Midlife crisis purchase/investment

Bought a DeRosa King XS, that I couldn’t afford and didn’t need.

Then bought some carbon aero wheels, and as a 50th present to myself, had Di2 fitted.

It only gets ridden on nice days and will see me to the grave I imagine, currently looking to replace the 3650 Scribes with some 5065’s, because Aero (and it’ll look cool)
It’s probably the reason I’m still on 26″ MTB!

She has It all in bits at the moment doing a full restoration

Midlife crisis purchase/investment/impulse buy/PSA whatever …

Walked into John Lewis few days just to see what’s going on with sales (not exactly intending to buy anything), ended up with:

1. SkottsbergCast Iron Frying Pan, 24cm x 2 

2. SkottsbergCast Iron Frying Pan, 28cm x 1

3. SkottsbergCast Iron Wok with Helper Handle, 34cm x 1 

If you love to cook and want a lightweight cast iron, get them.  These are really good.  I am amazed that the Chinese can make such strong and lightweight cast iron pan and wok (traditional cast iron wok is much heavier).  I am still trying to figure out how they make them.

Can anyone explain to me how they make lightweight cast iron?

Same. I either work from home or commute on foot. My last fun car was awesome but it just sat there doing nothing 90% of the time. I had to think of excuses to take it out.

Same back when I had my Audi S5 (V8, manual). Too good and fantastic a car to be sat doing nothing, but couldn’t find reasons to use it more!

Mind you, driving back from a skiing trip in it was always cracking

@MrOvershoot

What’s the Boxter been like to run in terms of expense, I am retiring in 6 months and have a Porsche Cayman itch      😉

the key to a fun car if you don’t commute is to have one that you can use day-to-day. I’ve a gt86 at the moment as bikes & surfboards will go in it, or I can carry both the kids around (and for shortish journeys, my wife and both kids as well). It still doesn’t get used enough, but we logistically need a second car, so it might as well be one that’s good.

Absolutely nothing pictured on this thread made me think I’d missed out on a mid-life crisis (at 40) during covid.

Backpacking through Europe or Asia on a 6 month sabbatical would be far more fun.

Can anyone explain to me how they make lightweight cast iron?

Make it thin, but with clever heat treatment to also make it tough would be my guess.

mid-life crisis (at 40)

OK youngster, get back to us in a decade. 🙂

OK youngster, get back to us in a decade.

But with the current avergae life expectancy, 40 is very much mid-life (less if your Glaswegian) ?

@nicko74 yep it’s a quad.  It’s amazing and my daily. Somehow I had four kids and two dogs in it the other night.

@peteimpreza that’s a gorgeous colour.  I need to take better care of mine aesthetically.  She doesn’t get washed or hoovered out as much as she deserves – I’m too busy driving it!.

with winter tyres and its diff it’s oddly capable.

Another boxster owner here. The 3.2 variety. My daily driver cupra estate is faster 0-60, and far more practical.  But the sound of that flat 6 engine puts a smile on my face like the cupra never will.

Plus it cost a quarter of the price of the cupra…

No regrets..

Reported for refering to a car as ‘she’

Just taken my pension lump sum at 55.

The 1098s kills my shoulders these days so one of these is under serious consideration. The police love to see a wheelie don’t they?

40 is very much mid-life (less if your Glaswegian)?

Interesting. I don’t think it’s linear. I’m going to say mid life starts at 50, and probably runs to 65. After that you’re officially old.

Maybe, (as a 50 year old) this even changes as the years progress. Would like to get the views of someone in their 30’s and 70’s.

Ooh, maybe a bit philosophical. Back to the photos of inheritance destroyers.

Well, if I’ve had a crisis it kicked off in my mid/late 30’s.

Big daft motorbikes through my twenties, then long term illness for mrs f meant we merely existed as a family through late twenties and early 30’s.

Lots of getting fit again in my late 30’s, cycling, then big daft motorbikes again. Then off racing for 8 years.

Knocked that on the head early last year and decided I’d give enduro a try, having never ridden off-road. Turns out it’s not easy, getting the hang of it now though 😀

Stepped up the exercise approx. 4 years ago, cycling, weights, walking and I’m fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been. Decided if old age wants me it’s got a fight on its hands.

This nugget.

https://imgur.com/a/IxxN9RB

Bought as a fun quick project with a bad engine. Did a trackday in it, liked it, discovered it inexplicably wasn’t full of rust holes so I decided to completely refurb and derust it. Back-to-metal everywhere, new suspension,polybushings, just barely avoided needing welded and now will outlast petrol. Bought a whole other car and scrapped it for the motor, now it has a cammed 2.5 litre in it that makes something like 210hp at the wheels.

https://imgur.com/a/heart-transplant-CmVlZQp

I’ve never had a rear wheel drive car before so that leads to exciting moments like these

https://imgur.com/a/KmKaIyx

Midlife crisis duly enjoyed. Investment? I’m into it for about £3500 and it’d probably sell for over twice that. But it also has about a million hours of labour in it. So, no.

True MLC has to be loud, Italian and in my view stunning. Agree re it has to be usable. This actually has 4 usable seats, a decent boot and absolutely shocking MPG. Had it 2 years now and it still makes me smile when I drive it. Always wanted to own a V8 before they become totally socially unacceptable so it was now or never.

She

JFC….

@ plus-one
My first ever car was a 78 clubman. It’s a great drive.

Estate version so the dogs can come along

That’s a very nice Clubman. I like!

Earlier this year I swapped out my track motorbike for a track car. Done a few trackdays so far and should be at Donnington in a couple of weeks.

@bruk, that Maserati is glorious. Can you get an MTB in, or on it?

Those with the Gulia’s – how’s reliability?

yes “she”. Last time I checked the name plastered on its boot was feminine. It’s not a steam engine.

That grantourismo is lush.

Re Gran Turismo. He is called Bruno

I’ve never tried to get a bike in it. Although it can sit 4 in reasonable comfort I don’t think you would get one across the back seats. Probably fine if you folded the front seat I’m sure you would get one in.

I have a seasucker set which would work really well. BUT my car has got a full paint protection film wrap including the roof so isn’t suitable for a suction style rack. I have tried it on it and would work well but for that.

Slower than my wife’s Tesla to 60, has an antiquated sat nav, no Apple CarPlay, doesn’t actually handle that well in comparison to a hot hatch but take it through a tunnel in sport mode and your heart smiles.

I’d love an Alfa too but need an estate and the only real option is a 159 which lacks the modern touches I’d like in a daily 

Apart from the battery, in which all of the factory supplied ones appear to have had every other cell robbed of their lead content by the mafia, it’s been perfect. Took a while to have it officially diagnosed as shagged

I blew a rear shock absorber up on a really bad pothole, but Alfa just picked up the tab (£800 for the shock!) under warranty with a wink and a smile.

My daughter dropped a full metal water bottle under the passenger seat and then proceeded to drive the seat forward and backward over it with the electric adjuster, breaking the mechanism.  Again Alfa handled the bill for our carelessness without question.

i didn’t quite qualify for the 5:5:5 warranty finance maintenance deal as it was a demonstrator. But I managed to buy a 5 year service plan from Alfa for about £1500. One of the 5 included services is booked at 9hrs!

Just taken my pension lump sum at 55.

The 1098s kills my shoulders these days so one of these is under serious consideration. The police love to see a wheelie don’t they?

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Good man! ??

Dunno if you follow Hypermotardking on youtube, but here’s a vid I made with him the other week…

Just taken my pension lump sum at 55.

The 1098s kills my shoulders these days so one of these is under serious consideration. The police love to see a wheelie don’t they?

I think the whole point of it being a “Mid Life Crisis” is if it is so resolutely out of character, that nobody expects it…

Conversely, at 44, I have only recently been able to afford some of the toys and hobbies that have always been expected of me. So not so much of a mid life crisis, more of a mid life actualisation due to financial pressures until now…

Albeit after 2-3yrs of said toys, I am now of course buying a new house and committing HUGE spends towards that for the next few years… So toy spends will have to be curbed a little now for a few years… So if anything, my “mid life crisis” is a 4 bedroom detatched house with a massive double garage and a 6 berth driveway! ??

I had MLCs for other people in my 20s. They “made” me buy a 2 seater as my daily.

An absolute riot ensued and a rapid process of learning how to mechanic semi successfully.

By the time I was 25 I had this and a modded 2.5 TC saloon which was superb to drive (London to Lands End to Jog to London in 48 hours for example) and would cruise at 100.

I couldn’t really justify bringing them to Oz – especially the GT6 as it was too low slung and hot to drive.

@Kryton57 , No mechanical or electrical issues with my Veloce.

One issue with a wheel arch liner all sorted no bother under warranty. Just passed its first MOT with zero advisories.

@hot_fiat , the colour is Verdi Visconti. Vey rare it would seem.

If you let me have a drive of your Quad, I’ll clean it for you!!

Slower than my wife’s Tesla to 60, has an antiquated sat nav, no Apple CarPlay, doesn’t actually handle that well in comparison to a hot hatch but take it through a tunnel in sport mode and your heart smiles.

I know which one I would have, and it’s not the tesla! I can’t believe how fast ‘normal’ cars are nowadays. My estate is sub 5 seconds to 60, which not so long ago was super car performance. But it doesn’t look like a supercar, and it certainly doesn’t sound like one or make you excited to drive it.

That masserati is simply gorgeous…the perfect mlc car imo..

I think the whole point of it being a “Mid Life Crisis” is if it is so resolutely out of character, that nobody expects it…

I completely agree with that, but these days i think the magical 55 years old and pension changes that a little. I’ve done the motorbike thing, the racing thing, the posh MTB thing, for me when i hit 55 it’ll be a VW Crafter camper/race van. Whether the boy is still racing or not it’ll still happen and i’ll be using it myself for day trips, adventures and potentially a week in Spain/France/Italy etc.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387433156681?_skw=crafter+camper&itmmeta=01JB1CE1XV65X6M4A20TBVN8VG&hash=item5a34d0d049:g:2r4AAOSwiHNm-WeP&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlUWZlhHw91aytKJ1vWFwZrkkkDqJX3o3Zd9XEkl%2BzFdJ1W1z3nu9CJnOdM7GZQwv0cwLp2CRueZNQdPfapQlfDeXQzHJmvZMql6wzbJSKAYDkrc0uDccAVItboS5o89813N%2FjGcjEbkMWcUgr6GLqyTX60nvQEz38RoC1EiOj8H8efWKZ0Amg%2F51QuaRI1xGexM3SGsUcBc%2FBTeVdGAyVGFkknrzxR%2FXK4rlDkq%2Bnadf1AOFUNRE7NAAcKTNzZLgfybVKm8qM1vtm5RBWcU7qYfiB6z%2B0aTfZ8rTnc61y0iw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4SfuKzYZA

Something along this sort of thing… Looks perfect !!!

I was accused of having a mid life crisis as I rode a mountain bike, I pointed out that I’d always ridden and just never stopped, I’d also just swapped my motorbike for a car and had a child so quite the opposite.

Re Gran Turismo. He is called Bruno

Good mate has a “Bruno”…. except he calls his ‘the Fiat’!

We took it to Le Mans in 2018 and we’ll be back there again next year in it.  Probably its last trip as he’s looking for a 911 GT2 or 3  – he might keep the Fiat though.  He’s added Carplay and Android Auto to his which makes doing a longer trip somewhat easier.

That masserati is simply gorgeous…the perfect mlc car imo.

Sounds daft I’m not sure it’s really nuts enough for me!  It’s very nice though.

Yea, I’m not having a crisis at all. I’m buying the things that I can now afford. Although I gave it a good go in my twenties with hot hatches and other nonsense, that I was financially ruined for about 10 years. I have had a Lotus Elise itch that I’ve always wanted to scratch, but that might turn into a second motorbike at some point in the next couple of years instead.

And I refuse to class 42 as midlife. I’d say 45-60 is midlife. Ish.

I know which one I would have, and it’s not the tesla! I can’t believe how fast ‘normal’ cars are nowadays.

Absolutely. My Monaro – despite the 6.0 LS2 V2 and 400bhp – would get dropped by a modern well-driven hot hatch, particularly if the road had corners.

Definitely not Italian, not female, but most definitely loud: valved exhausts with straight exits after the cats, bypassing all silencers, but the default still being quiet(ish). If you’re going to own a V8 you might as well do it right. Bogan-style.

And I refuse to class 42 as midlife. I’d say 45-60 is midlife. Ish.

Spoken like a true 42 year old..you’ll have changed your mind in 3 years..;-)

The first ‘fast car’ I ever went in was an elise. On reflection it probably wasn’t that quick, but given its basically a street legal go cart it was absolutely awesome!

True MLC has to be loud, Italian and in my view stunning. Agree re it has to be usable. This actually has 4 usable seats, a decent boot and absolutely shocking MPG. Had it 2 years now and it still makes me smile when I drive it. Always wanted to own a V8 before they become totally socially unacceptable so it was now or never.

The Eco-terrorist in me want’s to ride my bike everywhere and listen to Rise Against “The Eco-terrorist in me” at full volume.

But XKR V8’s are looking almost affordable.  The £800/year VED puts ,me off though for something I really would only use once a month at most!

Always hankered after an Auzzie brute. I looked very closely into bringing back a Commadore SS Ute in the early noughties. Couldn’t quite get the cash together. The Monaro shouldn’t handle that badly given what it’s based upon, though my mate took me out in his stock leon cupra the other day. It’s a frikkin’ limpet when it comes to grip, so perhaps its just a couple of generations old?

tinas: tax it monthly & sorn it for the bits you don’t use it.

I’m reliably informed that the HSV Maloo is the one to get @hot_fiat

The Monaro shouldn’t handle that badly given what it’s based upon, though my mate took me out in his stock leon cupra the other day. It’s a frikkin’ limpet when it comes to grip, so perhaps its just a couple of generations old?

More the age/generation than anything else – sold in 2004/5 but based on a mid/late 90s design. Chassis and handling were good enough, but the steering: decent feedback but very low-geared necessitating a lot of input. The bus-sized steering wheel didn’t help. A replacement/faster steering rack apparently worked wonders but mine was kept standard other than the exhaust and coilovers – those only happened as my original top mounts rusted clean through and replacements no longer made. VED: mine was a 2005/05 so escaped the higher tax of the later ones. Exempt from low-emission zones, somehow. Frightening fuel consumption and resulting costs, parts surprisingly cheap and (reasonably) easily sourced from the US (sold as Pontiac GTO over there). I used the absence of depreciation* to offset the running costs.

* Sold if after 4+ years for £250 less than I paid – I was determined to match the figure I paid but buyer wouldn’t budge up the extra £250…