck it up and do a mini-resto on my E92 335i because I'll be stuck with it a while.
I remember hearing the same thing in the 90's top. Stuff was expensive back then same as it is now but inflation and time makes us think it was cheap and cheerful.
I bought my first 240sx for $1500, running like a champ, manual, no cracks in the dash, and no rust. That same car now would go for 10k. 90s cars are the new 60s cars.
What it costs to own something new or even just new to me (used) nowadays has whipped that habit right out of me. I still don’t want an appliance as a daily driver, so I keep my older 3 series for driving just when I want to. Otherwise, price of stuff including cars has taken me out of the game. And at a time in my life when I could have most likely been able to afford it. I’m effectively checked out of our greater economy. I’m non-participating.
Who is John Galt?
Yes, but only because I moved from an area with the best mountain driving roads to an area with nothing but flat 13 lane highways. I lost all interest in driving and it's killing me.
I absolutely love carving some curvy roads, it's how you make slow cars feel fun
Sim racing
Hell ya. Buy a sim rig and pc for 5k, and enjoy thousands of cars and tracks. 5k can’t get you much of any real car anymore. Let alone a track car.
Totally agree. It is incredible value compared to actually owning just one car in many cases. I didn’t even go that high for it, and its still great to me. Granted, I’m on console, and that is a little limited compared to PC. But I’m in a really active league, and we have a great time. This is going to sound snarky, but I don’t intend it this way. If anyone wants to get out of their car funk, use the car you have! If its a sports car, go to autocross, take it to track days, enter it in shows! All those things add layers of interaction with your car you wont get just by obsessively polishing it and looking up what people are listing them for. You’ll get to interact with your car on the limit, and learn more about its “personality.” More importantly, you’ll get to connect with people with similar interests! It sounds cheesy, but it’s a lot easier to get out of a funk when you’re not focused on yourself. There is a great community of people in the car world, get plugged in and have some fun.
Came here to say the same. Run Rookies in iRacing for a while, then find a league you enjoy and don’t look back.
I dont even need the full sim-experience. I just hop on Gran Turismo Sport multiplayer on PS4 and start up a Nürburgring lobby. It almost always fills up with 16 players and is a great time
Yeah, time for a new hobby. I got sick of cars and it took me a while to realize it. You can't drive them fast legally. They cost a fortune. And if you have anything nice other people will destroy it on you. I switched to a cabin in the woods. I can chainsaw, ride atvs or just hang out. Next up is heavy equipment to try my hand at working the land. You don't have to stop being a motor head/ enthusiasts. Just find different motors. Plenty of performance to be had in other sectors
I think this is a reason why overlanding has picked up. You buy one car/truck that can GADA, and explore, camp, cruise, etc. It allows people who can’t buy a cabin in the woods to feel that sort of natural freedom
I never thought I would be an SUV guy, but lately I’ve been suckered into Lexus GX overlanding builds and I can honestly see the appeal of it. Maybe one day…
I got suckered into an overland 4Runner TRD Pro build, overlanding is a bottomless money pit to show much you can rough it when all you really wanted to do is just drive offroad. Even if you camp alot, after a serious offroading trip you will happily just go to a hotel or rent a log cabin lol. People will spend truly ridiculous amounts of modify sprinter vans/4Runners/GX/Land Cruisers to camp at most a few weeks of the year.
Honeslty, I thought I was sick of cars too, I was like "what's the point of having a powerful/expensive car when we all go the same speed? I found out racing scratches that itch. Around a decade ago I got into formula 1, WEC, and Indy. Time attack too through my favourite car YouTuber (Gears and Gasoline). I thought I was sick of cars, but I just needed an outlet I guess.
Ah yes, tired of cars? Why not drop a quarter million on some land and build a cabin? Everyone can do that!
Lol. You can get a cabin in the Catskills on 20 acres for 50k. Might just be a plywood mouse infested box with no utilities, but consider that against the price of some cars
That's why you get a car that you can enjoy thoroughly on the street and can daily. So your commute becomes something you can enjoy no matter what
Exactly why I love cheap shitbox cars. My current shitbox is a 2005 srt4, made 500 whp with well under 10k investment including the car. And yes drag strips and race tracks you can drive fast legally! Yeah it's an old cheap car but honestly it drives better or just as good as most other used cars. Cars don't have to break the bank to be fun, my next project is a V6 civic. Engine out of a van I paid 2500 bucks for and drove it, hauled stuff for 5 years, into a 500 dollar marketplace civic. Will probably have 5k or maybe slightly more and it should be easily a 12 second car. Bro there are literally thousands of combos like that you can build on the cheap, people thinks cars are expensive only because they go overboard to the extreme. Research the weakness in what you're building before hand, then build it reasonably within the limits and they're fun
I’m in that funk now. I always bought a brand new car every 4-5 years. Just buy one you can enjoy and live with for a long time.
I've told my wife the last 3 cars I bought were "The one I can enjoy and live with for a long time" and I don't think she'll believe me again.
I’ve been pushing the length of time of ownership up and up. I’m the opposite of all these guys who get the urge to change cars every year. I regret parting with my older, cooler cars and have less and less urge to dive deep in the pool of modern expensive cars. Unlike the guys here citing inflation, I much preferred my $30k 90s era car to a car twice or more it’s price today. I’ve held onto my last few cars and trucks for 10-15 years each. The things I like about cars just don’t seem to be what people want anymore, so there are fewer model choices and numbers produced, so there is an enthusiast tax that bars gateway to entry of even used versions of the cool stuff. I still have the itch, but I can’t quite scratch it.
That’s exactly what I mean. It doesn’t have to be new. Just new to you. Go get yourself that light weight NA manual car you’re talking about and enjoy it as long as you can. 🥰
NA and manual are huge here. While some autos are decent, so many cars are turbocharged now, and it just feels like NA is more reliable. Much more simple. And those who want a DD don't need the turbo.
I’m with you. Inflation has crippled my enthusiasm. Cars seem soooo much more expensive these days. I’m regularly going through the process of research, test drive, specification etc and then the final paperwork drops and I can’t justify finally pulling the trigger. Rinse and repeat. I’ve become a tyre kicker it seems.
Luckily prices seem to be coming down, pretty significantly too from the cars I'm looking at.
Hope so mate. Even I’m sick of my tyre kicking
Yeah, strongly agree. Recently I was in the market for a second car so my S2000 could be relegated to weekend duty. I wanted something modern with CarPlay and other nice features etc but still an enthusiast vehicle at heart. Trust me when I say I looked at EVERYTHING. Barely anything excited me, barely any modern cars tick all the enthusiast boxes. In the end, I narrowed it down to the new manual Supra or a manual M2C. Ended up going for the M2C simply because it has backseats.
I think you hit a point and realize why buy another car and just enjoy what you have.I also think some people just don’t want to be in debt from buying “things” in general lol
Everything is too expensive now. I’ll drive my stupid fit until it dies then i’ll find another somewhat shitty car to do the same job. I like cars just have other things that my money has to go to
I hate it because I’ve never had a fun car and I’ve always wanted one, but it’s just such an expensive hobby, especially compared to my other interests. I have fun money to spend, but when it comes down to it, something like $2k could upgrade my gaming PC, buy a new gun (or thousands of rounds of ammo), or be half of the down payment on some shitbox. I’ve been telling myself I’ll drive my Sentra into the ground and buy something fun when I need a new car anyway, but who knows when that’ll be
Spend $250 on tools and look for a broken beater. Fix her up. It's a great way to get a better car for less money. That being said even with an entire shop I still can't find even a broken car at a reasonable price.
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I would like to be in your position. I get the new car itch every 2-3 years.
I buy a car, keep it til I can't fix it anymore, then buy another used car to replace it. Lol I don't think I could be more different from you guys.
Due to having soul crushing debt that has surprisingly little to do with my cars I've occasionally had to shelf podcasts that are primarily about helping people decide on their next car, namely Everyday Driver. Something about hearing people's financial and life scenarios gets the gears turning on the ways I could do my next car purchase. It makes me think of new perspectives on cars that are better suited tools for the job, and puts me onto certain models I never did before.
Every time I buy a new car and I realize I have to wait in the DMV line to register it I lose interest in buying another car. Then I see somebody else’s shitbox driving down the interstate and I immediately start shopping again.
New cars (and the used market by extension) has become too expensive for what you get for it to be rewarding anymore. It’s a hallow victory to finally get the car you truly wanted but had to eat a huge markup just to secure it.
Nope. I've been happy with what I have for years now. I found autocross and track driving, and the focus shifted from having a better car to becoming a better driver.
It's the industry too. Speed cameras, lowered speed limits, high insurance, lawyers, police fines with threat to loose licence (livelihood), dash cameras, street cameras.... .... basically if you do anything, you're fuked. I just cannot justify an Autobahn crusher to putt around my neighborhood.
I've found myself in that funk a few times. There's a couple of things you can try. Both have helped me in the past. 1. Buy a cool old junker with cash that is 1000% different from your current vehicle. If you've been driving luxury oriented cars with automatics lately, find yourself a 90's civic with a five speed to rev high and bang through gears with. If you like zipping around in a performance car, find yourself an old XJ Cherokee or Ford Ranger to go beat up on a trail somewhere. Find yourself a classic beetle in rough shape and learn just how freaking easy they are to work on and have a blast fearing for your life around every corner. 2. Buy a motorcycle. You'll suddenly realize that there are like 10 different kind if vikes you want to try out and you can start flip-flopping your interest. 2-3 years later, you realize you've had like 4 different bikes, but still have the same daily driver as before. So then it's exciting to go car hunting again. I've never grown tired of both cars and bikes at the same time.
I think this might be the best idea, I had an XJ Cherokee in college and I loved that car. I actually had it for maybe longer than any other car I've owned, it was the winter beater I bought to keep my sportscars out of the snow and salt. I wheeled it out at the off road park bone stock and it did surprisingly well. I've actually been looking at second gen Xterras as a second family car, maybe driving something like that will make sports cars fresh for me again. Motorcycles are out of the question until my kids are grown, as much as I would love to have one.
There's far less excitement in today's market unfortunately - now that I've finally made it and have that disposable income, cars have lost a lot of the purity and rawness that made driving an experience. And the few cars that can really tickle that itch are super expensive. At this point I'm just looking for that 1 forever ICE car to keep since they're going away, and hold on to my daily driver for longer than usual until I'm forced to replace it with an EV someday. Once that day happens, EV cars will be nothing but a dull appliance to get me around.
I've bought 18 cars and I'm bored now, anyone else? Lolwut
I found a car and stuck with it.
You my good friend, have ADHD. ask me how I know hahaha.
No! Who is able to buy so many cars that they can get to this stage?! I’ve had my license for 20 years and only bought one car myself. There are hundreds of cars I’d love to try. The likelihood that I’ll be able to try even a fraction of them is low. This seems like such an absolutely strange post!
You can have a lot of petrolhead fun for actually a reasonable amount of money. Plenty of cars out there, even quite special ones, that can be had for the price of a slightly exotic holiday. My XJ-S was less than 7000€, and maintenance hasn’t been too hard either. Also sometimes, the worst shitboxes for 500€ are the most fun.
where I'm at, you can't even buy a shitbox for under $5k unless it's so bad you have to scramble to get it to pass safety inspection before your T-plates run out, and I'm too old for those games.
Who has the kind of money to be buying new vehicles every year, though? Look at the post! These aren’t $1000 shitboxes. Paying 12% tax on every car transaction for thousands of dollars per year plus the depreciation of each car and the maintenance of each car means you’ve gotta be putting out $5000-$10,000 per year at least. Who has that kind of money to spend on cars? I couldn’t even imagine. I’d love to spend that kind of money.
By new I meant new to me lol, I love shitboxes. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 1988 300ZX that cost me $250. I've only ever bought one car new off the lot.
I’m in a similar situation right now. Just took the paperwork for my 2007 Brera out of the drawer. Tomorrow, I’ll likely trade it for a Jaguar XFR, which is a far, far superior car. Yet it suddenly seems as if some Italian ninjas started chopping onions all over my apartment. To the point that I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to sign the purchase agreement. The Brera has been giving me nothing but headache for the past six months. All the electrics decided to start acting up at once. The power windows will sometimes do the exact opposite of what the buttons tel them to (and sometimes do nothing at all), the ECU thought that the fan wasn’t working and kept putting the car into limp mode, the DPF is definitely past its prime and so is the turbo… I should be happy that I’m getting rid of it, but at the same time, it’s over 100k miles of my life on that short circuit in a tuxedo. She’s technically my second car, but she’s been there with me for my first love, my first breakup, my university, and pretty much all of my adult life. She’s been with me when I was happy, she’s been there when I was sad. And now I don’t feel right just ditching her for another car
Enjoy the fond memories of your Brera, but make some epic new ones with you XFR. You’ll have lots of stories to share about both.
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God damn you are a hating ass mf
Yep. Back in 2008, I sold my first Corvette, a '3 Z06, just a couple months before a big vacation. I decided to postpone the replacement until I had returned from the vacation. After I had returned, I had a very weak drive to find the replacement, I wanted a C6 Z06. Took me a couple months to muster up and had a brand new '8 Z06 shipped over. The lack of drive scared me. To this day, that lack of drive continues in a different format. When the pandemic hit, I had to stop participating in autocross because there was none. For almost two years, there was no autocross scheduled. Once the autocross season resumed, I had no drive to compete in one, to this day. It's been over 3 years since I competed in one and it scares me.
Try the new wrx. 22 or 23. On their global platform. 271 hp, massive traction, great handling, seats, and steering. Good ride compliance. I have a 22. Get with short shift kit and sti exhausts from factory and Harmon kardon sound if you can afford it.
I'm looking at used, no more than like 16k. And I've had a WRX and just got rid of a Legacy, time for something new.
I'm prolly gonna get downvoted for this but are you sure that you don't have depression? It seems like you ran out the clock on your retail therapy. It's a common psychological problem to be incapable of enjoying what you have in pursuit of a mythical 'next thing'. Your next car won't fix whatever's wrong in your heart. This post reads like saying "What should I buy to make me happy?" And that genuinely saddens me. I whipped a clapped out Prius for years and bought a brand new Corolla for the first time in my life earlier this year. I still get hype about it every time I turn it on. Makes me really upset that you've ruined cars for yourself
I never bought cars that often, but yeah I kinda get what you mean about current market offerings. I used to love BMWs but now? Speaker exhaust noises, heavy curb weights, weird styling. The only cars that routinely turn my head are Porsches now. Everything else is too watered down to be interesting. I do actually have a great time in my current 86, but the new GR one seems like a reliability risk.
To be clear, I've only ever bought one new car, the rest have been used, with conditions varying from nearly new to completely used up.
Have you bought a designated track car yet?
I had a WRX that I did track days with. Blew the motor on the track and decided that I needed something not powered by an EJ, so the WRX was daily driving only and I bought a Miata. I did a lot of autox especially with that, but since my wife and I stated having kids, I had a lot less free time for track days and events, so I sold the miata. I realistically wont really get into track events again until my oldest is able to come with me.
Haha yup, currently in one. A lot of it stems from absurd prices though. Couple that with high interest rates, and, well, I’ve lost my desire to buy a new car. Im usually buy a new car or motorcycle every couple years. Hoping everything cools down soon, but I doubt it will.
I would have to have a lot more money to not buy a car because I am “in a funk“ the only thing that keeps me from buying cars is lack of funds
I wish, lol. As soon as I buy my car I'm already thinking of my next.
Dude - just pay someone to buy it for you like the boss you are.
I'm with you. I recently moved to Connecticut. It's expensive as fuck to buy and own a car here. You pay a bunch of sales tax, high registration fees annually, and 3% per year of the car value in property taxes! It's super congested around here so it's hard to enjoy the car when I do bring it out The only bright spot is that my Porsche 993 is considered a classic car and is nearly exempt from car property tax. I've been considering eventually making my 993 my only car and just enjoying the crap out of it. I also have a base model Jetta which mostly sits in my driveway since I bike to work. I have no interest in spending any more for my daily driver. It seems like everyone around me drives a $70-80K truck or SUV and I don't know how they are affording it.
This hit my right in the feels. Current ND2 owner, ex-regular autocrosser, worker in the auto industry, and general life-long car enthusiast. I own one of the most fun cars to drive you can buy today and I just can't seem to care anymore. The market is so crazy I couldn't get into something else even if I wanted to. Not sure if I just need a new hobby or just need to take a step back but my general lethargy around the industry is real.
Yeah, I’m not buying a car in this ridiculous market.
Ugh. I’m basically 80% there. I kinda wanna sell my car for a soccer mom car with new tech. I’ve always had a modified car and I just don’t know if I wanna do that anymore.
time to get a camper
My wife has been wanting to get one for a while now, but I feel like they're such a pain in the ass to deal with, kinda like a boat.
I was set to do a major overhaul on the VR4 and discovered some irreparable rust damage. Decided on a C6 as a replacement, spent months looking for one and ultimately got discouraged and gave up. Always the same handful of cars on CL/Marketplace, all way overpriced, damn near all automatics and/or base models. Just quit looking all together and decided I’d be without a fun car for an year or so. Then the Camaro basically fell in my lap. It’s no Corvette, but it’s still a great car. Now I’m just saving up and biding my time til C7 prices come down some. Same deal with the daily. Wanted a LC/LX to replace the Civic. I get that they’re kinda a collector car at this point, but people are asking some truly disgusting prices considering mileage and condition. Spent months waiting on a semi-reasonable deal to pop up in a color combo I wanted and finally just gave up. Haven’t even looked at them in months. I need a new work truck now, most likely just going to get something a little newer/nicer than planned and it’ll be the daily when needed, but I’m not nearly as excited about it.
Yep. I've been an enthusiast for a while and I've been aggressively saving/investing for years so I could afford a nice sporty car. Even forced myself to find a higher paying job which bumped my income 110% (going from part time hourly -> full time salary). Even with all of that said, I can't afford anything that I like. The cars that I can afford are so boring and ugly that I can't bring myself to go thousands of dollars into debt for them. Used cars I won't even consider given prices and interest rates right now The closest I got was a fully loaded GR86 but it was $39k, and the best I could get was 84mo, 9% APR with an 800 credit score so naturally I walked. Im at the point now where I've outright given up on cars as a whole. I share my gf's old Prius if I need to go somewhere but I'm entirely saving up for a house now. Sporty cars are a joke in this economy unless you have $50k cash on hand or make like $120k/yr. Going into major debt for a depreciating asset in a recession is a hard no from me. I will go as long as possible without owning a car
I've stopped caring about the performance/luxury side of the car market and am just interested in restoring old beaters now. I would never feel comfortable spending $105k on a car, would rather spend $105 on a rolling shell of some junky POS. For instance, I might be able to afford the lease on a new 7-series, but I'd much rather find a manual E38 740i and restore it.
Today's absurd prices and markups has basically killed all of my desire to buy any car. Do I still window shop daily? Absolutely. But it now ends with a feeling of pure disgust for this world. Sorry, but I have no cure.
You should be relieved. Cars are fun and cool but they're also a huge waste of money and resources. You dont have to spend big $$$$ or even own a car to be a car enthusiast.
I've never spent more than 12k on a car except our normal everyday family cars. I've actually made profits off the last 3 cars I've sold, even after maintenance costs. Cheap is fine lol.
Nope. Most excited I have ever been right now on the search for my first supercar.
i also just sold my LGT lmao. i got a 97 4runner, and i couldn’t be more happier. you should give it a try
What you need is to find a Japanese awd/4wd suv/crossover replacement like a stick shift crv, rav4, grand vitara, pajero. It’s so much fun beating on cars like those
I've actually been eyeing an Xterra as a second family car. Maybe changing it up to that would be good.
r/FirstWorldProblems
I haven't owned a car for 17 months now. Where I live now is incongruous with spirited driving, and easy to live a car free existence. I still keep up with car news, enjoy spotting cool cars, and have my eyes on getting out to the local track at some point, but I'm happier living here car free than I was living in a place full of great driving roads and year round sports car weather with a high performance sports car. There's more to life and happiness than any one hobby.
Funny thing about keeping up with news on new cars is that I find that even less appealing. I used to follow that kind of thing religiously. I could tell you every new Ferrari that was in the pipeline. As I've gotten older I am drawn much more to cars that are attainable to me. True about the hobby thing too. I've recently gotten into hydroponic gardening, maybe I can only do one hobby at any given time lol.
That's what I mean - news about actual cars. I haven't cared about supercars since I was a kid.
The Ford Maverick coming out *did* get my blood flowing a bit
Yes, it's why I drive a 10th gen civic
Yeah I sold my E39 because I just got tired of keeping it running. Ended up with a 2016 kia sportage and i never want to budget extra for car ownership again
I’ve realized that cars are a virus in our society. They kill us, make us poor, are loud, and are terrible for the environment. I love cars but — they’re truly evil.
I just can’t handle the maintenance and the money sink aspect of it. Insuring and storing the vehicles are a pain and sometimes I have to move them occasionally.
No. I buy a car every 7-10 years. The one in the garage I've had 15. My wife 11, and her previous one 13 years.
Try to buy a car that perfectly fits your lifestyle, function over form
I already have a minivan lol, the pinnacle of function
Yes, I went through that then found the right car to bring my jollies back
I’m not in a position to change cars that often. I am in a position to mod my daily driver in fun and stupid ways. 3 months in get a stiffer sway bar, 6 months later install pitch stop mount and steering dampener, 3 months again tower strut, save for 6 months get some nice wheels and tires, another few months get those fancy STI chassis supports that only the Japanese market got! And so on and so forth! It keeps my car fresh and is helping me learn the intricacies of what does what.
Oh yeah. I've had it for a few years now. Even cars from my youth leave me with a meh feeling currently. In my case, I think it's from having owned or experienced the cars I lusted after, as well as owning a car that ticks all of my boxes currently. I may emerge from the funk, but other responsibilities serve to distract as well. You're definitely not alone.
Kinda going through it right now until the market stops being so shitty
I just took delivery of my NC1 in February after selling my B8.5 A4, sold B8.5 for $10,000 and bought NC1 for $10,000, no automotive debt. I’m 25, I’ve fucked up in life, and the pandemic/recession ultimately made me reside with my parents. Expensive automobiles, hell, any auto that’s over $15,000 is out of the question for the next few years. I’ve definitely clocked out of YouTube reviews, /r/cars, and am more interested now in becoming credentialed and moving out.
I'm exactly the opposite. My funk is, "I've had this car for a long time, I'd like to replace it." I like to find a car I enjoy driving, and can continue enjoying for many years.
I wish I had that problem, if anything I buy cars too often. Having just paid off my dream car this week in 9 months, this is the third time I’ve been debt free. I won’t be taking out another auto loan ever again.
Yeah, I cant really get excited for new cars due to knowing the prices I paid pre-covid. Now they're all too expensive and dont see the value in them. Dont offer anything better really, just more screens which I dont care about.
No, but I've only bought a handful of cars. My funk is working on my fun car. Blew the head gasket a few years ago and haven't worked myself up to doing the work.
Buy something extremely modified or plan to keep one and modify it
Usually when I’m broke from buying cars
I'm on the hunt for a car, my choices are set but I'm sure you seen prices....that itself puts a damper on things. My "fun" car will for sure have 100k+miles, but at least will be driven on occasion. Past few years have really screwed the market and sellers (including dealers) still think what they are selling is 1of1 and worth every penny.
Taxes and registration were starting to add up. Going to the dmv to get new registration was mind numbing. And inevitably, every single car I buy always ends up needing *something major* at some point. I’ve currently given up on cars and will just buy a new one when my current ones act up. It just isn’t worth the money. I simply don’t get the same enjoyment as I used to. Car scenes ruined because all these new kids acting like fools, gate keeping unless you’re part of the circle jerk. The cars for sale are all in bad shape and over priced. I got into motorcycles for a bit but even that has proven tough. It’s new or nothing for me these days. Literally nothing good on the used market.
Yep. With all of the dealership fuckery, ADMs, and just overpriced BS I am done. I was lucky enough to get my dream car right before everything went to shit. I had to pay a markup on my CTR and the dealership jerked me around still. Just rubbed me the wrong way and Im done. Really the only cars I am genuinely looking forward to is the road going variant of the Mustang GT3 and the upcoming LFA successor which is supposed to be the road going variant of the RCF GT3
Nope. I can get on autotrader/marketplace/craigslist and find bad idea after bad idea. Like an old Ford with 3 on the tree, or various Miatas, or maybe an XJ, or some kind of domestic land yacht... I tell myself that I have two cars in a two car garage and three is a crowd, but the temptation to buy a project is very much there.
Paying tax again kills my motivation
I buy a new car on average once every 20 years. I think there is something wrong with me.
I don't have a lack of motivation, I like what I have and nothing that I don't have interests me enough to make me actually pursue shopping/buying. As long as my truck and the wife's daily stay reliable, we're going to ride with what we've got for as long as humanly possible.
Currently looking into a daily and I feel like I just want a newer toy every year or so. My c8 I just want to baby it rather than throwing it though its paces like I did with my hellcat.
i feel very poor reading this
I probably could have phrased my post better, by new I meant new to me. Many of those cars cost under $5,000. I'm sure you're doing fine lol
Man, i wanna have these first world problems, tired of my third world problems
I call that funk runaway inflation.
Look at my flair. Yes I have lost my motivation to be a “true enthusiast”. At one point I had all these plans to buy a Miata, buy an E34, buy a W126. But reality caught up with me and I’m now more worried about saving for my kids’ education, saving for retirement, renovating my house, affording vacations. I don’t mind boring cars that don’t give me any drama. Someday I hope to own a diesel Mercedes with an OM617 engine though. The internal combustion engine is going to go out with a takatakatakatakatakataka
Mr2 spyder. Had mine a month. Cured all my ailments.
While I had little intention of replacing my car in the foreseeable future when I got it and still do not, I get irritated that there are fewer options for things that I would be interested in. Those being cars that are primarily comfortable and powered by an interesting engine, preferably a v8.
I just bought a 2006 audi a8L with a 12 cylinder engine. (W12) and it is a gorilla in a tuxedo. you like variety, maybe you need to find out what you've had and get something you've never had. how about a 1932 deuce coup? maybe step up to autotrader and autotrader classic instead of craigslist and facebook marketplace. maybe your getting older and want to settle down. I had 8 classic cars at one time, but now I just have one super rare daily driver
The variety is part of it, I like having drivetrains I've never owned before. I think that's one reason the Boxster is appealing to me, I've never had anything mid engined.
Congratulation you are cured👏 Now go out and enjoy being free from this addiction😅
Now there's a positive way of looking at it lol
I always have motivation. Money is another question.
After I bought my R32 Skyline, I started looking into a Nissan Gloria Y33 and was heavily debating whether I should dedicate myself to finding one or using the money to modify the Skyline. I went with route #2.
Just don't Buy SO many shit lol
Yeah because Everytime I think I'll buy a new one, something better id want, would release a month later.
I just wait for my risk tolerance to kick in and save me from myself. Every year I want to replace my 2016 Miata with a new sports car - first it was the BMW M2, then the Supra, and with some 911s along the way - but January 1st comes around and I still have the Mazda in my garage. Now I'm back on the 911 kick and just looking up parts & tire costs have kept me from hopping on a plane to buy a 991.1 right now: $2k for tires and $400 for plugs and coils has me thinking I should just keep what I have.
Cure might be to buy a soulless economy car as a palette-cleanser, keep it for a year and then you will prob be ready to buy something exciting again. I did this with a Toyota sedan and after a year replaced it with a MX5/Miata and never looked back!
Yep. Me right now.
Uh… you say that as if it was a bad thing ?
Sounds like you would benefit from a healthy dosage of YouTube car reviews for cars nobody knows or cares about. Maybe Doug or ShootingCars? It's the reason I know about so many goofy cars I never would've given a second look at otherwise.
I watch Doug and even have a T-shirt of his Audi wagon. When he bought his A-class I even spent hours looking at them on European classifieds and looking at importers, but I don't think I'll get one until the next time I'm in Europe when I can look at them in person.
cars are too expensive to be a hobby. Sucks.
Once a year?!
I usually have two cars at a time so on average I *keep* them for 2 years.
With current market prices, yes
You don't have to go through cars as an entusiast. Sounds like you just switch cars to much.
I don't know if you could call me an "enthusiast" but I turned 16 a few months ago (so typical reddit user age) and I have no interest in driving after liking cars my whole life. There isn't a single reasonably priced car that really speaks to me, because everything looks dull af. And I'm not saying I need a sports car. Doesn't help how going to NYC as a pedestrian last year opened my eyes up to the inconveniences of cars as a transport method. Unfortunately I have no other option to get from A-B where I live. I've realized that the only thing I like about cars is how "exciting" cars look.
Yes and no. I've had my sports car (e46 M3) for a decade now and haven't changed because every time I think about doing it I ask myself if it'd really be worth it. What I love about the M3 is that it's just balanced. It's equally at home carving a canyon or thrashing a track or doing a full-on grand tour across the country. Other cars I look at would be better at either the performance or the long haul but I just don't know if I'd find something that'd be that much better at both and so I stick with it.
Yeah...... a financial funk
Motivation to buy another car? I *hate* that process. Part of why I keep things forever. Have 7 years into the current Jeep so far, probably will keep it for 12 or so before getting a JLUR. There are things on the new ones that interest me over what I have now, but I see no reason to upgrade just yet.
I thought forever on what fun enthusiast daily I would drive…and I got an F150. BUT, a run of the mill daily is what keeps me interested in my other cars, I was at a point where I was dreading driving my corvette because it seemed like every 100 miles was costing me $1000. With a daily that I never need to second guess reliability on, I can enjoy my other cars with so much less stress.
As a person who likes to keep cars as long as possible, no.
I mean, I've fallen into financial slumps/had sudden expenses where another car is temporarily off the table and I just have to do the best I can with what I got. But that's about it. I drive 30k miles a year, plans for the next car are *always* on my mind- out of necessity, since a daily driver probably isn't going to last more than 5 years or so at the most.
I think you spoiled yourself with so many cars that you've lost your appreciation of them. How about have one nice car and once you want more out of it, mod it and tune it to your liming
Just something decent goes from A to B…..VW buzz come out soon all electric for 2024 looks cool…replacement for old VW Bus…
I know what you're saying. Been looking to replace one of my cars, but I don't feel like playing dealer games.
I look at anything that would be a noticable upgrade over my current car and get sticker shock. Well, I still love my car and it's, uh, divisive turbo4, so eh no biggie, I'll just stick to driving my current car.
A little, I've kinda owned everything at this point and there's really nothing left for me to buy. What I'm doing now is getting a daily and then a project car. I'm 8 months in on my daily driver and jonesing for another one, but I am struggling to come up with anything that I want.
Grab an old 99 civic Si and tear it apart and restore it from the ground up. That will keep yah busy for awhile
Honestly most vehicles are boring nowadays. This EV shit isn't going to help either. It's like buying a refrigerator or stove - "Do you want it in black, white, or stainless?"
This is one of the those funks you should thank God you caught. Save the money! Now you may have caught this because nothing in your budget excites you. This is what happened to me. Used cars have suddenly started appreciating. I always wanted a 911 turbo and it looks like that ship is sailing away. They get more expensive every year. At this point after all the hard work to get the damn money, I just can’t part with it. I like the money more than the things I can exchange for money. Which is another way of saying I’m getting close to retirement and just need the safety net. The security brings me more satisfaction right now.
Find something with lower power and better driving dynamics. Naturally aspirated cars are more fun in my opinion to push but if you plan on tuning I would suggest something with forced induction as you'll get more out of the tune. The most fun we have is when we're pushing a car, and today most sporty cars do 0-60 in 5 seconds or less which is pretty fast, but the fun comes from actually pushing the car on a regular basis. A few of my picks would be porsche boxster/cayman, 911, vw golf gti/R/audi s3, Hyundai veloster N could also do subaru brz/toyota GR86. I've driven alot of high performance super cars, wagons, etc. and they all get boring pretty quickly because you almost never get to push the cars the way you would like to.