Tell me about your midlife crisis purchase/investment. Any regrets?
is this really a thing ? it must have bypassed me...... never felt/needed anything.
Loads of high end nine speed triple spares, enough to last me until I’m 120!
Loads of high end nine speed triple spares, enough to last me until I’m 120!
When 3x9 comes back into vogue: minted.
Been and gone now, think doing my test and getting a motorbike will be next
If 68 counts as mid-life then this:
Right, I don't think I've told this story on here before, although some ON here have probably been regaled with it in the past.
A few years ago, and for a few years, I really fancied a Porsche, (yep, the quintessential mid-life crisis car). Nothing spectacularly spendy, a 2nd generation, 2.7 litre Cayman and after going on and on about it to my partner, she enthusiastically* came around to the idea. So like the good mechanical engineer I am, I thoroughly researched all the problematical areas to look for, (IMS bearing, front mounted radiators but not the bore-scoring issue, that's the 3.2's for example) and after a few weeks found one in my area that looked nice, had service history at a sensible price from a garage with good review. Cool, I'll arrange a test drive for the weekend.
So I rock up in morning armed with my list of checks and in the showroom it looks exactly as advertised with none of the warning signs of an impending wallet raping. Even had some new receipts for ignition coil packs the garage had done when it came in. Test drive went well, I like it so I shake the blokes hand and give him a small deposit it hold it while I sort out the balance.
That same evening I'm sitting at home and get to thinking about the practicalities of ownership, because this is going to be my daily driver too. How will I transport my bikes being the chief one as I do a 2 or 3 day per week half drive half ride commute in addition to weekend MTB trips with all the muddy gear etc. Can't put a tow ball on them, central exhaust pipe. Roofbars? Seasucker bike rack? Hmm, again coming back to the mechanical engineer idea of function being greater than form...
Rang the bloke up at opening time the following day, told him I'd changed my mind. Didn't even have the brass balls to ask for the deposit back. Bought a Diesel Transit Connect instead. My missis still pisses herself about the shortest mid-life crisis in history. 18 hours start to finish, done.
*I can still remember the exact words of endorsement, they were, "Well you might as well go and get one now before you get so old you look like a dick driving it". I was 45 years old at this point.
I prefer the phrase mid life opportunity rather than crisis.
I think at last count I know 8 people with Porsches. Every one of them would have had it 20 years ago if they had the money/time/space/lower insurance.
Older kids, smaller mortgage, higher salaries and perhaps moving out of other hobbies are typical. It's not a crisis it's an opportunity. Enjoy it!
Ha, I even found a photo of the avoided Porsche.
even found a photo of the avoided Porsche
You know they make bike racks specifically for Caymans, right,?
https://birdautomotive3.com/cayman-bike-rack/
It's not too late for crisis mode ..
@fruitbat - that is beautiful!
I met a bloke at Goodwood a year or so ago who had restored one of these (could have been you!), he was also telling me that he'd just started the restoration of a Jensen Interceptor - if i get around to a midlife crisis, then this would be it!
The bloke has retired, so it is too late...
my wife told me that I couldn’t afford to have a mid life crisis/opportunity 😉
I was considering an exotic car. Bought some woodland instead. Possibly requires even more maintenance..
2009 Carrera Banshee X with parts improvements was mine. Not sure £800.00 is midlife crisis material!Still it's served me well for 15 years.
went to ibiza this summer, for first time since 1995, booked flight and accomodation for a long weekend next summer too..
Get a motorbike
My first ever car was a 78 clubman. It’s a great drive.
Estate version so the dogs can come along 🙂
Not very fancy in the scheme of mid-life-crisis cars - but this has been great fun...
...and not sure I'd even call it a mid-life-crisis car. It's just choosing the sort of car I would have had for the last 25 years but practicalities of families ruled it out. All I need now is a seat for me and one for the dog.
Get a motorbike
...doesn't that usually lead to an end-of-life crisis!!
Never bothered as I'd done or bought the usual stuff (motorbikes since 16, 16 valve/GTI's/V8's, travelled across the world and a 2nd Wife) when younger.
And the Porsche/Transit story earlier, my OH test drove a 3.2 Cayman too - ended up with a 3.5T Ducato Horsebox instead.
You just need the right Porsche. You can easily get a bike in front engined stuff, so 924/944/968/928 or even a Ferrari FF if you're feeling spendy.
As @ton says, but I don’t even know when midlife is.
I think you may have missed it,did you not get an alert >old person laughing really loud emoji<
Bought a Porsche. But to put that crisis into perspective, it’s a small suv and it’s diesel. And Ulez compliant. The 15 year old 200k miles CRV that is not Ulez compliant has still not died though! I could have driven the crv in the Ulez zone every day for the next ten years and still be quids in! I live five miles outside the zone and hardly drive at all!
I'm thinking about getting a porch.
Does that count?
You just need the right Porsche. You can easily get a bike in front engined stuff, so 924/944/968/928 or even a Ferrari FF if you’re feeling spendy.
You can get a bike in the rear engined porsches too! Brother in law gets his orbea wild fs in his 996 911, both wheels off, passenger seat folded flat.
A guy i work* with bought an old Porsche about 20 years ago. Needed some restoration work, engine rebuild, new body work, lights, interior trim. Some work to make it fully roadworthy.
(* Ok, He's a senior director who i occasionally sit in meetings with.)
It's a 962C. He drives it about 1000km a year, and it probably does 5 times that in a trailer.
I’m considering buying a shirt from HebTroCo, does that count?
Does a pair of Santa Cruz Stigmata count?
Walked into a shop a couple of weeks ago on holiday and they had one in my (XXL) size and a small for my wife. Seemed rude not to.
I can't stop looking at these... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205031583310
I won't buy one. That would be the easy part. Being slowly led dry by running costs would kill me.
Another one with ongoing menoporsche issues here...
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Financially ruinous, utterly pointless, but on the right road and the right day, utterly superb.
Surprisingly practical - we did a 2-up, 3 week walking/climbing trip to the Alps this summer with (a bit of) room to spare. Bikewise, a Brompton fits comfortably in the frunk; a road bike fits (uncomfortably) in the passenger seat...
I wouldn't say it was a wise investment, given the money its siphoned away in maintenance and running costs, but its still worth around what I paid for it, so could be worse and a much more interesting way to burn money than renting a white-goods style car
I think the whole point of a MLC is to be something that you'll never regret. Cars, bikes, C+Hs. etc.
Apparently, I've been fully embracing mine for the past 20 years...
Bought the day before I turned 30. No regrets. Undoubtedly I looked a fanny driving it but I didn't care.
Bought the month before my 40th. Started by looking for an interesting hire car for a family hol to Australia. One thing led to another and I somehow justified that buying one was more sensible than hiring something for a few weeks. Glad I had 4+ years as my daily driver and regret selling it, but there's plenty about it I don't miss.
A few years until I'm 50... what then?
I bought a new TVR Chimaera V8 in the late 90s, when I was mid 30s. I was posted to Cyprus so could buy it tax free. It was fun while it lasted but I sold it for what I paid for it couple of years later, having scratched the sports car itch. A couple of years later I revived a teenage interest in motorbikes. Mid life is now in my rear view mirror, but motorbikes are the only stereotypical MLF accoutrement that has endured. Still on wife MK1, never done C&H, happy with my lot.
I do like seeing your Curtis, oldfart, and can imagine how that rides on some of the descents I know you're near to in that pic 🙂 I've been thinking about getting a proper hardtail again ...
I remember when the first Curtis BMX bikes started turning up at the Poole Panthers track, bright yellow and super-stable geometry IIRC from the quick rides I managed to get on one of them (Dave's, I think) ... longer head tube than was common at the time, maybe?
Bought the cliche 911 a couple of years ago. Took it around Europe a couple of times with my road bike in the back (there’s a roof rack available for mtbs), put 5000 miles on it and sold it for more than I paid. Then bought a slightly better 911 with the money. I did consider a campervan but they didn’t seem as practical.
I bought my menoporsche 944 S2 during my stag weekend so I had something nice to use as a wedding car. Brilliant, of course, but I had to sell it after a few years mainly because 944s are like greenhouses on wheels and with no air-con are unusable on sunny days.
Very practical in all other ways including carrying bike and kit with the back seats folded down.
I've got a milestone birthday this coming weekend. I keep looking at the Lego millennium falcon ucs. Does that count?
Sensible side of the brain keeps asking the other side what I'd do with it when I'd built it though.
