I don't think you would get me to spend $125k on a car regardless of my inocme. If I hit $20 million in the powerball I might get a Ferrari F430 and rarely drive it. Following the one thread where some guy posted he had to spend about $25k over a couple years for routine maintenance on his Gallardo was silly. Even if I had money to burn, I just would not do it.

And as far as driving the supercar around, I like to keep a low profile. It is amazing how just driving an s2000 around you get ricers trying to race you, soccer moms try to show you how fast their minivans at every opportunity, and jealous guys in Silverados riding your ass or trying to box you in on purpose. That kind of stuff rarely happens to me when I drive the station wagon but happens daily in the S. People are just jealous that you have the ability to waste a few bucks on a toy.

I would hate to see what it is like in the Ferrari.

 

For me to buy a $125k car that is primarily to be used on the track, I'd have to have so much $$$ in the bank that my income was irrelevant.

And even then I probably wouldn't buy it, there are just too many great <$100k cars out there to be spending much more than that. Boxster/Cayman, Elise, 911S, Corvette, Jag XKR, MB SL, M5, etc etc etc....

 

Don't tell the 996 GT3 guys that....

 

Tough question. I balance my spending with my giving which maybe makes my decision a little different than some others here. I'd have to be giving away a lot before I ever spent that kind of money on a toy.

To compare, I bought a used S2000 last year because a) I could finally comfortably afford it, b) it still cost less than most people spend on a car/truck today, and c) I had the firm support of my family.

To make a similar decision on the GT3, I'd probably have to be making about $500K-$600K a year to justify it. My basic rule is that I'll buy a car at roughly 1/4 my yearly gross income and I don't like to finance cars for long (if at all).

 

Actually now that I think about it, at those levels I'd need to be able to write it off from a track accident no questions asked. That would probably have a decent amount of influence as well.

 

Porsche greatly reduced production in response to resale concerns.

At my local dealer, the waiting list is full - not for this year, but for the entire remaining production run. Not to mention that the 997 is much more highly regarded than the 996 ever was. I hope I'm wrong (since I'd love to have the opp to buy a highly depreciated 997 GT3), but I believe that resale will remain very strong.

 

If/when it rises high enough up my priority list, I'd like to get a used track-prepped Miata. Cheap to track, no big deal if it gets trashed at the track.

My renewal Progressive policy contains an exclusion for any incident at the track (competitive/timed or not), so the CS isn't going to any DE's until I can get that situation fixed.

 

If I was worth 400k, I'd buy a nice house with a killer garage (lift, tools, the works) and a few s2k's (street, race, and weekend) Thats my dream.

That Porsche GT3 will only last for so long. The people who can really afford these cars are those who can go out on a whim and drive up to a dealer and buy it without even thinking. I have a friend who works at the Maserati/Ferrari dealership in Newport Beach and saw two purchases within the hour I was there. It blew my mind how they buy their cars. I recall him saying that I would never understand until I become a millionaire.

 

I've seen it. It's obnoxious. Every loser cut him off and blocked him in traffic.

Seems like it's a good way to insure a more frustrating driving experience in the city. But if you're in it for the ing, then more power to you.

 

You could think of it the other way:

If you had bought the car and cashed out when stocks were high, you wouldn't have lost as much money in stocks. It would have been free money.