Midlife Crisis Car

Midlife Crisis Car:


  • Total voters
    52
It's about attitude. I assume they all knew in that room that the technology is not there yet.
Everyone knew it except Elon... he didn't get that memo. Additionally, those of us who worked there are convinced the man isn't human, he's an Android because the man never sleeps, flew his G5 from Freemont to Hawthorn weekly so he could function as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX... I do, however, greatly admire the mans imagination. You'd actually have to be at a company meeting, listening to him speak about living on Mars, having Pizzeria's there (of course my mind immediately went to logistics - how will you get the dairy, cows, cheese, water, etc to that barren planet, especially since the trip will take about 6 months), and other normal amenities.

He freely admits SpaceX is there solely to fund his Martian vision. He's got a Raptor engine that will go into the BFR (I'll let you figure out what it stands for).
 
I prefer my Porsche Cayenne GTS. It's fast, comfortable and a "wolf in sheep's clothing".

I've been thinking about a used Cayenne. What's your experience been in terms of reliability and maintenance costs? Anything in particular to avoid or look for?
 
FWIW: I just bought my neighbor's old Prius which he was looking to unload when he recently got a new one. I've owned BMW's & Mercedes cars in the past and was a car snob for many, many years... Not any more . It's a nice ride with plenty of room for carrying stuff and also cool to see how little gasoline can be consumed at any given stretch.
On the other hand, middle age was quite a few years ago ( that is - unless I live to be 120 or more) .
 
Am I the only one that doesn't think a Corvette or Camaro is cool?
Like, it screams old guy having a midlife crisis who thinks it's cool but it's double not cool?

Get a Tesla
 
Am I the only one that doesn't think a Corvette or Camaro is cool?
Like, it screams old guy having a midlife crisis who thinks it's cool but it's double not cool?

Get a Tesla

I don't get this attitude. I thought Corvettes and Camaros were "cool" when i was in my teens and I still think they are "cool" in my 60's. For many, who could not afford such a car in their youth, getting one later in life is more a product of midlife success as opposed to a crisis.
 
One thing that's been overlooked here when it comes to getting the most out of driving is driver training.

The best thing that's ever happened to my driving is all the courses I've done at work - I work in the emergency services in the UK - I cannot underestimate how beneficial the stuff I've learnt is, spending many many hours blatting round the UK at very high speeds.
Doesn't matter what's underneath your right foot if you don't know how to get the most out of it. Like getting lessons from a top guitarist, my instructor was at the very top grades in our field and I learnt a ton on how to get the most from a car.

I'd agree with the posts about BMW interiors, I recently went from a 2001 E46 330I to a current generation 330D and the quality of the interiors is nowhere near as good, but the newer car is fantastic
 
Corvettes have looked freakin' fantastic for the last 6-7 years now. Don't get the hate. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Me either. I actually enjoyed driving the last gen Corvettes the couple of times that I did, but the new one is fantastic. It used to be mostly the bald and gray crowd, but I see more younger drivers in the C7s. A guy I used to ride with back East has had one a few years now, and says it's the best road trip car he's had. He and his wife go all over in it.
 
The car thing hasn't gotten to me yet, not sure it ever will.

For instance I came across this image and my eyes went straight to the stage, trying to see what kind of amps they have, etc. Eventually I glanced at the car. Pretty cool I guess :)

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I've been thinking about a used Cayenne. What's your experience been in terms of reliability and maintenance costs? Anything in particular to avoid or look for?
Jury is still out on reliability. The transfer case went at around 20K miles. Apparently this is a widespread problem, especially in the Northeast due to the wet weather and humidity. Moisture gets into the fluid causing premature wear. Fixed under warranty. No other issues yet (~35K on the odometer).

Maintenance costs are high. An oil change is $400 but only needed once a year.

I love the car though. Best car I've ever owned. Interior is fabulous with high quality leather on all surfaces, very comfortable seats and great fit and finish. The performance is, of course, fantastic. Handles like a sports car but with a nice ride (if you put it in comfort mode). The engine is powerful with near 4 second 0-60 times which is incredible considering the weight.
 
I'm hoping to bank enough money to have a midlife crisis in a Porsche Taycan. That thing is going to be a monster.
 
I'm in my mid-late 20s and am debating buying a 718... I enjoy driving stick and have done so for nearly a decade and want to get while the getting's good, i.e. before we have to pay for the luxury of owning self-driving electric taxis that serve us ads on our way to work. Unfortunately a Porsche purchase would mean having a mortgage-sized car payment and having to buy a second vehicle to be able to haul my gear around. I have a 'yota 86 which is essentially the broke-boy Cayman and it serves me very well, especially considering that I can fit three guitars and a PA in it with some judicious trunk Tetris, but it does lack a bit in power and interior quality.


I envy you if a car payment would equal a mortgage payment. Here a mortgage payment on a very average 650 sq-ft shitbox is like $4k/mo. Mostly goes up from there unless you want to live in some really rough parts of town. That's a lot of guitar money.
 
I voted for the Model S but...

Tesla Model 3 Performance: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Crisis with a conscience (still gonna cost you about 50K though). But S if you have the bux.... an S Performance with Ludicrous Mode is hawt.

Camaro is the second choice. If you can hold out, though, and you've got the coin, the Audi e-tron GT looks dah tits.
 
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I've been thinking about a used Cayenne. What's your experience been in terms of reliability and maintenance costs? Anything in particular to avoid or look for?
A Cayenne is just a dressed up Volkswagen Taureg/Audi Q7 mommy wagon. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to soccer ball sticker on the gas door + stick figure family decal with dog/cat. The furthest thing possible from a proper midlife crisis car possible.
 
Am I the only one that doesn't think a Corvette or Camaro is cool?
Like, it screams old guy having a midlife crisis who thinks it's cool but it's double not cool?

Get a Tesla
Re-read the thread title LOL. Old guy midlife crisis is exactly why we have convened here.

OP never be ashamed of who you are.

Obviously I fully concur on the Tesla part, however.
 
Maybe slightly more than middle aged ... but my uncle who was 93 at the time decided that due to his age his driving licence would likely not get renewed when it expired in a year so he decided to go out in style and went and test drove a brand new pretty sporty Merc coupe ... loved it and after agreeing the price set off for home in his old car to clean it out for the trade in. He daydreamed about his new Merc on the way home and rear-ended a line of cars that had braked suddenly ..... then they took his licence away.

He died last week aged 3 months short of 97 ...... the hearse was a Merc.
 
I voted for the Model S but...

Tesla Model 3 Performance: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Crisis with a conscience (still gonna cost you about 50K though). But S if you have the bux.... an S Performance with Ludicrous Mode is hawt.

Camaro is the second choice. If you can hold out, though, and you've got the coin, the Audi e-tron GT looks dah tits.

I'm test driving a M3 tomorrow after concluding a used S and a new M3 are about the same price. Def leaning Tesla at the moment. But I may bail out of all of them and get a new Grand Cherokee as the roads hear are so bad!
 
I'm in my mid-late 20s and am debating buying a 718... I enjoy driving stick and have done so for nearly a decade and want to get while the getting's good, i.e. before we have to pay for the luxury of owning self-driving electric taxis that serve us ads on our way to work. Unfortunately a Porsche purchase would mean having a mortgage-sized car payment and having to buy a second vehicle to be able to haul my gear around. I have a 'yota 86 which is essentially the broke-boy Cayman and it serves me very well, especially considering that I can fit three guitars and a PA in it with some judicious trunk Tetris, but it does lack a bit in power and interior quality.
This reads like you'd be spending thousands a month to bankroll a 718. That's...just dumb. There'll be plenty of time for sports cars when you can afford them. And plenty of fine, used, manual tranmission 718s around when you can.

Don't rush a sports car. It can be financial suicide if you're not ready for it.

From my own book of life, when the lease was up on my S4 shortly after kid #3 arrived I did the sensible thing and bought a Honda minivan. That thing was the only vehicle for a few years and a fine hauler of my family. When I could, I bought a modest but fun VW GTI and souped it up a bit (APR Stage 2 tune). Some day a 911 will replace it. But this isn't the day and that's okay. Likely I'll hand the GTI down to my oldest in 4-5 years and then I'll consider something impractical and even more exciting. It'll suit my needs, my family's needs and my finances.

Lots of time. Don't rush.
 
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