Confessions of an adrenaline junkie

[Deleted]

Hi, I'm MMC, and I'm an adrenaline junkie..

I've owned and worked on fast vehicles for almost 15 years now - up until last year when we sold the fast/nice vehicles when building our house. We still have the cool offroad truck, but that is a different thrill than going fast.

So I've been searching for "reasonable" sporty transportation and I test drove a couple Nissan 370z's this weekend. It is a fine car, but I got absolutely no thrill out of driving it. I have completely ruined myself to only wanting high end sports cars

My inner conflict over this is the result of a more recent decision to accelerate investing. I had no problem buying a $80k car back in 2008 and our income is 50k higher than it was 4 years ago. The little voice inside of me is trying to balance two competing desires and it is causing more stress then it should..

#firstworldproblems

[Deleted]

I am also somewhat of an adrenaline junkie. I love thrill rides and riding in powerful cars. I haven't actually driven or owned a powerful car, but I hope to get a GTO Judge someday. I guess I'll settle for a Mustang if I can't have that.

[milee]

Adrenaline junkie here.

I still love high end cars, but having a really fast bike cured me of needing a fast sports car. When your bike does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds, even the fast cars seem pretty tame. Do you ride? Think about one of the rice grinders or a Ducati. The Ducatis (or Aprilia's) especially have a little more of that high-end personality you are alluding to, but take some getting used to with the spring loaded kick stand. Then you can get your thrills on the bike and have a nice, comfy luxury car as well.

[Deleted]

what about renting your adrenaline needs by going to the track and using their cars a few times a years/month/weeks as the need may be?

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2012 10:26:40 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

what about renting your adrenaline needs by going to the track and using their cars a few times a years/month/weeks as the need may be?

I enjoy working on my vehicles and making incremental improvements that I can test out. Renting something to drive every so often wouldn't satisfy me.

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2012 10:25:03 GMT -5 milee said:

Adrenaline junkie here.

I still love high end cars, but having a really fast bike cured me of needing a fast sports car. When your bike does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds, even the fast cars seem pretty tame. Do you ride? Think about one of the rice grinders or a Ducati. The Ducatis (or Aprilia's) especially have a little more of that high-end personality you are alluding to, but take some getting used to with the spring loaded kick stand. Then you can get your thrills on the bike and have a nice, comfy luxury car as well.

I don't ride and probably never will, but my previous car went 0-60 in 3.3sec

[milee]

Yes, but how did it corner? That's another nice thing about the bikes. It wasn't something I was interested in, but if you had the right gear, you put a knee out and take corners at pretty close to the same speed.

Many of the less expensive sports cars go like hell in a straight line. Corners aren't necessarily their thing. Classic muscle cars are a good example of that. My dad's Shelby Cobra was hellaciously fast, but frightening to turn. That wasn't at all fun for me.

It's OK if you don't ride. No worries. If you make the money, get a fast car and enjoy it.

[shanendoah]

When my mom and step-dad got married, he raced mini-stocks (he had a Pinto). After one of his health scares, my mom made him give up race car driving and he started racing go-karts.
It didn't go as fast as the car, but he still got to tinker with it, make improvements, etc, and because the go karts are open and low to the ground, he said the thrill was different but definitely still there. And, of course, he still raced competetively, so that helped with the thrill, too.
Could you look into something like local go-kart racing? It's an expensive hobby, but not $80k expensive- maybe not even Nissan Z expensive.

[Formerly SK]

OMG just reading this thread is giving my heart palpitations.

<--------- avowed non-adrenaline junkie

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2012 10:34:51 GMT -5 milee said:

Yes, but how did it corner? That's another nice thing about the bikes. It wasn't something I was interested in, but if you had the right gear, you put a knee out and take corners at pretty close to the same speed.

Many of the less expensive sports cars go like hell in a straight line. Corners aren't necessarily their thing. Classic muscle cars are a good example of that. My dad's Shelby Cobra was hellaciously fast, but frightening to turn. That wasn't at all fun for me.

It's OK if you don't ride. No worries. If you make the money, get a fast car and enjoy it.

It was a 2009 Nissan GT-R - so you don't get much better handling/cornering in a car. It was modified with 100HP over stock.

[milee]

Fun. The Japanese sure make nice, fast, reliable vehicles.

It's all personal opinion, but I do love some of the Italians and Germans. Honestly not usually as fast or reliable as the Japanese, but they get the... not sure of how to describe it, Love.

My husband drives an Acura MDX that is on paper just a fantastic vehicle. You can check all the boxes - it's got it and more. Safe, reliable, every technological feature known. Well, the butt warmers are too tepid for my liking, but that's honestly the only negative I can think of. He's very happy.

I have the counterpart Mercedes 350ML. It doesn't have nearly the same tech features as the MDX and its navi system is nowhere near as good or intuitive as the MDXs. That being said, I like how it looks, I like its comfort and I like how it rides, so I'm very happy.

Similar SUVs, different feeling. I think the sports cars are similar.

[milee]

BTW, the investing thing is getting in the way of my fun, too. There's an awesome new sportboat that I really, really like and I actually need a new sailboat to continue the racing I've been doing. However, this new boat is in the $50k range and around here, I can buy an investment rental house for that amount that will rent for around $800 a month. So this weekend when I was sailing the new race boat in a regatta, although it was awesome (and we won in our division) all I kept thinking about was: this or a house?

I hate that whole sensible investor thing.

[NancysSummerSip]

MMC, you and my DH ought to meet. He raced cars for many years, and even though he no longer does, he's still an adrenaline junkie. He's owned a number of Porsches over the years, and like you, he did it to make his own modifications. He also has the old Toyota MR2 and several Mazda Miatas as well.

He has a Mustang now that he spends a lot of time tweaking. I say if you are in a good place financially, go for it. Get something used if you cannot bring yourself to buy new.

[Happy prose]

Heck, just come to my house for coyote sightings. ADRENALINE!

[Opti]

Jun 11, 2012 10:30:09 GMT -5 @mmc said:

Jun 11, 2012 10:25:03 GMT -5 milee said:

Adrenaline junkie here.

I still love high end cars, but having a really fast bike cured me of needing a fast sports car. When your bike does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds, even the fast cars seem pretty tame. Do you ride? Think about one of the rice grinders or a Ducati. The Ducatis (or Aprilia's) especially have a little more of that high-end personality you are alluding to, but take some getting used to with the spring loaded kick stand. Then you can get your thrills on the bike and have a nice, comfy luxury car as well.

I don't ride and probably never will, but my previous car went 0-60 in 3.3sec

I watched drag races last weekend. I think you should go into drag racing. The top fuel category scares me a little and I like speed. I think its something like 0 to over 300mph in a quarter mile and possibly under 4 seconds. What good is wealth if you don't have some fun with it?

[milee]

Jun 11, 2012 17:24:07 GMT -5 Happy prose said:

Heck, just come to my house for coyote sightings. ADRENALINE!

Sadly, seeing a coyote wouldn't even raise an adrenaline junkie's heart rate by a single beat.

The adrenaline junkie would be too busy pondering important things like, hey I wonder how fast that thing could run? If I hold some raw rabbit between my teeth, do you think I could get it to leap up and try to grab it? If it did that, maybe I'd be able to catch it. What would I do with it when I caught it? Not sure. Hope it doesn't have rabies, that could be a little awkward. Wow, those coyotes are really small. Maybe there are some wolves around here, they seem a better size. Or maybe this coyote has a pack around somewhere? That would be so cool! Maybe the pack will start chasing the scaredy cat neighbor while I watch! Wonder how fast the neighbor can run? Wonder what would happen if I started rubbing beef all over the neightbor's car each night? Think the pack of coyotes would chase the car down the road? Awesome! Note to self - buy raw meat at the grocery store tonight.

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2012 18:31:01 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 11, 2012 10:30:09 GMT -5 @mmc said:

I don't ride and probably never will, but my previous car went 0-60 in 3.3sec

I watched drag races last weekend. I think you should go into drag racing. The top fuel category scares me a little and I like speed. I think its something like 0 to over 300mph in a quarter mile and possibly under 4 seconds. What good is wealth if you don't have some fun with it?

I used to drag race every other week. Then we moved to San Diego where there are no 1/4 mile tracks. 1/8th mile just don't get the same thrill.

[The Home 6]

Sadly, I have no fast cars. I do want to get a fast motorcycle, but Big Sarge says NO.

Anyone want to skydive with me? I'd like to do that again...and again...and again!

[Deleted]

Life is short. I think you should buy something you really enjoy but that won't break your bank.