Mid-life crisis car shopping

tell him to keep the Camry and get a used Exige? or, if he likes rear end visibility, a used Elise SC, preferably with the Touring pack to make it a bit more palatable to someone used to a sheeple commuter car? used '08 SCs seem to be hovering around that $50K mark. nowhere near practical, but that's why you keep the Camry in the driveway too

EDIT: not sure how this hasn't been mentioned yet, but a brand-new Mazda RX8 R3 and a trip to the Mazdaspeed parts catalog to spend the ~$15K he would have left over? 4 door (sort of, lets just call it 4 door hinges and let everyone else split hairs about it, shall we? ), RWD, 6 speed manual, good chassis, rev-happy engine, albeit low on torque and not terribly good mileage compared to his current Camry, could be practical enough to DD if he doesn't have more than 3 friends he needs to move at once, and they don't look all that bad if you can get over the obnoxiously happy grinning front end

Not that I don't like Miata's or Boxster's for their merits (relatively inexpensive, very good handling cars) but both are not mid-life crisis material.

I'd rather own a 'vette and have people say I am over-compensating versus being hit on by dudes.

$50k would also buy a nice Ferrari 328 with money left over...

1988RedT2 wrote:

dollraves wrote: Thanks, guys. He hasn't shown any interest in BMWs, so I haven't pushed that too much.

No! The fact that he's not interested in bimmers is reassuring, since normal people all know that they're chick cars (don't even get me started on what normal people think about men in Miatae). Take him to a Chevy dealer and get him to drive a Corvette. Nothing else says mature, reasonably well off, and looking like a 'vette!

this. He needs a Vette.

Twin turbo chevy g10 fullsize van!

Strizzo wrote: what's more practical and sporty than a boxter? it has two trunks!

A 911 ofcourse!

Ummm the ultimate midlife crisis car is of coarse a Viper.

It wasnt in response to my mid-life crisis but I got the used Lotus Elise for under $25k. I think that I am on my 6th childhood.

1988RedT2 wrote: Take him to a Chevy dealer and get him to drive a Corvette. Nothing else says mature, reasonably well off, and looking like a 'vette!

Friends don't let friends buy non-vintage American...

I say 911.

Lotus Evora/Elise, seriously nobody mentioned this yet

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140482688028&viewitem=

/thread

aussiesmg wrote: Lotus Evora/Elise, seriously nobody mentioned this yet http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140482688028&viewitem= /thread

fastmiata wrote: It wasnt in response to my mid-life crisis but I got the used Lotus Elise for under $25k. I think that I am on my 6th childhood.

dollraves wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: Take him to a Chevy dealer and get him to drive a Corvette. Nothing else says mature, reasonably well off, and looking like a 'vette!

Friends don't let friends buy non-vintage American...

Hmmmmm. Hadn't heard that one. But okay.

Find him a nice '63 split window and call it a day?

dollraves wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: Take him to a Chevy dealer and get him to drive a Corvette. Nothing else says mature, reasonably well off, and looking like a 'vette!

Friends don't let friends buy non-vintage American...

So, you DON'T want him happy?

I will second the Viper, but will also say that Dinos can be had for around 50K in pretty good shape.

Get any convertible sports car with a flashy brand behind it. BMW, Mercedes, Corvette, whatever. He can have his midlife-crisis-mobile for under $20k. Hey he could get that AND a Wrangler and still have money left over.

1988RedT2 wrote: Find him a nice '63 split window and call it a day?

Only if his midlife crisis includes a dashiki, shag carpet, macrame, and enough hallucinogenic little colored pills for everyone.

aussiesmg wrote: Lotus Evora/Elise, seriously nobody mentioned this yet http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140482688028&viewitem= /thread

Damn... i bet that berkeleyer SCREAMS.

Wow, this one is easy... Z4 M Coupe!

racerdave600 wrote: Wow, this one is easy... Z4 M Coupe!

We have a mutual friend with a Z4 M Coupe; it's "not his thing." (The Z4 M Couple owner is a hot and single female who races a Spec Miata.)

Another friend pointed me to the Beck Speedster (http://www.beckspeedster.com/). Must admit, that's full of hotness.

And, I will simply not tolerate the gold Camry! Nothing says "I never want to get laid again" like a gold Camry. It's gotta go...which is why I had suggested buying a Mini and a Miata to start. ;)

dollraves wrote: And, I will simply not tolerate the gold Camry! Nothing says "I never want to get laid again" like a gold Camry. It's gotta go...which is why I had suggested buying a Mini *and* a Miata to start. ;)

Meanwhile, the Corvette says "I am having a midlife crisis, but I didn't want a Harley"

The real answer is that he should get the car he wants. He doesn't like the Z4 M Coupe, fair enough. He wants a Boxster. He should get a Boxster.

The poster formally known as 96DXCivic wrote: Ummm the ultimate midlife crisis car is of coarse a Viper.

But, if he does not have a huge gold watch, hairy knuckles and a pinkie ring people will think he borrowed it.

dollraves wrote: Nothing says "I never want to get laid again" like a gold Camry. It's gotta go...which is why I had suggested buying a Mini *and* a Miata to start. ;)

"Volvo — they're boxy but they're good."

"Jaguar — For men who'd like hand-jobs from beautiful women they hardly know."

-Dudley Moore in "Crazy People"

Fit_Is_Slo wrote: Twin turbo chevy g10 fullsize van!

h10 for AWD goodness to hook up all that twin turbo powah!