Quote:
Originally Posted by lorainfurniture
My point is that cars are generally not good places to invest your money.
I currently spend way less maintaining my 518 hp e63 which is an absolute thrill to drive than my 300te. It’s mostly de- badged so people generally mistake it for a regular e class.
Honestly, yes. I am proud that in my mid thirties I can support a wife and two kids and still spend thousands on my summer car without sweating it. I have no debt either.
I’m certainly not trying to “strut” anything. If i offended anyone or made anyone feel slighted, I apologize. This thread is definitely straying ot so I’ll try and steer it back.
Anything can be kept forever. Anything. People pull rusty frames out of swamps and restore them to new. Any part can be purchased, or fabricated. It just takes money. I restore vintage stoves and I’ve never come across any part that I couldn’t have recreated or retrofitted. It just takes a mixture of imagination and money.
I guess the real question is at what point does your vintage car become too expensive to keep on the road? I believe that answer is different for everyone.
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Driving an old diesel is a personal choice driven by emotion much in the same way a high performance car is so don’t look down your nose at them. The majority of people on this forum could find cheaper transportation in a modern civic. You’d probably be surprised to find well heeled professionals who could easily outspend you driving these things. To me modern car has been perfected so much that it feels appliance like. Many of us like the feel of accomplishment associated with driving a mechanical machine we have nurtured into service. When I began to make a good living I bought your typical modern German sports sedan. I felt accomplished but soon grew bored. I felt that my excitement for modern cars grew inversely to my mechanical skill level. Therefore my stable now consist of an old BMW airhead, Moto Guzzi, and a Mercedes 300D. The wife has a new Mazda.