America has a love affair with the automobile....
I have one too .....and have since I was 14 years old.
I have had many cars (I would be embarrassed to mention the number..if I could recall them all?)
Some noteable ones include a 1955 Chevy 150 Sedan (drag strip built at age 16), 1965 Corvette Sting Ray roadster (I should kill my self for selling it), numerous British, German, Italian and American oddities (MG's, Alpha's, VW's, etc), modified pick up trucks, Cadillac's, Pontiac's, and a 1941 Plymouth. I know I have forgotton some (Oh, like a 1959 Pontiac Bonneville, hardtop, tri-power 389).
I am also a very decent mechanic and have auto painting skills with everything from period lacquer to multi-stage acrylics and urethane's.
It's been a trip, and I am still hanging on by my finger nails but getting old has slowed me down and building a nest egg has directed funds to more deserving places (I can't eat my cars in retirement).
So, we are 19 years in a small house with kids out of college and my garage is technically a complete auto workshop equipped with all the tools and painting equipment. I have become the "go to" guy for the neighbors whenever a car issue arises. We hold quarterly oil change weekends, do brake jobs, and generally hang out there. The garage is also equipped with a computer, high speed internet and a big screen TV (plus a fridge full of adult and other beverages).
My wife drives a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (turbocharged, of course) and I drive a modified six speed 2006 Jetta Diesel TDI sedan with a Malone Tuned ECU. The Jetta still manages 42 - 46 MPG overall and is a downright blast to drive.
Maybe one of these days I will find the funds to buy a C2 Corvette (1963 - 1967) and that would be the icing on the cake, so to say.
The Jetta sounds interesting. The recent diesels have lost a lot of the bad habits of the old ones, and are pretty peppy.
For me the drug is motorcycles, I just bought a creampuff 2001 Ranger pickup with 23000 miles to replace my other one. It might last me 15 years, and the money I didn't spend on something newer can go toward the hobby. Quite a few bikes can fit in a garage, they're small.