getting older and changing tastes in cars

[never]

I’ve come full circle and am now back to mainly having project vehicles...just more effort is going into making the vehicle built like OEM. But I find I still gravitate towards the same style of odd used cars. And I haven’t had any real interest in new vehicles for at least a decade.

[legendboy]

My taste in vehicles has changed over the years. I had my turbo integra and had a lot of fun with it, owned 4 acura legends prior to that and bought a 94 supra after i sold my teg. I only had that car for 2 months and we found out we were having a baby, sold. About the same time i started to collect machine tools so the garage got filled up and i had no place to build turbo kits or house the supra. That was my last fun car. FF 14 years and I have a pretty nice dodge diesel i have sunk way too much money into, that's my "fun" vehicle now. (bought to tow a 30' trailer)

I would like to have a fun car again but finances and storage are an issue. At 42 my fun car now is a 2010 bone stock civic lol. I guess its a function of priorities and how choose to spend my money.
If I was a baller I would have a fun daily driver but i am not lol

[ExtraSlow]

Most fun vehicle I ever owned, in terms of giving me a smile everywhere I drove, was a 1977 F250 with a 460. Was rusted to hell, and a pain to park, and rode far too stiff, but made loud noises and gave me joy like nothing else. Also had an unending stream of people trying to buy it from me. Like I couldn't get fuel without getting cash offers. And I got fuel a lot!

[benyl]

The only thing I miss is the startup of my E63.

My tastes have changed. I used to care about brand (German), origin (German), handmade engines (AMG), sound (AMG). IDGAF about any of that anymore.

One thing that hasn't changed is "bang for the buck" and Horsepower.

My money is now going into the house and MTB. Cause vacations aren't happening... lol

[killramos]

I think my taste has been reasonably consistent. I have wanted an M3 (e46) since I was 10, and always loved small German cars with too much horsepower. When friends would talk up ferraris and lamborghinis I would always whip out an M3 into the convo as what I’d rather be in.

First car was a GTI, loved that. Upgraded to a 235, great car and was pretty happy to be in a bmw. Tried the C63 for a whole which was awesome and loved that engine. Now in an M2 which just suits me so well.

Poked around With my Jeep and my Truck, thought the off road thing was cool but never actually used it. Was nice having utility but not nice enough to keep money parked in a truck. Next “truck” I own won’t be anything resembling new imo. Maybe an exception for a G class.

Would also love some time in a V12 Aston for a while ( Think a DBS would be amazing ).

I have less than no interest in an electric car, In fact I don’t think many carmakers make anything that really gets me excited anymore.

[Clever]

Bought an LS 400 to tinker with 2 years ago, I drove it all winter and love it. I am now in the market for another LS either a 460 or 600, I previously owned 5 series’s and then Jeep’s, SUV’s and currently have a truck. I’m 42 and will always own a truck but I’m ready for the boring grampa car for a daily, not that I had fun fast cars before, but I’ll take comfort over excitement nowadays.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I've changed from the "poster on the wall, as a kid" days; but, does that really mean anything?. After owning a Z which just has only 2 seats and fuck-all room for anything else, the desire to get luxurious sleepers grows, right in my plums.
I used to really really want an RS4 and that'd be for many of the same reasons that I'd now like an LX570. The Gentleman's Ferrari cars are helicopter-money new, and if you find yourself liking those, you've entered a new area because they're: front-engine, automatic (gasp!), not sold in red, don't look like a space ship, but still cost $100k more. Like Sergio P said, "I drive this one. Those others are for kids with pointy shoes."

I guess I like hockey-fight cars. "Controlled mayhem" or "a lot of noise and excitement, but has a purpose".

And if you've convinced yourself that you actually want to go fast, get a crotch rocket. Taste death and still twist throttle. Shut up and do 330km/h or realize that isn't what you thought you wanted because chances are, it isn't.


*Figurative "you"

[Team_Mclaren]

Great thread and discussion.

My wants has definitely has changed. I no longer want a "sports" car. But something big and comfortable. I dont even enjoy driving my wife's M2 much anymore..

Another thing I find is that I want to look for cars that i dreamed about when i was a teenage. Now that they are cheap (for the most part, san NSX) and I have the money for them. All the different cars that I saw on the road and thought I'd never be able to afford. Which is why I bought the W220. (IE: old german cars).

[skandalouz_08]

I would agree with this as I went from a 330i to a big ass Cayenne. Comfy AF, still fast with the Turbo when I want it but also super practical for family trips and 2 car seats in the back. Definitely want a sports car still but would have to be a second vehicle as getting rid of this DD is going to be hard.

[schurchill39]

I was always into small cars when I was in my teens to early 20s, specifically s13/s14 and early 90's fox body mustangs. I never wanted a truck but when I finally got one on a to-good-to-be-true deal I was hooked. It was a regular cab, long box, one wheel drive v6 Sierra and a huge piece of shit in almost every way but the utility of it was awesome. Since then I have only owned trucks and likely would not buy another car unless it was a muscle car. I enjoy driving my Ford and little tweaks to it here and there bring me a lot of joy. Now in my 30's when people talk about BMW, MB, Audi or Trackhawks it just sounds like the adults on Peanuts. To be honest I'd rather be comfortable driving than go fast and I enjoy the creature comforts in the cab.

[finboy]

Still love manuals, but I didn’t drive to work before covid and won’t after. I treat driving like any other hobby, I’m lucky I don’t have to rush hour drive so stick never gets tired for me.

With that said, I see what’s in the horizon and there are a lot more cars I want to own before everything is an automatic electric car and we can’t drive over 30.

[BavarianBeast]

I still have the same taste and passion for cars, but my desire to own them is becoming less as I get older. I always thought I would have a huge collection if I ever had the money, but now I realize how much of a headache owning more than a few cars becomes when you want to enjoy and take proper care of them. In the future I could see myself owning one sports car and one truck and being very happy with the fleet.

[Shlade]

I like more practical vehicles now. SUV's or trucks. Something I can take off road if I need to.

[Buster]

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I still have the same taste and passion for cars, but my desire to own them is becoming less as I get older. I always thought I would have a huge collection if I ever had the money, but now I realize how much of a headache owning more than a few cars becomes when you want to enjoy and take proper care of them. In the future I could see myself owning one sports car and one truck and being very happy with the fleet.

This is a really good description. Cars are awesome - but ownership is a pain. Selling is a pain, etc.

[nicknolte]

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Still love manuals, but I didnÂ’t drive to work before covid and wonÂ’t after. I treat driving like any other hobby, IÂ’m lucky I donÂ’t have to rush hour drive so stick never gets tired for me.

With that said, I see whatÂ’s in the horizon and there are a lot more cars I want to own before everything is an automatic electric car and we canÂ’t drive over 30.

Ditto. Auto daily driver with a manual "fun" car is the best way to go.

As long as the government allows us to have small, sporty Japanese ICE cars, there will be a manual one sitting in my garage for any driving that needs to be done outside of rush hour.

[spikerS]

I am with @ExtraSlow on this one. I think my F150s have been my favorite vehicles to date. When I started my family, I gave up my project cars, and even sold my last one, a 1989 civic on here, and started buying newer, more reliable vehicles. Since then, while I do miss wrenching occasionally, I have really come to appreciate that all I have to do is scheduled maintenance, and I never worry about breaking down, and if I will be able to fix it roadside.

Having said that, I still want a 25th-anniversary edition Lamborghini Countach. It is still my dream car to this day.

I keep thinking I should maybe look at a car and then snap back to reality and that truck life suits me perfectly. The ONLY time I wish I had a smaller vehicle is in smaller parking lots, but I know my truck so well, I can pretty much park it into the tightest spots with relative ease.

[zechs]

I still like most different types of vehicles, has never changed. Do not care to own anything exotic past maybe an 80's Porsche or Ferrari

Except for trucks, manual transmission or bust. I'd probably buy a truck even with a manual to this day, but they aren't offered and the auto's get the same or better mpg.

I'm also a minimalist. The 2020 ferd doesn't do anything much better than a mid 2000's pickup did. I really like the Ford, but if it wasn't for my company, I would still be rocking the old trucks.

[bjstare]

I still like cars that are fast/fun/engaging... that hasn't changed, however as I've gotten older I've found that my interest in modifying cars has gone to nearly zero. If there's something I don't like about my car, I figure out what other cars are out there that will fill the gap and replace with one of them.

As much as people like to complain that cars aren't reliable or well built, the engineers/car companies actually do a pretty damn good job. It's really tough (not to mention expensive) to modify a good car and actually make it better without some sort of sacrifice in driveability, reliability, comfort, etc.

[Hallowed_point]

I'll be 36 in June, longest I've kept a car was 2 years & 10 months (98 Z/28 Camaro.) There's the old adage that you need more than one car if you're going to have a summer car here. And that's all fine and good, but other issues creep up with parking, extra insurance policy, another vehicle to maintain/register etc. It's a bit of hassle neverminded the added expenses. Part of the problem is living in Alberta, if I was back in BC I could drive my white trash Ferrari all year (more or less.) Both of my vehicles are stick shift, no issue with that. I can't imagine driving my camaro ss 365 days a year like I used to do with my old one. I like the noises it makes and a lot of the quirks and "character" with an older 90's platform but it sure is nice to get back into a quieter, smoother riding vehicle as it's a little draining after awhile. But it is cool to have something that people don't see every day here.

Sometimes think of selling the camaro and picking up a Pontiac G8 GT, 04-06 Pontiac GTO as it's closer to the best of both worlds. But I've also learned that every car will have things that you don't like about it, which starts the endless cycle of modifications ..

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I definitely agree as I age I think about the ownership experience quite a bit before buying. I really want a 997 GT3 or NA1/2 NSX but I imagine they are expensive to run, expensive to insure, they are definitely expensive to buy. I wouldn’t be able to afford to daily drive it, I definitely couldn’t afford to track them so at best it’s a 6 month of the year Sunday car for me, what’s the point of spending all that money.