Is it worth having an expensive car?

[M138]

Here we are in early Summer and the roads round here on the Suffolk/ Cambridgeshire border are fking appalling. Once when Winter ended the roads would be repaired to a a decent standard and our major concern was stone chippings going through the windscreen or marks on our bonnet and bumper. Now it's a bit of tarmac in the craters which last about a fortnight and the hole reappears.
A passenger took a video of the road close to me in 2017 and the scale of deterioration today compared to then is beyond belief.

[Huzzah]

I might if I spent much time in my car(s) and travelled further afield much.

Depends how you define expensive.

[Lefty]

Here’s the answer and it’s only £40k

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20032867

[Smint]

Its probably no longer worth having a stiffly sprung sat on ultra low profile tyres, hardly a new thing but something i'd not have as a gift now.

[mobile chicane22]

I now own adventure bikes and sporty suv's rather than sports bikes and sports cars due to the horrendous decline in the quality of our roads in the last 10-15 years.

Fun A and B roads which used to be smooth and fast are now a badly patched mess at best and a pot hole filled disaster at worst.

[Lefty]

Yep 100%.

Remember the Cerbera? 16 wheels, 45 profile tyres, low spring rates, 360bhp, 1250kg

[StuntmanMike]

Yes.

I don t anymore because I have been seriously ill and it gave me a new outlook on life.

But that s me personally.

If it wasn t for that I would still be daily driving a petrol V8.

I get the frustration with cameras and state of our roads, but that never stopped me enjoying my car.

[StuntmanMike]

Lefty said:

Yep 100%.

Remember the Cerbera? 16 wheels, 45 profile tyres, low spring rates, 360bhp, 1250kg

Stunning.

[Pistom]

Yes it is - it just isn't worth the effort to use daily as it's a lot less stressful to drive around in a cheap car and have an expensive car for special occasions.

The difficulty with that it then makes an expensive car not only more expensive but also potentially less reliable and a greater effort to own.

So whether all that is worth it to you - only you can answer that.

There is a lot of pleasure to be had from cheap cars though.

[911Spanker]

All cars can be enjoyed. It has little to do with cost but more about suitability for the UK road network.

I have changed the suspension on all my cars so they work beautifully on road in the UK. My 911 for example rides really well but still has great feelings and handling. I have had softer springs and the dampers revavled on my Elise as well.

A lot of people but newish "expensive" cars and just run them as is with big wheels, thin tyres and suspension designed for the track.

Little wonder they don't enjoy them.

[Roger Irrelevant]

Huzzah said:

Depends how you define expensive.

Indeed - if by 'expensive' you mean 'cost so much to me that I'm so prissy about it that I barely ever dare take it out' then obviously no, it's not worth it. The solution is to be not prissy about it. I'll out myself as a pauper by PH standards, but I've fairly recently bought what the most expensive and nicest car I've owned - an M440i convertible. Yes I'd like to keep it in good nick if possible but I use it every day for any journey I need to do all year-round. All being well and with a fair wind I'll get a 911 next, and exactly the same will apply there. I just do not see the point of buying a car you like and then not using it.

[bigglesA110]

I'd learn to like high profile tyres. No way things are getting better any time soon. The car doesn't need to be expensive though, but when I see even mundane cars on big alloys and low profile tyres all I think is "how long till they're wrecked".

[DoubleSix]

Ive found full PPF to be quite liberating. Obviously doesn’t help from a surface perspective but i find myself a lot less “stressed” and able to just enjoy using the car.

Friends who have opted for track focused vehicles seem very constrained and unable to join me on local roads, at least not without a lot of care and forethought - doesn’t appeal to me.

[Monkeylegend]

I consciously bought my car current with smaller 17" wheels and higher profile tyres for that very reason.

I keep looking to buy a newer, much more expensive car but all the ones I like have these stupid 20 inch wheels, with rubber band tyres, sports suspension to make them look good.

You then you check the Mot history and you see many failures and advisories for cracked alloys, damaged tyres, worn suspension parts, most probably caused by potholes, so I stick with my 11 year old car , which I am still very happy with, and the money stays sitting in the bank.

I need to spend it soon before it is to late to enjoy. I never thought spending money on a newer car would be that much of a problem

[Portofino]

I chose the 20 inch with decent tyre wheel option on mine rather than the lower profile 21 or 22 inch options. Makes a big difference.

[Lefty]

I’m obviously an old bugger but I still think of 20” wheels as being huge

[Monkeylegend]

Lefty said:

I m obviously an old bugger but I still think of 20 wheels as being huge

Two old buggers together

My first car had 10 inch wheels and they were big enough.

[Decky_Q]

A few of my friends and neighbours would have their pride and joy kept in the garage alot these days whereas they used to drive them regularly. Usually driving Passat diesel type stuff now instead while their classic or exotic is kept protected from the moonscape roads.

I went for 4x4s to deal with it and even had a sidewall burst last week when I couldnt go anywhere else but through a deep pothole. If it gets any worse I'll be looking at military vehicle sales!

[AB]

Personally speaking, yes, I spend a lot of time in the car, my cars are not just transport but they're used to go to events and do charity stuff which forms part of my social life. It's a hobby.

If you weren't bothered by cars and just viewed them in the same way as a washing machine, a tool, then no, not worth having an expensive one.

But boy do we pay to have nice cars these days.

I have a cheap bike because it's just a means of getting some exercise.

[raspy]

Monkeylegend said:

I consciously bought my car current with smaller 17" wheels and higher profile tyres for that very reason.

I keep looking to buy a newer, much more expensive car but all the ones I like have these stupid 20 inch wheels, with rubber band tyres, sports suspension to make them look good.

You then you check the Mot history and you see many failures and advisories for cracked alloys, damaged tyres, worn suspension parts, most probably caused by potholes, so I stick with my 11 year old car , which I am still very happy with, and the money stays sitting in the bank.

I need to spend it soon before it is to late to enjoy. I never thought spending money on a newer car would be that much of a problem

I've been running various newish cars with 21 or 22 inch wheels and low profile tyres for over 5 years. Haven't had any of the issues that you're describing in your post.

Bizarrely when I'm out on the roads,it's often the people in cars that are 10 years or older who seem to be zigzagging across the road trying to avoid every single bump and lump and manhole cover on the road.