Lost love of cars the more I can afford them??
Discussion
This thread has made me think that perhaps with the electrification of cars, rising fuel prices etc those who are looking to invest in cars should be looking at the lower powered drivers cars.
Lotus Elise, Caterham, MX5 etc.
People will look to those for their fun as their electric car will already be able to do the 0-60 of an RS3 or C63 etc.
Lotus Elise, Caterham, MX5 etc.
People will look to those for their fun as their electric car will already be able to do the 0-60 of an RS3 or C63 etc.
gangzoom said:
Maybe it's just part of getting old and realising there is more to life than cars?
I remember saying to my ex wife that I preferred cars to her(they are much less hassle than women...unless it is a TVR of course!)...however that probably explains why she is now my ex wife though!
Similar here.
Maybe you just need to rethink your garage/fleet
After craving a dream car (to me) in the form of an M2 for about 5 years, last year i realised that dream with the thanks of a hefty loan from Tesco, plus selling lots of other stuff. I sold a few motorbikes that i had collected over the previous few years, i sold my 986 boxster that i wasn't using much and was costing lots to keep perfect, i sold my M135i to my wife.
I got the M2 and was happy for a while. Then i just fell out of love with it. I got tired of the hard-ish ride on my boring commute. I got a bit tired of the 300 mile tank range. As practical as it was for a coupe, i got fed up trying to avoid scuffing it when putting a bike in the boot. My kids complained about the noise and didn't like going quickly, or even feeling the acceleration.
So it has now gone, replaced with a Yeti for all of the boring stuff, and a bike engined kit car for me to have fun in. The kids don't want to go in the kit car, which is fine by me. But they love the Yeti. And all four of us can load it up with bikes and head out for the day.
Maybe you just need to rethink your garage/fleet
After craving a dream car (to me) in the form of an M2 for about 5 years, last year i realised that dream with the thanks of a hefty loan from Tesco, plus selling lots of other stuff. I sold a few motorbikes that i had collected over the previous few years, i sold my 986 boxster that i wasn't using much and was costing lots to keep perfect, i sold my M135i to my wife.
I got the M2 and was happy for a while. Then i just fell out of love with it. I got tired of the hard-ish ride on my boring commute. I got a bit tired of the 300 mile tank range. As practical as it was for a coupe, i got fed up trying to avoid scuffing it when putting a bike in the boot. My kids complained about the noise and didn't like going quickly, or even feeling the acceleration.
So it has now gone, replaced with a Yeti for all of the boring stuff, and a bike engined kit car for me to have fun in. The kids don't want to go in the kit car, which is fine by me. But they love the Yeti. And all four of us can load it up with bikes and head out for the day.
PTF said:
Similar here.
Maybe you just need to rethink your garage/fleet
After craving a dream car (to me) in the form of an M2 for about 5 years, last year i realised that dream with the thanks of a hefty loan from Tesco, plus selling lots of other stuff. I sold a few motorbikes that i had collected over the previous few years, i sold my 986 boxster that i wasn't using much and was costing lots to keep perfect, i sold my M135i to my wife.
I got the M2 and was happy for a while. Then i just fell out of love with it. I got tired of the hard-ish ride on my boring commute. I got a bit tired of the 300 mile tank range. As practical as it was for a coupe, i got fed up trying to avoid scuffing it when putting a bike in the boot. My kids complained about the noise and didn't like going quickly, or even feeling the acceleration.
So it has now gone, replaced with a Yeti for all of the boring stuff, and a bike engined kit car for me to have fun in. The kids don't want to go in the kit car, which is fine by me. But they love the Yeti. And all four of us can load it up with bikes and head out for the day.
Yep, this is the solution for sure.Maybe you just need to rethink your garage/fleet
After craving a dream car (to me) in the form of an M2 for about 5 years, last year i realised that dream with the thanks of a hefty loan from Tesco, plus selling lots of other stuff. I sold a few motorbikes that i had collected over the previous few years, i sold my 986 boxster that i wasn't using much and was costing lots to keep perfect, i sold my M135i to my wife.
I got the M2 and was happy for a while. Then i just fell out of love with it. I got tired of the hard-ish ride on my boring commute. I got a bit tired of the 300 mile tank range. As practical as it was for a coupe, i got fed up trying to avoid scuffing it when putting a bike in the boot. My kids complained about the noise and didn't like going quickly, or even feeling the acceleration.
So it has now gone, replaced with a Yeti for all of the boring stuff, and a bike engined kit car for me to have fun in. The kids don't want to go in the kit car, which is fine by me. But they love the Yeti. And all four of us can load it up with bikes and head out for the day.
All of these C63s, Golf R, RS5, M3 type cars all wear off very quickly. The best solution is a daily car which takes all of the day to day grunt and then a fun Sunday car.
mintmansam said:
But I find driving without a purpose (to get somewhere) or driving without friend a bit boring, especially on the well trodded routes I’ve already taken.
Excellent post which resonates deeply with me.For me the joy of cars and driving is all about discovery and exploration. As another eloquent poster 'AlexNJ89' describes earlier in this thread, there is a lot of pleasure to be had from researching a prospective car purchase, finding out what there is to know about the ins and outs of a model.
But ultimately cars exist to be driven, and unless the driving is rewarding there will be something missing. I've never understood the appeal in changing cars just to drive the same old routes, which is like upgrading your HiFi just to play the same albums over and over.
I spent years finding new routes to drive, which kept me very entertained for a while but having driven most of the decent roads in the UK multiple times it all starts to feel rather familiar.
I tried trackdays, and realised driving around around in circles wasn't for me.
I went on group runs, and indeed organised many, which was fun but having done literally hundreds no longer have the motivation.
I bought a car a few weeks ago and have enjoying learning about it, participating in its communities and doing a bit of spannering. Yesterday I took it out for its first proper drive since collecting. It was perfect weather for an open-top and I'd mapped out 150 miles of some of the best roads within easy reach.
I ended up cutting it short as despite being in a new-to-me car it just wasn't that interesting driving through an area I'd been to so many times.
I've concluded that for me the love of driving can only be sustained by road trips overseas in highly unfamiliar territory, which is now what I'm in the process of planning.
I appreciate others won't have this problem - the popularity of trackdays is evidence that many people are happy to have the exact same experience over and over again - but if discovery and the thrill of the unexplored is important, boredom is never far away.
Edited by plenty on Wednesday 29th June 09:55
PTF said:
Maybe you just need to rethink your garage/fleet
Agree and I think having the right cars "for you" is very important. I'm really happy with my fleet currently, the F82 M4 gives me the performance kicks, the Merc GLE400d gives me the comfort(air suspension) and practical(7 seater) kicks, and the 370Z gives me the noise and the roof down on a nice day kicks. I'd still love a Lambo though!
Agree with the above too.
I have an S1000R motorbike that i love, but i now rarely ride because i really don't have anywhere to go on it! I don't like group rides. I find "bikers" quite a closed group generally and i'm not that sociable.
I went on holiday to Lanzarote recently and while there hired a CB500 (1/3 of the power of the S1000) and had THE BEST day of my life on a motorbike!!! It was absolutely amazing, and worth the 4.5 hr flight each way by itself.
So it has underlined that for me, it's exploring and seeing new sites that's the key to enjoying being on the road.
OP if you have the cash then getting into something competitive might help. Sounds like you could afford to go racing. When i raced my interest in road cars/bikes was near zero. It was all-consuming and has left some incredible memories and life-long friends.
I have an S1000R motorbike that i love, but i now rarely ride because i really don't have anywhere to go on it! I don't like group rides. I find "bikers" quite a closed group generally and i'm not that sociable.
I went on holiday to Lanzarote recently and while there hired a CB500 (1/3 of the power of the S1000) and had THE BEST day of my life on a motorbike!!! It was absolutely amazing, and worth the 4.5 hr flight each way by itself.
So it has underlined that for me, it's exploring and seeing new sites that's the key to enjoying being on the road.
OP if you have the cash then getting into something competitive might help. Sounds like you could afford to go racing. When i raced my interest in road cars/bikes was near zero. It was all-consuming and has left some incredible memories and life-long friends.
Also agree on the racing side of things.
Even Ford Ka racing looks a hoot.
Good place to start:
https://www.750mc.co.uk/
Even Ford Ka racing looks a hoot.
Good place to start:
https://www.750mc.co.uk/
I was sort of in this position, but found when I could afford a 355 or a Lambo my teenage poster cars it all seemed more effort than it was worth, especially given how easy it is to get into trouble with these cars on public roads.
I’m much too much of a scardy cat to buy a super bike, so I bought one of these and booked lots of trackdays.
Job done as they say!
(Bigger budget than a Caterham but from your description probably in your target price range? not advocating this specific car, it’s just what I did)
https://www.bac-mono.com/
(I’d never done trackdays before and a big part of the appeal is the feeling of going back to school and learning something new, I now get why so many people retire and then go to University or do courses, the need for a continual challenge is easy to ignore but is much of what keeps us all motivated I think. Also once you have been (presumably) successful and in control of your work life, a bit of experience as a novice at something is very refreshing.)
Also:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluenza
Might explain some of what your are describing?
I’m much too much of a scardy cat to buy a super bike, so I bought one of these and booked lots of trackdays.
Job done as they say!
(Bigger budget than a Caterham but from your description probably in your target price range? not advocating this specific car, it’s just what I did)
https://www.bac-mono.com/
(I’d never done trackdays before and a big part of the appeal is the feeling of going back to school and learning something new, I now get why so many people retire and then go to University or do courses, the need for a continual challenge is easy to ignore but is much of what keeps us all motivated I think. Also once you have been (presumably) successful and in control of your work life, a bit of experience as a novice at something is very refreshing.)
Also:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluenza
Might explain some of what your are describing?
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 29th June 11:45
Very interesting thread and read!
I think I come from a slightly different angle, as my main interest in cars is modifying, always has been. I tend to keep a car for around 4 years, and I'm about halfway through my current one, and it's 95% where I want it to be (after new wheels, coilovers, spacers, exhaust, air filter, remap, re-trimmed steering wheel the list goes on)
I love all the research that goes into it! Even now, being roughly 2 years away from my next project, I am thinking about what wheels i want, and what different aftermarket exhausts sound like, and I don't even 100% know what car I'm going to go for
I like buying quite rough examples and replacing OEM parts too, and making it all good as new. My current car was a bit of a state and I got a bumper repair and front end respray, various parts missing inside which I tracked down brand new examples on eBay... just little bits and bobs that make me interact with the car and make it mine. I'm not very good mechanically so this why at least it makes me feel like I'm improving the car myself.
Also love a good clean and spending 5 hours on a sunny afternoon cleaning the car makes me very happy.
Then there's car shows, which I've always enjoyed going to and now my eldest enjoys with me. Then there's the track time that goes with that. Then there's lots of time on PistonHeads! I don't know, I'm going on a bit now
and none of this is actually to do with driving the bloody things, but I'm just saying it's possible to still love cars even without that element.
I think I come from a slightly different angle, as my main interest in cars is modifying, always has been. I tend to keep a car for around 4 years, and I'm about halfway through my current one, and it's 95% where I want it to be (after new wheels, coilovers, spacers, exhaust, air filter, remap, re-trimmed steering wheel the list goes on)
I love all the research that goes into it! Even now, being roughly 2 years away from my next project, I am thinking about what wheels i want, and what different aftermarket exhausts sound like, and I don't even 100% know what car I'm going to go for
I like buying quite rough examples and replacing OEM parts too, and making it all good as new. My current car was a bit of a state and I got a bumper repair and front end respray, various parts missing inside which I tracked down brand new examples on eBay... just little bits and bobs that make me interact with the car and make it mine. I'm not very good mechanically so this why at least it makes me feel like I'm improving the car myself.
Also love a good clean and spending 5 hours on a sunny afternoon cleaning the car makes me very happy.
Then there's car shows, which I've always enjoyed going to and now my eldest enjoys with me. Then there's the track time that goes with that. Then there's lots of time on PistonHeads! I don't know, I'm going on a bit now
and none of this is actually to do with driving the bloody things, but I'm just saying it's possible to still love cars even without that element.CrippsCorner said:
Then there's car shows, which I've always enjoyed going to and now my eldest enjoys with me.
My closest mate is 50 this year and I'm 50 next year...and we still love going to car shows as well. You'd probably think that we would both be bored with going to them now(I've known him 30 years and we've always gone to car shows), yet we still love going though. I think that if I ever find electric cars interesting...then that will definitely be the time to give up on it all I reckon!
mintmansam said:
Biggest life lesson (which still learning) is doing something is better than owning something, it’s just the world has become focused on , your value is what you own. Someone said it earlier most people (not all) buy things for others, the ego is a strange part of the brain. Once you get past this I think you truely are happier. But you have to get to this point on your own.
This.As you get older you enjoy the driving more than the car you're driving and the sailing more than the boat you're sailing and the music more than the Hi Fi you're listening to it on and the food more than the kitchen you've cooked it in and the pictures more than the camera you used to take them. Ad infinitum.
The real value in owning stuff lies in what it does for you and not what you paid for it. That's where the true happiness lies and that's priceless.
Jaguar steve said:
The real value in owning stuff lies in what it does for you and not what you paid for it. That's where the true happiness lies and that's priceless.
Great summary, I stil really enjoy my car, it's used all the time, driving to Norway and staying 15 minutes from here in 10 days time. 
On the my pedal bike I still love going quick(too quickly dome times). Pushing 20mph+, whilst in the rain/dark, knowing any pot hole/wild life can send you tumbling down to the tarmac doesn't keep you half awake, and get the hr going
.
It's just I have realised I simply don't have the same 'urge' or feel the need to change cars every 6 months like I use to, and new cars that come out interest me about as much as cutting the lawn.
Doing stuff and memories really is priceless, our daughter wasn't even eatting solids when we ordered our current car, she is now 6 going on 16, we taken car has taken us all over the UK, to Europe, its like part of the family, selling for something simply feels wrong.
So actually I still love OUR CAR, just have no interest in anything else these days.......I would like a new pedal bike though
.Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 30th June 06:28
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 30th June 06:28
plenty said:
Cambs_Stuart said:
Having bought increasingly fast cars over the years, I found the one I enjoy the most is a tatty clio 172.
As the owner of a tatty Clio 182, I couldn't agree more. It does everything I need in a car. And I'm as much of a petrolhead as anyone, spending more or less all of my free time on car-related activities with Porsches, ///M cars and Loti in my car history.Many car people are maximisers. They aren't happy with anything less than the very 'best' they can afford, and are constantly searching for something 'better'.
I on the other hand am the epitome of a satisficer. Good enough is all I want, and anything more than that is a waste of time and money.
I’ve ended up with a 20 year old poverty pork 986 Boxster S, cheapest sports car I’ve ever owned.
But I really like it and it meets all my needs - it’s just a very decent road car and it’s growing into its looks imo.
I could afford a ‘better’, new, faster car. But I’ll look at something for £25k to £50k and think “will I enjoy it x5 or x10 vs what I’ve got?”
The answer always ends up being “nope”.
But maybe it’s an age thing though.. kids heading to uni soon, house needs some upcoming work, pensions are finally something I actually track, filling up for £125 annoys me, those fitness goals won’t be realised behind a steering wheel, realisation that if I want to visit places I’ve got more summers behind me than ahead…
plenty said:
Many car people are maximisers. They aren't happy with anything less than the very 'best' they can afford, and are constantly searching for something 'better'.
There's a hellava a lot of effort and entanglement and grief and baggage within that approach - not just cars but practically anything you can think of.Once you realise that you'll immediately see how much better your life will be without it.
F20CN16 said:
The answer is an MX5, and a few track days.
I tried so hard to get into trackdays, as I wanted another way to enjoy cars. After trying many of the tracks in the UK I realised I enjoyed the drive there and back more than the track time.Invariably I'd be bored and wanting to go home within about three laps. Same with the Nurburgring...did one lap and didn't need to do another. I loved the vibe of the place and the road trip associated with it far more than the actual experience driving it.
gangzoom said:
Great summary, I stil really enjoy my car, it's used all the time, driving to Norway and staying 15 minutes from here in 10 days time.
[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52041680641_1fe8da0b11_c_d.jpg[/thumb]
Where is this? Those roads look great[Img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52041680641_1fe8da0b11_c_d.jpg[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 30th June 06:28
Edited by gangzoom on Thursday 30th June 06:28
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