A downside of a fancy car

[Scout]

I love cars. I like reading about em, watching videos of track runs on the recently released, head to head comparisons of amg vs m, etc. I’ve always wanted a new m3. In my quest to reach FIRE I’ve always held off buying one and tend to drive older Toyotas, which I love and would never be without one, but still I’ve dreamed of the day when I could stop the delayed gratification and finally put one in my garage.
Yesterday I was driving in town on a somewhat congested road and a newer AMG driver didn’t see me in his blind spot and came over on me. My Tacoma didn’t have a scratch, but the AMG had a tire mark all the way down it’s side and scuffs that would definitely not buff out. The owner was pleasant and accepted responsibility, but was obviously bummed that his car was no longer whole and he now had an issue to deal with.
Last week I met a friend out to eat and we finished late so that no other car was in the parking lot….including his. He had parked it 3 lots over in the movie’s lot so as not to get a door ding ($200k car).
Do other car lovers on here who are inherently frugal, but bit the bullet struggle with this same type of anxiety after many years of delaying the purchase? I like to think I would be able to see it for what it is….‘it’s just a car, no biggie. That’s what insurance is for’, but something tells me I’d think differently if my 100k car got injured:-/

 

[Jerry1]

I have a nice truck, but if it’s a daily driver, I won’t waste my time trying to protect it. Sure, I’ll park a spot over and try to keep it nice (especially I keep it clean), but stuff is going to happen. Now, if it was my dream car that I only took out for pleasure driving, I’m sure I’d be over protective.

 

[SeanPizzle]

I got one of my dream cars last year, 65 Cobra replica. It is beautiful and completely obnoxious and impractical. I drive it everywhere. I have scraped the lower front spoiler several times. I park it wherever. I think I am into it for about $52k, so it is not an expensive car by any means. But I dont worry. If something happens, I am insured. If a thief actually knows how to 1) defeat my hidden kill switch and 2) have ability to drive a manual transmission, I am insured.

I own 6 cars, each unique and fun. None of which are high dollar 100K+. I do pay a few thousand extra per year in insurance, license and upkeep, but it is something I enjoy. If someone wants a nice Porsche, more power to them.

 

[citrine]

I love cars and appreciate beautiful cars...but I will never own a car that is more than 35K!
Our cars are bought new and kept forever.....I would rather have that money invested in my home, in my bank, or spent on amazing trips.

 

[sengsational]

When my daily driver was more to fix than the blue book, I bought a few year old Accord. It was not much nicer looking than my old car. Not long after I bought it, I saw someone keyed it pretty good. Not sure why... maybe I parked crooked or too close to someone's fancy ride. I haven't even tried to buff it out! I really enjoy not caring about how it looks. It's been very reliable. Everything works. I'd like more safety features, but I'm absolutely certain that I'm happier not worrying about a fancy car that I would need to "baby".

 

[Winemaker]

That AMG has all kinds of standard equipment gizmos that warn you of everything. Every time a car is in your blind spot, a red light comes on in the side mirror after a yellow one comes on when they're close. Audible alarms come on if the turn signal is used and something is in blind spot. I'm glad he owned up to his error, as he just never looked or used his turn signal.

Yes, I watch where I park my vehicles wherever I go, and don't chance a runaway buggy, butt hole drivers, newby drivers, and them old farts that can't see past their hoods and hve their noses up against the inside windshield.

 

[braumeister]

I have never wanted a really high end car, but I think if I did get one it would only be if my finances allowed me to treat it as "just a car".

The idea of stressing myself out over a scratch on a fender is just foreign to my nature.

I have actually known guys who owned Bentleys and Rolls-Royces, and they do seem to treat them as "just a car."

 

[Car-Guy]

I love cars.

Very guilty here...

Do other car lovers on here who are inherently frugal, but bit the bullet struggle with this same type of anxiety after many years of delaying the purchase?

Very much a high performance/fancy daily driver car lover, but I haven't been what anyone here would consider frugal for at least the last 20 years. Life is to short. In that time I've gone through 4 new Vettes, 2 SRT's, and now I'm on my second Trackhawk. But that's not counting the boring daily drivers that my DW drives. Or my collectables (that are all gone now.) Somehow, I made it without getting a dent in any of them! Not sure how I'd handle a dent I know I get PO'd when I get a small windshield crack so a dent may push me over the edge.

EDIT, I have got a few scratches over the years... But all have been minor that I've been able to compound out.

If you are into BMW's you might want to check out the M5 comp. Very cool IMO.

 

[corn18]

Never really worried about our nicer cars (BMW Z4M, BMW X3M). But my buddy who buys a new super car every other year would not drive them much. Was always worried about rain or dings. Now, he could afford them, but he never really enjoyed them. Now he drives a $95k pickup truck. He doesn't worry about that.

 

[Dtail]

I usually park my BMW Z4 in corner spots, plus my DGF has a disability sticker.
If there is only one spot in the middle, I will park it there.
Minimal markings on the car after 10 years.
If I had a supercar, I would be extra careful with it as to parking.

 

[Amethyst]

I am paranoid about parking - use the camera to exactly center the car in the stall. Nevertheless, the so-called driver of an F250 managed, while pulling out of his space, to walk one tire completely over the front bumper, destroying it.

Fortunately he was observed (we were in the gym), so he had to stick around till we emerged, and I was able to get his insurance co. to pay. But it just goes to show that no matter how careful you are, schtuff will happen to a car.

Interestingly - when we lived in the UK, we bought an American car on base, drove (including those little narrow lanes) and parked it in all kinds of places. When we shipped it home, the shipping inspector, who goes over every car with a fine-tooth comb could not find one.single.scratch on our little Ford.

Within a week of bringing it home and parking in American parking lots, it had several scratches.

 

[Aerides]

I dont think you have to have a particularly pricey car to be annoyed/upset about the first dings and scratches.

I always hated them, from my first $9800 honda CRX onwards. Now I don't go out of my way to hug the corner parking slots or anything, but I'd think those that do would, and did, with (almost) any car they had ever owned.

 

[Bamaman]

I've been the recipient of over 100 new cars. That's sometimes the benefit of working for an auto company. On the down side, working 40 hours a week plus driving 1,000 miles a week on company business is not always enjoyable.

But now that I'm paying for the cars, we've started buying less expensive cars in our ER. And we're also staging it out where we're not buying one car at a time. And the cars we presently drive are $32K vehicles--substantially less than $39K average car prices and much cheaper than our last Lexus.

But my biggest gripe has been auto insurance, and minor accidents in Walmart parking lots. My wife backed into a bright yellow pole by 1 inch, and it caused substantial damage. I was pulling out of a parking place, and an elderly man didn't see me and I clipped his door so slightly. A result of such things is a doubling of insurance premiums. Needless to say, I just try to refrain from any busy parking lots whenever possible.

But the older we get, the more we prefer cars that get higher mileage--like a hybrid. After all, automobiles are just to get us from Point A to Point B, and dependability is most important when shop labor is $100+ per base rate hour.

 

[aja8888]

I've had lots of cars....everything from Corvettes to exotic Italian sports cars and the usual run of the mill American iron. I also admit to owning some older British cars, but that happened in my weaker moments. I gave up counting how many I went through.

What's left after decades of throwing lots of money at neat cars is a beautiful bright red classic Mustang convertible that I drive once per week, on average, and a plain vanilla Hyundai SUV.

At 77 years old, I still park where no one can ding the car, and that must just be a habit after all these years. I should have been as careful with my body as I was with those hunks of iron. (LOL)

 

[RobbieB]

I bought my first new car (in my life) in 2018. Just a 45 grand Impala, nothing special. Never parked out of the way. Never worried about it.

 

[ncbill]

Inherited a ~25 year old Mercedes sports coupe from a relative who couldn't get in and out of it anymore...it's like sitting on the ground.

Though it's not worth much after a deer suicide that meant replacing many front end components...grill, A/C evaporator, headlights, hood, fenders, etc.

I'm still surprised insurance didn't total it.

Looks great now, though...repaint fixed all the paint chips/dings accumulated over time on the front bumper cover, hood, etc.

 

[Sunset]

....
But my biggest gripe has been auto insurance, and minor accidents in Walmart parking lots. My wife backed into a bright yellow pole by 1 inch, and it caused substantial damage. I was pulling out of a parking place, and an elderly man didn't see me and I clipped his door so slightly. A result of such things is a doubling of insurance premiums. Needless to say, I just try to refrain from any busy parking lots whenever possible.

..

Amazing how those yellow poles can hide , and old men are just waiting around to be clipped.

This is similar how may Aunt was parked on the street in front of her house. She had to park on the street as they top coated her driveway. This happens once every 3 years.
That night at 3am, a fellow backed out of a driveway across the street , and backed all the way across the street until he hit her car .
He must have waited 3 years to do that

 

[Keim]

I dont have an expensive car. I have a 76 Chevy Monte Carlo, my 1st car, restored at a cost of $10k or so.

Its a summer car.

Big.

Loud.

Always gets attention.
I find myself driving it less and avoiding crowded parking lots since restoring. Id say the OPs concern is normal.

 

[W2R]

I admit it, I'd feel terribly unhappy if I had a gorgeous, pricey luxury car and it got dinged like that. In fact, that's one of several reasons why I don't own a luxury car. Why put myself through that? Or at least, that is my present feeling about the topic. I'd rather have something more rugged and not too fancy.

 

[doneat54]

I have 3 antique vehicles, the most valueable of which is a '69 convertible Benz, probably worth around $60k. I don't obsess about protecting it, but will always choose the best available parking space at a store or restaurant. Vintage car insurance is remarkably cheap (stated value policies), I think I pay less than $1k to insure all 3, collectively valued at maybe $120k. No driving restrictions either.

 

[Montecfo]

I like to keep my cars pristine. Even though my 5 series is 18 years old (I bought this one 6 years ago) I still fret over any dings and chips.

If I had a new really expensive car, I would treat it exactly the same way.

Interestingly, some jackwagon recently keyed the car. I go so few places, was this at the grocery store or the gym
?

What is wrong with people?

 

[Ready]

I’ve avoided really expensive cars for pretty much the same reason. I feel bad if any car I own gets dinged or scratched but I’d feel worse if it were a really expensive car. I think this applies to almost anything I buy though.

I’ve never wanted a super fancy watch because I’d be concerned with losing or damaging it. And when it was time to buy a drone I bought a $439 one rather than buying the super fancy $1,299 one with all the bells and whistles because I’d feel horrible if my expensive drone crashed or flew away.

But at some point we have to decide what we want to splurge on and just go for it. Whether it be a car, a watch, a boat, or a computer…there is always something we really appreciate that justifies the money we spend on it. You just have to decide if a car is one of those things.

 

[NW-Bound]

Interestingly, some.jackwagon recently keyed the car. I go so few places, was this at the grocery store or the gym?

What is wrong with people?

This shows we have a lot of sociopaths in our society. This worries me more than scratches on cars.

 

[teetee]

Cars to me is like extra expensive barbie dolls to girls or train sets for boys. They are nice to look at and play with. It take some longer than others to get over the phase.

I used to promise myself that I would buy a new sports car after I have over $1m net worth. I no longer has that car fever, especially after knowing lots of luxury cars use most of the same parts of the budget lines. Now all I think about my next transportation is value.

I would still be interested in something unique though
A car that turns into a boat or a plane, or an electric truck that serves as a base for my road trip camper conversion. Both vehicles are a lot more practical than a sports or luxury car but their price tags have to show they have good value.

 

[jollystomper]

I try to buy used cars that have a few scratches on them, so Iw ill not feel bad about that first new ding as a owner .

Seriously, I assume my car will eventually get dinged or scratched, and hope it is no more than that. Just as my saying in golf is "never buy balls so expensive that you would be upset if you lost them", with cars it is "never buy a car that you would be very upset if it got dinged.

Two if my brothers are into cars. One has two expensive ones that he keeps in a 3 car garage and keep the other cars in the driveway. These cars he and his wife only drive on special occasions where they do not have to deal with parking lots . One of his patients whose life he saved owns a body shop, and that certainly helps .The other brother keeps his in the driveway, but washes it frequently and knows enough about cars on how to fix dents, scratches, and other cosmetic issue like knew (the first cars he and another brother owned as teenagers they built from parts and made them look very nice).