Minor Confession Thread

I am not sorry that I did not talk my wife out of a 1968 Karmann Ghia today. We'll see if she follows through with it.

In reply to preach :

Nice. Those are getting very thin on the ground and very hard to find in good shape. There's a special place in my heart for old air cooled VWs. 

In reply to preach :

Nice! I always liked them. Is it Gull Gray?

In reply to CAinCA :

It's white to me. I actually stayed away after I saw the for sale sign on it because mrs. preach needs to make her own decisions regarding classic car ownership.

I would have put a deposit on it.

I want a '65 Mustang coupe, and I want it powered by something unconventional like a Duratec four.

I'd also get rid of the knuckles and upper control arms and convert it to struts.  It would be lighter, have a better camber curve, and most '65s have twisted shells anyway.  They are not sturdy vehicles.

Not sure if this belongs in confessions or wins.  I just made the most reckless financial decision in my life, but at least it means I get one of my bucket list cars, and I get to be the first owner.  The payment is going to be about twice the highest car payment I've ever had and it costs a bit more than the two most expensive cars I've ever bought in my life combined.  Trying to learn to enjoy some of my earnings more now, rather than putting as much of it into savings.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Congratulations!

It's a balance.  It's better to live within your means as a general lifestyle, but if you're in a financially solid position, it's absolutely OK to spend some money sometimes.

In reply to Duke :

I was looking at the situation and realized I actually had enough in personal savings (not joint accounts or retirement accounts) to pay cash if I wanted to, so figured even if something happens to my job, I'm covered.  Fortunately Ford is offering 0% on leftover 2022 models, so I can keep the savings in CDs for now, too.

In reply to eastsideTim :

So, not a Kia Rondo? 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

So, not a Kia Rondo? 

Nope, I already have the poor Japanese imitation, a Mazda5

Mustang GT, I'm picking it up this evening, as long as nothing goes wrong.  It's got the C/S package, which I could do without, but beggars can't be choosers with what is on the lots right now.  I like the looks of the S550s over the new S650s, so it was pretty much now or never for a new one.

Duke said:

It's a balance.  It's better to live within your means as a general lifestyle, but if you're in a financially solid position, it's absolutely OK to spend some money sometimes.

This is something I kind of struggle with. I'm trying to get better about actually using some of the money that I have. Not trying to spend myself into oblivion, but also what's the point of having it if you also don't use it? So, this weekend I'm possibly going to look at something to supplant the Miata.

In reply to NickD :

An ND Miata?    I think my ratty NA will not leave my ownership until either I can't drive, or I replace it with a different Miata.

In reply to eastsideTim :

No, no, that's too rich for my blood. I prefer the one-and-done car payment method. But, it is about 12 years newer than my Miata. The big thing with my Miata is it's gotten a bit too extreme (or I've gotten a beat too old and beaten-up), and while it's fast, it's not terribly competitve at autocrossing.

NickD said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

No, no, that's too rich for my blood. I prefer the one-and-done car payment method. But, it is about 12 years newer than my Miata. The big thing with my Miata is it's gotten a bit too extreme (or I've gotten a beat too old and beaten-up), and while it's fast, it's not terribly competitve at autocrossing.

You're going to do what I did for the same reasons and get a second, much less modified Miata?  

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

NickD said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

No, no, that's too rich for my blood. I prefer the one-and-done car payment method. But, it is about 12 years newer than my Miata. The big thing with my Miata is it's gotten a bit too extreme (or I've gotten a beat too old and beaten-up), and while it's fast, it's not terribly competitve at autocrossing.

You're going to do what I did for the same reasons and get a second, much less modified Miata and modify it too much as well?  

FTFY.

In reply to Duke :

This is round four for me, I'm done with that road 

Took eastsideWife for a drive.  It has her approval.  I think she especially likes the cooled seats.  While at the dealership, we also sat in a used Maverick.  I think one of those has potential to be her next car whenever they are actually able to be bought off the lot easily.

In reply to NickD :

An elderly lady never got married and died of old age with no family except for a niece.  She donated the contents of her house and 10% to our church.  (Meaning we had to clear it out) 

She was a secretary and saved her money in basic stocks and her home was a bungalow on the south side of Chicago - Ashburn neighborhood.  Net worth was $1,200,000.

My buddy and I were convinced she probably ate cold soup for dinner and never treated herself.  Saved every penny. 

Enjoy life! There are no Uhauls behind the hearse. 
 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

NickD said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

No, no, that's too rich for my blood. I prefer the one-and-done car payment method. But, it is about 12 years newer than my Miata. The big thing with my Miata is it's gotten a bit too extreme (or I've gotten a beat too old and beaten-up), and while it's fast, it's not terribly competitve at autocrossing.

You're going to do what I did for the same reasons and get a second, much less modified Miata?  

Nah, I've already owned a Miata. As my friend Scott put it once, "I want to own one of every car in the world. Now, that's an unobtainable goal, but it's really unobtainable if I keep buying the same cars over and over."

What I'm looking at isn't even a Mazda. Although I did spend a long time hunting for an RX-8, only to realize that A) there must have been a really high take rate on automatic RX-8s, and B) finding a manual RX-8 that hasn't been smashed or questionably modified is much harder than finding one that runs.

NickD said:

Nah, I've already owned a Miata. As my friend Scott put it once, "I want to own one of every car in the world. Now, that's an unobtainable goal, but it's really unobtainable if I keep buying the same cars over and over."

What I'm looking at isn't even a Mazda. Although I did spend a long time hunting for an RX-8, only to realize that A) there must have been a really high take rate on automatic RX-8s, and B) finding a manual RX-8 that hasn't been smashed or questionably modified is much harder than finding one that runs.

Between them being a "little" picky about maintenance, and a depreciation curve that looks like a cliff, RX-8s speedran their way into oblivion.

I kind of like your friend's philosophy.  I've owned a lot of cars (not anywhere near as many as some GRMers), but the closest I have ever come to owning the same car were NC and NA Miatas, and a 1984 Crown Victoria and a 2000 Grand Marquis.

eastsideTim said:

Took eastsideWife for a drive.  It has her approval.  I think she especially likes the cooled seats.  While at the dealership, we also sat in a used Maverick.  I think one of those has potential to be her next car whenever they are actually able to be bought off the lot easily.

Buying a Maverick would be the ultimate.  You'd get to change your username back

NickD said:

Duke said:

It's a balance.  It's better to live within your means as a general lifestyle, but if you're in a financially solid position, it's absolutely OK to spend some money sometimes.

This is something I kind of struggle with. I'm trying to get better about actually using some of the money that I have. Not trying to spend myself into oblivion, but also what's the point of having it if you also don't use it? 

that's how i talked myself back into the $2000 Challenge.    someday, maybe, i'll get to move the decimal one place to the right.

NickD said:

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

NickD said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

No, no, that's too rich for my blood. I prefer the one-and-done car payment method. But, it is about 12 years newer than my Miata. The big thing with my Miata is it's gotten a bit too extreme (or I've gotten a beat too old and beaten-up), and while it's fast, it's not terribly competitve at autocrossing.

You're going to do what I did for the same reasons and get a second, much less modified Miata?  

Nah, I've already owned a Miata. As my friend Scott put it once, "I want to own one of every car in the world. Now, that's an unobtainable goal, but it's really unobtainable if I keep buying the same cars over and over."

What I'm looking at isn't even a Mazda. Although I did spend a long time hunting for an RX-8, only to realize that A) there must have been a really high take rate on automatic RX-8s, and B) finding a manual RX-8 that hasn't been smashed or questionably modified is much harder than finding one that runs.

They also have severe rust issues.  If it wasn't for the side exhaust ports causing the side housings and side seals to warp all to hell, or carbon and lack of oil injection causing them to lose compression and not start anymore, or failing to keep oil in the engine causing them to wipe out the bearings, the rust would kill them first.

I think the high automatic take rate was because a lot of them got sold because it was Cyclops' car in X-Men and people bought it for the cute factor.  Then they never drove it hard or checked the oil level and the cars blew up.

This place really needs an ignore button. 

RevRico said:

This place really needs an ignore button. 

Le sigh.