It happened today.

The wife and I went out for some Mexican food tonight, and after she wanted some ice cream. There's a car wash next door so while she ate her stuff, I washed the car.

And while I was foaming it up, I looked in the lot and saw a red Mustang driving by. Late model car, 5.0, sounded like a stick. Sounded good. Real good.

Then I stopped and realized that I became old. I used to be that kid in the slick car at the car wash. Now I'm washing a minivan.

But, I wouldn't trade what I have now for one day of my youth. Although being a kid with a nice car is fun, being an adult with happy, healthy kids, a house, and an amazing marriage is way, way cooler.

It did give me a little motivation to get that old car off jackstands, though.

I have a daddy mobile too, but my wife grew up with minivans and said no to reason. We have a SUV with barely more room than a small hatchback.

My Renault 8 needs to move to the jackstands. It still rolls.... 

The faster the race car gets, the less important a wizzy street car becomes.   Just saying.

If the race car turns 1:30s at Road Atlanta, it doesn't bother one to drive a Honda CRV around town...

As a mechanic I often see people enjoying their old cars and get a little jealous that I haven't spent enough time fixing up my own stuff. But of course, the reason is that a lot of people out enjoying their cars are doing so because they had someone like me fix it for them. It's a balancing act for sure. I'm trying to fix more of my own and less of other people's this year. It's a pay cut but oh well, gotta restore the balance. 

One thing that having a kid made me realize is that even though i owned a silly number of cars, i did not own very many cars that would be easy or comfortable to carry a baby in! My work commute ends up being my best excuse to drive anything that's not baby-friendly. 

I've had to suppress my desire for fun cars for nearly my whole life, due to decisions that affected spending and free time.

I did the best with what I had, like the first year panther platform LTD (crown victoria), that got a built 302, wide ratio C4, and and P71 suspension parts. I drove that from my last year racing Standardbreds, all the way through school, and until my third year out of vet school (1986-2000).

I did have a first gen tacoma TRD pickup with a TRD blower on the 3.4/five speed. That was fun, but got sold when it wouldn't baby.

We're on our fourth minivan, but at least this time it's a Mazda 5, so the driving dynamics aren't so bad. My wife likes vans, so that's what she drives.

My Lancer Ralliart Wagon has been my DD for over ten years, and it's still a pleasure to commute in. I'm first in line to replace it with an original, unmodified, first owner WRX wagon, but the owner's still holding on to it for the time being. I'm sure hoping that happens

So, not much interesting here, but, and in big part to my growing activity here on the GRM forum, I finally bought a car purely for fun. At age 62, in February 2018, I bought an NB Miata. I replaced it with a better one last February. It's a totally unjustifiable financial decision for me to own any toys, but if not now, when?

Floating Doc said:

I've had to suppress my desire for fun cars for nearly my whole life, due to decisions that affected spending and free time.

...

It's a totally unjustifiable financial decision for me to own any toys, but if not now, when?

I think this is a important distinction that I have to make in my life. As long as the bills are paid and I can put a little money away, why not have fun? There's no point going through life being so worried about the future that the future life never arrives and you never had fun in your whole life.

Live a little I say

In reply to Floating Doc :

I'm building a stretched Hardtail motorcycle at 49. Never too late.

I have a son older than you. I guess I became old a very long time ago. 

And I’ve had a terrific marriage for more years than you’ve been alive. You’re right- it’s very, very cool!

And THATS why I can’t get a build thread done!

If I clean our bathrooms on Saturday morning I wash the toilet down and use a towel to dry it off and make sure the entire thing is clean and sparkling.

When I'm on my knees wiping it down I always think about when on an early Saturday morning I would be cleaning my old Datsun Roadster and wiping it down to make it sparkling.  

I still clean cars but the old days come up in my brain when I am cleaning that toilet - just like you washing your minivan.  Ha!

To be clear, I still have said car (the one in my avatar) but it doesn't run, and probably couldn't smoke the tires now even if it did run.

I'm trying very hard to not be one of those "I'm gonna fix'er up onna these days!" types.

Priorities are a thing. 

My van days are behind me. Your priorities will change as you get older.

I don't recommend putting the cool cars too far on the back burner. Most of my kids like playing with them too and working together on a project is some of the best quality time you can have. We didn't do any ball and stick sports as a family, we did boat racing, car racing, and camping. The wife was as into it as I was, so from before the time most of them could walk, they have been at the track or on the water. The family that plays together, stays together.