A downside of a fancy car

[Ronstar]

My 2001 corvette was the fanciest car that I ever had. I babied that car for 20 years. It was a hassle to be overly careful with it. Watched where I parked it, thought ahead of time about road conditions, weather, etc.

I’ve also owned 5 suv’s and 4 trucks. Those are /were great because I never worry about conditions.

 

[street]

I for one I'm not a car person. I have bought many of new vehicles through the years. I look back now how rich I could of been if I hadn't bought so many. Lol

Oh well, it's over now, and it was only money. I always was pretty protective of where I parked and kept them in excellent condition.

 

[RetMD21]

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.

Me too but I have been buying practical cars. Anything high end enough would likely not be a daily driver and most vehicles practical enough to be a daily driver don't strike me as very interesting. My friend bought a Viper which was his idea of a great car but it stayed in his garage for years except for a few Sunday afternoon drives a year. I think I would regret that as he likely did. Some of the less expensive sporty cars remind me of the Ford Escort GT, an econo car with a few extra horsepower a spoiler and a special paint job.

 

[CRLLS]

I have had some what I call my "fun" cars over the years. One I fully restored, one I built from sticks of steel tube. Fortunately non of those fun cars have ever been hit. I wish I could say the same about our DDs. I have been hit/bumped from the rear so many times I can't count, over 10 times over the years. The latest incident was just a few days ago. The majority of them were while stopped at a stop light or sign. We've also had a few few more non-rear enders. My DDs have always been "transportation only". Considering my life's experience, no way would I pay up for a fancy car for daily use. We've never paid over $21k for a new car. While insurance may pay for the repair, they don't pay for the reduced value of a once-damaged car.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

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".

I am with you. I sold my relatively new F-150 which still looked brand new and bought an Accord that is several years old. It cost about 10K and it is most definably an "appliance" and not something to "behold" But, I don't worry about nicks, dings, scratches and that gives me peace of mind.

I figure in terms of fancy things, I once owned an airplane...so I think that got it out of my blood.

But my biggest gripe has been auto insurance, and minor accidents in Walmart parking lots.

Another benefit of having an "appliance" car; my insurance is about $24/month. Nonetheless, I still park out in the middle of nowhere although more so for a little exercise and visibility when leaving but not to reduce parking lot dings.

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.

When I was quite a bit younger, I *almost* bought an MG. It was a very cool looking little car and a colleague restored/sold them as a side job. He would have sold me the specimen car but pointed out that since I was 6'2" it may not be a very comfortable ride and that I should be prepared to deal with a ridiculous electrical system made by Lucas..."the bringer of darkness" So, thankfully, I didn't buy the MG.

 

[GreenEggs]

There are a number of cars these days that are practical, sporty, and not too expensive. Relatively high Hp engines are quite common now & the 8-speed dual-clutch transmissions help them achieve impressive fuel mileage.

A few years ago when I was car shopping I wanted something fun, a little sporty, 4 door, and not too flashy. I ended up with an Audi A6 3.0 It's pretty roomy, sort of sporty, has 335 Hp, and gets about 31 mpg at 80 mph. The engine can be cheaply upgraded to that of the pricier Audis with about 435 Hp, by retuning the ECU and swapping the supercharger pulleys. Oh, and it has AWD, which is nice in the winter and also on the steep gravel driveway at our mountain place.

 

[Car-Guy]

A few years ago when I was car shopping I wanted something fun, a little sporty, 4 door, and not too flashy. I ended up with an Audi A6 3.0 It's pretty roomy, sort of sporty, has 335 Hp, and gets about 31 mpg at 80 mph. The engine can be cheaply upgraded to that of the pricier Audis with about 435 Hp, by retuning the ECU and swapping the supercharger pulleys.

Well I learned something new here again today about cars... I thought most Audis were turbo charged (not supercharged) so that new info for me... (but admittedly, I'm not an Audi expert by a long shot)

Question, if you do upgrade the ECU and pulley, is your engine and drive train the same as the "pricier" Audi so that it can handle the extra power?

 

[GreenEggs]

Well I learned something new here again today about cars... I thought most Audis were turbo charged (not supercharged) so that new info for me... (but admittedly, I'm not an Audi expert by a long shot)

Question, if you do upgrade the ECU and pulley, is your engine and drive train the same as the "pricier" Audi so that it can handle the extra power?

There are a number of performance levels for Audis. I'm no expert, but I think my drive train is the same as the next level up, which is about 430-450 Hp from the supercharged 3.0 V6. There are V8 models that are turbocharged with the base HP of about 430-450ish, and a high-performance model with 600+ Hp. The top-level has a beefier drivetrain. The sportier models are called the "S" and the "RS", the names and specs might vary some by model year, I don't really keep up with it.

When I first realized that I liked the Audis I'd found a beautiful A7 & fell for it. I needed a day to "think about it" & the dealer was pushy with me, so I told him to sell it to somebody else...and he did. With a little research, I discovered that the A6 was almost identical, except was a 4-door instead of being a 5-door fastback, but was $10,000 less. I'd wanted "less flashy" anyway, so it was a fine compromise to me.

If you enjoy test drives I'd recommend trying an S8, or one of the others with the big HP engines. They'll fly.

 

[38Chevy454]

I have 5 classic vehicles and 4 daily driver type vehicles. I do try and park or keep the car where potential damage is reduced, but in the end I can't control everything. So guess I fall into the that's what insurance is for camp. My daily drivers are 206, 2015, 2008 and an older 1988 truck. My classics are 1937, 1937, 1952, 1952 and 1968. So none of my daily drivers are brand new, and they all have some small dings or scratches. It is consequence of driving them. Same for my classics, none of them are close to perfect.



I am more of a horsepower guy than luxury, although do appreciate some of the luxury type features in my daily drivers. My preference is on the performance side of things.

 

[JRon]

I really like cars and we own a resto-mod Corvette that cost quite a bit. I drive it a lot and take care when parking it, but no more than our other cars.

 

[corn18]

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.

The watch analogy hit home for me. I went through a phase of buying and selling high end watches. The most expensive one was $43k. I never liked wearing them because I was always worried about scratching them. So I sold them all and I wear a $65 G-Shock. It was interesting wearing a car on my wrist, but not enjoyable.

 

[brett]

The closest I came was in a new car showroom. My spouse encouraged me to buy whatever I wanted. We had the cash and could well afford it.

My problem was the thought of a new fancy car with that new car leather 'smell' did nothing for me. Vehicles were very nice but they left me cold. Did not even want a test drive. Much to the salesperson's chargrin we left without buying a thing. My intention in going into the dealership was to buy. Not certain what put me off that inclination.

Got into my 15 year old Camry, drove home and booked an expensive elongated vacation that night.

Different strokes. It could be age I have been at the stage for some time where I value experiences over things....especially things that depreciate either in value or enjoyment to me.

 

[corn18]

I think for us, we have decided to spend our blow that dough money on memories for us, our family and friends. Cars and watches do not create lasting memories for us. Now our giant fifth wheel camper, we are doing great with that.

 

[JoshTrent]

My DD is a 2001 Porsche Turbo - and I love it. It's not as "fancy" as new Porsche's, but it's analog, which suits my purpose. It's ECU has been remapped, I have replaced the Turbos & plumbing, Cooling Plumbing, Suspension, and other tidbits. Having a 20-year old car that accelerates & handles better than 99% of new cars - that's just fun in my book.

My hobby is cars.. I started with VWs. Not the 60's Beetles, but rather 90's hatches. As my means increased, I moved into Audi's and now Porsches. I really admire German automotive prowess, and factory repair manuals are quite detailed. Doing my own work (which I love) keeps maintenance & repair costs down.

I do pay attention to where I park. I am around people who drive Lambos, Ferraris & McLarens.. most of them don't pay that much attention, but they have more means than I.

Having said all that, the best part is knowing that I can sell the car tomorrow and make $15-20k more than I have in it.

 

[marko]

DW and I both have expensive new cars. We also have insurance. Too old (or too rich?) to worry about dings....that’s what autobody guys are for.

 

[Pointby2]

I finally broke down and bought a Porsche GT3. Porsche prices on the 996 GT3s were great in 2008 and I could justify that the depreciation would be minimal which satisfied the cheapskate in me.

At the time I was heavily into track days and I was even a driving instructor for a couple of local clubs. So, on one hand i drove it and didn't just leave it in the garage. At the same time, I was terrified of parking it anywhere so it wouldn't get dinged.


Then one day at the track I was taking a buddy for a demo ride, made a little mistake, and spun it into the gravel pit at about 100mph. I sold it about six months later.

 

[Car-Guy]

There are a number of performance levels for Audis. I'm no expert, but I think my drive train is the same as the next level up, which is about 430-450 Hp from the supercharged 3.0 V6.

.
The reason I ask is some guys (another forum I'm on) have been adding a new pulley and tune to their Jeep Trackhawks, bumping them up to around 850 to 900hp.... One guy "claims" he dyno'd his at just over 1000hp.... Maybe so, since that's what the aftermarket dealer claims their top tier system will pull. That seems insane, even to me ... Anyway, they all had drive train problems within a few months. That can get costly, especially since they voided their warranties with the upgrades.... And almost all of the problems have been with the AWD/transfer case and/or third member.

If you enjoy test drives I'd recommend trying an S8, or one of the others with the big HP engines. They'll fly.

Thanks but I'll stick with what I have, it's plenty quick.

 

[splitwdw]

Car gal here. I treat all of our vehicles the same, I park out in no woman's land in the parking lot to avoid door dings and shopping carts. BUT I drive and enjoy our vehicles. I've had a chunk of metal fly up on the interstate and tear a hunk of fiberglass out of my hood. Lost a windshield on a back road from a stone from a quarry truck. Ran over a bunch of junk on the Pennsylvania Turnpike headed to Corvettes at Carlisle, gave myself two flats and a dented rim. When things like this happen I know insurance will cover it, it will get fixed and don't worry about it. My husband worries about all of this and talks it to death. Before he sold his antique and classic vettes he wouldn't want to drive them if there was a chance of rainy weather. He loves cars but he wants to keep them low mileage and perfect.

 

[GreenEggs]

I get a kick when browsing the exotic car ads & and none of them have many miles on the odometers. I'm not sure what kind of math justifies buying a $200K car, and selling it in a few years with 5,000 miles for $140,000? IMO, if you can't afford to drive it, you can't afford to buy it. Maybe they're just for impressing others, that must be it.

Next time I meet a guy that boasts of once owning one I'll ask "How many miles did you put on it?".

 

[marko]

I get a kick when browsing the exotic car ads & and none of them have many miles on the odometers. I'm not sure what kind of math justifies buying a $200K car, and selling it in a few years with 5,000 miles for $140,000? IMO, if you can't afford to drive it, you can't afford to buy it. Maybe they're just for impressing others, that must be it.

Next time I meet a guy that boasts of once owning one I'll ask "How many miles did you put on it?".

Friend of mine has several exotics. In his experience, he buys $200k cars and sells them a few years later for $250k.. Few, if any high end exotics depreciate like regular cars. He once bought a beat up Bugatti for $100k, put $75k into it (there's outfits that specialize in things like that) and sold it a few years later for $245k.
This is a different world...these are guys who won't let the car out in the rain because the rain 'dents ' the paint.

 

[braumeister]

Friend of mine has several exotics. In his experience, he buys $200k cars and sells them a few years later for $250k.. Few, if any high end exotics depreciate like regular cars. He once bought a beat up Bugatti for $100k, put $75k into it (there's outfits that specialize in things like that) and sold it a few years later for $245k.
This is a different world...these are guys who won't let the car out in the rain because the rain 'dents ' the paint.

I think there are a number of guys like this.
I know one who has dozens of exotics, some costing millions. He rarely sells one -- he's a collector, not a trader.
He drives them all at least once a year, but that hardly puts many miles on.

 

[frayne]

Feel very fortunate never to have been bit by the expensive car bug. I appreciate the beauty and engineering of fine vehicles but for me, cars are nothing more than a tool of utility to get safely, economically and reliably from point A to point B.

 

[Car-Guy]

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.

Feel very fortunate never to have been bit by the expensive car bug. I appreciate the beauty and engineering of fine vehicles but for me, cars are nothing more than a tool of utility to get safely, economically and reliably from point A to point B.

I see people posting comments like that all the time. (the bold above) and that's okay IMO. But for me, and many other car nuts, it's almost a lifestyle... Sure they get me from point A to point B, (and sometimes other points along the way) but I really enjoy the driving experience... It just never seems to grow old and I spend a lot of time in my cars. When I was younger, it was all about cool looking and high performance cars... These days it's much more about luxury, comfort and even higher performance... I still like cool looking cars, but that "feature" has fallen way down on my list of must haves. Matter of fact, these days I sort of like the stealthier look, for a number of reasons.

Nothing puts a smile on my face quicker (well almost nothing) than out running some younger guy in his shinny new sexy looking Vette, et al (at a race track of course ) in my boxy looking SUV.... Priceless... The DW, says I'll never grow up. Gosh, I hope she's right!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

While I was commuting a fairly long distance I bought older, well-tended Mercedes and BMWs that had already depreciated. I'd have a backup car so that repairs weren't an urgent thing and did all the work myself. I had a couple Mercedes diesels that were great long-distance commuters and an E30 3 series and E34 5 series BMW.

The one downside to the strategy is that a moderate collision put it into total-loss territory. My diesel coupe was a writeoff after it got hit -- I bought it back and drove it for another six months.

 

[38Chevy454]

I see people posting comments like that all the time. (the bold above) and that's okay IMO. But for me, and many other car nuts, it's almost a lifestyle... Sure they get me from point A to point B, (and sometimes other points along the way) but I really enjoy the driving experience... It just never seems to grow old and I spend a lot of time in my cars. When I was younger, it was all about cool looking and high performance cars... These days it's much more about luxury, comfort and even higher performance... I still like cool looking cars, but that "feature" has fallen way down on my list of must haves. Matter of fact, these days I sort of like the stealthier look, for a number of reasons.

Nothing puts a smile on my face quicker (well almost nothing) than out running some younger guy in his shinny new sexy looking Vette, et al (at a race track of course ) in my boxy looking SUV.... Priceless... The DW, says I'll never grow up. Gosh, I hope she's right!

Pretty well matches my views as well. Cars are much more than an appliance to get from point A to B for me. The cars, especially my old cars, are an integral part of my life. I'm actually down to only 9 vehicles total plus the motorhome at the moment. Might have to blow some dough and get back to 10