Dealing with automotive FOMO (subtitle: The grass is always greener)

Like a lot of you, I've been horsing around with cars since I could drive. Tinkering, big builds, been through lots of fun cars, and some not so fun. One thing that never seems to go away is the desire to drive "the next one". What is it? No idea, but it's the next one. In the past few years, I've had some great cars, Vibe GT, Passat DSG, Mazdaspeed3, E39 V8. Some were great because they were a bargain and turned out to be amazing cars (Vibe, Passat), some awesome for obvious reasons (MS3, E39). But, for some reason, I grew tired of them, sold them, and purchased something else. Was the next car, "better"? Not really, just different. As someone who has a mortgage, two small humans and their college funds to deal with, I've been trying to figure out what the hell is causing me to do this. I have nor the time, or total resources to manage consistent projects at this point in my life.

I still have the E39, and it is a HELL of a car. I thought about selling it, I've had it listed twice, but boy oh boy it really is a treat to drive. Sure, it's got modules up the wazoo and any one of them could stop working at any time. Or some other electrical gremlin could go wrong, but you know, it fits two car seats, has a big trunk, is solid, safe, comfortable to drive, can still boogie through the corners, and is arguably a beautiful car. Also, it has given me absolutely no issues since purchase.

But, here I am, browsing FB marketplace for the next thing. What gives? I don't really have any logical complaints, but my brain says "Well, it'd be nice to have a wagon/hatchback. Oh what happens when something weird goes wrong?! It's too nice to subject to two kids, I should get something more like an appliance!" 

In our house, we have an LX470 and Sienna, both serve as the road trip/haulers for the family. The E39 is very literally the daycare/school dropoff-mobile, also I use it for errands (I work from home). The bases are covered for cargo room, and the E39 has enough people capacity to manage the family in a pinch, but it rarely does this. 

After some serious thought on this, I think it's just an unfortunate part of my personality. My Mother did this with jobs/places she lived. This is how it manifested in me, the thing I can control and understand. "Oh that car has got to be better!" Only, I get there, and even if it's perfect, well, I start shopping again, thinking that "Oh yea I really want to own one of those someday I should buy it and sell the E39!"

Any of you guys like this? If so, how do you manage? Any tips? If you've had kids, you know that there is a stage where life can be a bit of a E36 M3 show. And by default, I go to the few things I can control, something I know, my car, or my mountain bikes. I start shopping, scheming, just something that makes me feel like I can make a change, only I don't need to, nor really, do I want go down a path that forces me to spend time in the garage refreshing another car for daily use.

I'm sure some of you folks will understand. I'm interested to hear what you have to say!

I'm just glad to know it isn't just me!  Too many cars in the past that I wish I had back.  And I have this weird thing where I buy a car that I really want and then turn it into a garage queen before then deciding to sell it because "I never drive it".  I am doing better now but find myself again in that situation.  I am a year and a half into Lotus Elise ownership and then in late December bought a C8.  Two wildly different cars and yet I am finding it hard to take the Lotus out much at all anymore.  It is raw and a go-kart and yet something about the C8 just makes me choose it nearly every time.  It's to the point I am considering selling the Elise because "I never drive it".  

Sorry for the rambling and I don't think I helped you any but at least we might be in the same or a similar boat!

So as someone with actual ADD not just the automotive kind I shall chime in.

 We bought the Datsun in 1984 and then in 89 decided to convert it from street car to a race car as it was a cheap way to get on grid. I ran the car at local autocross while we turned it into a road race car. I went to my SCCA drivers school with it in 1991. Along the way I've had other race cars.

In 1995 I bought a Showroom stock Miata and used it as a daily driver race car, then in 98 I landed a deal of a lifetime on a D-Sports Racer and one of the race cars had to go. Foolishly I parted with the Datsun only to get it back 2 1/2 to 3 years later.  When I did get it back my wife forbid it's sale.

The D-sports racer was amazing to drive but it required a lot of my time and money; I learned I love driving cars and don't particularly like working on them. The car was also ferociously expensive I loved drving it but hated owning it.  

My lust of single seater cars remained so flash forward to 2014 and I bought a Formula 500 to autocross after driving a friends car. After several years I started vintage racing it but then I also rediscovered I don't have the desire to work on cars as often as single seaters require so I sold the car six months ago. My wife also confessed that she was glad it was gone as she is not comfortable with single seat race cars.

The one constant for me is that I've learned I really love driving the little Datsun 1200; it may be slow but it's fun as hell.

The F500 was replaced by a Foxbody Mustang; I wanted to try the polar opposite of my previous cars. The Mustang is pretty much a V8 Datsun 1200, it likes to be chucked about. I also wanted a dual duty car as I enjoyed the fact I could drive the Miata to events and thus far I like that about the Mustang. As this point the Mustang may well be a long term car for me.

So what's the lesson here? Keep the cars that you really have fun with and try a different car now and again.  There is nothing wrong with this approach as long as you don't kill your finances doing it.

So I used to be the kind of guy who just owned one car and loved it and drove it all the time. As I got older (and particularly into motorsports) I started wanting to experience different kinds of cars (both the ownership experience and driving). Currently, I have an Audi A6 and two Miatas. I like them all but I'm suffering from that "FOMO" you speak of. One thing I realize with cars, and life in general, is to learn to be grateful for what you have and appreciate it, as the grass is always greener on the other side and may not necessarily live up to your expectations (I've even made a thread about this recently about Air Cooled Porsches). I hear so many opinions on sports cars and how a lot of people love Miatas, switch back to them after owning expensive cars etc but can't help but wonder what its like to drive something "fancy". My budget permits it, easily, but I just can't rationally justify it.