Well, certainly not in my case. I've been into cars since I was a todler. Anything I considered "neat" could easilly become my new obsession.

There are certain types of cars that have never interested me. Mainly the detroit iron muscle/pony cars of the 60's & 70s. The more interesting cars have always been the ones which caught my interest.

In my circle of friends, when I was a kid, my taste in cars was considered odd. And I must say that it was all learned from observations, rather than influenced by said peers. My parents always drove domestic, moving up to Cadillacs from 1966 thru the early 80s. I was the one that introduced my parents to Mercedes diesels in 1980. At the time, I was obsessed with all things Mercedes, and German in general.

One of the reasons I moved to diesels was the economical operation and longevity. Throughout my teens and 20s I owned a series of VW and Mercedes diesels. (One diesel Audi 5000, too.) In those days I was so obsessed with cars and restless, that I bought a different car every few months. The first year I got my drivers license I drove about 40k miles. For the next 15 years or so, no matter how mnany vehicles I owned at the time, at the end of the year I had always driven around 40k miles. I especially liked the freedom my VW Rabbit diesel gave me. At 45 mpg, I could drive halfway across the country on a whim.

At present my 240D is more of a hobby than a daily driver. I love the sound diesels make. Especially the 617 engine. I get so nostalgic, their sound can almost bring tears to my eyes.

For the record. I rarely miss a car show.