HELP I can't keep interest in cars
07-01-2017, 02:07 AM
#1
HELP I can't keep interest in cars
My first car was a ford fiesta sport that my parents gave me when I turned 18. This car stayed with me for 4 years since I was going to college so I wasn't even able to buy another car.
Since I started working 3 and a half years ago (01/2014) I've gone through 5 different cars.
This is the list of cars I've had in the last few years:
02/2014 : Audi TT 2.0 2008
02/2015 : Ford Focus RS 2.5 2010
02/2016 : Mazda mx5 1.5 2016
11/2016 : Honda civic EP2 2005 (daily) & Honda S2000 2006 (weekend/funcar)
I really thought the S2000 would be a car I would keep for a long time since I really enjoyed the mx5 but I just wanted something a little more special.
But now it seems that was just another one of those excuses I would always come up with to justify getting another car, because ever since the new civic type R came out I've been fantasising about it and I'm already thinking about trading in the S2000 for one...
Now this wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that everytime I get another car I'm losing a lot of money on it..
- taxes (not talking about the yearly tax but we have this ridiculous one time tax when you first register a new car under your name)
- mods (oh boy this is expensive.. for every car listed above I've bought at least new wheels, coilovers/airsuspension and exhaust.)
- lower resale (because of additional mileage)
This needs to stop because I just turned 26 and I have only like 5000 on my savings account and I don't want to stay with my parents forever.. (no debt luckily..)
Crymode /off
What I would like to know now is..
Some of you have had your cars for a long time. What do you do to keep interest in them?
or
If I do decide to get a new car I want to make sure that this time I buy the right one that I will be able to keep for a long time. I know this is personal but any tips what to look for in a car to make sure it is the right one for you?
Since I started working 3 and a half years ago (01/2014) I've gone through 5 different cars.
This is the list of cars I've had in the last few years:
02/2014 : Audi TT 2.0 2008
02/2015 : Ford Focus RS 2.5 2010
02/2016 : Mazda mx5 1.5 2016
11/2016 : Honda civic EP2 2005 (daily) & Honda S2000 2006 (weekend/funcar)
I really thought the S2000 would be a car I would keep for a long time since I really enjoyed the mx5 but I just wanted something a little more special.
But now it seems that was just another one of those excuses I would always come up with to justify getting another car, because ever since the new civic type R came out I've been fantasising about it and I'm already thinking about trading in the S2000 for one...
Now this wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that everytime I get another car I'm losing a lot of money on it..
- taxes (not talking about the yearly tax but we have this ridiculous one time tax when you first register a new car under your name)
- mods (oh boy this is expensive.. for every car listed above I've bought at least new wheels, coilovers/airsuspension and exhaust.)
- lower resale (because of additional mileage)
This needs to stop because I just turned 26 and I have only like 5000 on my savings account and I don't want to stay with my parents forever.. (no debt luckily..)
Crymode /off
What I would like to know now is..
Some of you have had your cars for a long time. What do you do to keep interest in them?
or
If I do decide to get a new car I want to make sure that this time I buy the right one that I will be able to keep for a long time. I know this is personal but any tips what to look for in a car to make sure it is the right one for you?
07-01-2017, 02:46 AM
#2
Yes, I swapped a bunch of cars when I was younger myself and wasted money, but you live and learn. The civic type r does fit the "have fun and practicality factor" compared to the s2000. Before I looked into getting an s2000 I thought about the type R. I just couldn't see myself driving in a boy racer car at my age and not to mention the $$$. I could buy it , but choose not to. You gotta balance your priorities. Situations change all the time and needs change. I went from sporty cars to trucks pulling boats and driving a minivan. Currently my daily driver is a 2016 pilot. I took a 10 year hiatus from owning a sporty car. All in all everything is a want not a need.
07-01-2017, 03:58 AM
#3
My advice: Start buying cheaper, "fully depreciated" cars if you think you will flip them often. I'm sure people on this forum can recommend some. Cars like a 90's Civic Si's, a MR2, a gen-2 RX-7, an old Mercedes SL, a 2006-ish Acura TL, an early Boxter with the IMS issue addressed, a at-least-10-year-old pickup truck (I drive one occasionally and enjoy how "basic" it is, etc.). If you must mod them, set up an "entertainment" budget and take the mods out of that budget, because you'll never see that money again.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
07-01-2017, 07:23 AM
#4
Yes, I swapped a bunch of cars when I was younger myself and wasted money, but you live and learn. The civic type r does fit the "have fun and practicality factor" compared to the s2000. Before I looked into getting an s2000 I thought about the type R. I just couldn't see myself driving in a boy racer car at my age and not to mention the $$$. I could buy it , but choose not to. You gotta balance your priorities. Situations change all the time and needs change. I went from sporty cars to trucks pulling boats and driving a minivan. Currently my daily driver is a 2016 pilot. I took a 10 year hiatus from owning a sporty car. All in all everything is a want not a need.
My advice: Start buying cheaper, "fully depreciated" cars if you think you will flip them often. I'm sure people on this forum can recommend some. Cars like a 90's Civic Si's, a MR2, a gen-2 RX-7, an old Mercedes SL, a 2006-ish Acura TL, an early Boxter with the IMS issue addressed, a at-least-10-year-old pickup truck (I drive one occasionally and enjoy how "basic" it is, etc.). If you must mod them, set up an "entertainment" budget and take the mods out of that budget, because you'll never see that money again.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
When I got my S2000 I only bought the civic EP2 as a daily to keep my S low mileage and retain it's value better. The back seat and boot of this civic is barely used.
The thing is now I want something more modern/refined/exiting to daily drive. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself. (probably again as an excuse to buy the new civic type R)
I guess I just like to try a lot of different cars =/
And yes Bamafan it would be better to buy a fully depreciated car but the problem is that I always have my mind set on one particular car and that won't stop until I have it. (In this case the new civic type r)
The modding is a must because I take my car to meets and that's my only hobby at the moment. Maybe I should set up a budget for mods to spread it out more because I always seem to want another car right after I've finished modding my current one
07-01-2017, 07:34 AM
#5
My advice: Start buying cheaper, "fully depreciated" cars if you think you will flip them often. I'm sure people on this forum can recommend some. Cars like a 90's Civic Si's, a MR2, a gen-2 RX-7, an old Mercedes SL, a 2006-ish Acura TL, an early Boxter with the IMS issue addressed, a at-least-10-year-old pickup truck (I drive one occasionally and enjoy how "basic" it is, etc.). If you must mod them, set up an "entertainment" budget and take the mods out of that budget, because you'll never see that money again.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
The key for you in your stage of life is to absolutely save every dollar possible in tax-protected tools. Max out your 401k. Max out an IRA every year. The impact of time and compound interest is staggering and will set you up to be comfortable later in life.
If you can still afford to have fun with cars after you do the above, have at it.
But I personally like to treat a car as a project for a while, do some mods, drive it, have fun, then come back to it after a few months+ and do something else to it. It doesn't have to be anything really fancy, could just be cleaning up the interior, doing some maintenance etc.
No reason to get a new car then blow your wad in a month tossing a ton of new parts on it then getting tired of it. Space things out, enjoy driving the car as it sits.
Personally, I like to be able to DO something with the cars - which for me is going to the track and doing DEs. It's relatively cheap (can't say the same for TT/W2W racing), and it breaks the habit of having to mod the car to get enjoyment, then showing off your mod list, and modding it some more etc. Car meets are cool, but about the only thing you can do is brag about the latest mods etc. Obviously this leads to lots of modding or just changing cars every so often as you're finding out.
Ultimately, you've got to get comfortable with your hobbies - car related or otherwise. It's no fun to look back and feel regret for something that was supposed to be FUN and enjoyable.
07-01-2017, 08:06 AM
#6
I have found over the years I am much happier with what I currently have when I ditch all my car magazine subscriptions. Every month the pretty pictures and writers raving about the next big thing make me want something else. When I have no subscriptions, I don't think about it much and am just satisfied for the most part.
I currently get four car mags. Bad idea.
I currently get four car mags. Bad idea.
07-01-2017, 08:29 AM
#7
I went through the same thing, and really you never get over it. That's life, whether it's cars, clothes vacations house furniture food whatever you get bored and want something new. A good life lesson in general is to understand why you feel that way and learn how to live a more gratifying life. Oftentimes we want something new because we're bored or being vain, learning humility and really investing in things you really truly enjoy goes a long way.
I've said this before, the car/people I'm most jealous of are like my friend with his Integra, friggin loves that thing, he could afford other cars and does but his dc2 is his baby. I learned that it's not just the car, but a true appreciation for the reasons that resonate with you, and the experiences you have with it and the social impact it made on your life. To go on a small tangent here for a second, there's no coincidence that certain socioeconomic, ethnic groups gravitate towards certain cars because part of car ownership is the comradery of ownership; you don't see spot of young folks driving vettes but you will see them driving m3s or used Porsches. This is all generality of course.
The point I'm trying to say is take your car and invest in enjoying it, make time to for meet ups, meet people who share your passion, go to the track, etc. Every car when being driven to and from work gets boring, and in the case of sports cars downright annoying. If you have an s2000, wait until dusk, drop the top and find a great mountain road, your perception on it will change.
I sold my last s and aside from a company car remained carless for three years before getting back into it. Took some time to figure out what I wanted. With me I needed something that wouldn't delrrcisye a lot since I'd rarely drive it so that ruled out almost everything new or like new, I don't want to tie up a large chunk of cash so that eliminated high dollar cars like vipers ans certain Porsches or cars like the m2, you'll learn quickly that the s2000 is one of the best bargains out there when considering everything but they're getting expensive now too. I wound up with a c5z since it was a bucket list car for me since high school. I find my car eye wandering a lot lately wanting this or that, but then I take it out for a good hard drive, take time to pull over and talk with like minded people, come back home with a smile.
You'll always want something else if you don't appreciate what you got.
I've said this before, the car/people I'm most jealous of are like my friend with his Integra, friggin loves that thing, he could afford other cars and does but his dc2 is his baby. I learned that it's not just the car, but a true appreciation for the reasons that resonate with you, and the experiences you have with it and the social impact it made on your life. To go on a small tangent here for a second, there's no coincidence that certain socioeconomic, ethnic groups gravitate towards certain cars because part of car ownership is the comradery of ownership; you don't see spot of young folks driving vettes but you will see them driving m3s or used Porsches. This is all generality of course.
The point I'm trying to say is take your car and invest in enjoying it, make time to for meet ups, meet people who share your passion, go to the track, etc. Every car when being driven to and from work gets boring, and in the case of sports cars downright annoying. If you have an s2000, wait until dusk, drop the top and find a great mountain road, your perception on it will change.
I sold my last s and aside from a company car remained carless for three years before getting back into it. Took some time to figure out what I wanted. With me I needed something that wouldn't delrrcisye a lot since I'd rarely drive it so that ruled out almost everything new or like new, I don't want to tie up a large chunk of cash so that eliminated high dollar cars like vipers ans certain Porsches or cars like the m2, you'll learn quickly that the s2000 is one of the best bargains out there when considering everything but they're getting expensive now too. I wound up with a c5z since it was a bucket list car for me since high school. I find my car eye wandering a lot lately wanting this or that, but then I take it out for a good hard drive, take time to pull over and talk with like minded people, come back home with a smile.
You'll always want something else if you don't appreciate what you got.
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07-01-2017, 08:37 AM
#8
Unless you have deep pockets, try to own a car 3 years minimum. Maybe a little less if you pay cash for them. Nothing wrong with losing interest in a car. Your car takes no offense...
For me there are too many cars I'd like to own so it doesn't make sense to own any one car for a long time. If I were rich and had a big garage; that's different.
For me there are too many cars I'd like to own so it doesn't make sense to own any one car for a long time. If I were rich and had a big garage; that's different.
