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Is driving a nice car worth it?

A

Alienwho

Diamond Member
I'm starting to think it isn't. I recently got a brand new mustang.

Things I enjoy:
The car is awesome
Seriously I love this car

Things I don't enjoy:
Increased attention from cops. I get pulled over all the time now even though I drove 10x more aggressive in my old car and never got pulled over.
Utilizing 50 horses out of several hundreds due to fear of the above. (At least in my old car I utilized the 150HP to its full limits)
Car Payment.
Always worried about chips, dents, etc.

I make pretty good money, but I'm not wealthy. I can afford the car, but I miss the peace of mind and lower costs (gas, etc.) of a boring car. Having said all this, I still consider myself a car guy but I am not used to getting so much attention and I really hate having to hold myself back every second I'm in the car.

If I could go back 6 months I wouldn't buy the car. I'd buy some used car for $10k that I don't have to worry about. I'm wary of selling the car and getting something else because I've already sunk $6 grand into the car and I don't want to have to pay for new taxes, registration, etc. of a new transaction. If I sold the car today I'd probably only be able to get enough out of it to pay off the remainder of the loan.

Combine the above with a baby on the way and a new dog in the family and I'm starting to ache for a cheaper hatchback. Note when I got the car there was no baby on the way and no dog in the family.
 
Alienwho said:
Utilizing 50 horses out of several hundreds due to fear of the above. (At least in my old car I utilized the 150HP to its full limits)
Click to expand...

Better to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow? I love flogging my little 4 cylinder 150HP car. I hear some of friends with nice cars saying how they let it loose on the freeway on ramps or passing on the highway, i dont understand that aspect of the thrill.
 
I was in the same boat as you (except for the sports car part of it).

I was going to buy a new Prius and put about $10,000 down when I test drove a used Accord on a whim a fell in love with it. I don't get the 50 mpg, but I get around 29-30 and I don't worry about a thing. And, of course, it's nice to not have to send a payment every month. I know if I maintain this thing properly it'll run me for a few 100,000 highway miles. Another bonus is that I have every option on the Accord (except nav), and the Prius would have been entry-level.

For me the used car was the right choice.
 
I don't really think I've ever thought about it exactly like that before, but I completely agree! I love driving the piss out of my Insights. It's fun! If I drove a 300HP lightweight car the way I drive the Insight, I'd probably be in jail. 😀 I utilize all 76HP nearly every day.. lol.

I bet I would really like a CRZ.
 
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Alienwho said:
I'm starting to think it isn't. I recently got a brand new mustang.

Things I enjoy:
The car is awesome
Seriously I love this car

Things I don't enjoy:
Increased attention from cops. I get pulled over all the time now even though I drove 10x more aggressive in my old car and never got pulled over.
Utilizing 50 horses out of several hundreds due to fear of the above. (At least in my old car I utilized the 150HP to its full limits)
Car Payment.
Always worried about chips, dents, etc.

I make pretty good money, but I'm not wealthy. I can afford the car, but I miss the peace of mind and lower costs (gas, etc.) of a boring car. Having said all this, I still consider myself a car guy but I am not used to getting so much attention and I really hate having to hold myself back every second I'm in the car.

If I could go back 6 months I wouldn't buy the car. I'd buy some used car for $10k that I don't have to worry about. I'm wary of selling the car and getting something else because I've already sunk $6 grand into the car and I don't want to have to pay for new taxes, registration, etc. of a new transaction. If I sold the car today I'd probably only be able to get enough out of it to pay off the remainder of the loan.

Combine the above with a baby on the way and a new dog in the family and I'm starting to ache for a cheaper hatchback. Note when I got the car there was no baby on the way and no dog in the family.
Click to expand...

I've had similar thoughts before. I'm a horsepower nut through and through but my commute is 7 miles and 40mph is the highest legal limit for most of it. Not many opportunities to exploit a powerful car. Still, in other locations I've lived the power was welcome. I hate having to follow someone driving under the speed limit with no way of getting around them because my car doesn't have enough power to pass them quickly.


Sid59 said:
Better to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow? I love flogging my little 4 cylinder 150HP car. I hear some of friends with nice cars saying how they let it loose on the freeway on ramps or passing on the highway, i dont understand that aspect of the thrill.
Click to expand...

I don't know about that. I've flogged anemic four-cylinders before and it was much more fun stabbing the throttle for a couple seconds in a 400hp car. Acceleration is exhilarating and addictive.
 
saratoga172 said:
Can't imagine you really have an option...
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I assume that was directed at me? 😀

Never underestimate the effect of weight. At 1850lbs, 76HP isn't as bad as it sounds. 0-60 in ~10 seconds. The funnest part is that peak torque(96ftlbs) is at 2,000RPM. There are certainly slower things out there.. Like the Prius C. :colbert:😀

Elfear said:
I don't know about that. I've flogged anemic four-cylinders before and it was much more fun stabbing the throttle for a couple seconds in a 400hp car. Acceleration is exhilarating and addictive.
Click to expand...

I will agree with this, and I was going to say that I would still enjoy a faster car, no doubt about it.
 
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I wouldn't know I've never owned a "nice" car 🙂. Most I've ever spent for a car was $4300 for a 94 miata turbo. Current cars a 95 miata cost $2200 and an 03 pontiac vibe was $2300. They do what I need them to do and I don't have to worry about car payments.
 
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Nice used car FTW. You can get something that's still pretty quick and will fly under the radar, too (i.e. CTS-V, Forester XT).
 
i live in the midwest, so i can understand why people buy newer cars- RUST. its so sad, my 99 ranger has 225k miles on it and it still runs/drives like new. its so awesome. problem is, the body is starting to rust out bad and in the daytime it really does look like a piece of shit.

so im torn. i bought it with 120k miles on it, and it looked like pretty much new. paid 7700 for it though, so i got my moneys worth (replaced the tranny- $600 and i installed it myself. probably about 2k in parts over the years too, but i install everything myself)

i dont think ill ever spend more then 10k on a vehicle though. no matter what i will never buy new. just like op said- the first scratch and it would eat me alive. better to just buy a nice broken in car thats a few years old for half the price of a new one.
 
Eli said:
I assume that was directed at me? 😀

Never underestimate the effect of weight. At 1850lbs, 76HP isn't as bad as it sounds. 0-60 in ~10 seconds. The funnest part is that peak torque(96ftlbs) is at 2,000RPM. There are certainly slower things out there.. Like the Prius C. :colbert:😀



I will agree with this, and I was going to say that I would still enjoy a faster car, no doubt about it.
Click to expand...

Definitely agree the prius it's slow. Driven my moms a few times and I can't stand those things.

I do envy your mileage in those insights. That is godly. I also didn't realize they so light. You could probably have a lot of fun in them.
 
I like nice cars, for me it's like a hobby. Even though I don't have a nice car yet I enjoy modding my current ride. I even enjoy washing it.

I will admit I park really far away when I go to a store but I do that no matter what car I am driving. The extra few steps are actually good for you.
 
Eli said:
I assume that was directed at me? 😀

Never underestimate the effect of weight. At 1850lbs, 76HP isn't as bad as it sounds. 0-60 in ~10 seconds. The funnest part is that peak torque(96ftlbs) is at 2,000RPM. There are certainly slower things out there.. Like the Prius C. :colbert:😀
Click to expand...


Pretty much the only things that take 10 seconds to get to 60mph are old cars, and econoboxes. That's slow 😛

It's 24 lbs/hp. That's on the extreme low end of things. Things get fun in the below 10 lbs/hp range.
 
Alienwho said:
I'm starting to think it isn't. I recently got a brand new mustang.

Things I enjoy:
The car is awesome
Seriously I love this car

Things I don't enjoy:
Increased attention from cops. I get pulled over all the time now even though I drove 10x more aggressive in my old car and never got pulled over.
Utilizing 50 horses out of several hundreds due to fear of the above. (At least in my old car I utilized the 150HP to its full limits)
Car Payment.
Always worried about chips, dents, etc.

I make pretty good money, but I'm not wealthy. I can afford the car, but I miss the peace of mind and lower costs (gas, etc.) of a boring car. Having said all this, I still consider myself a car guy but I am not used to getting so much attention and I really hate having to hold myself back every second I'm in the car.

If I could go back 6 months I wouldn't buy the car. I'd buy some used car for $10k that I don't have to worry about. I'm wary of selling the car and getting something else because I've already sunk $6 grand into the car and I don't want to have to pay for new taxes, registration, etc. of a new transaction. If I sold the car today I'd probably only be able to get enough out of it to pay off the remainder of the loan.

Combine the above with a baby on the way and a new dog in the family and I'm starting to ache for a cheaper hatchback. Note when I got the car there was no baby on the way and no dog in the family.
Click to expand...
This car is your daily? If so, that would be your mistake right there.

Not sure how you get pulled over "all the time"??? I have a showy Z car, and an obnoxiously loud Evo that, knock on wood, I have driven for years (the Z for almost 8) and NOT ONCE gotten pulled over. there are a lot of mustangs out there, don't think yours really stands out more than the dozens of others cops see in a day. What are they pulling you over for?
 
Eli said:
Never underestimate the effect of weight. At 1850lbs, 76HP isn't as bad as it sounds. 0-60 in ~10 seconds. The funnest part is that peak torque(96ftlbs) is at 2,000RPM. There are certainly slower things out there.. Like the Prius C. :colbert:😀
Click to expand...


"isn't as bad as it sounds"???
my beater 98 protege did 0-60 in ~10 and that SOB was SLOOOOOOOOW - if it goes 0-60 in under 7, now that ain't bad and can be fun
 
One question I do have that someone above me mentioned. Are you sure that the "increased attention from cops" isn't all in your head? Mustangs are a dime a dozen, they're all over the place. I drive something more flashy, and have 0 issues.

I think you're just paranoid.

0-40 may be much less fun than 0-60, but if you really want to do it all the time, there is no reason you can't
 
Zivic said:
This car is your daily? If so, that would be your mistake right there.

Not sure how you get pulled over "all the time"??? I have a showy Z car, and an obnoxiously loud Evo that, knock on wood, I have driven for years (the Z for almost 8) and NOT ONCE gotten pulled over. there are a lot of mustangs out there, don't think yours really stands out more than the dozens of others cops see in a day. What are they pulling you over for?
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I would think it also depends where he lives and the habits of the drivers around him. If he's in an area with a lot of mustang drivers that do dumb things then he will be a target whether he likes it or not.

Though even I'm surprised about the being pulled over all the time. I guess if the cops recognize the mustang the most (and to be fair it is pretty easily recognizable and very aggressive looking) then it it is possible though I really don't think they would pull you over if you were driving normally most of the time 😕

Also there are plenty of fast/'nice' cars that fly under the radar especially in the price range of the Mustang. Sure they may not all be big 2 door coupes but things like the speed3, gti, wrx, ralliarts all offer plenty of speed though maybe not the exact styling you're going for. I leave out camero's and challengers since if they notice mustangs I would think they would notice the others. The first 3 are slightly more discrete.
 
Zivic said:
"isn't as bad as it sounds"???
my beater 98 protege did 0-60 in ~10 and that SOB was SLOOOOOOOOW - if it goes 0-60 in under 7, now that ain't bad and can be fun
Click to expand...


Not just that but the ability to retain speed in various conditions i.e up a hill/with passengers become increasingly noticible in cars like that.

Sure tossing around a 'slow' car to the max is fun by yourself but if you factor in either or both of those things and WOT at 55 up a hill with passengers is not so exciting anymore. Well it is but for different reasons :\
 
I would say it's probably not worth it, there is a guy that I work with that has a c6 vette that he won't drive to work because he is afraid that someone will door ding it. He also won't drive it on the interstate because he says that it messes up the paint. Seems like alot of money to spend on something that you are worrying in advance about the first scratch.

Where I live at, if you have a mustang or camero, cops will pull you over just to talk, since alot of them drive them as there personal cars. This is what I've heard from several friends who own either of those cars.
 
it's only worth having a nice car if you get to enjoy it somehow.

i have a hyundai genesis coupe. a lot of people consider it "nice" (though it's not like it's a certain BMW that we can't mention)...but nonetheless, I smile every time I look at my car. It's sexy. It handles well, and I will be autocrossing it to really put what handling it has to use.

so do i enjoy my car? absolutely.
 
Harrod said:
I would say it's probably not worth it, there is a guy that I work with that has a c6 vette that he won't drive to work because he is afraid that someone will door ding it. He also won't drive it on the interstate because he says that it messes up the paint. Seems like alot of money to spend on something that you are worrying in advance about the first scratch.

Where I live at, if you have a mustang or camero, cops will pull you over just to talk, since alot of them drive them as there personal cars. This is what I've heard from several friends who own either of those cars.
Click to expand...


Unless that's his weekend car that guy is dumb. Don't buy a car to be a garage queen unless it's a rare 200k+ car. His concerns are valid but the extent of his paranoia is not. But there are tons of drivers that are not like that so his case would be out of the ordinary imo.

Also of all the things cops could pull you over for that's one of the things I wouldn't mind terribly. Sure it could get old after a while but better than a ticket.
 
F' it dude. Enjoy your ride. I fought the same feelings for a long time after I spent a small fortune on a new truck. I finally said F it. I deserve this biatch as much as anyone else.
If you need justification financially then drive that car till the wheels fall off. That's the only way you get the value out of them. That's what I'm planning on doing.
 
I drive the crap out of my Maxima and I've never been pulled over in it in 9 years of ownership. Not one single ticket.

When I had my Mustang GT I got pulled over twice in 4 years of ownership and the Mustang I had prior (convertible GT) I got 4 tickets in that puppy.

I've had 1 speeding ticket on the bike in the last 5 years (and that was over 3 years ago). Now I have a red Ducati... I've had 1 run in with the law but he didn't really have anything to nail me on, just perceived speeding but since I slowed before he caught up to me he could only hassle me verbally.
 
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