Lost love of cars the more I can afford them??

[samoht]

Have you driven the cars you're thinking of, and found them undesirable, or are you so bored by the prospect that you don't even want to try one?

I only ask as I hired a McLaren for three days just recently and was absolutely blown away by the feel and feedback, and how it was exciting to drive at almost any speed. Visited some good driving roads and did get the chance to stretch its legs a bit, too.

Upshot is, two weeks ago I was perfectly happy with the cars I had, and now I really want a McLaren ;-) So maybe some extended test drives or supercar hire of some really good stuff might reignite the desire?

[UTH]

Lester H said:

I totally agree with the OP though my cars are lower down the cost ladder. However I did the Boat thing. Oh dear, as soon as you whisper ''marine parts prices quadruple. Marina fees are seriously high and you have to use their mechanics who in turn pay a fee to Marinas for being there otherwise you pay the marina a fine if your favourite mechanic comes aboard. Also most boats have been messed with over time so there are fewer standard models compared with cars. It can be lovely while it lasts but it is really an expensive hobby and sad when you see ocean going yachts neglected because owners have other problems. Someone on here recently posted that if you think your exotic car is a money pit, then try a boat, then a yacht ,then a hellicopter.

“If it floats or flies, rent it”
A good mantra of my father’s, and he’s not exactly doing badly money wise.

[dangerousB]

Whilst I absolutely love driving, I do look at road based quick stuff as a bit meh. Moreso because I'm not socially responsible enough to be trusted with anything more than a 90hp Transit on the road, so buying road based quick stuff is a pleasure I have to deny myself.

I don't think you've got enough variety going on though. In no particular order:-

1. Go racing (anything from karting to Formula)
2. Get on 2 wheels (on the road, track, enduro/MX or trials)
3. Buy a boat
4. Buy a jetski

None of those would bore you. OK, with the exception of (1) they're not all driving, but you've got the soundtrack and the various elements of control to (try and) master - works for me!

[Stick Legs]

I had this.

I bought a Mini Cooper S (R56) and started going out to drive just for the fun of it.
I also stopped worrying about all the horror stories you hear about stuff & just bought something I like.

Visited Goodwood FoS last week & am still buzzing.

I have my love of cars back.

[hepy]

TommyBuoy said:

Cough Cough ... Time for motorbikes.

This, Even learning on a 125 will feel fast!

Or may be try a simple hot hatch? Not a Golf R, but something simpler like a Fiesta ST or Up GTI.

[ettore]

I haven’t lost my love of cars at all but my tastes have changed. I only have one quick car now and it’s a bit old school. You need to move into classics - much more fun and highly engaging and entertaining to drive, even on modern roads. You can even tinker with them which is also something I didn’t want to do when I was younger!

My current classics are mainly brisk but my interests are going even older so am considering the next addition.

[Evil.soup]

clarki said:

This is me too.

Spent my younger days chasing the £mega evos, scoobs, gtrs, 911 turbos, etc, etc. Been there, done that, no desire to spend big on 1 car again.

Still love cars, but into older, cheaper, fun stuff these days. Currently have a huge desire for a Yaris T-Sport??!!

This is my favourite right now;

https://youtu.be/ymgztHohsSE

Enjoy driving it, working on it, meeting other owners, it's great.

I can't say I am totally out of the lusting after cars, but I have changed my priorities as life has evolved. I was always upgrading my cars every 18 months or so up to the point I was lucky enough to buy a brand new Impreza WRX. The funny thing after that was, I couldn't really see where else to go that would offer me any more enjoyment on the road, so I ended up just keeping the Impreza and swapping cheap daily drivers around it over the years. I have actually found some really fun daily drivers that cost me peanuts and I have had as much fun driving as the expensive cars I have owned.

The reason I am quoting your post is that before the Impreza I owned a Black MR2 roadster with red interior and even 16 years after letting it go, I still miss it and I have considered a few times getting another as a weekend/sunny day toy. It wasn't the quickest car in the world, but it handled so well and was a real head turner. The only car I have driven that felt the same was the GT86, which is good praise for the MR2.

Yours looks very nice indeed and makes me want another.

I am off to the classifieds now to start looking again...lol

[Truckosaurus]

Stick Legs said:

I...
I bought a Mini Cooper S (R56) and started going out to drive just for the fun of it....

As several people have already said, a small hot hatch is probably going to be the most fun vehicle you can get (for UK driving). These were the cars enthusiasts often drove in the younger days.

As we get older we buy dull saloons/estates/SUVs which might be fast but are less fun. Supercars look good but you can't enjoy them in the same way as a cheap hot hatch.

I think there's also been a gap in the market since the demise of TVR - you can't get a somewhat-affordable brutish sportscar anymore.

[StuE39]

I think the cars you’ve listed are the issue.

Try looking at older hot hatches:

Clio 172/182
Civic EP3/EK9/FN2 Type R
Integra DC2/DC5 Type R
BMW 3 Series E30 M3
etc.

You need something that feels exciting without having to travel at speeds way in excess of the speed limits. Cars listed above aren’t ‘fake’ in how they deliver the driving experience and can still be relatively comfortable to drive in between the fun bits.

[cerb4.5lee]

Truckosaurus said:

Stick Legs said:

I...
I bought a Mini Cooper S (R56) and started going out to drive just for the fun of it....

As several people have already said, a small hot hatch is probably going to be the most fun vehicle you can get (for UK driving). These were the cars enthusiasts often drove in the younger days.

As we get older we buy dull saloons/estates/SUVs which might be fast but are less fun. Supercars look good but you can't enjoy them in the same way as a cheap hot hatch.

I think there's also been a gap in the market since the demise of TVR - you can't get a somewhat-affordable brutish sportscar anymore.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 years I had in the F56 Cooper S, and I always looked forward to driving it even though my preference is usually faster cars.

As you say I don't think that you can go wrong with a TVR(if you can put up with their unreliability), because they are very enjoyable to drive both slow and fast I reckon.

I've always wanted a motorbike, but I think that ship has sailed now though for me.

[nismo48]

+1 Time...is indeed precious, so enjoy your time and above all else enjoy what you have...

Jawls said:

I think that, unless you’re mega rich, it’s just a fact that the thing you want most of is time. Particularly if you’ve got a family. And cars, once you get past a certain level of extravagance, are quite destructive to early retirement in that they’re typically quite rapidly depreciating assets.

Not really the sort of thing to write on a car enthusiast forum, but it is what it is.

Tempted to get a bike license and get my thrills cheaper.

[LimaDelta]

I broadly agree. Though strangely, the cars which were out of reach in my 20s are just as unobtainable now, for example the Impreza 22B. I remember when a good 20v ur quattro could be had for £12k, or an Integrale for the same. A Ferrari 550 for £20k. My first 2-door RR was £3k. All of these cars fetch crazy money these days, and while in some cases I could technically afford them, there is no way I could justify the expense. The modern 'equivalents' just hold no appeal, even though they are easily attainable on a sub 2k PCP in most cases.

[plenty]

When cars as seen primarily as aspirational objects and success symbols it's inevitable that interest will fade when one matures.

The secret to sustaining the passion is to look beyond the shallow aspiration and appreciate the other ways to enjoy cars, whether it's fettling them, polishing them, social participation via communities and events, or indeed driving them.

When you can take as much pleasure from a shed as from a supercar, that's when you can call yourself a real enthusiast.

[LankyMcTally]

Consider buying something older but interesting that needs some love or a refresh and restore it (or have it restored). In my experience it brings with it a sense of connection, understanding of the car and excitement as completion approaches that can't be bought in a showroom with a chequebook. The automotive equivalent of buying and renovating a great and characterful older house rather than buying a new build, if you will.

[MuscleSedan]

clarki said:

This is me too.

Spent my younger days chasing the £mega evos, scoobs, gtrs, 911 turbos, etc, etc. Been there, done that, no desire to spend big on 1 car again.

Still love cars, but into older, cheaper, fun stuff these days. Currently have a huge desire for a Yaris T-Sport??!!

This is my favourite right now;

https://youtu.be/ymgztHohsSE

Enjoy driving it, working on it, meeting other owners, it's great.

Had one of those MR2s years ago, nice little fun car if you can live with the lack of space. Great second car or toy though. There's currently one up the road from me that's been for sale for ages at £3k. You could throw a little cash at it and have a pretty sorted fun car for £6k all in I would think ? Sounds like fun. Do they rust badly now they are getting on a bit I wonder ?

[Hoofy]

Get a shed cabriolet. It'll be rattly enough to keep things raw but also "full of character" (say that to yourself when you're stuck at the side of a motorway at 2am in the rain trying to figure out why the engine has just cut out).

[ChocolateFrog]

A young family is what's doing it for me at the moment.

If I do have a bit of free time (a couple of hours at most) then taking the car out isn't high on the agenda, a nap is much more appealing

Maybe I need to trade the Chimaera in for a Cerbera, they have ISOFIX right?

[DuncanM]

You all need to go raw, Lotus/TVR or older cars with very little getting in the way.

Something that demands that you make an effort for the drive to be a good one.

My opinion

[ChocolateFrog]

Evil.soup said:

clarki said:

This is me too.

Spent my younger days chasing the £mega evos, scoobs, gtrs, 911 turbos, etc, etc. Been there, done that, no desire to spend big on 1 car again.

Still love cars, but into older, cheaper, fun stuff these days. Currently have a huge desire for a Yaris T-Sport??!!

This is my favourite right now;

https://youtu.be/ymgztHohsSE

Enjoy driving it, working on it, meeting other owners, it's great.

I can't say I am totally out of the lusting after cars, but I have changed my priorities as life has evolved. I was always upgrading my cars every 18 months or so up to the point I was lucky enough to buy a brand new Impreza WRX. The funny thing after that was, I couldn't really see where else to go that would offer me any more enjoyment on the road, so I ended up just keeping the Impreza and swapping cheap daily drivers around it over the years. I have actually found some really fun daily drivers that cost me peanuts and I have had as much fun driving as the expensive cars I have owned.

The reason I am quoting your post is that before the Impreza I owned a Black MR2 roadster with red interior and even 16 years after letting it go, I still miss it and I have considered a few times getting another as a weekend/sunny day toy. It wasn't the quickest car in the world, but it handled so well and was a real head turner. The only car I have driven that felt the same was the GT86, which is good praise for the MR2.

Yours looks very nice indeed and makes me want another.

I am off to the classifieds now to start looking again...lol

One of the most fun cars I've owned recently was a Honda Insight Gen 1. Brilliant little car, light (very light) and nimble, it's not even that slow. I got my last speeding ticket in it 5 years ago while blatting down the A684 Near Hawes.

The best bit was it was impossible to get it to do less than 50mpg.

[SidewaysSi]

ChocolateFrog said:

A young family is what's doing it for me at the moment.

If I do have a bit of free time (a couple of hours at most) then taking the car out isn't high on the agenda, a nap is much more appealing

Maybe I need to trade the Chimaera in for a Cerbera, they have ISOFIX right?

Same boat as you - I am out of the house at 6am on a weekend for 2hours of thrashing about. Back for breakfast..