Open Mike: Getting Worried About Kirk (OT)

Past comments are 100% moderated at 2:54 p.m. Friday

So Kirk Tuck took Visual Science Lab (VSL) down this morning and stopped blogging once and for all. And has celebrated this by...starting another blog. Don't point this out to him. Maybe he'll just keep going.

I was worried about one thing, though. Seems he rebelled against having had to drive utilitarian SUVs all these years because he needed them to transport photo gear to jobs. So he got a wild hair and decided to throw caution to the winds and buy a completely impractical, sporty car to celebrate his retirement. And he bought...a Subaru Legacy. With a "Sport" badge on the back.

Which inspired me to leave this comment on his new blog:

Disqualification. Accords, Legacys, and Camrys neither qualify as "sporty" nor as adequate retirement cars. Take it back. You may buy: BRZ, GR Corolla (look into it before you laugh), Miata, Corvette, any convertible, Boxster or any non-SUV Porsche, BMW Z4, F-Type, any car that scares Belinda, Nissan Z, Lexus LC. No WRX since they discontinued the STI. Integra Type S, Golf R.

A Legacy is like letting your hair down 1/8th inch. Insufficient to trigger retirement mode. Unless you a.) grow sadness beard b.) take a bong. [Sexist comment about hotties asking for rides deleted.]

You may keep the Legacy ONLY if you TEST DRIVE all the other cars without falling for one. C'mon, you could blog about each experience, with pics.

—Mike, from the wilds of Central New York where the coolest ride in town is this really rad and bitchin' Mennonite buggy. Seriously, there's this young Mennonite guy with a Concours-quality buggy. Every inch of it is perfect. He probably has to beat off the slim young things in bonnets and ankle-length dresses. His horse is so young and sleek and high-steppin' it could win ribbons. He must be the John Milner of the Anabaptist set. The whole rig is as perfect as the best '32 Ford at the local hot rod show. Which is Sept. 21 at the Windmill.

Kirk replied:

Mike, I will let Belinda know that you have approved the purchase of the Porsche Carrera S Turbo I've been researching. One of my swim coaches has one and she loves it. If the purchase causes domestic issues I'll be sure to send her your way so you can sort it all out for me. Thanks!

Now that's a retirement car. Approved!

I merely pointed out that Belinda has apparently never complained about the vast camera arsenal he has amassed over the years. (If she has, it probably explains why she has short hair. She's torn the rest of it out.) I think any wife who tolerates all those cameras would nod understandingly about a Porsche.

Well, one Porsche. If he starts collecting them like Jerry Seinfeld it's possible he might indeed have a problem.

Mike

P.S. If you decided to buy a play car to celebrate retirement or some other happy milestone, what would it be?

I'd just get another Miata. I can't answer the question beyond that because I've only ever considered cars that are vaguely within my budget and lifestyle, or at least not so far above it that they qualify as pure fantasy. So I've never test-driven expensive cars. I did drive two BMW 1-Series coupes when they came out in the 2000s, and I've driven a Boxster twice, once at "Porsche Day" at a local car dealer when I got to make two laps of an autocross course with the head instructor from the Porsche driving school, no less. And just recently I got to test drive the Integra Type S, which I loved except for the fact that the center stack digs into my right leg in a way I don't think I could live with. But by and large I don't test drive fancy cars so I don't know what I might like. And Mike the car enthusiast is fast approaching his sell-by date.

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Featured Comments from:

Jon Schick: "Very much like the MX-5 (as the Miata is known as here in the UK) and its Fiat 124 cousin, but they're too small for 6'3" me. I am planning a retirement Euro road trip through France and Italy to Sicily next year though, and think I 'need' a car to make it worthwhile. Top of the shortlist at the moment is a Morgan 4/4, not least because—aside from putting a smile on your face as soon as you sit in it—they're basically simple, rugged, cheap to run, and keep their value. Not like their Plus 6 or Plus 8 siblings which are out of my price range or interest. Like an aging Leica I'd probably be able to sell it later for the purchase price, if not more...."

Mike replies: I'll add the link for you. And I hear you on size: I'm 6'1" and 250 lbs., and figure I'm as big as I can possibly be and still wedge myself into a Miata. Maybe I could be a touch thicker, but no taller. The peak of my pate gets just a mite too far into the slipstream as it is.

Gunny: "Mustang (not Mach-E)."

Mike replies: Only if it's a V8. The V6 is too sensible.

David Brown: "For years, I told family and friends that they would know that I had reached my mid-life crisis when I bought the Corvette. Well, it wasn’t a ‘Vette, it was a Cadillac Allante (remember them?). Great car when it wasn’t in the shop. And, of course, Cadillac could not get parts for all the Italian bits, which, of course, were what continually failed. I traded that car for a BMW 5-Series. Great car when it wasn’t in the shop. Traded the Beemer for a Honda Accord. Another Honda and three Subarus later, I am more than well retired, and my cars start every day! Leave Kirk alone!"

Bryan William Jones: "I found a used 2006 Cayman for my mid-life crisis car. It had been set up as a track car and needed new wheels, brakes, clutch, headlights and taillights, but the price was right and it is the closest thing to a street legal go-kart as there is, and brings a smile to my face every time I drive it."

Rob L.: "I discovered with rental cars that I really hate driving Mustangs and Camaros, and loved the Miata in both its native and Fiat forms—as long as the roof is off.) But my speed is more a Bronco or Wrangler to go bang around dirt trails on; nothing too technical but something fun to get dirt in your face with—a different version of 'going fast slowly.'"

Jeff Pressman: "I notice you didn't suggest any EVs. My retirement car is a Tesla Model 3. It's amazingly fast, the acceleration is instantaneous, and with AWD handles extremely well. It does have a roof, however, which suits me just fine. And the sound system is fantastic!"

JoeB: "Clearly you have no idea how much fun a Subaru WRX is to drive. No need for the STI model at all. I suggest you might test drive one (if there is a dealership in the backwoods you live in. Don't take offence—I also live in a rather out of the mainstream location) rather than doing a quickly assembled list from web 'influencers.'"

Richard Tugwell: "I like the fact that Kirk has multiple swim coaches."

Comments

[MikeR]

Fancy car lust is in my rear view mirror. I'm too geriatric to consider any car that I can't drop my butt into, like a chair.

But a nicely restored vintage Studebaker Avanti still turns my head.

[Peter]

When I met my wife in 1962, she was driving a 1957 TR3, in Syracuse, in the winter. A bit over the top, as she would turn out to be.
Just bought her a show condition 1960 TR3A as a birthday/anniversary present. We went to see it at the dealers the other day - she had the same facial expression as Mr.Toad in The Wind In The Willows (?) when he sees a MOTORCAR!!
All kinds of reasons/rationales for buying a car....

[Kodachromeguy]

Retirement car? I would buy a Honda Odyssey minivan because I could put bicycles and camera equipment in it and take long road trips.

Mt Tuck will be OK. He'll buy a totally new camera system, take a gazillion pictures of office buildings, signs, and mannequins, and feel a lot better.

[Robert Roaldi]

I spent a lot of my life flirting with motorsport and hanging around car nuts. Now all I want is more trains so I don't have to drive so much.

[Dan D]

I'd buy the best under $10K Miata I could find. I already have my retirement car, a 3 series wagon which is fun to drive in its own right, but a Miata would be more like having a road bike. Maybe a bit under powered, like the engine on my road bike lol, but the visceral fun is what the Miata is all about.

[John Camp]

I have a plug-in Porsche Cayenne that would leave an old Pontiac GTO in the dust, plus, when I'm not long-distance traveling by car, I buy a tank of gas about every two months. I also have a seven-year-old hard-top convertible with less than 10,000 miles on it, which I like to drive, but there's no room for my crap (cameras, golf clubs, guitars, plants. Okay, I can get a camera in it.)

[Tex Andrews]

So, retirement cars....

First, KT could have looked at an Audi Quattro series---sportier than the Legacy, but similarly practical.

I love my Soobs. Now in possesion of 3--our Crosstrek and one daughter's sporty(!) hatchback in a premium livery (she moved to Vienna a few years ago) and the other's (she moved to London on Monday)Crosstrek that's newer than ours. Like the Crosstrek because they are higher off the ground and so easier to get in and out of.

But with both daughters abroad now, probably permanently---especially if a certain felon wins in November---we will also decamp and become ex-pats. So, that means Europe and probably not Soob, whose presence I think is much more limited there. So, what to get? Well, there's the Audi. Maybe another VW? We'll see where we move. And certainly would like a Sprinter/Mercedes style camper for fun.

But if I was wealthy, I'd want a Jaguar MKVII, completely modernized. Now, there's a car.

I'm too old for a sports car now, but I do still love the 1st generation Audi TT's, or even the Quattro Sport.

[Chris H]

Miata is a fine choice - just what you need, and no more. The answer to every question indeed, especially this one.

[zyni]

I do not wish to start car war, but when I am old and retired I would buy a motorbike. I am not silly so I won't buy an old one (lots of mechanical trouble) but perhaps a pre-2020 Bullet: as big as I could handle (I am small) and very pretty.

As I said I do mot wish to start a car war but making a motorbike go quickly is to making a car do the same as is watching Jimi Hendrix play to watching Rick Parfitt (sorry if you admired him).

I would also need an empty country to make it less dangerous.

Or I would buy a good horse and someone to look after her for me.

[rgonet]

I have a 1992 Miata in excellent condition. Just looked over in a shop and new $500 battery. 64,000 miles. Interested?

[Omer]

A play car? Yeah, it's called the Biden syndrome and hell no I ain't old(71.)

Mazda cx5 with the 227hp engine.

[Ed Hawco]

I barely drive (between us, my spouse and I put about 8000km a year on our Subaru) but I've always loved the mid-90s BMW Z3. Anything Beemer has always been way out of my range, but yesterday I saw a 1996 Z3 for sale that seems to be in great shape (looks new!) for $9500. Um... I'm not retired yet, but it's fast approaching. Nope. Turn away, Ed, turn away.

[KeithB]

I took my wife's bug to a VW shop and he had an old 911 there with the engine out - it looks like it has been out a long time - and I briefly got a jones for it.
But it passed.

[Doug Vaughn]

I had a 2001 Miata for a couple years and loved driving it, but every time a truck or large vehicle came up behind me a little too fast at a stop sign, I though about having only 2-3 feet of car behind me. I looked at a brand new Miata MX5 (with folding hard top) last year and fell in love all over. It was completely impractical for the travel I wanted to do, so I reluctantly passed.

What did I buy? A Mazda CX-30 with the turbo engine, which really goes and can definitely outrun the Miata. It's fun to drive and carries everything I need for road trips. I've already put 19,000 miles on it, and it's been to the AZ/UT desert 6-7 times.

I looked at the Subaru WRX, and they're a blast to drive also. If they'd put that engine in a Crosstrek, I'd line up to buy it.

The most fun car I've owned? I bought a 2014 Mini Cooper S (turbo and 6-speed) as my mid-life crisis. I used to race karts in my 30's, and it was the closest thing to driving a go-kart. Totally impractical, but I didn't really care at the time.

[Mark Sampson]

I have a 1966 Volvo 1800S (the last sports car with tail fins) that my best friend left to me in his will. However, it has been mostly neglected since about 1990, and needs lots of work to be a good driver. I've done about as much for it as I can, and while there is a shop in town which specializes in these cars, there's no budget to give it to them right now. It's an open question if I'll ever get to enjoy "Via" properly, but I haven't given up yet.

[Dave Levingston]

As I've aged my Miata lust has seriously diminished. Just too hard to get in and out of. I've rented a few Mustang convertibles. Fun, but I don't really want to own one.

In recent times I find myself looking at a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 plug-in hybrid. That's likely my next vehicle when the Honda Pilot finally has to be parted with. My 2015 Pilot has 180,000 miles and has had no mechanical repairs except replacing the timing belt at 100,000. Just oil changes and tires. I'm sure it will always hold the title of best car I ever owned. I'll be very sad to see it go when the time comes.

[Bryan William Jones]

The other car that you might consider that is a tremendous amount of fun for very little money is a Corvette, or a 99-02 Firebird, or a Camaro. They are dirt cheap, easy to repair, have loads of performance with the V-8s, and with a manual transmission, absolutely fun to drive. Plenty of room for big and tall folks too. And some have T-tops. The downside is that they are a bit crude compared to Japanese or German marques, loud, and many of them have been used hard. But there are plenty of low mileage examples out there that have been cared for.
https://prometheus.med.utah.edu/~bwjones/2022/09/bay-area-to-slc-via-i-80/

[Tom Passin]

Mike, I loved my Miata too but aren't you forgetting how rotten they are in ice and snow? I know you get a certain amount of serious winter weather there in the Finger Lakes.

[Ken]

I'll keep my 2021 Crosstrek as long as it lasts, thankyouverymuch. It goes offroad (or at least on rutted dirt roads) without blinking when I want to reach remote hiking / photography destinations, it can carry enough gear to comfortably take a cross-country trip (it already has once, when we permanently moved from the east coast to the Pacific NW shortly after buying the car), it is fun to drive, and it'll probably outlast me. And I'd rather use any money I'd waste on a future new car on some bucket list overseas trips instead.

As for Kirk, I read his posts about the car - and I think he made the right choice (and from his description, it sounds like a fun car). Plus, I believe he has blogged previously about having owned a BMW and it not being reliable?

[Tom Duffy]

When my 15 year old beloved Pontiac G8 became unreliable last November, I chose to replace it with a manual transmission Mazda 3. Very different from a G8 but an impressive car in its own right, at least once you disable most of the so-called safety features. As a default, the car’s steering wheel would vibrate a warning if you crossed a tiny bit over a center line while enjoying a curve. The car would also try to keep you in a lane if you tried to exit a highway without using your directional signal by physically nudging the car back into the traffic lane. The less said about the clumsy radar cruise control the better. You can also set it up to beep at you incessantly if you exceed the speed limit. Fortunately, it can all be disabled.
Post retirement however, my real enjoyment comes from riding a now very primitive 1985 BMW motorcycle.

[Alan]

I've only had one Porsche, a Boxster, but I found that it just wasn't any fun and where was that legendary German build quality? It just wasn't there.

Porsches have the badge and they tell the world you have more more money than sense but IMO MX5's are much more fun and they are fun at legal road speeds.

[David Maxwell]

If we are talking sporty type cars I would say either a Lexus RC-F or LC500. Asking for an LF-A seems a bit much.

But I would really like a left hand drive Toyota Mega Cruiser.

[Dan Gorman]

I retired from full-time work two years ago and bought a used 2019 Ford Fiesta ST. It's underpowered, has a heavy clutch and a notchy shifter. Despite almost-laughably short gearing, it's not especially quick, and it might touch 100 mph with a good wind at your back (though I have no interest in finding out for sure!). But it's loads of fun to drive, it reminds me of my youth, and it's affordable in all the ways that count for a humble public servant like me :-)

Life can be very good when your wants are simple.

Cheers!
Dan

[John Abee]

For those of us that are fortunate, retirement represents a phase when we can have what we want vs what we need or think we should have. Sounds like Kirk is there and, as we say down South, bless his heart.
I had my Porsche phase early in life when I was a car guy. In those days I was all about performance and they taught me that excitement in a performance car is not about 150mph - it’s about a 40mph turn at 41mph. From my experience, nothing got me around a known course quicker than a properly dialed-in 911 and nothing was more dangerous on an unfamiliar road than pushing that same car at its limits.
What got me past Porsches was the “Look at Me” side of ownership. They certainly impress the hell out of the Gross American Public and if that’s what you want, that’s what you should have. That never appealed to me. I’m more of an “Avert your Eyes” kinda guy. Decades of SAAB’s confirmed the joys of autos that performed far beyond what your eyes would suggest and brought me to retirement. I’d have rewarded myself with another SAAB if they still made them but as close as I could come was a carefully selected Volvo. Plenty of zoom, does not call attention to itself (or to me) and the only comment it’s gathered to date was last week when a knowing soul offered that I had “good taste in cars.”
All that said, no car has offered me the unadulterated joy of our very early Miata. I’m the original owner of 35+ years - before I had children that are now educated and off in the world - but that little red roadster is here to stay. For now. I’m still open to the possibility of a second childhood.

[Chris Kern]

Just about only thing that matters to me about a car is reliability — along with comfortable driving and passenger seating. I want to make sure any vehicle I own will get me from hither to thither without angst and without any part of me hurting, no matter how long the trip. My wife and I own two Subaru Foresters (the car Kirk Tuck traded-in), a 2012 model and a 2014 model. They’ve never seen the inside of a dealership except for a couple of warranty repairs that were underwritten by Subaru. These are the second and third Subaruski we have owned and unless one of them ever dies (which seems unlikely) or Subaru updates the Forester product with current visualization technology (no sign of that, so far), we’ll keep driving them.

[JH]

Ever hear the term "male meno-Porsche"?

And if you start collecting Porsches like Seinfeld and live in NYC, you have to buy the brownstone next door, gut it and convert to a garage for all your cars, pissing off everybody in the neighborhood.

[David Glos]

My gently used, 2006 S2000 was a bit of a mid-life crisis car, just short of my 49th birthday in 2014, but she will certainly follow me into retirement. Found her in a Craiglist ad, some 300 miles to the south, late on a Sunday evening. Less than a week later, with my wifes full blessing, she followed me home.

I've always loved simple, lightweight cars, where when the stars align, you simply feel as one with the machine and road. The die was cast with my college ride, an 89 CRXsi. Never had an excess of horsepower, but was always a delight to toss around and shift. She survived the birth of our first, our son, but not the twin daughters that followed four years after.

An 70's era, air-cooled 911 is what I really wanted, but prices went through the roof, with repair costs to match. Oh well. Ended back where I started, in the Honda fold, and couldn't be happier. Many S2000's have been heavily modded, not always for the better, but mine remains bone stock. Floging one to even 60% of the machines capabilities is enough cause legal issues, if not done with discretion. Pleanty of fun to be had, with the occasional admonishment from the right seat.

I have two idosyncratic rules regarding her operation: (1) She is only to driven with the convetible top down, and (2) Anything above freezing is suitable covertible weather. Even a short drive, in clear traffic, is enough to turn a crappy day into something special.

As a side note, we have rather high-strung pooch, a Catahoula Leopard dog my son found on the street, that thinks the S2000 is his personal chariot. He knows the vehicles sound from afar, even when I attempt to gently coax it out of our detached garage, and will come bounding out the back door, jump clear over the closed passenger door and into the adjacent seat. He also acts stupid if anyone even whispers "convertible ride" in the house. He knows.

[Tullio Emanuele]

I do not have a car, living close to downtown (Nashville) my wife and I figure out that we could share her SUV.

The car that I always wanted was a Jaguar type E, but they are difficult to maintain and run. The Jaguar XK8 is another possibility, I think I need first to find a good Jaguar shop and then find the car.

[John Fleming]

As a young man in 1977-78 I bought a 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina.

Lovely car to drive but every “noise” cost at least $100.
When the starter motor failed on a trip to San Francisco from Vancouver B.C. I would just bump start it in the morning. Remember when a car was light enough to do that?

When my mid-life crisis came many year ago I just spent the $100 on a book about the car.
Alfa Romeo Berlinas by John Tipler for those who are interested .

Still miss that car.

My neighbour across the street owns a Triumph TR6 that he rebuilt.
A lovely car and the engine sounds wonderful!

An acquaintance owns a Ferrari 458 Italia.
And yes, a lovely car and the engine sounds wonderful too.

[Henning]

I've always been interested in cars, and in early years before I had my own worked many weekends on friends' TRs, MGs and Alfas. Usually 5 hours of work for every hour of driving (riding) enjoyment. In the summer of 1965 I planned my hitchhiking through Europe around the Formula 1 race calendar. My first joint purchase with my wife-to-be was one of the very first Datsun 240Zs in Canada. She was also into cars, and we've been together for 56 years. We've had some sports cars, including an early Miata (also an early adoptee) and then, when I was sort of looking at maybe another purchase of a two seater, she bought me my 60th birthday present: a new Porsche GT3; a complete surprise. We had never discussed anything like that, but she had my dream machine sitting in the garage when we came home from visiting family. A couple of years later she got an Audi TTS, which she loves.

I've since had other Porsches, but all used. All great, all perfectly reliable. I've never lost money on a used Porsche and one I sold for 60% more than I paid for it after driving it for 9 years. When I got the first GT3 I traded in the car I had had for a Subaru which was mostly reliable but unfortunately had awful brakes that warped almost every time coming down from the local mountains and then had to be replaced, until they were upgraded. You can live comfortably with a low-powered machine, but not one with bad brakes. I should hope Subarus are better now.

My current daily driver is a 10 year old Boxster, which I spent a year looking for 6 years ago, so it's equipped exactly as I would have ordered it. We just took it on a 4500km road trip, including the Banff-Jasper highway in the Rockies, and there is no better car than the Boxster to do that in, in my opinion. It's also fully useable for shopping at Costco, as it mostly holds everything that can reasonably be put in a shopping cart. The Miata never did fit that role.

Since I quit commercial photography, I haven't had problems fitting my camera gear into the Boxster either.

[Tom Burke]

This might be the first post here that lost me completely. I'm obviously not a car guy, even though I am retired.

When my wife joined me in retirement we decided that when she handed back her 1 Series (which she used for work), we would share a car. We quite quickly decided that a new Mk 8 Golf would be that car. Not an R; not even a GTI; just a 1.5 mild hybrid e-TSI (the first automatic for either of us!). And the deciding point between that and any other car we looked at? - the driver's seat is very easy to adjust, which with both of us driving would be happening a lot and was therefore essential. (Changing the seat-back rake to How We Wanted It on a 1-series was a nightmare,) And we're happy.

In fact, we're not even using it that much. We've just come back from a short break in Glasgow to where we travelled, there and back, by train. Last summer we did drive to Cornwall but on arrival just parked the car and used trains and buses (!) to get around locally. If we lived in London I don't think we would have a car at all. Even up here on the edge of Derbyshire I'm not sure that using buses and taxis would be more expensive than running a car. I think we're on our way to being former car owners....

And photographically there's a real bonus - those grand Victorian stations make for great images. St Pancras in London is my absolute favourite, but York is very good, as is, we found, Glasgow Central. You don't see those if you're driving. Leicester Forest East services doesn't really compare (British readers will get the reference).

[John]

Bought a Miata last year and took it with me on my move to Europe. Perfect car, though the Lotus Emira really appeals to me as well. But having test driven the 911, the Corvette and a McLaren 650S I find that those cars only become real fun when I’m way into illegal speed territory. Nice on a German Autobahn, but not on the practical level of the Miata. Makes my wife and wallet happy too.

[Malcolm Myers]

I have had a red MX5 for about 16 years now. I thought it would fail it's latest MOT (an annual roadworthiness test we have in the UK) and I've have to scrap it as uneconomic to repair, but it passed first time!

So I need to spend a bit of money to keep it going, but it's fun to drive and my young kids love it. No need for a Porsche here!

[William Lewis]

If I were going to get silly in my older age, (and won the lotto!) it would be either a Lotus Elise or a Ferrari Roma. Just like their lines better, that's all :)

[Markus]

A car for retirement? Really?

As long as there are such fine bikes as a Cannondal Scalpel, I need a care basically for transport, not for fun. And when I turn 80, I'll settle for a e-bike.

Gas-propelled cars are so 90ies-style ;)

[Wolfgang Lonien]

I drove a Porsche once, and while that's kind of fun, it's still far behind the real thing - a motorcycle. Car drivers will never understand until they rode one.
But now that I'm retired (about the same age as you, Mike), I'd rather go for a second bicycle - one like they're using at Tour de France.
I'm about to add cycling to my daily walks, just bought a helmet finally (wife and daughter were using theirs since forever; I never had one until now).

[Earl Dunbar]

I would buy a fully restored and souped up RX-3. I had an RX-2 and while it was très fun to drive I’m convinced that Joseph Lucas had designed the electrical system.

That was my only foray into a “sporty” car. I now drive a 2021 CR-V EX-L (my 3rd CR-V) which believe it or not is un peu fun to drive. And the safety features keep me from being stupid. That’s saying a lot.

BTW, did you forget the Civic Type R?

[David L.]

Kirk’s Legacy has a turbo, which changes the experience significantly. I have a 2006 Subaru Outback XT Turbo with 5 speed automatic, thank goodness it’s not a CVT, and bought it new. After learning manual shifting to take advantage of its power curve it can make your hair stand on end. In Texas it can run all day at extra legal speeds. It’s a superb stealth speed demon, and looks like another dowdy Subaru.

[Dennis]

......a COBRA..........

[schralp]

Z8 for sure. Never understood why it wasn’t more popular; maybe it doesn’t drive that nicely but it’s gorgeous and I’m sure drives well enough for me.

[Nick]

I treated myself to a Deux Chevaux (2CV). It's fun, practical, cheap to run and actually has the strength of 28 horses!

[Simon]

What is it with this endless fascination with cars? They seem to be discussed on here almost as much as cameras.

All cars do essentially the same thing - get you and your belongings from A to B with zero effort on the part of the occupant(s). Fancy cars are a complete waste of money. Most people spend stupid amounts of money on cars because they think that other people will admire their taste and (if it's a particularly expensive model) envy their wealth. Pathetic.

[Steve Wantz]

Count me in with the 2021 Crosstrek, I love it.

[ASW]

I like the idea of a Miata or S2000, but I've never understood the attraction of convertibles.

I work outside in the sun most days, and my recreation is long distance running, so I have no desire for more sun or wind or bugs when I'm in the car. Give me a roof and windows every day of the week. Plus, I'm guessing my very cool Tilley hat would not fit the convertible vibe.

Give me a 1992-1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth. Since I'm paying with dream money, I'll go for a 1996 when only 68 were produced. The price will be very high, but they throw the roof and windows in for free.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Well, arguably the red VW GTI was a mid-life crisis car (1987, I think). Followed that with a bottom-of-the-line Saturn (1998), my only dip into American cars. Then the current Camry (14 years old, going strong).

I'd love half a million or so to play with for a year (that I didn't have to husband for future survival). House, car, and cameras would all get updated. But we're not doing badly as it is.

[Arg]

A 1967 E-Type Jag, white, red leather and walnut interior, in showroom condition.

The first time you fire her up, you will say, “Darling! Where have you been all my life?”

“The most beautiful car ever made.” - Enzo Ferrari, 1961

[Peter]

Mike, We are on our second Golf R, this one is a special edition where we could choice another colour other than the boring selection VW offer, so we went with green!

[Basil]

What, no motorcycles? I get it though; motorcycles are a terrible mid-life crisis purchase. You have to be serious to be involved in motorcycling. Non-serious riders are quickly claimed by Darwin.

[gary bliss]

Mike --

At 69 -- and five years after a federal civil service retirement -- i still work enough to need factory service for my transportation. So these older classics just won't do it for me . . .

But my 2020 Veloster "N" does. Adaptive suspension, 275hp out of two liters, unbelievable brakes and a quite nice six speed is really something on the road, and the whole package is designed to be track ready (and "no" you do not invalidate the warranty if you do).

As a Hyundai will it require repairs? Sure, but they will be way cheaper than European marque. I loved my 2011 Mazdaspeed 3, but they won't make them anymore: the CEO deemed them "too puerile."

-- gary ray

[Jeff in Colorado]

Have been thinking of selling my sadly neglected first-gen Miata: Great car, but the window of perfect top-down driving weather seems to last just a few weeks in the spring and autumn.

If I had to pick something new, the cars which might interest me most are (1) Toyota GR-Yaris (2) Honda E and (3) Suzuki Jimny.

Vintage: Have never driven one, but if Citroën 2CV is good enough for Hayao Miyazaki, it's probably good enough for me too.

As the Toyota, Honda, and Suzuki are not offered in the USA, while the Citroën is super-uncommon, I'm in no danger of impulse-buying.

[Sebastian Broll]

honestly.
Fiat cinquecento (500).
If that's no longer available, the Fiat Panda.

Since it's no longer available (new), the Citroen C1 is out.

... because, small cars are fun!

Cheers,
sebastian

[Lars Jansen]

At 52 I'm still driving the first car I ever owned, a Volkswagen T3/T25 Westfalia campervan (bought it like 8 years ago). That or a replacement would probably be my retirement car as well, if I ever get to retire. Or possibly I will treat myself with a new bike for those long bicycle camping holidays I can then have, something like the Santos Travelmaster (https://www.santosbikes.com/nl/fietsen/travel/travelmaster-28).

[Jack Mac]

A lot of love for Miata, and for good reason.
Then people seem to go for VW or Porsche.
I retired long ago. Bought nothing special. Before that, at my midlife crisis I bought a used Audi station wagon.
For your demographic of readers, we should be talking late life crisis. I recommend as a step up from a Miata, but can get confused with a Miata, is a fastback Ferarri FF. Slap on a license plate that says Miata and it’s pretty stealthy. With fold down back seats, the trunk can hold lots of Photo gear.

[Bill Tyler]

The most fun I ever had with a car was a 1962? MG Midget. It wasn't very powerful, it had no luxury features at all, but it handled beautifully on twisty roads. I finally sold it to my roommate at the time after the crankshaft broke. He thought he'd repair it. A decade or so later, it was still sitting, broken, in his garage. (By the way, about the crank. That car had only three main bearings instead of the usual 5 in a 4-cylinder car. The crank flexed a lot more than desirable as a result, and the engine was notorious for breaking crankshafts.)

[Ross A]

I have been into cars ever since reading a crappy paperback about Hot-Rods in 5th grade, circa 1961.

I have tended to go SUV lately, via 2 Porsche Macans, (a surprisingly car like drive, by the way) but in January I bought a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. Full EV, but really a fun, engaging car to drive. It handles like it is on rails, and has been even better than I hoped when I picked it.

It helped that the car companies cannot give away their EV products right now, because these are expensive, but Porsche was motivated to move them and it was that soft market that closed the sale for me.