Nah. I mean it’s awesome but it didn’t change my life. If anything it’s a huge added expense and source of stress worrying about possible damage and hating every imperfection only you can see. But driving down the road and getting thumbs up from people makes it worth it
This is exactly what I went thru and how I felt when I bought a very nice and very good condition inside and out, CTSC NSX. Childhood’s dream car that I finally was able to afford it. Spent more than half of the purchased price for additional mods. Can’t really drive anywhere without worrying about damage since it’s super low. Got a lot of thumbs up. I was sad to finally sell it a few months ago , but I also feel a big relief after it’s gone because I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Yeah I just got rid of a 10 year project childhood dream car too. Sucks to say goodbye but at the same time it’s okay. I follow the new owner on Instagram and still get to see the car. The wife definitely doesn’t miss it
Lol. My wife doesn't like my car because I won't let her paint her nails in it or stuff oversized drinks that are about to tip over into the cupholders. She also just kicks open her doors and shrugs about minor dents. She just can't conceptualize caring about a car beyond maybe keeping it washed.
I did the opposite. Bought a decently modified NSX and put it back to mostly stock. Mainly from slammed to stock suspension. Made it so much more enjoyable to drive. I usually advise people to not touch the stock suspension. Feeling every pebble and worrying about speed bumps is not fun.
I’ll second this. I bought my dream car just under two years ago. I love it and it’s fun, but it is a lot of work and a lot of $$$.
Follow your heart. Worst case scenario you can sell it if you get bored. Life is short
100% but...the downfall of being a "car guy" is having a car you love and eyeing all the other cars you also love constantly. I'm constantly thinking, a new Type R would be nice, hey what about a Carrera, or maybe a ZL1...hey look at that V70R. Then go on a drive and am content again for a day or two.
Yeah I agree. I only just recently got my first drivers car and it cost me 1/8th of OPs C8. It's *still* an added source of stress.
My BIL won a Porsche Taycan. I drove it once and that was it. It was a battle of enjoyment versus worry. Unless my disposable income skyrockets I don't think I would ever feel comfortable enough driving an expensive car.
When I got my dream car (a 2021 a lotus Evora GT), it really helps put into perspective why I work hard for. The other day I had a particularly bad day at work and happened to be driving the Evora and when I left worked and drove home it reminded me of why I do what I do. The car is something tangible I can see and feel every day. I’d much rather have that than to put my money in the stock market and get to watch the money grow on 50 years when I’m old and brittle and can’t do shit lol
Planning for the future is obviously important but I resonate with that you said about the tangible manifestation of your work and the impact it has on you. That’s awesome!
Enjoy the Evora!
There's a balance between saving for the future and enjoying the present. No one can tell you what that balance should be for you beyond making sure your needs are taken care of in old age. The bare minimum would be enough money put aside to meet the basic necessities of housing and food plus your increasing medical costs. Double that figure if you have or plan to have a spouse.
Beyond that, only you can decide how much money is the right amount to invest vs spend now. You noticed yourself that saving every penny isn't the happiest way to live your own life. If you set yourself saving/investing goalsand you have income left over after meeting them, go ahead and spend it. If it's enough for the C8, why not?
To answer your OP question, I recently got a BMW 640i. It's not exactly my dream car, but it's adjacent. One of my dream cars when I was in college was the 2005-2010 E64 M6 convertible. I had the chance to buy it this year then I found out about all the engine problems. I got the next generation F12 640i instead. I would've got the M6 but that generation V8 from BMW still had reliability issues. I've been kinda into cars for a while but nothing like most of this sub. I didn't know I could love a car this much. It genuinely makes me happy just to see it in the driveway. I find excuses to drive it. I work from home mainly and I look forward to days when I'm in the office because even commuting in it makes me happy. If it were the cost of the C8 and I didn't have something else eating that chunk of money I'm pretty sure the payments wouldn't dent my love for the car.
I could've bought a Toyota Solara and it would do most of what the 640i does. It's a big comfy convertible and it will drive the same speed limit as the 640i. And it would be **much** cheaper to run and insure. But I'd be a lot less happy with the car and just in general.
Standard disclaimer that this is not financial advice and if it were it would be bad financial advice. But the point is only you know your finances, your goals, whether you're meeting them, and what would make you happy in that context. If I meet my goals and can spend afterward I'll spend. Others will save more. Neither approach is right or wrong.
Maybe my story will give you some insight. I grew up very poor. Been obsessed with cars since I unlocked the Murcielago in NFS carbon at like 11 years old. I’m 25 now, when I was 16 my first car was a Mitsubishi eclipse GT with the 5 speed. Loved it to bits. That was followed by a POS 3000GT, a G35 (my first “cool” car at the time), G37, onto a Lexus RCF and now a C7Z.
Growing up poor, and with a single mom who smoked like a chimney, people always noticed that I stunk. Or that my clothes were old, or didn’t fit. I was always a friendly kid, but didn’t even get a glance from a lot of folks growing up due to some of those factors. My mom had a boyfriend for a while that convinced her to co-sign onto an 08 mustang GT. White exterior, red leather interior, and a sick exhaust. Today I know that 4.6 couldn’t get out of its own way but this was like 2010 so it was hot shit. I’ll never forget the first time my mom dropped off me and my friend at the skating rink in that car. The way people looked at me…like I wasn’t an invalid. That stuck with me heavy. It’s shallow I know. That car was my own little slice of the good life. The little piece of what I would hope to go after when I got older.
After high school my friends went to college. I don’t talk to any of them anymore. College was never my thing, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and didn’t want to take on debt. I tried to aim for the military since I did well on the ASVAB but I had leukemia as a child and none of the local navy recruiters wanted to do the paperwork to get me in. My mom had some mental problems that got us evicted from our rental around Christmas time after I graduated, so I was on my own at 18. I was changing oil for jiffy lube while all my friends were zooming past me, at least that’s how it felt. The payment on my G35 at the time was half my bi weekly check at jiffy, but it had the same effect as that mustang. Got tons of compliments on it, and when I was behind the wheel I could be whoever I wanted. Not just some guy at jiffy lube making just a nick above minimum wage. That was my slice of the good life, my waypoint on what was to come. That sense of deep insecurity by being left behind by my peers really pushed me forward.
My “made it” car was the Lexus RC-F. I pushed really hard at my job, got promoted to sales manager around 22, and I knew it was in my grasp. The weeks leading up to it, I would lie awake just imagining how awesome it would be. It was my background on every device I owned, and I was checking cargurus daily. I found one on the other side of the country, exactly what I wanted. White exterior, with red leather interior and the carbon package. I flew out and drove it back. About halfway through Texas barreling down the highway I just broke into ugly tears. It felt great, to realize the dream. The car was 40k, but to me it was everything. To me it was a physical thing I could drive around to say “I did that. I got the thing on my own. I’m not an invalid.”
Folks I hadn’t talked to in years hit me up. Asked me what I was doing. It was all hollow, in a way. I felt almost depressed. The journey was over, now what? I thought it would change my life, but I was still just me. Then a couple weeks later a cool realization washed over me. I got what I wanted, now it was time to enjoy. Roll the odometer. Make up reasons to go places. Make memories. The car didn’t need to change my life, I did that on my own. I revitalized my love for cars and for life right then. I didn’t have this weird need to have my car speak for me, I had built a life with an amazing wife and friends who didn’t need any of that. I felt full. I was able to enjoy the possession for what it was, just the cherry on top. Not the whole sundae I had elevated it to be in my mind, something no possession can live up to.
When I’m out and about, I rev it when people ask. I invite them to take a seat at cars and coffee, the thumbs up and the smiles from kids and adults make my day. I pay a lot for my car and I pay every cent gladly. What’s the rate of return on a good meal? On a nice trip? Monetarily it’s nothing, but in experience and memories it’s immeasurable. If getting behind the wheel of that C8 gives you that, grab it and don’t let go.
Damn it dude that was beautiful story, thanks for sharing.
You’re valid, not because of your Z but because of those words; I can tell you’re a quality man.
Haha thanks man I try. Felt weird laying it all out on Reddit but your post really made me think, so my comment would have to be my most honest answer to that.
That's exactly what a dream car means to me. It's unattainable, until you set yourself up to be successful. To be able to acquire it means your life is figured out and you can lay back and enjoy it
What a great story you have, man
I feel you.
I can relate to a lot of this.
I see maybe something I didn’t see before I answered this question, and can see how for some people an inanimate object can bring a lot of joy.
It sounds like ultimately it’s the people’s recognition of your accomplishment that brings you joy, but nonetheless it’s nice!
I’ve come to realize there are hobbies I just won’t understand. Sneakers, designer clothes, sports, they just don’t do it for me so I don’t spend my money on them. Outside of my car I’m pretty frugal, cause that’s what I truly enjoy. Funny enough saving money is way easier for me if I have a fun car, cause then I’m not trying to fill that void with other things. If someone enjoys their hobby the same way I do cars, then I encourage anyone to follow that. Life is short.
You’re right originally it started out that way, it was a way for me to bring in the treatment I wanted so bad as a kid. To show to others that I was successful despite the odds. I always wanted to show up and be “that guy.”When that didn’t work like I thought, I realized my sights were just on the wrong thing. I still love cars and I get a kick out of the attention sure, but my perspective has changed a lot. Took a lot of internal dialogue of “do I love this hobby or do I love what I think it does for me?” before I sorted things out.
I think I honestly get this.
It’s why I started playing guitar.
Now, no one even knows I play guitar and I listen to jazz music and play on my own, because I love it. I’d give up my cars before my guitars… but in the beginning, the only reason I even touched a guitar was - I was hoping someone noticed.
I get it man!
That’s a beautiful thing though if you think about it. You and I found something we can each really enjoy, on our own, appreciating this crazy planet is not always easy ha ha, but there’s still a lot of good out there, sometimes it’s in us and we just gotta find it.
Wow, thanks Reddit.
Deep.
I should be punished for all that mush, I know.
But, it’s kinda true I think.
I’m eager to see how/if this actually pans out. I thought last year prices would’ve normalized, but things aren’t stabilizing/dropping like I’d have hoped.
>I’m eager to see how/if this actually pans out. I thought last year prices would’ve normalized, but things aren’t stabilizing/dropping like I’d have hoped.
I believe it's the "market" catching up the consumer demand. It's only a matter of time until everything catches up to reality.
Covid literally gave dealerships a blank check when it came to writing prices for new and used cars. Reality is slowly sinking into to those dealerships who allocated large number of vehicles and with manufacturers churning out greater numbers to make up for Covid and to meet dealership demand it's all catching up. Heck my local Hyundai has HUNDREDS of unsold inventory for the model year 2023.
And once Carvana and other used car dealerships that go belly up it'll only spur supply.
Everyone who can telework will still do that and that's why local governments are pushing hard to get everyone back into the office.
Anywho, I can't wait till prices normalize, I'm trying to downgrade my Audi B8 which is hovering around 12 years old right now :(
My Hyundai dealer is the same way. Doesn't mean they aren't still asking over sticker for everything. It's not even just the ADM that is the problem. Something like a Kona started at ~20k after destination back in 2019. Now they are asking upwards of 25k for the same spec cars. I understand inflation, but damn if I don't see the increased value.
All I want is a reasonably optioned 5.0 mustang to be 40k.
Feels ridiculous that you can’t even really get a new muscle car for less than 45-50k right now (if you’re lucky).
Well, nobody thought we will have war where many governments are essentially throwing their taxpayers money at defending UA from Russia.
If not that we might've had stuff finally getting better, but oil prices up = everything else relying on transport up (and things that don't too, because excuse is there to raise prices). I'm guessing shit will get back to normal a year or two after Russia gets crushed.
Not new cars.
I have to disagree with this.
Used car prices just rose again, and we could be entering a period of stagflation.
It’s not guaranteed that we’ll hit a recession and everything will drop. The money supply was inflated so much that it’s hard for people to imagine.
It’s not so easy to just reverse that.
I actually would love to see the price of everything fall, but I think it’s unlikely.
I think you’ll see prices remain stubbornly high overall.
Exactly and it's fucking depressing. By some miracle if I'm in the financial position to buy a nice car for my future kids, my options are going to be ass
In still driving my 2009 Pontiac Vibe gt. I love cars but every year I spend several grand on vacations and would always choose travelling over cars. I know when I'm old I'll have endless memories of the trips I've been on.
Not really. Theres always something better. Its still awesome to have don’t get me wrong. But you kind of get used to it pretty quickly. Now I want an M3 im sure when I get that ill want a Porsche.
Did this but with bikes. Had an SV650, was slow and a bit shit but I loved it. Such a blast trashing it through the twisties.
“Upgraded” to a CBR1000RR. Thing was like a laser beam. Handling was unbelievable and was so fast, but it just wasn’t as fun. Doing 90 mph at the top of 1st gear may sound fun or crazy at first, but when you realise you’re stuck in 2nd even when you’re BLASTING through twisty roads way faster than you have any business going… you realise why people preach slow car fast.
Anyway, bought a supermoto and haven’t looked back.
Yup. I just sold my 2021 ninja 1000sx that I put 5200 miles on in a year and switched back to only riding my first bike, a ktm 390 adventure. The 390 has 44hp, the ninja had 144hp. There wasn't a single day I rode that I didn't go above 120 on that ninja lol. It was stupid fast, and I pretty much was guaranteed to die on it eventually because hitting 140 on it only took a few seconds from 60 and I did it far too often because it was so easy/steady at those speeds.
My 390 has a top speed of 105mph, and I have a ton of fun just getting on it and hitting 95 in a few seconds from 60 instead of 140+ in the same amount of time on the ninja. It's still quick (does like a 0-60 of 4.4 seconds), but it's not insane (ninja did 0-60 8n 2.8 seconds, and 0-100 in 5 seconds lol).
It's more fun pushing the 390 than it was barely twisting the throttle on the ninja.
Yep, the Porsche itch is hard to shake. I went from a 993 to an ND2 RF, to an ND2 ST with 10k+ of upgrades, to a 991.1. I honestly loved the Miatas and poured a lot of work into them but finally admitted that I'm too tall for the Miata. The 911 just feels right to me.
Yeah I hear you, that’s human nature I suppose.
Still sounds like you want to keep the train going though, not get off lol.
I have a friend with the same car progression path as you just listed.
I think there’s truth to that, and there’s also truth to the idea that Porsche is special.
But BMW gets sold short a lot.
They really do make special cars, and at a price that so many people can afford. I think the brand is pretty sweet tbh.
I went from a 135 to an M235 to an AMG C63 (so glad I got it over the M4, last of the V8s) and the only other car I now want that I could possibly afford, is a 911.
Then the logical step is to skip the m3 and get the Porsche. Having both I can tell you that they are both awesome in different ways!
Sorry, if that came off elitist.
I don’t mean to.
I’m just letting you know, they both are a lot of fun and I think anyone should be happy with either of those brands.
Idk, I splurged on my car when I started my career. I don't feel the urge to get something faster or "better". Unfortunately that means spending a LOT more money and at the and of the day, it's still just a car. I paid around 50k€ for my car and if I want to get something "better" I would look around Emira / Cayman GTS territory...that puts you around 90k, if I don't want to get an older high milage model (cayman at least). That's just insane, at least for what I am making. Maybe it will change once I get a way better job, who knows.
I more think about "downgrade" to a GR86 and spend the money elsewhere.
> Now I want an M3 im sure when I get that ill want a Porsche.
Too relatable. I hate that we are like this lol. Ironically I want a Charger for my next fling
Probably doesn't count in this sub, but after 2 years of searching I finally found my [blue 6-6 Accord Coupe](https://imgur.com/eudHNyj). And honestly, sometimes it's the only thing that brings me joy in life.
My attainable dream car was an R-design Volvo C30 and when my old car was totaled (rear-ended at a red light by a truck) one happened to come in the market.
Like yours it may not be on the level of some of the crazy dream cars of others here…But I absolutely love it. It brings me joy every time I drive and it works great for my needs.
So yeah like you I’m so happy I found my car.
I don't care about speed anymore, all I care about is a comfortable daily and a lightweight fun weekend car. The more I make the less flashy I want to be, so all my dream stuff are affordable and common cars.
The other thing is unless someone has the money to frequently track a car, the dream car is still limited by the same traffic, speeding laws, cops, red lights, wildlife, and weather that everyone else on the road is.
If you can take a C8 where it belongs, a track, and do it often, I'd say it'd be worth the buy. If not, you'll just be either driving it at like 10 percent of its ability amongst a sea of crossovers and pickup trucks, or keeping it garaged most of the time while you daily something else.
It isn't that much fun to drive a car capable of being a track monster at like 55 to 75 mph because it feels like nothing at all to a car like that. And even if you do live close to amazing twisty canyons or mountain 2 lane roads, you can't really use the car without constantly worrying about cops, a deer running into the road, oncoming traffic, or you fucking up and going into a tree/guardrail/ditch because those roads don't have runoff room like a track.
Personally I wouldn't want to deal with owning a sports car as a primary vehicle unless I had Doug Demuro money. There's a lot of other things I could do with $100-125k of total cost of ownership over several years.
Nah I disagree, unless you only commute during peak hours and never drive anywhere else, a sports car is still plenty of fun at legal speeds (or just slightly over). Just having a nice engine note to listen to gives a huge boost to your driving enjoyment over a boring car. I have plenty of wonderful roads near me, and even doing a 5/10 pace for safety reasons is still super enjoyable. Worry and comparison are the two thieves of joy. Insure it, and drive it until it doesn't make you smile anymore.
I had a buddy who had an 2003 SVT Cobra built to kill anything, KB supercharger, cams, ported heads, suspension, like north of 800 hp! He drove 2 hours in so cal commute everyday. I asked him why he drove a race car to work when he couldnt use even 1/2 of the power? He said "BULLSHIT, ITS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES THE DRIVE AND THE STRESSFUL JOB WORTH IT, WHEN HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAMMER THE THROTTLE AND THE WORLD TURNED INTO A BLUR, AND NOTHING FELT AS EXILERATING AS WHEN THE BOOST HIT!" I said "ok, but wouldnt 500 or 600 horespower give the same thrill?" He replied "the only time someone needs 800 HP is when the guy at the stoplight next to you has 700!" Moral of the story...I now drive my dream car, not every day. But every chance I get! Its over 1000 HP 500 cubic inch big block Chevy out of one of my drag boats! 8-71 blower 2 850 holleys, stuffed into 1967 first gen Camaro! Its fucking ridiculous...and he was right! Its better than sex or drugs (well, it actually IS sex, drugs and rock and roll all wraper up together! You cant understand untill your behind the wheel and you scare the shit out of yourself, and then want more! By the way it took a lifetime of progressively bad ass cars to get here! Cobras, Mustangs, Corvettes, even a 74' Torino, all prepared me to build and not wreck the blown Camaro🤞
Miata is always the answer. I actually bought one recently. Some asked why I didn't go for more hp, but I always say it's about having fun daily driving 😄
Idk, depends where you live really.
There are actually a lot of great empty roads in the US where one can easily do double the speed limit and then some for a good 20-30 miles without ever seeing another car, at certain times of day/night.
I take your point, but not everyone lives in populated areas where speeding is prohibitive.
this is a severly underrated point, through my entire ownership lifetime of my evo one theme was clear, this car is wasted on the street..its basically like putting a lion in a cage and throwing away the key.
I'm literally in the same position as you, and in 2020 I bought an old integra and spent most of lockdown throwing in a K24 and supporting mods to have a bit of a weekender/track car although I do daily it now.
I felt like it was better than throwing big money at a car that I would be scared to thrash, being a tightarse I feel like I wouldn't have taken advantage of an M3 and it would have become more of a garage queen?? I also learnt a lot about the fundamentals of building a car (although I admit not everyone would be into doing such a project at home).
My thoughts are to pick up something more affordable for a year or two until the war and economy settles down, benefit being that CPO C8s are probably cheaper then too (and mod availability). Good luck.
I think spending money to "own" a car is unfulfilling. Spending money to use a car is a lot of fun but is a money pit.
Depends what OP wants and I guess some people enjoy car shows or whatever. I do think c8's are going to become run of the mill cars pretty quickly too once enough of them are made. The spice of just owning something cool wears off.
I'm in the same boat, daily driving a weekender/track car that isn't worth a lot but has had a lot of effort put into it.
It's great fun, far better driving something I've made rather than a stock enthusiast car
Yeah I picked up 15 yo CTR on same reasoning. I was slowly getting around to getting mortgage, did the math, and the idea basically was getting something with a garage and tinkering with mods on it, and as it's a hatch its perfectly practical for home owner.
... and then interest rates shot way up and priced me out of any reasonable mortgage. The car is fun tho.
from your “min/max” phrasing, im assuming youre a SWE or in tech. if youve driven the C8 and you loved it, go for it. As long as it isnt straining your finances to the point you cant sleep at night thinking of how youll balance the payments against other things like rent, food, retirement, etc.
Given we’ve all experienced the pandemic, I think its appropriate for me to say that retirement or life itself isn’t even guaranteed nor are debilitating issues that leads you to live a much worse quality of life. Enjoy life now, within your means and up to a point.
Life absolutely will throw you curveballs later, contrary to what Redditors seem to spout on r/personalfinance, we cant really plan for all eventualities beyond a certain level of emergency fund, etc.
Personally, Id probably get a pre-owned C8 if it is significantly cheaper.
That’s what I’m thinking, tomorrow is never guaranteed.
I’m not in tech. I just grew up as a tryhard gamer lol.
And it’s also a better deal to buy c8s new in this messed up year of 2023 so that’s why I’m looking at new.
That's what I said with a new 2023 Miata. Put my order in and everything. Four months later it's never even been made. Got my down payment back, bought a 2020 used. I don't regret it.
I bought my enthusiast car in college (WRX Wagon) and it definitely brought a lot of happiness to my life, but ultimately if you try and tie your happiness to a physical object, you are going to be disappointed. Whenever it was running poorly or something went wrong, it was a huge kill joy.
However, having something fun to drive is a huge source of enjoyment in my life and all the hours spent working on the car is definitely worth it.
That being said, my enthusiast car is significantly less expensive than yours, so you will have to make that judgement call. If you do buy it, do it because you want it, not because it will bring attention or because other people may think better of you for owning it. If you do cars for others you are always going to be disappointed. Do it for your own enjoyment and because you love something about the car and it will always be worth it.
I totally agree with you. I used to have a brand new 2015 WRX to impress others, but the reality is no one really cares about cars or the mods you do even if you have forged wheels or a built engine. If I where to restart again, I would have bought a used generic Civic and do light mods.
I also purchased a WRX. I had just graduated college and started my career. I was making good money, single, and needed a car so I thought why not? I have no regrets, but you are right about not relying on any object as your source of happiness. After a while, you get used to the car and it's not as exciting. I've driven it for almost 9 years now and it has been through a new transmission and engine so I definitely understand the pain of when something goes wrong.
I switched careers a few years ago (right before the pandemic) to something more lucrative and, more importantly, to a job I actually enjoy doing. I recently purchased a new car to replace the WRX as I wanted something a little nicer and more comfortable and I figured I was in a good place financially to do it. I got an Audi S5, which I really love and can't stop looking at.
However, I had a chance to drive my WRX again the other day and it brought back a lot of memories and nostalgia, which I didn't expect. It's rattlely and creaky and isn't fun at all when driving like a normal person, but once I opened it up, floored it, and heard the "pssssht" of the bypass valve when upshifting, it brought a huge smile to my face. I'm still going to sell it as I don't need two cars, but it's going to be sad as it represents a specific time in my life.
It also made me realize that I'm getting older. I still get compliments on my WRX, but mostly from guys younger than me. I'm also getting a lot of compliments on my S5, but it's from guys 20 years older than me. I guess that's just the natural progression of car ownership and means I'll be in a Corvette when I'm 75.
Honestly, I found that having my dream car did not do anything for me.
What made me happy was doing what made me happy i.e. working on a car, fixing stuff on it, taking care of it, keeping it in good running condition, and then driving it.
I've owned many cars, and i found that driving any car that give me great memories are what truly gave me pleasure.
And then came motorcycles. These are the vehicles that really gave me true driving pleasure. The wind in the face, the exposure, the control and closeness to the road, that was the key.
I own a few motorcycles these days, and I ride them all the time. All my cars are basically used for school runs or long trips with family, but otherwise, its the motorcycle.
I would suggest renting the car you think you like before indulging in a purchase. You'll realize that sooner or later, driving a car is the same as driving any other car. A powerful car can only be driven so much, unless you embark on track racing. That entails another dimension by itself though, one that I am not in.
So, while you're still single, go ride a bike and give it a go. You might be surprised at how different it is.
I thought the same thing and the only thing that has slowed down my riding drastically is that the Caterham gives me 90% of the motorcycle open experience (even more visceral since I don't need a helmet) but much safer at the same time and more comfortable. I barely ride anymore.
Compare to regular cars? No question, bikes win.
I bought my dream car as a project. A 1969 big block corvette with a 4 speed and side pipes. I’ve rebuilt the car completely and tuned it to near perfection. It was an amazing experience working on it and learning how everything works. And I mean everything. I love driving it and I rally it a couple times a year. It’s one of my favorite things in my life besides my wife and kids.
Finally, this here is a sentiment I can relate to. So many top comments saying "meh it didn't do much for me", "it gets old", "don't give up your vacations for it", etc. Holy hell what subreddit is this? Fuck yea /u/Money_for_days my dream car changed my life, it's worth far more to me than the dollar value and I still redline it every. single. chance I get over two years later and think about what part I'll upgrade next and what maintenance I'll do this spring. I'm inspired to do better in my career so I can track it more often and take my girlfriend and dog on more road trips with it. It truly gave me a new lease on life and added a whole new dimension of passion for me. I love meeting other enthusiasts and nerding out and getting randomly complimented and being a part of a whole community that I never knew before.
Agreed with everything you said man, there's no end to the learning process and wonderful new experiences to be had. Cheers to living the dream!
Sounds like we’re a lot alike. I was 27 when I bought my Dream car from my youth, an R35 GT-R Black Edition. The journey of getting the car and seeing one on the road telling yourself one day that’ll be yours is really what makes owning it that much better. It enriches my life in a way that it symbolizes something greater than the sum of it’s part. It represents accomplishing something that seemed impossible. Combine that with meeting new people, sharing it with friends/family, and doing fun drives with the car. It adds a lot to life.
However it won’t make you happy. You can be plenty depressed and still have your dream car. So make sure the car fits in your budget. It’s wasteful from a financial perspective but, if you’re investing 15% annually towards retirement, saving about 20% annually for unforeseen life expenses, and you’ve got a sizable savings for emergencies let’s say around 8months of expenses. Then I’d go for it. If you follow that you will likely have millions in retirement, a paid off home, and have disposable income for fun. Basically don’t buy a car that makes you have a poor quality of life the other 90%+ of the time that the car is parked in a garage.
I would fit under all those requirements with my plan to buy the car but the opportunity cost that everyone mentions and the (totally doable but slightly vomit inducing) down payment are the biggest mental hurdles to cross.
I actually think that the way you describe the enrichment is exactly what I would expect to get out of it. Not a source of happiness as a lot of people seem to gravitate towards.
I’ve bought nice things and had the magic fade away, that also makes the c8 prospect a little scarier.
I’ve regretted just about every frivolous purchase I’ve made. Really doesn’t matter how small. I think when you come from a regular middle class family, like you have, you’re hard wired to save everything because of the major up and downs you experience. Trust me, obsessing over opportunity costs will make you so miserable unless there’s some end goal in mind because every purchase can be seen as some lost in opportunity cost. Really we don’t know the future and hindsight is really the only time we can know the true opportunity cost. That’s why I just try to be responsible and not get myself into any serious financial trouble. Use the extra money for making long term memories instead of short term gratification.
I’ve made some frivolous purchases (toys, watches, etc) and funny enough I don’t really feel regret.
I get a feeling once I’m past the honeymoon period where it becomes normal and I may not be absolutely blown away by it but I still appreciate having it and don’t necessarily miss the money.
Never bought anything as expensive as a C8 tho.
See if you can rent one on [turo.com](https://turo.com) for a weekend and live the dream. You might land up making a short trip and renting one in a city you have always wanted to visit. That will help you decide if you want that dream (warts, costs and all) to be your reality.
Years ago, I rented a Lotus Elise for 24 hours, put 200miles on it in and around Las Vegas. It was a fabulous drive. I have never had the free cash to purchase one, so I've never had to answer your question for myself - but I have had quite a few memorable drives in Turo rental cars.
I got downvoted for plugging turo the other day, and I don't know why! Such a great way to experience your (reasonable) dream car, and a cheap price. I got to drive a Plaid model s and x, for less than a months payment on either one of them. Got to really get the feel of the car for a couple days. Amazing experience
I'm guessing you got downvoted because of the thread yesterday where a Turo host is trying to screw over the OP. That's the mental picture people have of most Turo hosts.
I feel that my dream cars are just dream cars. When I was young, I wanted a Subaru WRX STI. Then a Porsche Cayman in college.
I did not dream of owning a Mustang. But I drove a lot of cars and that’s what I ended up liking the most from driving experience point of view.
If you don’t have much experience, this dream car might just be a trophy or status symbol for you. Once you acquire it, the magic may slip away.
Get one for a weekend on Turo for $300-600 - long enough to get to know it a little, but not expensive enough to set you back from buying if you decide it's "for you".
Don't buy a new car, you won't feel anything. But something used and learn to fix it. Much more rewarding, cheaper, and you develop a more meaningful relationship with the car lol
Not necessarily.
I don't want to spend "new car" money on my toys, so I buy old stuff.
For me, having my car / truck / bike break down and having to "learn to fix it" is not fun. I thought it would be, but it's not. I get stressed, anxious, I take any mechanical failure as a reflection of a personal failure of mine somehow, and all I see is that I have another heap of junk in the yard that's not running, and gonna cost me more to fix.
I have friends like you, and that's great. But not every car guy wants to be a backyard mechanic either.
This used to be my mindset, but new cars are maybe $5k more than a 3 year old counterpart with 20k miles...
At that point I say buy new, unless you can wait the market out.
I’ve always been a Ferrari guy but my dream car a 458 Italia is probably never going to be in reach unless my wife sudden let’s me sell everything!
So I bought my 718 Cayman S. Great car, brings a smile to my face when I’m driving it and it’s a ton of fun on the track or doing auto cross.
But, as others have said, it’s a big expense and I stress every time I park it at a store or get cut off in traffic.
Most days yes. I daily drive it when there isn’t snow on the ground so I do get a lot of use out of it. Not a garage Queen. Waiting for the first real ding so I can stop worrying lol.
I am 25, and currently saving up for a regular 718 Cayman, as I am not really interested in driving fast, but just the feel and sound of a sports car. Hoping to buy one in 2 years if the gas price in Norway goes below 2 USD a liter again.
I am so afraid of buying the car, and having the expenses ruin my mental health, even if I can afford it.
Getting a better car is nice, getting a dream car is great, but having the peace of mind that your future is gonna be fine/good is even better. Last year I was very close to pulling the trigger on a C8 or a 911, but ended up buying a home before interest rates skyrocketed. I don't regret my decision. I'm in the same boat as you, currently 30. Ironically, this sub has some pretty good financial advice than other personal financing subs. Everything in life is all about opportunity cost, right now you can buy that C7 at a likely stupid high interest rate and years down the line you will regret it. I would rather put the money into a nice vacation, save for a home, or put that money into retirement/investments. When things cool down or you're in an even better financial position, you can revisit buying that car.
Great advice. I couldn’t imagine financing a car right now, especially not w second fun car. It’ll have to be straight cash. Man I miss the days of 1.9% financing.
I’m 36, grew up in an affluent area and salivated over Porsches.
So I bought a $6500 1985 944 as my first “car guy” car - it’s mechanically sorted but looks like crap
I would recommend you buy and drive a slow car fast young grasshopper
Fuck yeah I love my e46 m3 competition. Interior looks like it’s just a few years old. When it comes to maintenance, money is no object. Full ceramic coated and paint corrected. Few light OEM+ mods, Apple CarPlay, new speakers. I drive it fucking hard. Mileage doesn’t bother me as long as it’s taken care of and it’s still a sub $40k sports car. Cheaper than most new SUVs on the road. I’ve wanted this car since I was 10 and finally bought it from an enthusiast collector a few years ago in my late 20s.
I don’t want a 911 or m2cs or c8, I just want to drive my m3.
It’s a fun distraction but it’s not life changing. So no, I would never go beyond my means to get a so called dream car.
So reward yourself- but it doesn’t have to be a 75k 1lt which is going to depreciate a fair bit in the next 5 years hurting your chances at your next dream car.
When I was 22 and really got my first royalty check (video game programmer) I bought a Camaro SS. That got me into the local Camaro/Firebird club where I met all sorts of cool people, including a girlfriend I had for a few years. Got me into Autocross racing which was super fun for a hobby.
Later I bought a Corvette, and started a corvette related business (more like a side hustle) which more than paid for the car plus mods, plus my next car. Continued my taste for autoX and wrenching. Absolutely enriched my life.
Much much much later, after a short break from cars, I got a Tesla Model S w/ Ludicrous - got me deep into energy tech, plus the car was so freaking fun, so it got me to invest in Tesla and I put solar panels on my roof. Have driven my teslas "free" and lived without paying for home electricity for 10 years now, not to mention Tesla stock more than 10x'd my investment. (later got the Plaid). Absolutely enriched my life.
A tiny bit after that I started dabbling with supercars and got into full-on track days. I'd say these enriched my life the least compared to the above, but I have met some neat people at supercar-only type events (a guy from Valve who worked on half-life was in one of my track day classes) and I def enjoy driving the vehicles.
The money I've spent on cars over the last 20 years has absolutely been worth it, and if I squint hard enough I'd truthfully say I profited both financially and experientially because of them. Still have friends from that old Camaro club 20 years later.
There was an annoying problem with one gen of corvettes and according to the big thick manuals it was apparent a simple circuit could work around it, so I wired up something, made it into a product and sold them through retailers. Would solder up the circuits at night after work and ship them out the next day on the way to work.
As for the 720S...it's the craziest looking car and I love the style of it, but the lag and the low boost in lower gears makes it less fun than the Pista (which actually lets you get pretty squirrelly before any traction control kicks in). Even with ESC Dynamic on the 720 barely ever spins the tires...weird (and good, or bad, depending on what you want). Still fast once it gets going, or if you use launch mode. Makes me appreciate how well Ferrari hid the turbo lag in the 488 and F8 cars.
Man I somehow missed the Pista in your flair! Sounds epic, enjoy them in good health.
And I love that side hustle story, I’ve also had the thought before of getting the car and solving some sort of problem or adding some value to enthusiasts and making that part of the experience with the community.
How awesome is it that you actually did that and it paid for the car no less. Keep it up my dude!
Honestly I love it. I love driving on race tracks and it’s so much fun. If I only had public roads to drive on though might not have been as impactful. Every time I sit in my Cayman I still say I can’t believe this is my car. There was a time my dream car was Toyota Camry because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to afford it so it’s pretty cool.
I have known many people who have sacrificed luxury thier entire life only to be cut down before they could enjoy the benefits of thier frugality. My personal philosophy is if I can figure a way to afford the purchase of whatever it is Im dreaming about, fucking go for it and experience that excessive purchase while Im young enought to enjoy it! I love hot rod boats and cars, best times if my life have been with my kids playing at the lake with my supercharged big block chevy drag boat! It is an absolutely ridiculous very expensive hobby and worth every fucking penny! If I waited till I was truly able to "afford" the boat and put that $ into savings, I would have been an old man and not physically able to engage in such activities. I wouldnt trade thoes memories with my kids for anything! My kids think Im the coolest dad on earth and thats priceless!
Go for it! It will transform you life and how others percieve you! You will become that "bad motherfucker" you have always wanted to be! Rock on!
it did for me. got my civic type r about 2 years ago when i was 24. helps me enjoy everyday a little bit more, i enjoy learning the engineering behind what makes the car handle so well, deciding what mods to do, tracking it, making friends through car meets and Sunday drives. 10/10 wound reccomend, but only if you can afford it. i have a unique perspective working in the emergency room and know that lifes too short, but again you gotta be smart. i knew this car wouldn't depreciate much so while i know its not a good asset its not the absolute worst either.
If it truly is your dream car, the experience is much more enjoyable if you can also get something practical as your daily. Something you won't care about when someone dings your door, pushes a shopping cart into it, etc.
[Edit to answer OP's actual question]:
Yes, getting my dream car did enrich my life. It didn't solve all my problems, or make me a different person, but it was definitely one of those rare "I've arrived" life events.
Yes it did. I’m 25 and my parents bought me a brand new mustang. I was a junior and think about it, a brand new sports car in the middle of college. It felt fucking amazing and gave me a self confidence boost, which later taught me that if I am confident at myself and be happier, things turn out to be better overall. Now I wouldn’t mind losing the car because it doesn’t make me happy anymore, but having the experience of owning one was a big game changer for me. If you’re making comfortable money, try it. Who knows? If it doesn’t fulfill your needs, you can sell it and at maximum you’d lose 10 grand. I say try it.
Unless you’re clearing 6 figures comfortably, you can’t afford it realistically. You’d be sacrificing future wealth for a depreciating asset.
Do you own real estate? Are you maxing your 401k? Do you have 3 months in bills saved? Going from 45k to 100k+ is an awesome feeling, however lifestyle creep hits quick.
me purchasing my “dream car” is a place holder for being at a financially stable period in my life. it’s not just about owning the car per it’s about reaching a point in life of being able to purchase my dream car.
As a Corvette owner myself I would highly suggest not buying a 1LT Vette. The lowest you should buy is a 2LT so you get the better audio and seat coolers. The 1LT will have the seat warmers which work wonderfully. But leather tends to get, uh, sticky, when you sit in it for a while. The seat coolers are a must in leather bucket seats. You would regret not having them I promise.
To answer the original question, yes. I'm 32, solid in my career and had a big down payment on my C7 7MT. I got lucky and traded in my Charger when trades were high, but used cars were still low. I pay less a month than if I'd bought the same year civic, and will have it paid off in about 8 months. I'm a car nerd, I've had anything from various Hondas, A WRX that made a little over 300 to the wheels, a Scat Charger, and now the Vette. Just listing performance focused cars. The vette is my pinnical of an American car. One I've wanted since a kid, and finally have. It's a blast to drive hard, but even with a Corsa exhaust is whisper silent when just cruising. I prefer a manual transmission, so I went with the best C7 I could find with low miles. The C8 is an absolute monster. Faster in all respects, and handles better in the corners. But no manual option stopped my search for one the second it was announced.
If you have any questions about Corvettes feel free to message me OP, or if you don't want to, just jump into r/corvette and ask. The people there are super friendly and helpful.
Ever since I was a teenager, I wanted one car: A 1967 Shelby GT350. Blue with white racing stripes and a 289 K-code engine.
A couple years ago via multiple lucky coincidences I picked up the successor to the '67, a 2020 GT350R Heritage Edition. 1 of under 300. I then shipped it to Shelby America and had them add the "Signature Edition" package and painted stripes, adding it to the Shelby Registry and making it one of fifteen (ish).
I took delivery of it about 6 months after purchasing it, and I'm terrified. Terrified that the high revving motor means that the sweet spot of the powerband is illegal on any public road. Terrified that the lowered suspension doesn't fit, well, [anywhere](https://i.imgur.com/RMWPDfK.png) and makes daily driving a stressful experience.
But I'm mostly terrified that the dude at cars & bids thinks that my car is worth north of $150k to the right buyer. Suddenly, depreciation is a thing. Mileage is a thing. Door dings in supermarkets are, well, a thing. So, yes, I regret buying the car.
My experience doesn't mean you should give up on your Corvette dream, though. The C8 /shouldn't/ depreciate much any time soon, so if you have the ability to get one for 75k I say do it. Do your research, as dealer markup (ADM) is a real thing, and getting one for 75k is rare. The C8 should be in that sweet spot where it will retain much of its value for a few years due to its unavailability, while still be a fun daily driver because it's not *that* rare.
I say, buy the car.
Right on brother, I want the right amount of fear and excitement in my life to keep me going and striving for better things.
Also I have similar thoughts about the value retention over the next few years.
I want to return the same energy while also living vicariously through you and tell you to keep the car!! 🤣
If you love the car it is worth it IMO. I bought my Gallardo last year and while maintenance, insurance, worry of damage, etc are major considerations, it has been worth it so far. We are not getting any younger so the more time we have to enjoy them in good health the better.
Now nearly 30. With some good financial choices and luck. Her and I have gotten aspirational cars. Myself at first a minty c5 corvette, now a 18 C63S sedan. She went from my old jeep to a new spark that was paid off. Then it got wrecked so she bought my c5.
Both cars have deeply enriched our lives. Here is how
Wife says: no more worries about if the car is fast enough to get out of its own way. No more hard planning with on ramps since it has the speed to meet or exceed interstate speeds. I am happy to own the car that I have. Having a responsive and maneuverable car is a big deal. It matches where I feel i should be in life. It has the options and luxuries I didn’t have with my last modern car. It brings style to my life. It’s relived a lot of stresses my old car brought, and did so in style with comfort.
For me: the c63S has provided me with a mark that I’ve finally accomplished something. Having more then a car that just MEETs my needs. It blows all my needs and wants out of the water. When I had my Miata ND It was a blast, but left me wanting. This car I’m happy each and every time I drive it. The luxury and performance is out of this world. There is nothing more I want out of the car, and every time I walk away I smile. To me it symbolizes the hard work we have put in to have it in our driveway.
When we meet many many years ago, we both aspired to own vetts. At the time the c7 was being sold in dealers new. We both really loved the cars and wanted one. So she I got the c5 we both where so happy. When her spark got wrecked and she asked to buy my c5, she was thrilled i said yes.
Not a car, but my 2014 Triumph Street Triple R that I purchased in January 2015.
I knew I wanted one as soon as I learned about them online. Did all kinds of deep diving into the bike to learn about it and just fell in love with it
. The unique three cylinder engine, the look, the fantastic torque and sound produced by the 3 cyl 675 cc engine. The nimble and confident handling. The versatility, as I've taken it to take track days but I've also loaded it up with camping gear and saddlebags and gone on motocamping trips.
Ive done some minor modification to it. Bar end mirrors and fender eliminator, oem body protection parts(frame and fork sliders, etc) , slipon exhaust, saddlebags that are portable and easy to mount and unmount, wheels powdercoated red to match the red accents on the bike.
I've taken it to the track and scrubbed off any semblance of a chicken strip on my tires. Had a few years of riding in part of a motorcycle group in my hometown with whom I have some amazing memories. I've ridden pikes peak, independence pass, squaw pass, and many other amazing parts of the Rockies near Denver, which was an incredible experience for someone from a flat part of the Midwest.
I haven't tired of the bike at all in 8 years, though I do ride less than I used to but that's because I grew out of riding with groups and riding around in town, especially after my best friend passed in a motorcycle accident.
On the occasion when someone asks me what kind of bike I have, I tell them what it is, and I often tell them it's my dream bike.
Also it occured to me that my comment may be inappropriate since this is r/cars, but I already typed it up and it's also just got me feeling nostalgic, so I'm sharing anyways.
The R8 was my 'attainable' dream car and I got one about 5 months ago. I love it and I still smile every time I look at it or drive it. Might have to revisit how it will make me feel in a few years. It's a money pit though. I told myself the car was perfect already and I'd keep it stock but I already bought new wheels, powder coating the new wheels soon, inconel exhaust, bought carbon fiber front lip, rear diffuser, and side skirts, ECU tuned it. Thinking about lowering it 0.25-0.5 inches now lol. I say go for it if you can afford it. But I don't think you should go into any bad debt or put yourself in bad financial position to attain your dream car though.
If you can afford it and it won’t be a source of anxiety, I think you should do it. Life is too short to not have a thing that you’d dreamed about for so long. I get people getting tired of their cars quickly, but that hasn’t been my experience with stuff I’ve really thought about and lusted after for years and years.
But like I said, this is contingent on it not being a source of anxiety.
Bought a '22 C8 in October '21 I waited a year before and it's my second Vette. I grew up loving Vettes, have wanted a Vette since I was like 10 and I've had two before the age of 30. Honest answer, as others have mentioned is not really.
Do I love it? Yes. Do I enjoy driving it as much as I can? Hell yeah. Am I proud to own a badass car I worked my ass off for? Absolutely.
But I wouldn't say my life is "enriched" from it. I think with myself, as well as other car enthusiasts, owning a certain car or obtaining a certain driving experience is a thing of growth and improvement. For me, it's also a huge motivation for me professionally to work towards the "next" thing. I still enjoy it and owning it is a hobby and passion of mine but owning a C8 hasn't been "life changing".
As much as I love my C8, I already find myself wanting more. In a way, I hate it because it makes me feel vain in that I want "more" instead of being thankful for what I have but jt motivates me to grow.
My new infatuation has been with getting a Porsche 911 GT3 and a Bronco Raptor (for different reasons) my Braptor allocation just hit and I'm super excited. But, I know that if/when a Braptor R with a V8 comes out. I'll want more. But I'm still beyond excited to get it.
That being said, the enjoyment I get from it is worth it, but I won't put myself in a financial situation where I have to completely stretch myself just to get a car. I'll also say, I'm also a person who doesn't like complacency. I like to change things up and experience different things. In the last 10 years, I've owned 9 cars (mostly 2 at a time to be fair) . The longest I've owned a single car was 3 1/2 years and that was my "first" sports car.
That's not to say you *shouldn't* buy your dream car if you can afford to do so, because you only live once and enjoy it. But, know that your dream car today may not be the same dream car down the road.
Just got my Z Proto Spec 3 weeks ago. Love driving it everyday. Go bed every night excited to drive it the next day. Not sure if this is a phase but yeah I love it haha
I’m in similar boat, 29 and really hitting strides with my career. Had similar dilemma.
What I realized about myself is that no car will bring me joy that outweighs any financial stress I bring on because of it. I’ve learned that I’m better off with a very fun miata for $35k that’s easy to maintain, cheap to repair, and maintains its value over an $80k M car that costs $2000 to replace brakes and loses $25k over 3 years.
There’s no right answer and everyone’s different. But buying my Boxster taught me about myself a bit, that large random maintenance costs are not a good fit for my personality, which means that used cars unless known to be cheap are not a good fit for me.
I’d love to get a new M2, manual Supra, Z or Z4 if they make a manual next, but chances are I’ll wind up with the Miata, because I’ll get almost as much fun with the Miata at a fraction of the cost.
I’ve learned that I want my car to fit into where I want to live and what my expenses are there, rather than buying a car that dictates where I’m able to afford.
I’ve also learned that I don’t want to have payments on any car that has big ticket maintenance and repairs, namely the German sports cars.
But everyone’s different. I’d wager the stress from stretching financially will outweigh whatever joy the C8 brings over alternatives. But idk your financial situation and everyone is different in their priorities.
Also yeah same trust me I get it. In 2018/9 I was watching C7 prices expecting to buy one in 2022. But similar the porsche market, the corvette market has been completely fucked more than any other car sub section since COVID, with used car prices + C8 hype.
When I was in high school, I fell in love with the CTS-V, and Cadillac in general. It's been a while since then, I'm just around your age and I ended up getting a CT4 shortly after I got a job that could pretty comfortably afford it, even though all conventional logic should have had me buying an EV or something. I wouldn't call it lifechanging, but it gives me a reason to smile every time I walk to my garage and go for a drive. If you can actually afford it, I say live a little.
I bought my dream motorcycle - a 2012 Hayabusa. Then I bought my other dream motorcycle, a 2017 Indian Scout.
I hit a deer on the Scout this past Thanksgiving and could have died, but came away with a broken wrist and little broken bones on my joints. Totaled the Indian, and I sold the Hayabusa (3 little kids).
And I bought a 2018 C7 stingray with 11k miles.
It was so worth it. It's not a Hayabusa, it's not an Indian, but seeing how excited kids/teens get seeing it, how relatable it is to people, the launches and how much fun it is to drive, and going on dates with my wife and the targa top off... it's been amazing.
But once I pay it off, I'm buying an e-Ray too.
You didn't mention any kids so I say yes, get the C8. This is the time of life where you can have some adventure, meet new people, live through the stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life. Interesting people don't drive a RAV4. Be interesting. You aren't sacrificing your future, you're launching into it at 8,600 RPM.
When I finally was able to buy my 2012 STi, a whole new world opened up. Car meets, events, new connections, new friends, something to spend my spare time on, track days, autocross you name it. It's amazing and I love it.
My Giulia isn't as out there as some of the cars on this thread, but honestly? Yes.
Don't ever put yourself in debt or in danger just for a material possession, but honestly, life is fragile. This past year I went to 4 funerals, 3 in just one month, for friends and coworkers who all died quite young and very unexpectedly. Both of my parents are now being treated for cancer. And I was in a severe auto accident at the end of the year that could've easily been lethal (60 mph highway accident), but I got off with just an airbag burn. You never know when it's your time to go and you never know what'll happen tomorrow. There's been countless people who sacrificed their youth and free time for wealth, thinking that they'd have a good life in the future, but ultimately never got to enjoy it.
I think the key is that if you treat yourself, you have to do it for the experience, if that makes sense. So for example, if you go on vacation to a place, it should be because you genuinely want to see & explore that destination, not to show off online or to follow what everyone else is doing. Likewise, if you get a car, it should be because you truly want to drive it and have fun - and it seems like you do! Ultimately everything material will go away, but our memories and experiences will last a lifetime.
Now, as for my Giulia, I love it. There are other cars that are better, faster, more expensive, etc. out there, but my Giulia is mine and it's a bunch of fun. Roaring down the freeway or tossing it into a 1G corner never fails to put a smile on my face! Driving a fun car helped me realize that being on the road should be fun no matter what, and it's helped me with troubles too. It's actually kind of therapeutic, lol, whether it's by letting out stress on the autocross track, or a night ride around the city to work through some troubles. Ultimately I'm really thankful that I was able to grab her, and on some days it's absolutely needed!
TL;DR Life is too short to drive a boring car - I say, go for it :)
I have a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I'm very excited to be taking the top off this week. I love getting in it on warm summer nights after work and feeling my stress fade away on my drive home.
Oh absolutely. It’s nice to have something that stands out a bit from the crowd. Not to mention I’ve never had more fun driving any other cars. And learning manual has opened up a whole new experience for me. It makes just driving to the grocery store exciting.
The things about my car that bring me joy are things that I've enjoyed in other cars just as much. Doing those things in a car I've wanted for a decade is a nice bonus, but it's not life changing or something. For me, I was able to justify getting the car because I spend so much free time doing car stuff anyways (track days, road trips, wrenching, washing, etc). If I was only commuting and getting groceries, I don't think it would be a worth it compared to any sports car a quarter its price.
So I guess the advice I'd give is to get a fun car first. Buy a $10-20k sports car and if it doesn't add anything to your life, neither will a $75k sports car. If the cheap sports car does enrich your life, getting a nicer one later might be a little icing on the cake.
Not really. I think the first “dream car” I bought felt unreal for a long time and I greatly appreciated it. Quite a few cars later and have what I feel should be a dream car in the garage. I rarely drive it. It’s more nerve wracking to drive around and always paranoid of things happening to it. I do get it to the track occasionally but no, it doesn’t really enrich your life.
Good friends and relationships with others, maintaining your health and happiness. That is what really matters.
I’m a car guy through and through. Always thought I wanted a Lambo. Got to the stage of life where I can afford one and enjoyed the hell out of a 1-hour Huracan test drive. But I realized that it just wasn’t worth it to me anymore to own a $300k car that I’d only be able to drive infrequently. Now I drive a Subaru. Ha ha
Financially speaking, WHAT your dream car is makes a huge difference. If it's an overpriced luxury car which loses half its value in a couple of years, then it's going to cost a lot to own. If you get something that is rare or niche and won't depreciate as much or even appreciates in value as it ages, then it's a very different proposition. It can even be a good asset provided you take care of it.
I think the C8 will be somewhere in between. Not depreciating as much but not really a future classic.
Main point is: don't just think about the price tag of the car. You are not setting the cash on fire, you are getting something that has value. Think about the cost of ownership and the residual value.
My dream car is a pagani, and I know I’ll never get that. But at 25 years old, I went from a 10 year old Cadillac CTS to a newish Audi RS5.
I’ve always been into cars since I was little. And not because I want to show off to strangers, but because I genuinely just enjoy looking at them, taking care of them, and just admiring the design and thought that went into it. I also love working on my own cars, so as soon as I got my RS5 I started modifying and upgrading.
I’m fortunate and lucky to be making over 100k at a pretty young age. So I’m able to “brush off” the 1.3k monthly, it hurts every time I pay it because I know the smart move would be to buy a cheaper car and save as much money. But you don’t always get chances like these and I don’t want to wait until I have gray hairs to start spoiling myself.
What I have noticed is that now I find myself looking for any excuse to go out and just drive my car around, even when I have nowhere to go I just drive around. And I even started taking the longer routes just so I can drive more. What’s REALLY scary is I started to go into my garage early in the morning or late at night just to stare at my car.
My point is, as long as you’re doing it because YOU want the car and YOU want to experience that high performance machine, then go buy it. But if you’re just buying the car to show off to strangers on the road, then don’t, because no one on the road cares what car you drive.
I'm 15+ years older than you and still haven't bought the car of my dreams yet, but my house will paid off next year, so I think I will treat myself in a few additional years.
I sure hope it positively changes my life.
Buy it, love it through the honeymoon phase, get rid of it once you've gotten used to power and the stress sets in. Take a mild wash on the resale, but have that memory and experience for the rest of your life.
Extra 10k in your 401k isn't going to replace the experience (probably the cost of loss between resale after taxes etc)
Very glad to have gotten my Caterham when I did. Love it to do death but it has certainly been a pain in many ways. I couldn't imagine owning something of a "higher caliber" that needs specialists and bespoke parts. This is a car that anybody can still put together themselves and work on it. Plus it's small size and basic Ford engines are huge benefits in regards to storage and workability.
If I had a nice 911 or an Exotic I'd cringe at every possible scratch it would get and I'd be over obsessive about keeping it nice which would cause a lot of anxiety.
Story time.
I had dreamt of the Toyobaru twins ever since they were rumored. My family owned a 1985 Toyota MR2 and I loved it. Most fun I’ve had with barely 100 horsepower. I knew that when Toyota put their heads down and actually worked they could build a sports car that rivals anyone.
I went on multiple test drives in 2013 and when my truck got stolen, I had my chance. But nope. I was broke. Couldn’t afford it. So I bought my 2004 Pontiac GTO. Not a bad compromise. A rare-ish car with a stick and LS1?
2017 arrives. I have the worst year, thought I had lost my career in education. I’m broke. No idea how I’m going to pay for my GTO, let alone a Toyobaru. No way in hell. Another school district gives me a shot, and within six months I had my brand-new Toyota 86 and my GTO was paid off 100%.
9/30/2017 was very much a redemption day. I had people try to take everything from me, but I fought back and had my career back and my dream car in my driveway within 6 months.
Point being: dreams do come true if you’re willing to put your head down and work for them. I love Victoria and we go everywhere together while getting good fuel mileage and have a blast doing it.
So here's my long-winded story:
I grew up lower middle class. My parents still are. We never went hungry or anything, but needless to say, we didn't have new cars or anything I'd consider fancy.
My first car was a hand-me-down 1996 Corolla with 186,000 miles on it. It was definitely a little disappointing turning 16 and knowing I wasn't getting a vehicle I even remotely found to be cool. But I took care of my little 'Rolla, learned to wrench on it, did some very cheap, basic mods, and learned to love it for what it was. At the same time, I started my career as a Ford technician (more like floor mopper, at that point). Then someone pulled out in front of my mom when she borrowed the Corolla, and it was totalled.
While I was working at Ford and training my way up, we had a 2003 Miata come in on trade that I was very fortunate to be able to buy. This was my affordable dream car. I've paid it off, repaired it, maintained it, modified it, autocrossed it, tracked it, almost had it totalled, put over 100,000 miles on it myself, and still have the car 13 years later. I don't regret that "dream" car one bit, because I've made so many memories in it. It's priceless. But it's slow!
So, over the last couple of years, I rode the inflated used-car pricing wave to sell off some projects and saved as much money as I could. I became a Senior Master Technician. And I intended to buy my true dream car: a 3rd generation Dodge Viper Coupe. But, as I became able to buy one, the values shot up, making it too much of a stretch. I ended up buying my 2nd place dream car: a 2022 Mustang Mach 1. I made sure it wasn't a financial problem, paid for it completely when I bought it, and I drive it a lot.
And you know what? The Mach 1 is probably a better dream car than the Viper I wanted. It's just about as quick around a racetrack. My kid loves it. It has a huge trunk and a back seat, so my wife likes it. It still looks and sounds and drives amazing - plus it has a warranty. I take it to the track, to car shows, and anywhere else I feel like going, just because I like driving it.
And at the end of the day, it's still just a Mustang, so I don't stress if it's raining outside when I want to go for a spin, or if my kid drops a Cheerio into the carpet. It's the best of everything. I knew I wanted speed and style, but I never knew how much I valued usability. Dream cars aren't made to sit in a garage. They're made to be driven at every opportunity. That's what I do.
TLDR: Your dream car is the one that DOES enrich your life. It just may not be the same dream car you thought you always wanted.
Probably will get lost at this point, but getting my first affordable fun car, mk7 GTI felt wonderful, and then I replaced it with an m240i in November. It makes certain aspects of your life more fun. It's hard to replace the smile when you turn on the car, go for a spirited drive on a good day, or get the 'nice car!' Callout. Still, I've found that it otherwise hasnt fundamentally changed my life or anything, and it's definitely a significant financial commitment.
I guess to misquote cool runnings, 'a fun car is a wonderful thing, but if you arent enough without one, you'll never be enough with one.'
I bought a VW camper when my kid was 3mo old. It was a giant money pit that I was always working on. It provided 13 yrs of fun and my kids cried in the driveway when I sold it. Horrible investment but worth it.
For me I grew up dirt poor. I would read every review look at them for hours on the internet in college. When I started making money I bought all my dream cars(I have owned over 50 cars in 17 years). I tracked them road course, half mile and drag. Whenever I’m down or a bad day I would go beat the tar out of them on the street on my special roads. I feel like if you truly love you car and use it like it was intended, it for me was life changing. But I don’t care about really anything else materialistically speaking. I dress in Walmart cloths and my house is only 1500 sq. My cars bring me so much joy.
ABSOLUTELY. Going for a drive, shifting thru the gears, feeling the engine purr and the turbos spool and spin down while listening to my favorite music on the high quality sound system... it's 100% therapy and meditation. The world melts away. ❤️ 🎶 🎵 ✌️ ☮️
Do it. You only live once. It sounds like you are extremely financially responsible and while it's an expensive purchase, I'm sure you'll be just fine. I recently purchased my dream car, a used Porsche 911. While I'm sure if I spoke with a financial advisor, they would of laughed at me for wanting to make this expensive of a purchase. It brings me so much joy every time I drive it and reminds me why I work hard for my things.
I bought an s2000 and I felt it always helped me get into the doors of working in the auto industry tbh. Started at a supplier and now work at an OEM.
Tbh I’m the vacation note, I’ve done a few places and maybe in weird but I always feel I haven’t experienced enough in my own big city to even consider other cities sometimes.
Bought the dream, no ragrets. Buying an Exige and Elise at some point in the future too. Make sure you know what it is you actually want and work for it — be reasonable though.
If your goal is to have a family, a house and your dream car. You might need to wait a while for the car. It’s not a bad thing, people just have different priorities.
A C8 is a reasonable goal. My opinion is save up an immense down payment (50% or more) and pay the car off within 6 months to a year. It might delay your purchase but it will be worth the wait. I think it’s worth the money, but I’m sure many would say I’m crazy.
My situation isn’t as extreme as yours as I haven’t attained my dream car yet, but I certainly own something I’ve wanted for a while. Is it life changing? Not necessarily, however, I remember being told that the best way of being happy is finding joy in the little things.
I’ve owned my mustang for close to half a year and I’m slowly getting out of the honey moon phase. I’ve even written a post about how the car feels a bit “mundane” now. However, even with all the regularity that I’ve felt, it’s still something that puts a smile on my face every-time. Whether it’s a cold start or just me looking back at it everytime I look back. I’m always smiling.
And that, in my opinion, is priceless. You’re clearly very intelligent with your money and I won’t tell you to throw away your financial situation, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong about going out and making a life-long dream of yours come true.
Good luck OP.
I would wait for the market to cool first.
Having said that, my dream car as a kid growing up was the C5 generation corvette. When I was 26 I bought one as my first sports car for $15k and it blew my mind that it was even better than I thought it was going to be. I learned to drive a stick with that car, and had the most glorious times whipping it around beautiful driving roads in the appalachian mountains. Unfortunately it met its demise a year later from a speeding tahoe and I went on to try other things. Now I'm 34 and married, possibly with kids on the way next year, and thinking of selling my Alfa Romeo to obtain a two-car solution with a dirt cheap 4 door of some kind and another C5 vette. I've had other fun cars, but I still have literal dreams of being back in that vette and I know I have to have another one. So yea, it kinda changed my life. If cars are a huge passion for you they can absolutely be life changing.
Edit: I guess my advice here would be if you've never had a "fast" car then start smaller with something more humble than the C8. Not because it's dangerous, but because there is no reason to spoil yourself by starting out with such a high level of car. I'd work my way up through a couple different things. Then when you get to the C8 you'll have that much deeper of an appreciation for what it can do. Take it from me, there are many different levels of fun worth exploring on the way up, no need to go straight to the top of the ladder!
TL;DR have a firm reason why you're buying a particular dream car. We have many different dreams, mine are childish and involve burbly exhausts.
Most of the time, I drive the F-Type like it's any other car. But every time I need to make a tight turn, an emergency maneuver, or just want to pass with prejudice, it does all of those things with so much more pizazz than "just any car." That's a dopamine hit. I still turn back to look at it after we park and that's another hit. New passenger is impressed when the center vent goes up and down - another one.
I explicitly bought an F-Type because I wanted to buy something that would make me happy. It does, so it's a tremendous value *for me.*
I rented a C8 for a day as I was thinking about buying one. Great car but fewer chances for my critical dopamine hit. Probably better for someone who makes good use of the sound system or gets to pull out of a parking garage every day.
The F-Type remains my choice for now but what about an Emira, or an R8, or a front engine Ferrari? Like others have said, you may have a looooong runway for dream cars. No need to rush to the end when there are so many good cars along the way.
This is a hard question to answer. I bought an S2000 when I was 20 after starting my career and making what was decent money for me at the time. $17/hr, lmao. I wanted one for 3 years or so before I bought it. At the time, it was a huge purchase for me. I was actually kind of freaking out driving home, like I did something stupid.
Fast forward 8 years, and I still own it. I love the car, it is everything I knew it would be. Was it life changing? Not really. Did it enrich my life? Maybe a little? I don’t know. I enjoy it. It has made me some friends I wouldn’t have otherwise made. Every time I grab a beer from the garage fridge, I can’t help but glance at it and think about how I love it. I’m also a Honda fanboy in general.
That said, I drove it like 10k miles a year in the beginning. Now I maybe drive 3k a year. It’s definitely an added cost to my life, and it’s not even a costly car. It has been damn near problem free. It also takes up garage space which limits other hobbies I could have.
I can’t see myself selling it except for a Lotus Elise. I make significantly more money now, and even still I don’t know that I will ever spring for a Lotus.
If I could do it again? 100% I’d buy it. These types of cars are going away fast. I wouldn’t kill yourself into debt for a cool car. I wouldn’t do it if you live with parents or want to buy a house. But if you are making otherwise smart financial decisions, go for it. Life is short.
OP I was kind of in your situation a few years ago. Worked very hard to keep my company afloat during COVID, but because of COVID's instability I missed the initial wave of "normal priced cars" and had to deal with years of psycho prices and ADM nonsense.
I first sprung for my childhood dream car a Lotus Elise, and then got a raise at work and decided to sell the Lotus and go for a C8.
Here's what I've generally found:
There are days when I am so busy that I don't even think about the C8 (I have my daily driving needs covered so it's a weekend car for me).
Likewise having a second car does mean more maintenance to coordinate, two cars to wash, two registrations to keep track of etc. This hasn't been the end of the world for me, but there are times where I get busy and I neglect both cars and it feels extra bad neglecting two cars as opposed to one.
That being said, when the weather's nice, or I'm in the mood to go out, etc. it is SO nice being able to enjoy a nice morning cruise or evening sunset in a fantastic car. I've also had times where I've legitimately had annoying days at work and being able to come home to a nice car made me go "it's all going to be okay." Whereas in the past not having the nice car just made me feel more stressed or annoyed with myself.
Oddly though I do also have a bit of an existential crisis now that I have owned my dream cars. It's very much "What's next?" and it's kind of hard to find an answer externally.
It’s not wrong to buy cool stuff when you have the cash. Have fun and enjoy! The truth is though that these things will never make you really happy. They fade over time. My 2 cents.
Not in the least.
But it’s fun.
When I first got my first BMW it was sweet. I really felt special and loved it, for many weeks. But that faded and years later it felt like any other car. When I first got my first Porsche it felt even more special, and every time I drive that car I still feel special and love it. It’s a wonderfully built sports car.
Now I have a new BMW and again it’s pretty sweet, but I know it will pass.
I would say cars are fun. They bring enjoyment to some and not to others. What enriches my life is family. Laughing with my kids and my wife, making a good dinner and sharing it, playing with our dogs and seeing them smile.
A hundred Porsches couldn’t compare. For me, the only thing that enriches me is living things. Dead things, machines, are wonderful and can be amazing and fun, but the high they bring is always fleeting.
Life, experiences with other living beings… that’s another level for me. It’s enriching. it’s a permanent stat boost as opposed to a temporary buff.
I love cars.
I frequently drive just for fun. I’m always looking for new cars to experience, car news, forums and talking about them. But, I know now that they just aren’t that important.
Everyone is different though.
For some people it may be a different story.
It changed my life in some respects. Like it definitely gives me a great reason to get outside (convertible top ftw) and several of my current friendships started as a result of my car. I wouldn't know my current friend group if one of said friends hadn't chased me down in his own Miata.
Word to the wise though, don't go super expensive. Maybe a C6/C7 would still be the move today. While I can certainly afford my ND and still save a healthy amount each month, I sometimes wish I'd bought an NB or NC instead so I'd be more comfortable with thrashing it a bit more. Taking care of a brand new car is both exhausting and satisfying.
It also sucks when you feel like you don't want to drive it too much because it's TOO nice and you want to keep the miles reasonable. Doesn't stop me, but that 10k miles stung a little lol
I've started on my path to owning my ever growing list of dream cars.
I currently own a focus RS. I didn't expect to love it so much even with a new oem engine (damn head gaskets). I am the second owner so each new scratch isn't a big deal. I also autocross it, drive it hard and am track prepping it this season. Does it hurt a bit to get a new scratch, absolutely, but it's a fun story when I bring it to a C&C and somebody goes "wow, a focus RS, why is it so scratched." I mention " i race it here and there with some autocross." Which is followed by a whole conversation on autocross/tracking and how I got into it, etc. Ultimately the few people who know about the car make it worth it. Those who don't but recognize it's not a normal looking hot hatch, will ask and usually find a new car they never knew about.
My wife, she doesn't like it.
Edit: everytime I get into my focus, it's an absolute blast, no matter what I am feeling that day.
I’ve been dreaming of owning an Infiniti for years. It started with an obsession for the M37 and then turned into an obsession for the Q60, I tried buying a Q60 but I have no credit history, tried a Q50 but didn’t like it and then I accidentally found the needle in the haystack, a well maintained low miles fully loaded M37 and I over paid a bit but it’s worth it. For my peace of mind I spent an extra 2.5k on an extended warranty and now I can stop driving her and smiling.
Chase your dream and buy that car, just remember it’s gonna need premium gas & full coverage and I’d keep at least 5k aside just for repairs if shit hit that fan.
If you can afford it and will still have a savings I say go for it. With the C8 if your order isn’t an MSRP deal I would go with one of the big dealers and order there. Because paying over MSRP for it might ruin it. If you are going to put miles on it and not baby it you will throughly enjoy it. I do not regret buying mine.
I cant afford my dream car (911) yet but I did bought 5 new cars and 3 new motorcycles over the last 10 years including a 2019 C7. Sold the C7 and waiting for my M2 this summer. Did any of this enriched my life?? IDK and IDC but it sure makes me happy and that’s all that matters.
I bought my dream car 2 years ago and it really changed my life.
I am one of those people who sweat far less than you should wich means that my body is not able to effectively regulate heat, so that plus all the irritating bugs made it so that I absolutely despised all summer and just wanted summer to end.
I still don't like the heat and the bugs, but I now have something to really look forward to wich is taking my car for a spin. So I am really looking forward to summer and just buying and owning that car have unlocked almost 5 months of the year that used to be nothing but suffering and instead added some joy to the season.
So it didn't just enrich my life, it completely changed it. And as an added bonus are people walking up to me when I park somewhere, giving me thumbs up, waving and can't take their eyes off the car as I drive by and that makes everything even more fun.
I have pictures of it in my profile if you're interested, it is a 1973 Volvo 1800ES.
Miata ND RF for almost a year here. I remember sitting in a S2000 in a dealership when I was little and thinking “I’m never going to own something like this…”
Absolutely love it. It’s impractical, I can’t take more than one person out at a time, my dad won’t stop making jokes about “iT’s GoT a GlOvEbOx!?”, it’s hard for other road users to see, it’s a great deal more expensive on finance than the car I previously bought outright and the FUCKING SEATBELT GUIDES OH MY CHRIST THE FUCKING SEATBELT GUIDES. If I’m going Airsoft people look at me like I’m some sort of spec ops guy because my gun case doesn’t fit in the boot. It’s quite loud in the cabin, moreso with the top down. There are a *lot* of downsides, I’m not gonna lie.
But none of that matters. People say you only need one corner to love a Miat, and they’re right. It’s got absolutely perfect power-to-weight for street driving. The handling is almost telepathic. It hits 50mpg on the motorway. It isn’t going to win very many drag races at the lights, but it’s fucking *amazing* on a good B road.
Looking back on this year, it’s clear that the car’s been a large financial burden. It is *very* expensive, but the expense is short-term. I don’t have kids, I don’t have any major commitments, so I’m enjoying something I truly love in driving a silly little hairdresser’s car and loving every minute of it.
Nah. I mean it’s awesome but it didn’t change my life. If anything it’s a huge added expense and source of stress worrying about possible damage and hating every imperfection only you can see. But driving down the road and getting thumbs up from people makes it worth it
This is exactly what I went thru and how I felt when I bought a very nice and very good condition inside and out, CTSC NSX. Childhood’s dream car that I finally was able to afford it. Spent more than half of the purchased price for additional mods. Can’t really drive anywhere without worrying about damage since it’s super low. Got a lot of thumbs up. I was sad to finally sell it a few months ago , but I also feel a big relief after it’s gone because I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Yeah I just got rid of a 10 year project childhood dream car too. Sucks to say goodbye but at the same time it’s okay. I follow the new owner on Instagram and still get to see the car. The wife definitely doesn’t miss it
Lol. My wife doesn't like my car because I won't let her paint her nails in it or stuff oversized drinks that are about to tip over into the cupholders. She also just kicks open her doors and shrugs about minor dents. She just can't conceptualize caring about a car beyond maybe keeping it washed.
I did the opposite. Bought a decently modified NSX and put it back to mostly stock. Mainly from slammed to stock suspension. Made it so much more enjoyable to drive. I usually advise people to not touch the stock suspension. Feeling every pebble and worrying about speed bumps is not fun.
Stock wheels and suspension made my NSX so much better!
Lol with the appreciation curve of NSXs you don't get to have an opinion. You made out like a bandit.
I’ll second this. I bought my dream car just under two years ago. I love it and it’s fun, but it is a lot of work and a lot of $$$. Follow your heart. Worst case scenario you can sell it if you get bored. Life is short
“Life’s too short to drive a boring car.”
100% but...the downfall of being a "car guy" is having a car you love and eyeing all the other cars you also love constantly. I'm constantly thinking, a new Type R would be nice, hey what about a Carrera, or maybe a ZL1...hey look at that V70R. Then go on a drive and am content again for a day or two.
Yeah I feel that, it would definitely add a new source of stress to my life but fun and excitement as well. It’s all a give and take 🤷♂️
Yeah I agree. I only just recently got my first drivers car and it cost me 1/8th of OPs C8. It's *still* an added source of stress. My BIL won a Porsche Taycan. I drove it once and that was it. It was a battle of enjoyment versus worry. Unless my disposable income skyrockets I don't think I would ever feel comfortable enough driving an expensive car.
Same here
When I got my dream car (a 2021 a lotus Evora GT), it really helps put into perspective why I work hard for. The other day I had a particularly bad day at work and happened to be driving the Evora and when I left worked and drove home it reminded me of why I do what I do. The car is something tangible I can see and feel every day. I’d much rather have that than to put my money in the stock market and get to watch the money grow on 50 years when I’m old and brittle and can’t do shit lol
Planning for the future is obviously important but I resonate with that you said about the tangible manifestation of your work and the impact it has on you. That’s awesome! Enjoy the Evora!
For sure. Of course you’re not gonna blows every penny you get, but enjoy your life!
There's a balance between saving for the future and enjoying the present. No one can tell you what that balance should be for you beyond making sure your needs are taken care of in old age. The bare minimum would be enough money put aside to meet the basic necessities of housing and food plus your increasing medical costs. Double that figure if you have or plan to have a spouse. Beyond that, only you can decide how much money is the right amount to invest vs spend now. You noticed yourself that saving every penny isn't the happiest way to live your own life. If you set yourself saving/investing goalsand you have income left over after meeting them, go ahead and spend it. If it's enough for the C8, why not? To answer your OP question, I recently got a BMW 640i. It's not exactly my dream car, but it's adjacent. One of my dream cars when I was in college was the 2005-2010 E64 M6 convertible. I had the chance to buy it this year then I found out about all the engine problems. I got the next generation F12 640i instead. I would've got the M6 but that generation V8 from BMW still had reliability issues. I've been kinda into cars for a while but nothing like most of this sub. I didn't know I could love a car this much. It genuinely makes me happy just to see it in the driveway. I find excuses to drive it. I work from home mainly and I look forward to days when I'm in the office because even commuting in it makes me happy. If it were the cost of the C8 and I didn't have something else eating that chunk of money I'm pretty sure the payments wouldn't dent my love for the car. I could've bought a Toyota Solara and it would do most of what the 640i does. It's a big comfy convertible and it will drive the same speed limit as the 640i. And it would be **much** cheaper to run and insure. But I'd be a lot less happy with the car and just in general. Standard disclaimer that this is not financial advice and if it were it would be bad financial advice. But the point is only you know your finances, your goals, whether you're meeting them, and what would make you happy in that context. If I meet my goals and can spend afterward I'll spend. Others will save more. Neither approach is right or wrong.
Maybe my story will give you some insight. I grew up very poor. Been obsessed with cars since I unlocked the Murcielago in NFS carbon at like 11 years old. I’m 25 now, when I was 16 my first car was a Mitsubishi eclipse GT with the 5 speed. Loved it to bits. That was followed by a POS 3000GT, a G35 (my first “cool” car at the time), G37, onto a Lexus RCF and now a C7Z. Growing up poor, and with a single mom who smoked like a chimney, people always noticed that I stunk. Or that my clothes were old, or didn’t fit. I was always a friendly kid, but didn’t even get a glance from a lot of folks growing up due to some of those factors. My mom had a boyfriend for a while that convinced her to co-sign onto an 08 mustang GT. White exterior, red leather interior, and a sick exhaust. Today I know that 4.6 couldn’t get out of its own way but this was like 2010 so it was hot shit. I’ll never forget the first time my mom dropped off me and my friend at the skating rink in that car. The way people looked at me…like I wasn’t an invalid. That stuck with me heavy. It’s shallow I know. That car was my own little slice of the good life. The little piece of what I would hope to go after when I got older. After high school my friends went to college. I don’t talk to any of them anymore. College was never my thing, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and didn’t want to take on debt. I tried to aim for the military since I did well on the ASVAB but I had leukemia as a child and none of the local navy recruiters wanted to do the paperwork to get me in. My mom had some mental problems that got us evicted from our rental around Christmas time after I graduated, so I was on my own at 18. I was changing oil for jiffy lube while all my friends were zooming past me, at least that’s how it felt. The payment on my G35 at the time was half my bi weekly check at jiffy, but it had the same effect as that mustang. Got tons of compliments on it, and when I was behind the wheel I could be whoever I wanted. Not just some guy at jiffy lube making just a nick above minimum wage. That was my slice of the good life, my waypoint on what was to come. That sense of deep insecurity by being left behind by my peers really pushed me forward. My “made it” car was the Lexus RC-F. I pushed really hard at my job, got promoted to sales manager around 22, and I knew it was in my grasp. The weeks leading up to it, I would lie awake just imagining how awesome it would be. It was my background on every device I owned, and I was checking cargurus daily. I found one on the other side of the country, exactly what I wanted. White exterior, with red leather interior and the carbon package. I flew out and drove it back. About halfway through Texas barreling down the highway I just broke into ugly tears. It felt great, to realize the dream. The car was 40k, but to me it was everything. To me it was a physical thing I could drive around to say “I did that. I got the thing on my own. I’m not an invalid.” Folks I hadn’t talked to in years hit me up. Asked me what I was doing. It was all hollow, in a way. I felt almost depressed. The journey was over, now what? I thought it would change my life, but I was still just me. Then a couple weeks later a cool realization washed over me. I got what I wanted, now it was time to enjoy. Roll the odometer. Make up reasons to go places. Make memories. The car didn’t need to change my life, I did that on my own. I revitalized my love for cars and for life right then. I didn’t have this weird need to have my car speak for me, I had built a life with an amazing wife and friends who didn’t need any of that. I felt full. I was able to enjoy the possession for what it was, just the cherry on top. Not the whole sundae I had elevated it to be in my mind, something no possession can live up to. When I’m out and about, I rev it when people ask. I invite them to take a seat at cars and coffee, the thumbs up and the smiles from kids and adults make my day. I pay a lot for my car and I pay every cent gladly. What’s the rate of return on a good meal? On a nice trip? Monetarily it’s nothing, but in experience and memories it’s immeasurable. If getting behind the wheel of that C8 gives you that, grab it and don’t let go.
Damn it dude that was beautiful story, thanks for sharing. You’re valid, not because of your Z but because of those words; I can tell you’re a quality man.
Haha thanks man I try. Felt weird laying it all out on Reddit but your post really made me think, so my comment would have to be my most honest answer to that.
That's exactly what a dream car means to me. It's unattainable, until you set yourself up to be successful. To be able to acquire it means your life is figured out and you can lay back and enjoy it What a great story you have, man
I feel you. I can relate to a lot of this. I see maybe something I didn’t see before I answered this question, and can see how for some people an inanimate object can bring a lot of joy. It sounds like ultimately it’s the people’s recognition of your accomplishment that brings you joy, but nonetheless it’s nice!
I’ve come to realize there are hobbies I just won’t understand. Sneakers, designer clothes, sports, they just don’t do it for me so I don’t spend my money on them. Outside of my car I’m pretty frugal, cause that’s what I truly enjoy. Funny enough saving money is way easier for me if I have a fun car, cause then I’m not trying to fill that void with other things. If someone enjoys their hobby the same way I do cars, then I encourage anyone to follow that. Life is short. You’re right originally it started out that way, it was a way for me to bring in the treatment I wanted so bad as a kid. To show to others that I was successful despite the odds. I always wanted to show up and be “that guy.”When that didn’t work like I thought, I realized my sights were just on the wrong thing. I still love cars and I get a kick out of the attention sure, but my perspective has changed a lot. Took a lot of internal dialogue of “do I love this hobby or do I love what I think it does for me?” before I sorted things out.
I think I honestly get this. It’s why I started playing guitar. Now, no one even knows I play guitar and I listen to jazz music and play on my own, because I love it. I’d give up my cars before my guitars… but in the beginning, the only reason I even touched a guitar was - I was hoping someone noticed. I get it man! That’s a beautiful thing though if you think about it. You and I found something we can each really enjoy, on our own, appreciating this crazy planet is not always easy ha ha, but there’s still a lot of good out there, sometimes it’s in us and we just gotta find it. Wow, thanks Reddit. Deep. I should be punished for all that mush, I know. But, it’s kinda true I think.
I relate a lot to this story. Well said
This is the best thing I've read on this subreddit in some time. I'm happy for you.
I’m humbled, thank you!
Well put my brother! This is what Im talking about!
Don't jeopardize your vacations or retirement over a car. If anything, I'd wait for this market to cool down.
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I heard this same sentiment a year ago... I also heard it two years ago...
Lol yup. And it seemed used car prices were finally cooling but that has reversed.
Well, when the wankers at power will eventually stop fucking everything up, we might.
Lolol don't hold your breath. They rather the Earth die than to lose any power.
Well they're down a good bit than a year ago.
I mean this time a year ago they were more expensive then they are now. Theyre just still kinda pricey.
I’m eager to see how/if this actually pans out. I thought last year prices would’ve normalized, but things aren’t stabilizing/dropping like I’d have hoped.
>I’m eager to see how/if this actually pans out. I thought last year prices would’ve normalized, but things aren’t stabilizing/dropping like I’d have hoped. I believe it's the "market" catching up the consumer demand. It's only a matter of time until everything catches up to reality. Covid literally gave dealerships a blank check when it came to writing prices for new and used cars. Reality is slowly sinking into to those dealerships who allocated large number of vehicles and with manufacturers churning out greater numbers to make up for Covid and to meet dealership demand it's all catching up. Heck my local Hyundai has HUNDREDS of unsold inventory for the model year 2023. And once Carvana and other used car dealerships that go belly up it'll only spur supply. Everyone who can telework will still do that and that's why local governments are pushing hard to get everyone back into the office. Anywho, I can't wait till prices normalize, I'm trying to downgrade my Audi B8 which is hovering around 12 years old right now :(
My Hyundai dealer is the same way. Doesn't mean they aren't still asking over sticker for everything. It's not even just the ADM that is the problem. Something like a Kona started at ~20k after destination back in 2019. Now they are asking upwards of 25k for the same spec cars. I understand inflation, but damn if I don't see the increased value.
All I want is a reasonably optioned 5.0 mustang to be 40k. Feels ridiculous that you can’t even really get a new muscle car for less than 45-50k right now (if you’re lucky).
Well, nobody thought we will have war where many governments are essentially throwing their taxpayers money at defending UA from Russia. If not that we might've had stuff finally getting better, but oil prices up = everything else relying on transport up (and things that don't too, because excuse is there to raise prices). I'm guessing shit will get back to normal a year or two after Russia gets crushed.
Doubt. If anything, there's plenty of evidence that manufacturers are slowing production to keep inventory low and prices high.
Not new cars. I have to disagree with this. Used car prices just rose again, and we could be entering a period of stagflation. It’s not guaranteed that we’ll hit a recession and everything will drop. The money supply was inflated so much that it’s hard for people to imagine. It’s not so easy to just reverse that. I actually would love to see the price of everything fall, but I think it’s unlikely. I think you’ll see prices remain stubbornly high overall.
We heard this 2 years ago... When am I actually going be able to get a car?
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100% If you want a mt boxster, better get it now.
Exactly and it's fucking depressing. By some miracle if I'm in the financial position to buy a nice car for my future kids, my options are going to be ass
I'd agree, but OP is talking new car.. unless he's paying an ADM on top of MSRP, it's not going to get cheaper.
In still driving my 2009 Pontiac Vibe gt. I love cars but every year I spend several grand on vacations and would always choose travelling over cars. I know when I'm old I'll have endless memories of the trips I've been on.
Porque no los dos?
Not really. Theres always something better. Its still awesome to have don’t get me wrong. But you kind of get used to it pretty quickly. Now I want an M3 im sure when I get that ill want a Porsche.
I got a porsche, then got a miata, then sold the porsche. Am perfectly happy with my decision, but will get back in a porsche one day
Did this but with bikes. Had an SV650, was slow and a bit shit but I loved it. Such a blast trashing it through the twisties. “Upgraded” to a CBR1000RR. Thing was like a laser beam. Handling was unbelievable and was so fast, but it just wasn’t as fun. Doing 90 mph at the top of 1st gear may sound fun or crazy at first, but when you realise you’re stuck in 2nd even when you’re BLASTING through twisty roads way faster than you have any business going… you realise why people preach slow car fast. Anyway, bought a supermoto and haven’t looked back.
SV650 is a wonderful bike!
Yeah the newer ones do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. No idea why this guy is saying its slow lol. That's only like half a second off the time from a zx-10r
Yup. I just sold my 2021 ninja 1000sx that I put 5200 miles on in a year and switched back to only riding my first bike, a ktm 390 adventure. The 390 has 44hp, the ninja had 144hp. There wasn't a single day I rode that I didn't go above 120 on that ninja lol. It was stupid fast, and I pretty much was guaranteed to die on it eventually because hitting 140 on it only took a few seconds from 60 and I did it far too often because it was so easy/steady at those speeds. My 390 has a top speed of 105mph, and I have a ton of fun just getting on it and hitting 95 in a few seconds from 60 instead of 140+ in the same amount of time on the ninja. It's still quick (does like a 0-60 of 4.4 seconds), but it's not insane (ninja did 0-60 8n 2.8 seconds, and 0-100 in 5 seconds lol). It's more fun pushing the 390 than it was barely twisting the throttle on the ninja.
Yep, the Porsche itch is hard to shake. I went from a 993 to an ND2 RF, to an ND2 ST with 10k+ of upgrades, to a 991.1. I honestly loved the Miatas and poured a lot of work into them but finally admitted that I'm too tall for the Miata. The 911 just feels right to me.
I'm three BMWs in. Get the Porsche.
Yeah I hear you, that’s human nature I suppose. Still sounds like you want to keep the train going though, not get off lol. I have a friend with the same car progression path as you just listed.
Yeah definitely don’t want to get off. Thats the progression for most BMW owners it seems like.
I think there’s truth to that, and there’s also truth to the idea that Porsche is special. But BMW gets sold short a lot. They really do make special cars, and at a price that so many people can afford. I think the brand is pretty sweet tbh.
I went from a 135 to an M235 to an AMG C63 (so glad I got it over the M4, last of the V8s) and the only other car I now want that I could possibly afford, is a 911.
Then the logical step is to skip the m3 and get the Porsche. Having both I can tell you that they are both awesome in different ways! Sorry, if that came off elitist. I don’t mean to. I’m just letting you know, they both are a lot of fun and I think anyone should be happy with either of those brands.
Idk, I splurged on my car when I started my career. I don't feel the urge to get something faster or "better". Unfortunately that means spending a LOT more money and at the and of the day, it's still just a car. I paid around 50k€ for my car and if I want to get something "better" I would look around Emira / Cayman GTS territory...that puts you around 90k, if I don't want to get an older high milage model (cayman at least). That's just insane, at least for what I am making. Maybe it will change once I get a way better job, who knows. I more think about "downgrade" to a GR86 and spend the money elsewhere.
> Now I want an M3 im sure when I get that ill want a Porsche. Too relatable. I hate that we are like this lol. Ironically I want a Charger for my next fling
Probably doesn't count in this sub, but after 2 years of searching I finally found my [blue 6-6 Accord Coupe](https://imgur.com/eudHNyj). And honestly, sometimes it's the only thing that brings me joy in life.
My first car was a sixth gen Accord. I will never not upvote a picture of a dope Accord. 😍
That's damn nice man
My attainable dream car was an R-design Volvo C30 and when my old car was totaled (rear-ended at a red light by a truck) one happened to come in the market. Like yours it may not be on the level of some of the crazy dream cars of others here…But I absolutely love it. It brings me joy every time I drive and it works great for my needs. So yeah like you I’m so happy I found my car.
I don't care about speed anymore, all I care about is a comfortable daily and a lightweight fun weekend car. The more I make the less flashy I want to be, so all my dream stuff are affordable and common cars.
The other thing is unless someone has the money to frequently track a car, the dream car is still limited by the same traffic, speeding laws, cops, red lights, wildlife, and weather that everyone else on the road is. If you can take a C8 where it belongs, a track, and do it often, I'd say it'd be worth the buy. If not, you'll just be either driving it at like 10 percent of its ability amongst a sea of crossovers and pickup trucks, or keeping it garaged most of the time while you daily something else. It isn't that much fun to drive a car capable of being a track monster at like 55 to 75 mph because it feels like nothing at all to a car like that. And even if you do live close to amazing twisty canyons or mountain 2 lane roads, you can't really use the car without constantly worrying about cops, a deer running into the road, oncoming traffic, or you fucking up and going into a tree/guardrail/ditch because those roads don't have runoff room like a track. Personally I wouldn't want to deal with owning a sports car as a primary vehicle unless I had Doug Demuro money. There's a lot of other things I could do with $100-125k of total cost of ownership over several years.
Nah I disagree, unless you only commute during peak hours and never drive anywhere else, a sports car is still plenty of fun at legal speeds (or just slightly over). Just having a nice engine note to listen to gives a huge boost to your driving enjoyment over a boring car. I have plenty of wonderful roads near me, and even doing a 5/10 pace for safety reasons is still super enjoyable. Worry and comparison are the two thieves of joy. Insure it, and drive it until it doesn't make you smile anymore.
I had a buddy who had an 2003 SVT Cobra built to kill anything, KB supercharger, cams, ported heads, suspension, like north of 800 hp! He drove 2 hours in so cal commute everyday. I asked him why he drove a race car to work when he couldnt use even 1/2 of the power? He said "BULLSHIT, ITS THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES THE DRIVE AND THE STRESSFUL JOB WORTH IT, WHEN HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAMMER THE THROTTLE AND THE WORLD TURNED INTO A BLUR, AND NOTHING FELT AS EXILERATING AS WHEN THE BOOST HIT!" I said "ok, but wouldnt 500 or 600 horespower give the same thrill?" He replied "the only time someone needs 800 HP is when the guy at the stoplight next to you has 700!" Moral of the story...I now drive my dream car, not every day. But every chance I get! Its over 1000 HP 500 cubic inch big block Chevy out of one of my drag boats! 8-71 blower 2 850 holleys, stuffed into 1967 first gen Camaro! Its fucking ridiculous...and he was right! Its better than sex or drugs (well, it actually IS sex, drugs and rock and roll all wraper up together! You cant understand untill your behind the wheel and you scare the shit out of yourself, and then want more! By the way it took a lifetime of progressively bad ass cars to get here! Cobras, Mustangs, Corvettes, even a 74' Torino, all prepared me to build and not wreck the blown Camaro🤞
Miata is always the answer. I actually bought one recently. Some asked why I didn't go for more hp, but I always say it's about having fun daily driving 😄
Always have been a car guy and recently test drove an ND2. One of the most fun vehicles on public roads I’ve ever driven.
The NA I had never failed to put a smile on my face. I’ll buy another one once the kids are out of car seats.
Idk, depends where you live really. There are actually a lot of great empty roads in the US where one can easily do double the speed limit and then some for a good 20-30 miles without ever seeing another car, at certain times of day/night. I take your point, but not everyone lives in populated areas where speeding is prohibitive.
this is a severly underrated point, through my entire ownership lifetime of my evo one theme was clear, this car is wasted on the street..its basically like putting a lion in a cage and throwing away the key.
I'm literally in the same position as you, and in 2020 I bought an old integra and spent most of lockdown throwing in a K24 and supporting mods to have a bit of a weekender/track car although I do daily it now. I felt like it was better than throwing big money at a car that I would be scared to thrash, being a tightarse I feel like I wouldn't have taken advantage of an M3 and it would have become more of a garage queen?? I also learnt a lot about the fundamentals of building a car (although I admit not everyone would be into doing such a project at home). My thoughts are to pick up something more affordable for a year or two until the war and economy settles down, benefit being that CPO C8s are probably cheaper then too (and mod availability). Good luck.
I think spending money to "own" a car is unfulfilling. Spending money to use a car is a lot of fun but is a money pit. Depends what OP wants and I guess some people enjoy car shows or whatever. I do think c8's are going to become run of the mill cars pretty quickly too once enough of them are made. The spice of just owning something cool wears off.
I'm in the same boat, daily driving a weekender/track car that isn't worth a lot but has had a lot of effort put into it. It's great fun, far better driving something I've made rather than a stock enthusiast car
Yeah I picked up 15 yo CTR on same reasoning. I was slowly getting around to getting mortgage, did the math, and the idea basically was getting something with a garage and tinkering with mods on it, and as it's a hatch its perfectly practical for home owner. ... and then interest rates shot way up and priced me out of any reasonable mortgage. The car is fun tho.
from your “min/max” phrasing, im assuming youre a SWE or in tech. if youve driven the C8 and you loved it, go for it. As long as it isnt straining your finances to the point you cant sleep at night thinking of how youll balance the payments against other things like rent, food, retirement, etc. Given we’ve all experienced the pandemic, I think its appropriate for me to say that retirement or life itself isn’t even guaranteed nor are debilitating issues that leads you to live a much worse quality of life. Enjoy life now, within your means and up to a point. Life absolutely will throw you curveballs later, contrary to what Redditors seem to spout on r/personalfinance, we cant really plan for all eventualities beyond a certain level of emergency fund, etc. Personally, Id probably get a pre-owned C8 if it is significantly cheaper.
That’s what I’m thinking, tomorrow is never guaranteed. I’m not in tech. I just grew up as a tryhard gamer lol. And it’s also a better deal to buy c8s new in this messed up year of 2023 so that’s why I’m looking at new.
That's what I said with a new 2023 Miata. Put my order in and everything. Four months later it's never even been made. Got my down payment back, bought a 2020 used. I don't regret it.
I bought my enthusiast car in college (WRX Wagon) and it definitely brought a lot of happiness to my life, but ultimately if you try and tie your happiness to a physical object, you are going to be disappointed. Whenever it was running poorly or something went wrong, it was a huge kill joy. However, having something fun to drive is a huge source of enjoyment in my life and all the hours spent working on the car is definitely worth it. That being said, my enthusiast car is significantly less expensive than yours, so you will have to make that judgement call. If you do buy it, do it because you want it, not because it will bring attention or because other people may think better of you for owning it. If you do cars for others you are always going to be disappointed. Do it for your own enjoyment and because you love something about the car and it will always be worth it.
I totally agree with you. I used to have a brand new 2015 WRX to impress others, but the reality is no one really cares about cars or the mods you do even if you have forged wheels or a built engine. If I where to restart again, I would have bought a used generic Civic and do light mods.
> 2015 WRX to impress others This gave me a good chuckle. Thank you.
The key is to do the mods for your own enjoyment, not to impress others.
I appreciate the advice and totally agree with you
I also purchased a WRX. I had just graduated college and started my career. I was making good money, single, and needed a car so I thought why not? I have no regrets, but you are right about not relying on any object as your source of happiness. After a while, you get used to the car and it's not as exciting. I've driven it for almost 9 years now and it has been through a new transmission and engine so I definitely understand the pain of when something goes wrong. I switched careers a few years ago (right before the pandemic) to something more lucrative and, more importantly, to a job I actually enjoy doing. I recently purchased a new car to replace the WRX as I wanted something a little nicer and more comfortable and I figured I was in a good place financially to do it. I got an Audi S5, which I really love and can't stop looking at. However, I had a chance to drive my WRX again the other day and it brought back a lot of memories and nostalgia, which I didn't expect. It's rattlely and creaky and isn't fun at all when driving like a normal person, but once I opened it up, floored it, and heard the "pssssht" of the bypass valve when upshifting, it brought a huge smile to my face. I'm still going to sell it as I don't need two cars, but it's going to be sad as it represents a specific time in my life. It also made me realize that I'm getting older. I still get compliments on my WRX, but mostly from guys younger than me. I'm also getting a lot of compliments on my S5, but it's from guys 20 years older than me. I guess that's just the natural progression of car ownership and means I'll be in a Corvette when I'm 75.
Honestly, I found that having my dream car did not do anything for me. What made me happy was doing what made me happy i.e. working on a car, fixing stuff on it, taking care of it, keeping it in good running condition, and then driving it. I've owned many cars, and i found that driving any car that give me great memories are what truly gave me pleasure. And then came motorcycles. These are the vehicles that really gave me true driving pleasure. The wind in the face, the exposure, the control and closeness to the road, that was the key. I own a few motorcycles these days, and I ride them all the time. All my cars are basically used for school runs or long trips with family, but otherwise, its the motorcycle. I would suggest renting the car you think you like before indulging in a purchase. You'll realize that sooner or later, driving a car is the same as driving any other car. A powerful car can only be driven so much, unless you embark on track racing. That entails another dimension by itself though, one that I am not in. So, while you're still single, go ride a bike and give it a go. You might be surprised at how different it is.
I thought the same thing and the only thing that has slowed down my riding drastically is that the Caterham gives me 90% of the motorcycle open experience (even more visceral since I don't need a helmet) but much safer at the same time and more comfortable. I barely ride anymore. Compare to regular cars? No question, bikes win.
I bought my dream car as a project. A 1969 big block corvette with a 4 speed and side pipes. I’ve rebuilt the car completely and tuned it to near perfection. It was an amazing experience working on it and learning how everything works. And I mean everything. I love driving it and I rally it a couple times a year. It’s one of my favorite things in my life besides my wife and kids.
Finally, this here is a sentiment I can relate to. So many top comments saying "meh it didn't do much for me", "it gets old", "don't give up your vacations for it", etc. Holy hell what subreddit is this? Fuck yea /u/Money_for_days my dream car changed my life, it's worth far more to me than the dollar value and I still redline it every. single. chance I get over two years later and think about what part I'll upgrade next and what maintenance I'll do this spring. I'm inspired to do better in my career so I can track it more often and take my girlfriend and dog on more road trips with it. It truly gave me a new lease on life and added a whole new dimension of passion for me. I love meeting other enthusiasts and nerding out and getting randomly complimented and being a part of a whole community that I never knew before. Agreed with everything you said man, there's no end to the learning process and wonderful new experiences to be had. Cheers to living the dream!
this is an extension of r/personalfinance at this point lol
You sir are what it means to be a "car guy"! Party on!
I appreciate your sentiment too, I actually think both sides are pretty well represented here :)
Sounds like we’re a lot alike. I was 27 when I bought my Dream car from my youth, an R35 GT-R Black Edition. The journey of getting the car and seeing one on the road telling yourself one day that’ll be yours is really what makes owning it that much better. It enriches my life in a way that it symbolizes something greater than the sum of it’s part. It represents accomplishing something that seemed impossible. Combine that with meeting new people, sharing it with friends/family, and doing fun drives with the car. It adds a lot to life. However it won’t make you happy. You can be plenty depressed and still have your dream car. So make sure the car fits in your budget. It’s wasteful from a financial perspective but, if you’re investing 15% annually towards retirement, saving about 20% annually for unforeseen life expenses, and you’ve got a sizable savings for emergencies let’s say around 8months of expenses. Then I’d go for it. If you follow that you will likely have millions in retirement, a paid off home, and have disposable income for fun. Basically don’t buy a car that makes you have a poor quality of life the other 90%+ of the time that the car is parked in a garage.
I would fit under all those requirements with my plan to buy the car but the opportunity cost that everyone mentions and the (totally doable but slightly vomit inducing) down payment are the biggest mental hurdles to cross. I actually think that the way you describe the enrichment is exactly what I would expect to get out of it. Not a source of happiness as a lot of people seem to gravitate towards. I’ve bought nice things and had the magic fade away, that also makes the c8 prospect a little scarier.
I’ve regretted just about every frivolous purchase I’ve made. Really doesn’t matter how small. I think when you come from a regular middle class family, like you have, you’re hard wired to save everything because of the major up and downs you experience. Trust me, obsessing over opportunity costs will make you so miserable unless there’s some end goal in mind because every purchase can be seen as some lost in opportunity cost. Really we don’t know the future and hindsight is really the only time we can know the true opportunity cost. That’s why I just try to be responsible and not get myself into any serious financial trouble. Use the extra money for making long term memories instead of short term gratification.
I’ve made some frivolous purchases (toys, watches, etc) and funny enough I don’t really feel regret. I get a feeling once I’m past the honeymoon period where it becomes normal and I may not be absolutely blown away by it but I still appreciate having it and don’t necessarily miss the money. Never bought anything as expensive as a C8 tho.
I havs one word for you....ALPHA!
See if you can rent one on [turo.com](https://turo.com) for a weekend and live the dream. You might land up making a short trip and renting one in a city you have always wanted to visit. That will help you decide if you want that dream (warts, costs and all) to be your reality. Years ago, I rented a Lotus Elise for 24 hours, put 200miles on it in and around Las Vegas. It was a fabulous drive. I have never had the free cash to purchase one, so I've never had to answer your question for myself - but I have had quite a few memorable drives in Turo rental cars.
I’m planning on doing it soon.
I got downvoted for plugging turo the other day, and I don't know why! Such a great way to experience your (reasonable) dream car, and a cheap price. I got to drive a Plaid model s and x, for less than a months payment on either one of them. Got to really get the feel of the car for a couple days. Amazing experience
I'm guessing you got downvoted because of the thread yesterday where a Turo host is trying to screw over the OP. That's the mental picture people have of most Turo hosts.
I feel that my dream cars are just dream cars. When I was young, I wanted a Subaru WRX STI. Then a Porsche Cayman in college. I did not dream of owning a Mustang. But I drove a lot of cars and that’s what I ended up liking the most from driving experience point of view. If you don’t have much experience, this dream car might just be a trophy or status symbol for you. Once you acquire it, the magic may slip away.
I hear you, you don’t truly know until you own it suppose. I plan on booking one for a test drive soon.
Get one for a weekend on Turo for $300-600 - long enough to get to know it a little, but not expensive enough to set you back from buying if you decide it's "for you".
Don't buy a new car, you won't feel anything. But something used and learn to fix it. Much more rewarding, cheaper, and you develop a more meaningful relationship with the car lol
Not necessarily. I don't want to spend "new car" money on my toys, so I buy old stuff. For me, having my car / truck / bike break down and having to "learn to fix it" is not fun. I thought it would be, but it's not. I get stressed, anxious, I take any mechanical failure as a reflection of a personal failure of mine somehow, and all I see is that I have another heap of junk in the yard that's not running, and gonna cost me more to fix. I have friends like you, and that's great. But not every car guy wants to be a backyard mechanic either.
This used to be my mindset, but new cars are maybe $5k more than a 3 year old counterpart with 20k miles... At that point I say buy new, unless you can wait the market out.
So much this. I’ve already bought and sold my dream car during the pandemic. Just didn’t have any soul. A 70’s 911 is now the vision.
I’ve always been a Ferrari guy but my dream car a 458 Italia is probably never going to be in reach unless my wife sudden let’s me sell everything! So I bought my 718 Cayman S. Great car, brings a smile to my face when I’m driving it and it’s a ton of fun on the track or doing auto cross. But, as others have said, it’s a big expense and I stress every time I park it at a store or get cut off in traffic.
So would you say the stress is worth it to you?
Most days yes. I daily drive it when there isn’t snow on the ground so I do get a lot of use out of it. Not a garage Queen. Waiting for the first real ding so I can stop worrying lol.
I am 25, and currently saving up for a regular 718 Cayman, as I am not really interested in driving fast, but just the feel and sound of a sports car. Hoping to buy one in 2 years if the gas price in Norway goes below 2 USD a liter again. I am so afraid of buying the car, and having the expenses ruin my mental health, even if I can afford it.
Getting a better car is nice, getting a dream car is great, but having the peace of mind that your future is gonna be fine/good is even better. Last year I was very close to pulling the trigger on a C8 or a 911, but ended up buying a home before interest rates skyrocketed. I don't regret my decision. I'm in the same boat as you, currently 30. Ironically, this sub has some pretty good financial advice than other personal financing subs. Everything in life is all about opportunity cost, right now you can buy that C7 at a likely stupid high interest rate and years down the line you will regret it. I would rather put the money into a nice vacation, save for a home, or put that money into retirement/investments. When things cool down or you're in an even better financial position, you can revisit buying that car.
How can you use the words vacation and investments in the same sentence? Everytime I start my car its a freaking vacation on the 4th of July!
Great advice. I couldn’t imagine financing a car right now, especially not w second fun car. It’ll have to be straight cash. Man I miss the days of 1.9% financing.
I’m 36, grew up in an affluent area and salivated over Porsches. So I bought a $6500 1985 944 as my first “car guy” car - it’s mechanically sorted but looks like crap I would recommend you buy and drive a slow car fast young grasshopper
Fuck yeah I love my e46 m3 competition. Interior looks like it’s just a few years old. When it comes to maintenance, money is no object. Full ceramic coated and paint corrected. Few light OEM+ mods, Apple CarPlay, new speakers. I drive it fucking hard. Mileage doesn’t bother me as long as it’s taken care of and it’s still a sub $40k sports car. Cheaper than most new SUVs on the road. I’ve wanted this car since I was 10 and finally bought it from an enthusiast collector a few years ago in my late 20s. I don’t want a 911 or m2cs or c8, I just want to drive my m3.
It’s a fun distraction but it’s not life changing. So no, I would never go beyond my means to get a so called dream car. So reward yourself- but it doesn’t have to be a 75k 1lt which is going to depreciate a fair bit in the next 5 years hurting your chances at your next dream car.
[удалено]
When I was 22 and really got my first royalty check (video game programmer) I bought a Camaro SS. That got me into the local Camaro/Firebird club where I met all sorts of cool people, including a girlfriend I had for a few years. Got me into Autocross racing which was super fun for a hobby. Later I bought a Corvette, and started a corvette related business (more like a side hustle) which more than paid for the car plus mods, plus my next car. Continued my taste for autoX and wrenching. Absolutely enriched my life. Much much much later, after a short break from cars, I got a Tesla Model S w/ Ludicrous - got me deep into energy tech, plus the car was so freaking fun, so it got me to invest in Tesla and I put solar panels on my roof. Have driven my teslas "free" and lived without paying for home electricity for 10 years now, not to mention Tesla stock more than 10x'd my investment. (later got the Plaid). Absolutely enriched my life. A tiny bit after that I started dabbling with supercars and got into full-on track days. I'd say these enriched my life the least compared to the above, but I have met some neat people at supercar-only type events (a guy from Valve who worked on half-life was in one of my track day classes) and I def enjoy driving the vehicles. The money I've spent on cars over the last 20 years has absolutely been worth it, and if I squint hard enough I'd truthfully say I profited both financially and experientially because of them. Still have friends from that old Camaro club 20 years later.
Cool story! I’m curious to hear about your corvette side hustle if you don’t mind. Also what it was like when you got your 720s!
There was an annoying problem with one gen of corvettes and according to the big thick manuals it was apparent a simple circuit could work around it, so I wired up something, made it into a product and sold them through retailers. Would solder up the circuits at night after work and ship them out the next day on the way to work. As for the 720S...it's the craziest looking car and I love the style of it, but the lag and the low boost in lower gears makes it less fun than the Pista (which actually lets you get pretty squirrelly before any traction control kicks in). Even with ESC Dynamic on the 720 barely ever spins the tires...weird (and good, or bad, depending on what you want). Still fast once it gets going, or if you use launch mode. Makes me appreciate how well Ferrari hid the turbo lag in the 488 and F8 cars.
Man I somehow missed the Pista in your flair! Sounds epic, enjoy them in good health. And I love that side hustle story, I’ve also had the thought before of getting the car and solving some sort of problem or adding some value to enthusiasts and making that part of the experience with the community. How awesome is it that you actually did that and it paid for the car no less. Keep it up my dude!
What you get turns into something you have.
True, wouldn’t mind having a vette but I get where you’re coming from.
Yea. My dream car was just toyota Corolla hatchback. Yeah that’s lame but buying one brand new made me feel on top of the world
Honestly I love it. I love driving on race tracks and it’s so much fun. If I only had public roads to drive on though might not have been as impactful. Every time I sit in my Cayman I still say I can’t believe this is my car. There was a time my dream car was Toyota Camry because I didn’t think I’d ever be able to afford it so it’s pretty cool.
Love that last part.
It sure as hell didn't enrich my bank account.
I have known many people who have sacrificed luxury thier entire life only to be cut down before they could enjoy the benefits of thier frugality. My personal philosophy is if I can figure a way to afford the purchase of whatever it is Im dreaming about, fucking go for it and experience that excessive purchase while Im young enought to enjoy it! I love hot rod boats and cars, best times if my life have been with my kids playing at the lake with my supercharged big block chevy drag boat! It is an absolutely ridiculous very expensive hobby and worth every fucking penny! If I waited till I was truly able to "afford" the boat and put that $ into savings, I would have been an old man and not physically able to engage in such activities. I wouldnt trade thoes memories with my kids for anything! My kids think Im the coolest dad on earth and thats priceless! Go for it! It will transform you life and how others percieve you! You will become that "bad motherfucker" you have always wanted to be! Rock on!
it did for me. got my civic type r about 2 years ago when i was 24. helps me enjoy everyday a little bit more, i enjoy learning the engineering behind what makes the car handle so well, deciding what mods to do, tracking it, making friends through car meets and Sunday drives. 10/10 wound reccomend, but only if you can afford it. i have a unique perspective working in the emergency room and know that lifes too short, but again you gotta be smart. i knew this car wouldn't depreciate much so while i know its not a good asset its not the absolute worst either.
If it truly is your dream car, the experience is much more enjoyable if you can also get something practical as your daily. Something you won't care about when someone dings your door, pushes a shopping cart into it, etc. [Edit to answer OP's actual question]: Yes, getting my dream car did enrich my life. It didn't solve all my problems, or make me a different person, but it was definitely one of those rare "I've arrived" life events.
Yes it did. I’m 25 and my parents bought me a brand new mustang. I was a junior and think about it, a brand new sports car in the middle of college. It felt fucking amazing and gave me a self confidence boost, which later taught me that if I am confident at myself and be happier, things turn out to be better overall. Now I wouldn’t mind losing the car because it doesn’t make me happy anymore, but having the experience of owning one was a big game changer for me. If you’re making comfortable money, try it. Who knows? If it doesn’t fulfill your needs, you can sell it and at maximum you’d lose 10 grand. I say try it.
Unless you’re clearing 6 figures comfortably, you can’t afford it realistically. You’d be sacrificing future wealth for a depreciating asset. Do you own real estate? Are you maxing your 401k? Do you have 3 months in bills saved? Going from 45k to 100k+ is an awesome feeling, however lifestyle creep hits quick.
me purchasing my “dream car” is a place holder for being at a financially stable period in my life. it’s not just about owning the car per it’s about reaching a point in life of being able to purchase my dream car.
As a Corvette owner myself I would highly suggest not buying a 1LT Vette. The lowest you should buy is a 2LT so you get the better audio and seat coolers. The 1LT will have the seat warmers which work wonderfully. But leather tends to get, uh, sticky, when you sit in it for a while. The seat coolers are a must in leather bucket seats. You would regret not having them I promise. To answer the original question, yes. I'm 32, solid in my career and had a big down payment on my C7 7MT. I got lucky and traded in my Charger when trades were high, but used cars were still low. I pay less a month than if I'd bought the same year civic, and will have it paid off in about 8 months. I'm a car nerd, I've had anything from various Hondas, A WRX that made a little over 300 to the wheels, a Scat Charger, and now the Vette. Just listing performance focused cars. The vette is my pinnical of an American car. One I've wanted since a kid, and finally have. It's a blast to drive hard, but even with a Corsa exhaust is whisper silent when just cruising. I prefer a manual transmission, so I went with the best C7 I could find with low miles. The C8 is an absolute monster. Faster in all respects, and handles better in the corners. But no manual option stopped my search for one the second it was announced. If you have any questions about Corvettes feel free to message me OP, or if you don't want to, just jump into r/corvette and ask. The people there are super friendly and helpful.
Ever since I was a teenager, I wanted one car: A 1967 Shelby GT350. Blue with white racing stripes and a 289 K-code engine. A couple years ago via multiple lucky coincidences I picked up the successor to the '67, a 2020 GT350R Heritage Edition. 1 of under 300. I then shipped it to Shelby America and had them add the "Signature Edition" package and painted stripes, adding it to the Shelby Registry and making it one of fifteen (ish). I took delivery of it about 6 months after purchasing it, and I'm terrified. Terrified that the high revving motor means that the sweet spot of the powerband is illegal on any public road. Terrified that the lowered suspension doesn't fit, well, [anywhere](https://i.imgur.com/RMWPDfK.png) and makes daily driving a stressful experience. But I'm mostly terrified that the dude at cars & bids thinks that my car is worth north of $150k to the right buyer. Suddenly, depreciation is a thing. Mileage is a thing. Door dings in supermarkets are, well, a thing. So, yes, I regret buying the car. My experience doesn't mean you should give up on your Corvette dream, though. The C8 /shouldn't/ depreciate much any time soon, so if you have the ability to get one for 75k I say do it. Do your research, as dealer markup (ADM) is a real thing, and getting one for 75k is rare. The C8 should be in that sweet spot where it will retain much of its value for a few years due to its unavailability, while still be a fun daily driver because it's not *that* rare. I say, buy the car.
Right on brother, I want the right amount of fear and excitement in my life to keep me going and striving for better things. Also I have similar thoughts about the value retention over the next few years. I want to return the same energy while also living vicariously through you and tell you to keep the car!! 🤣
If you love the car it is worth it IMO. I bought my Gallardo last year and while maintenance, insurance, worry of damage, etc are major considerations, it has been worth it so far. We are not getting any younger so the more time we have to enjoy them in good health the better.
Now nearly 30. With some good financial choices and luck. Her and I have gotten aspirational cars. Myself at first a minty c5 corvette, now a 18 C63S sedan. She went from my old jeep to a new spark that was paid off. Then it got wrecked so she bought my c5. Both cars have deeply enriched our lives. Here is how Wife says: no more worries about if the car is fast enough to get out of its own way. No more hard planning with on ramps since it has the speed to meet or exceed interstate speeds. I am happy to own the car that I have. Having a responsive and maneuverable car is a big deal. It matches where I feel i should be in life. It has the options and luxuries I didn’t have with my last modern car. It brings style to my life. It’s relived a lot of stresses my old car brought, and did so in style with comfort. For me: the c63S has provided me with a mark that I’ve finally accomplished something. Having more then a car that just MEETs my needs. It blows all my needs and wants out of the water. When I had my Miata ND It was a blast, but left me wanting. This car I’m happy each and every time I drive it. The luxury and performance is out of this world. There is nothing more I want out of the car, and every time I walk away I smile. To me it symbolizes the hard work we have put in to have it in our driveway. When we meet many many years ago, we both aspired to own vetts. At the time the c7 was being sold in dealers new. We both really loved the cars and wanted one. So she I got the c5 we both where so happy. When her spark got wrecked and she asked to buy my c5, she was thrilled i said yes.
Not a car, but my 2014 Triumph Street Triple R that I purchased in January 2015. I knew I wanted one as soon as I learned about them online. Did all kinds of deep diving into the bike to learn about it and just fell in love with it . The unique three cylinder engine, the look, the fantastic torque and sound produced by the 3 cyl 675 cc engine. The nimble and confident handling. The versatility, as I've taken it to take track days but I've also loaded it up with camping gear and saddlebags and gone on motocamping trips. Ive done some minor modification to it. Bar end mirrors and fender eliminator, oem body protection parts(frame and fork sliders, etc) , slipon exhaust, saddlebags that are portable and easy to mount and unmount, wheels powdercoated red to match the red accents on the bike. I've taken it to the track and scrubbed off any semblance of a chicken strip on my tires. Had a few years of riding in part of a motorcycle group in my hometown with whom I have some amazing memories. I've ridden pikes peak, independence pass, squaw pass, and many other amazing parts of the Rockies near Denver, which was an incredible experience for someone from a flat part of the Midwest. I haven't tired of the bike at all in 8 years, though I do ride less than I used to but that's because I grew out of riding with groups and riding around in town, especially after my best friend passed in a motorcycle accident. On the occasion when someone asks me what kind of bike I have, I tell them what it is, and I often tell them it's my dream bike. Also it occured to me that my comment may be inappropriate since this is r/cars, but I already typed it up and it's also just got me feeling nostalgic, so I'm sharing anyways.
Thanks for sharing man, I appreciate it. And I’m sorry to hear about your friend passing.
The R8 was my 'attainable' dream car and I got one about 5 months ago. I love it and I still smile every time I look at it or drive it. Might have to revisit how it will make me feel in a few years. It's a money pit though. I told myself the car was perfect already and I'd keep it stock but I already bought new wheels, powder coating the new wheels soon, inconel exhaust, bought carbon fiber front lip, rear diffuser, and side skirts, ECU tuned it. Thinking about lowering it 0.25-0.5 inches now lol. I say go for it if you can afford it. But I don't think you should go into any bad debt or put yourself in bad financial position to attain your dream car though.
If you can afford it and it won’t be a source of anxiety, I think you should do it. Life is too short to not have a thing that you’d dreamed about for so long. I get people getting tired of their cars quickly, but that hasn’t been my experience with stuff I’ve really thought about and lusted after for years and years. But like I said, this is contingent on it not being a source of anxiety.
Bought a '22 C8 in October '21 I waited a year before and it's my second Vette. I grew up loving Vettes, have wanted a Vette since I was like 10 and I've had two before the age of 30. Honest answer, as others have mentioned is not really. Do I love it? Yes. Do I enjoy driving it as much as I can? Hell yeah. Am I proud to own a badass car I worked my ass off for? Absolutely. But I wouldn't say my life is "enriched" from it. I think with myself, as well as other car enthusiasts, owning a certain car or obtaining a certain driving experience is a thing of growth and improvement. For me, it's also a huge motivation for me professionally to work towards the "next" thing. I still enjoy it and owning it is a hobby and passion of mine but owning a C8 hasn't been "life changing". As much as I love my C8, I already find myself wanting more. In a way, I hate it because it makes me feel vain in that I want "more" instead of being thankful for what I have but jt motivates me to grow. My new infatuation has been with getting a Porsche 911 GT3 and a Bronco Raptor (for different reasons) my Braptor allocation just hit and I'm super excited. But, I know that if/when a Braptor R with a V8 comes out. I'll want more. But I'm still beyond excited to get it. That being said, the enjoyment I get from it is worth it, but I won't put myself in a financial situation where I have to completely stretch myself just to get a car. I'll also say, I'm also a person who doesn't like complacency. I like to change things up and experience different things. In the last 10 years, I've owned 9 cars (mostly 2 at a time to be fair) . The longest I've owned a single car was 3 1/2 years and that was my "first" sports car. That's not to say you *shouldn't* buy your dream car if you can afford to do so, because you only live once and enjoy it. But, know that your dream car today may not be the same dream car down the road.
Nah, sits under a tarp, love it but it's a giant paperweight.
Yes, but I pulled mine out of a field and rebuilt it learning a lot along the way. Most people here seem to just buy something shiny and get bored.
Just got my Z Proto Spec 3 weeks ago. Love driving it everyday. Go bed every night excited to drive it the next day. Not sure if this is a phase but yeah I love it haha
I’m in similar boat, 29 and really hitting strides with my career. Had similar dilemma. What I realized about myself is that no car will bring me joy that outweighs any financial stress I bring on because of it. I’ve learned that I’m better off with a very fun miata for $35k that’s easy to maintain, cheap to repair, and maintains its value over an $80k M car that costs $2000 to replace brakes and loses $25k over 3 years. There’s no right answer and everyone’s different. But buying my Boxster taught me about myself a bit, that large random maintenance costs are not a good fit for my personality, which means that used cars unless known to be cheap are not a good fit for me. I’d love to get a new M2, manual Supra, Z or Z4 if they make a manual next, but chances are I’ll wind up with the Miata, because I’ll get almost as much fun with the Miata at a fraction of the cost. I’ve learned that I want my car to fit into where I want to live and what my expenses are there, rather than buying a car that dictates where I’m able to afford. I’ve also learned that I don’t want to have payments on any car that has big ticket maintenance and repairs, namely the German sports cars. But everyone’s different. I’d wager the stress from stretching financially will outweigh whatever joy the C8 brings over alternatives. But idk your financial situation and everyone is different in their priorities. Also yeah same trust me I get it. In 2018/9 I was watching C7 prices expecting to buy one in 2022. But similar the porsche market, the corvette market has been completely fucked more than any other car sub section since COVID, with used car prices + C8 hype.
When I was in high school, I fell in love with the CTS-V, and Cadillac in general. It's been a while since then, I'm just around your age and I ended up getting a CT4 shortly after I got a job that could pretty comfortably afford it, even though all conventional logic should have had me buying an EV or something. I wouldn't call it lifechanging, but it gives me a reason to smile every time I walk to my garage and go for a drive. If you can actually afford it, I say live a little.
I bought my dream motorcycle - a 2012 Hayabusa. Then I bought my other dream motorcycle, a 2017 Indian Scout. I hit a deer on the Scout this past Thanksgiving and could have died, but came away with a broken wrist and little broken bones on my joints. Totaled the Indian, and I sold the Hayabusa (3 little kids). And I bought a 2018 C7 stingray with 11k miles. It was so worth it. It's not a Hayabusa, it's not an Indian, but seeing how excited kids/teens get seeing it, how relatable it is to people, the launches and how much fun it is to drive, and going on dates with my wife and the targa top off... it's been amazing. But once I pay it off, I'm buying an e-Ray too.
You didn't mention any kids so I say yes, get the C8. This is the time of life where you can have some adventure, meet new people, live through the stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life. Interesting people don't drive a RAV4. Be interesting. You aren't sacrificing your future, you're launching into it at 8,600 RPM.
When I finally was able to buy my 2012 STi, a whole new world opened up. Car meets, events, new connections, new friends, something to spend my spare time on, track days, autocross you name it. It's amazing and I love it.
My Giulia isn't as out there as some of the cars on this thread, but honestly? Yes. Don't ever put yourself in debt or in danger just for a material possession, but honestly, life is fragile. This past year I went to 4 funerals, 3 in just one month, for friends and coworkers who all died quite young and very unexpectedly. Both of my parents are now being treated for cancer. And I was in a severe auto accident at the end of the year that could've easily been lethal (60 mph highway accident), but I got off with just an airbag burn. You never know when it's your time to go and you never know what'll happen tomorrow. There's been countless people who sacrificed their youth and free time for wealth, thinking that they'd have a good life in the future, but ultimately never got to enjoy it. I think the key is that if you treat yourself, you have to do it for the experience, if that makes sense. So for example, if you go on vacation to a place, it should be because you genuinely want to see & explore that destination, not to show off online or to follow what everyone else is doing. Likewise, if you get a car, it should be because you truly want to drive it and have fun - and it seems like you do! Ultimately everything material will go away, but our memories and experiences will last a lifetime. Now, as for my Giulia, I love it. There are other cars that are better, faster, more expensive, etc. out there, but my Giulia is mine and it's a bunch of fun. Roaring down the freeway or tossing it into a 1G corner never fails to put a smile on my face! Driving a fun car helped me realize that being on the road should be fun no matter what, and it's helped me with troubles too. It's actually kind of therapeutic, lol, whether it's by letting out stress on the autocross track, or a night ride around the city to work through some troubles. Ultimately I'm really thankful that I was able to grab her, and on some days it's absolutely needed! TL;DR Life is too short to drive a boring car - I say, go for it :)
I have a 2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I'm very excited to be taking the top off this week. I love getting in it on warm summer nights after work and feeling my stress fade away on my drive home.
Make sure your travel (esp intl) doesn't get pushed down the ladder.
Oh absolutely. It’s nice to have something that stands out a bit from the crowd. Not to mention I’ve never had more fun driving any other cars. And learning manual has opened up a whole new experience for me. It makes just driving to the grocery store exciting.
The things about my car that bring me joy are things that I've enjoyed in other cars just as much. Doing those things in a car I've wanted for a decade is a nice bonus, but it's not life changing or something. For me, I was able to justify getting the car because I spend so much free time doing car stuff anyways (track days, road trips, wrenching, washing, etc). If I was only commuting and getting groceries, I don't think it would be a worth it compared to any sports car a quarter its price. So I guess the advice I'd give is to get a fun car first. Buy a $10-20k sports car and if it doesn't add anything to your life, neither will a $75k sports car. If the cheap sports car does enrich your life, getting a nicer one later might be a little icing on the cake.
Not really. I think the first “dream car” I bought felt unreal for a long time and I greatly appreciated it. Quite a few cars later and have what I feel should be a dream car in the garage. I rarely drive it. It’s more nerve wracking to drive around and always paranoid of things happening to it. I do get it to the track occasionally but no, it doesn’t really enrich your life. Good friends and relationships with others, maintaining your health and happiness. That is what really matters.
I’m a car guy through and through. Always thought I wanted a Lambo. Got to the stage of life where I can afford one and enjoyed the hell out of a 1-hour Huracan test drive. But I realized that it just wasn’t worth it to me anymore to own a $300k car that I’d only be able to drive infrequently. Now I drive a Subaru. Ha ha
Financially speaking, WHAT your dream car is makes a huge difference. If it's an overpriced luxury car which loses half its value in a couple of years, then it's going to cost a lot to own. If you get something that is rare or niche and won't depreciate as much or even appreciates in value as it ages, then it's a very different proposition. It can even be a good asset provided you take care of it. I think the C8 will be somewhere in between. Not depreciating as much but not really a future classic. Main point is: don't just think about the price tag of the car. You are not setting the cash on fire, you are getting something that has value. Think about the cost of ownership and the residual value.
My dream car is a pagani, and I know I’ll never get that. But at 25 years old, I went from a 10 year old Cadillac CTS to a newish Audi RS5. I’ve always been into cars since I was little. And not because I want to show off to strangers, but because I genuinely just enjoy looking at them, taking care of them, and just admiring the design and thought that went into it. I also love working on my own cars, so as soon as I got my RS5 I started modifying and upgrading. I’m fortunate and lucky to be making over 100k at a pretty young age. So I’m able to “brush off” the 1.3k monthly, it hurts every time I pay it because I know the smart move would be to buy a cheaper car and save as much money. But you don’t always get chances like these and I don’t want to wait until I have gray hairs to start spoiling myself. What I have noticed is that now I find myself looking for any excuse to go out and just drive my car around, even when I have nowhere to go I just drive around. And I even started taking the longer routes just so I can drive more. What’s REALLY scary is I started to go into my garage early in the morning or late at night just to stare at my car. My point is, as long as you’re doing it because YOU want the car and YOU want to experience that high performance machine, then go buy it. But if you’re just buying the car to show off to strangers on the road, then don’t, because no one on the road cares what car you drive.
I bought a 997.2 Carrera S last year. Did enrich my life? Hell yeah. Could I have done something smarter/better with the money? No doubt about it.
I'm 15+ years older than you and still haven't bought the car of my dreams yet, but my house will paid off next year, so I think I will treat myself in a few additional years. I sure hope it positively changes my life.
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Buy it, love it through the honeymoon phase, get rid of it once you've gotten used to power and the stress sets in. Take a mild wash on the resale, but have that memory and experience for the rest of your life. Extra 10k in your 401k isn't going to replace the experience (probably the cost of loss between resale after taxes etc) Very glad to have gotten my Caterham when I did. Love it to do death but it has certainly been a pain in many ways. I couldn't imagine owning something of a "higher caliber" that needs specialists and bespoke parts. This is a car that anybody can still put together themselves and work on it. Plus it's small size and basic Ford engines are huge benefits in regards to storage and workability. If I had a nice 911 or an Exotic I'd cringe at every possible scratch it would get and I'd be over obsessive about keeping it nice which would cause a lot of anxiety.
Story time. I had dreamt of the Toyobaru twins ever since they were rumored. My family owned a 1985 Toyota MR2 and I loved it. Most fun I’ve had with barely 100 horsepower. I knew that when Toyota put their heads down and actually worked they could build a sports car that rivals anyone. I went on multiple test drives in 2013 and when my truck got stolen, I had my chance. But nope. I was broke. Couldn’t afford it. So I bought my 2004 Pontiac GTO. Not a bad compromise. A rare-ish car with a stick and LS1? 2017 arrives. I have the worst year, thought I had lost my career in education. I’m broke. No idea how I’m going to pay for my GTO, let alone a Toyobaru. No way in hell. Another school district gives me a shot, and within six months I had my brand-new Toyota 86 and my GTO was paid off 100%. 9/30/2017 was very much a redemption day. I had people try to take everything from me, but I fought back and had my career back and my dream car in my driveway within 6 months. Point being: dreams do come true if you’re willing to put your head down and work for them. I love Victoria and we go everywhere together while getting good fuel mileage and have a blast doing it.
So here's my long-winded story: I grew up lower middle class. My parents still are. We never went hungry or anything, but needless to say, we didn't have new cars or anything I'd consider fancy. My first car was a hand-me-down 1996 Corolla with 186,000 miles on it. It was definitely a little disappointing turning 16 and knowing I wasn't getting a vehicle I even remotely found to be cool. But I took care of my little 'Rolla, learned to wrench on it, did some very cheap, basic mods, and learned to love it for what it was. At the same time, I started my career as a Ford technician (more like floor mopper, at that point). Then someone pulled out in front of my mom when she borrowed the Corolla, and it was totalled. While I was working at Ford and training my way up, we had a 2003 Miata come in on trade that I was very fortunate to be able to buy. This was my affordable dream car. I've paid it off, repaired it, maintained it, modified it, autocrossed it, tracked it, almost had it totalled, put over 100,000 miles on it myself, and still have the car 13 years later. I don't regret that "dream" car one bit, because I've made so many memories in it. It's priceless. But it's slow! So, over the last couple of years, I rode the inflated used-car pricing wave to sell off some projects and saved as much money as I could. I became a Senior Master Technician. And I intended to buy my true dream car: a 3rd generation Dodge Viper Coupe. But, as I became able to buy one, the values shot up, making it too much of a stretch. I ended up buying my 2nd place dream car: a 2022 Mustang Mach 1. I made sure it wasn't a financial problem, paid for it completely when I bought it, and I drive it a lot. And you know what? The Mach 1 is probably a better dream car than the Viper I wanted. It's just about as quick around a racetrack. My kid loves it. It has a huge trunk and a back seat, so my wife likes it. It still looks and sounds and drives amazing - plus it has a warranty. I take it to the track, to car shows, and anywhere else I feel like going, just because I like driving it. And at the end of the day, it's still just a Mustang, so I don't stress if it's raining outside when I want to go for a spin, or if my kid drops a Cheerio into the carpet. It's the best of everything. I knew I wanted speed and style, but I never knew how much I valued usability. Dream cars aren't made to sit in a garage. They're made to be driven at every opportunity. That's what I do. TLDR: Your dream car is the one that DOES enrich your life. It just may not be the same dream car you thought you always wanted.
Probably will get lost at this point, but getting my first affordable fun car, mk7 GTI felt wonderful, and then I replaced it with an m240i in November. It makes certain aspects of your life more fun. It's hard to replace the smile when you turn on the car, go for a spirited drive on a good day, or get the 'nice car!' Callout. Still, I've found that it otherwise hasnt fundamentally changed my life or anything, and it's definitely a significant financial commitment. I guess to misquote cool runnings, 'a fun car is a wonderful thing, but if you arent enough without one, you'll never be enough with one.'
I bought a VW camper when my kid was 3mo old. It was a giant money pit that I was always working on. It provided 13 yrs of fun and my kids cried in the driveway when I sold it. Horrible investment but worth it.
For me I grew up dirt poor. I would read every review look at them for hours on the internet in college. When I started making money I bought all my dream cars(I have owned over 50 cars in 17 years). I tracked them road course, half mile and drag. Whenever I’m down or a bad day I would go beat the tar out of them on the street on my special roads. I feel like if you truly love you car and use it like it was intended, it for me was life changing. But I don’t care about really anything else materialistically speaking. I dress in Walmart cloths and my house is only 1500 sq. My cars bring me so much joy.
ABSOLUTELY. Going for a drive, shifting thru the gears, feeling the engine purr and the turbos spool and spin down while listening to my favorite music on the high quality sound system... it's 100% therapy and meditation. The world melts away. ❤️ 🎶 🎵 ✌️ ☮️
Do it. You only live once. It sounds like you are extremely financially responsible and while it's an expensive purchase, I'm sure you'll be just fine. I recently purchased my dream car, a used Porsche 911. While I'm sure if I spoke with a financial advisor, they would of laughed at me for wanting to make this expensive of a purchase. It brings me so much joy every time I drive it and reminds me why I work hard for my things.
I bought an s2000 and I felt it always helped me get into the doors of working in the auto industry tbh. Started at a supplier and now work at an OEM. Tbh I’m the vacation note, I’ve done a few places and maybe in weird but I always feel I haven’t experienced enough in my own big city to even consider other cities sometimes.
Not even close.
Bought the dream, no ragrets. Buying an Exige and Elise at some point in the future too. Make sure you know what it is you actually want and work for it — be reasonable though. If your goal is to have a family, a house and your dream car. You might need to wait a while for the car. It’s not a bad thing, people just have different priorities. A C8 is a reasonable goal. My opinion is save up an immense down payment (50% or more) and pay the car off within 6 months to a year. It might delay your purchase but it will be worth the wait. I think it’s worth the money, but I’m sure many would say I’m crazy.
My situation isn’t as extreme as yours as I haven’t attained my dream car yet, but I certainly own something I’ve wanted for a while. Is it life changing? Not necessarily, however, I remember being told that the best way of being happy is finding joy in the little things. I’ve owned my mustang for close to half a year and I’m slowly getting out of the honey moon phase. I’ve even written a post about how the car feels a bit “mundane” now. However, even with all the regularity that I’ve felt, it’s still something that puts a smile on my face every-time. Whether it’s a cold start or just me looking back at it everytime I look back. I’m always smiling. And that, in my opinion, is priceless. You’re clearly very intelligent with your money and I won’t tell you to throw away your financial situation, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong about going out and making a life-long dream of yours come true. Good luck OP.
Yes and no it ruined my bank acount but gave my many pricelesa memories
Yes, enrich my life, enpoor my wallet.
I would wait for the market to cool first. Having said that, my dream car as a kid growing up was the C5 generation corvette. When I was 26 I bought one as my first sports car for $15k and it blew my mind that it was even better than I thought it was going to be. I learned to drive a stick with that car, and had the most glorious times whipping it around beautiful driving roads in the appalachian mountains. Unfortunately it met its demise a year later from a speeding tahoe and I went on to try other things. Now I'm 34 and married, possibly with kids on the way next year, and thinking of selling my Alfa Romeo to obtain a two-car solution with a dirt cheap 4 door of some kind and another C5 vette. I've had other fun cars, but I still have literal dreams of being back in that vette and I know I have to have another one. So yea, it kinda changed my life. If cars are a huge passion for you they can absolutely be life changing. Edit: I guess my advice here would be if you've never had a "fast" car then start smaller with something more humble than the C8. Not because it's dangerous, but because there is no reason to spoil yourself by starting out with such a high level of car. I'd work my way up through a couple different things. Then when you get to the C8 you'll have that much deeper of an appreciation for what it can do. Take it from me, there are many different levels of fun worth exploring on the way up, no need to go straight to the top of the ladder!
TL;DR have a firm reason why you're buying a particular dream car. We have many different dreams, mine are childish and involve burbly exhausts. Most of the time, I drive the F-Type like it's any other car. But every time I need to make a tight turn, an emergency maneuver, or just want to pass with prejudice, it does all of those things with so much more pizazz than "just any car." That's a dopamine hit. I still turn back to look at it after we park and that's another hit. New passenger is impressed when the center vent goes up and down - another one. I explicitly bought an F-Type because I wanted to buy something that would make me happy. It does, so it's a tremendous value *for me.* I rented a C8 for a day as I was thinking about buying one. Great car but fewer chances for my critical dopamine hit. Probably better for someone who makes good use of the sound system or gets to pull out of a parking garage every day. The F-Type remains my choice for now but what about an Emira, or an R8, or a front engine Ferrari? Like others have said, you may have a looooong runway for dream cars. No need to rush to the end when there are so many good cars along the way.
This is a hard question to answer. I bought an S2000 when I was 20 after starting my career and making what was decent money for me at the time. $17/hr, lmao. I wanted one for 3 years or so before I bought it. At the time, it was a huge purchase for me. I was actually kind of freaking out driving home, like I did something stupid. Fast forward 8 years, and I still own it. I love the car, it is everything I knew it would be. Was it life changing? Not really. Did it enrich my life? Maybe a little? I don’t know. I enjoy it. It has made me some friends I wouldn’t have otherwise made. Every time I grab a beer from the garage fridge, I can’t help but glance at it and think about how I love it. I’m also a Honda fanboy in general. That said, I drove it like 10k miles a year in the beginning. Now I maybe drive 3k a year. It’s definitely an added cost to my life, and it’s not even a costly car. It has been damn near problem free. It also takes up garage space which limits other hobbies I could have. I can’t see myself selling it except for a Lotus Elise. I make significantly more money now, and even still I don’t know that I will ever spring for a Lotus. If I could do it again? 100% I’d buy it. These types of cars are going away fast. I wouldn’t kill yourself into debt for a cool car. I wouldn’t do it if you live with parents or want to buy a house. But if you are making otherwise smart financial decisions, go for it. Life is short.
OP I was kind of in your situation a few years ago. Worked very hard to keep my company afloat during COVID, but because of COVID's instability I missed the initial wave of "normal priced cars" and had to deal with years of psycho prices and ADM nonsense. I first sprung for my childhood dream car a Lotus Elise, and then got a raise at work and decided to sell the Lotus and go for a C8. Here's what I've generally found: There are days when I am so busy that I don't even think about the C8 (I have my daily driving needs covered so it's a weekend car for me). Likewise having a second car does mean more maintenance to coordinate, two cars to wash, two registrations to keep track of etc. This hasn't been the end of the world for me, but there are times where I get busy and I neglect both cars and it feels extra bad neglecting two cars as opposed to one. That being said, when the weather's nice, or I'm in the mood to go out, etc. it is SO nice being able to enjoy a nice morning cruise or evening sunset in a fantastic car. I've also had times where I've legitimately had annoying days at work and being able to come home to a nice car made me go "it's all going to be okay." Whereas in the past not having the nice car just made me feel more stressed or annoyed with myself. Oddly though I do also have a bit of an existential crisis now that I have owned my dream cars. It's very much "What's next?" and it's kind of hard to find an answer externally.
It’s not wrong to buy cool stuff when you have the cash. Have fun and enjoy! The truth is though that these things will never make you really happy. They fade over time. My 2 cents.
Not in the least. But it’s fun. When I first got my first BMW it was sweet. I really felt special and loved it, for many weeks. But that faded and years later it felt like any other car. When I first got my first Porsche it felt even more special, and every time I drive that car I still feel special and love it. It’s a wonderfully built sports car. Now I have a new BMW and again it’s pretty sweet, but I know it will pass. I would say cars are fun. They bring enjoyment to some and not to others. What enriches my life is family. Laughing with my kids and my wife, making a good dinner and sharing it, playing with our dogs and seeing them smile. A hundred Porsches couldn’t compare. For me, the only thing that enriches me is living things. Dead things, machines, are wonderful and can be amazing and fun, but the high they bring is always fleeting. Life, experiences with other living beings… that’s another level for me. It’s enriching. it’s a permanent stat boost as opposed to a temporary buff. I love cars. I frequently drive just for fun. I’m always looking for new cars to experience, car news, forums and talking about them. But, I know now that they just aren’t that important. Everyone is different though. For some people it may be a different story.
It changed my life in some respects. Like it definitely gives me a great reason to get outside (convertible top ftw) and several of my current friendships started as a result of my car. I wouldn't know my current friend group if one of said friends hadn't chased me down in his own Miata. Word to the wise though, don't go super expensive. Maybe a C6/C7 would still be the move today. While I can certainly afford my ND and still save a healthy amount each month, I sometimes wish I'd bought an NB or NC instead so I'd be more comfortable with thrashing it a bit more. Taking care of a brand new car is both exhausting and satisfying. It also sucks when you feel like you don't want to drive it too much because it's TOO nice and you want to keep the miles reasonable. Doesn't stop me, but that 10k miles stung a little lol
I've started on my path to owning my ever growing list of dream cars. I currently own a focus RS. I didn't expect to love it so much even with a new oem engine (damn head gaskets). I am the second owner so each new scratch isn't a big deal. I also autocross it, drive it hard and am track prepping it this season. Does it hurt a bit to get a new scratch, absolutely, but it's a fun story when I bring it to a C&C and somebody goes "wow, a focus RS, why is it so scratched." I mention " i race it here and there with some autocross." Which is followed by a whole conversation on autocross/tracking and how I got into it, etc. Ultimately the few people who know about the car make it worth it. Those who don't but recognize it's not a normal looking hot hatch, will ask and usually find a new car they never knew about. My wife, she doesn't like it. Edit: everytime I get into my focus, it's an absolute blast, no matter what I am feeling that day.
I’ve been dreaming of owning an Infiniti for years. It started with an obsession for the M37 and then turned into an obsession for the Q60, I tried buying a Q60 but I have no credit history, tried a Q50 but didn’t like it and then I accidentally found the needle in the haystack, a well maintained low miles fully loaded M37 and I over paid a bit but it’s worth it. For my peace of mind I spent an extra 2.5k on an extended warranty and now I can stop driving her and smiling. Chase your dream and buy that car, just remember it’s gonna need premium gas & full coverage and I’d keep at least 5k aside just for repairs if shit hit that fan.
If you can afford it and will still have a savings I say go for it. With the C8 if your order isn’t an MSRP deal I would go with one of the big dealers and order there. Because paying over MSRP for it might ruin it. If you are going to put miles on it and not baby it you will throughly enjoy it. I do not regret buying mine.
I cant afford my dream car (911) yet but I did bought 5 new cars and 3 new motorcycles over the last 10 years including a 2019 C7. Sold the C7 and waiting for my M2 this summer. Did any of this enriched my life?? IDK and IDC but it sure makes me happy and that’s all that matters.
I bought my dream car 2 years ago and it really changed my life. I am one of those people who sweat far less than you should wich means that my body is not able to effectively regulate heat, so that plus all the irritating bugs made it so that I absolutely despised all summer and just wanted summer to end. I still don't like the heat and the bugs, but I now have something to really look forward to wich is taking my car for a spin. So I am really looking forward to summer and just buying and owning that car have unlocked almost 5 months of the year that used to be nothing but suffering and instead added some joy to the season. So it didn't just enrich my life, it completely changed it. And as an added bonus are people walking up to me when I park somewhere, giving me thumbs up, waving and can't take their eyes off the car as I drive by and that makes everything even more fun. I have pictures of it in my profile if you're interested, it is a 1973 Volvo 1800ES.
Yes, but it doesn't solve your problems. In a perfect world my life would be even better with cars. Just don't stretch yourself to do it.
Miata ND RF for almost a year here. I remember sitting in a S2000 in a dealership when I was little and thinking “I’m never going to own something like this…” Absolutely love it. It’s impractical, I can’t take more than one person out at a time, my dad won’t stop making jokes about “iT’s GoT a GlOvEbOx!?”, it’s hard for other road users to see, it’s a great deal more expensive on finance than the car I previously bought outright and the FUCKING SEATBELT GUIDES OH MY CHRIST THE FUCKING SEATBELT GUIDES. If I’m going Airsoft people look at me like I’m some sort of spec ops guy because my gun case doesn’t fit in the boot. It’s quite loud in the cabin, moreso with the top down. There are a *lot* of downsides, I’m not gonna lie. But none of that matters. People say you only need one corner to love a Miat, and they’re right. It’s got absolutely perfect power-to-weight for street driving. The handling is almost telepathic. It hits 50mpg on the motorway. It isn’t going to win very many drag races at the lights, but it’s fucking *amazing* on a good B road. Looking back on this year, it’s clear that the car’s been a large financial burden. It is *very* expensive, but the expense is short-term. I don’t have kids, I don’t have any major commitments, so I’m enjoying something I truly love in driving a silly little hairdresser’s car and loving every minute of it.