Totally depends on how he drives it. If he revs the engine so he can pull in front of me, cut me off, and then slow down = Tool. If he drives like he friggin’ knows how to drive = not so much.
I come from the midwest (where I live and what I do are irrelevant, as is my appearance and friends) and was raised at the race track, where my dad raced motorcycles. I’ve been hanging out with gearheads and race car drivers my entire life. I can tell the difference (from the way someone drives) between more-money-than-brains vs. skilled driver.
I’d like to think most people who know me don’t think I’m a tool for driving this, maybe because I balance it out with this, but I am the sort of ass who posts pictures of his car on message boards - so they probably do.
He actually bought a 2009 Toyota Celica? My husband would love to get an updated Celica, but as far as I can tell, they don’t exist yet.
As for the OP, Jim calls the next car he wants to get his “Midlife Crisismobile.” He is well-aware of what he might look like driving it around, but he doesn’t care. He wants a sports car, and if we can afford it, he’ll get one.
I was a single father raising two boys and taking care of my mother at the same time. Not a bad life but 15 years of responsibility without much reward. I drove beat up old VW’s and crap cars and always dreamed of what I would do ‘someday’.
When the boys were in high school and mom went to live with my sister, I married again.
My new wife encouraged me to no longer wait to get what I want, but to do it now. One day we saw a beautiful blue 2002 Pontiac Trans Am, a car I always wanted, in mint condition. We stopped to look at it and all the way home I kept talking myself out of buying it, and she just listened.
By noon the next day she came by my work place with preapproval from our bank and we went to get the car. Got a great deal, it now has it’s own little garage. This is how you tell if your wife loves you. The payments ended up being about $200 per month, same as for a beat up old Toyota.
When I drive it I feel soo good I wish the drive was longer. Kids at the gas station oooh and aaah. I go to car shows and have entered a few and won a few. It is impossible to drive the car and feel bad at the same time. And yes, sometimes the T-tops are off and the Def Leppard is blasting out. …And I don’t care.
Maybe they are calling me a ‘tool’ , but all I hear is ‘cool’.
What I don’t get is - when you’re young you probably want some badass $60k sports car, so why is it toolish to just continue that desire into adulthood but then finally have the means? Are you a tool if you buy the house you’ve always wanted too with a nice big pool?
When you’re young, you don’t want the car, you want to get laid. Getting the car is the means to the end. When you are older, assuming you are married, getting a sportscar to get laid is just gross.
Buying a house -> Taking care of the family.
Buying a family car -> Taking care of the family.
Buying a sportscar -> Trying to get laid.
No, and people who think that by itself a “middle-aged guy driving a sporty coupe” is a tool either have a serious inferiority complex or else are just assholes.
FTR, my Fierra owns a 1-year old shiny Corvette with all the options, 436hp, open exhaust bypass option, heads-up display, 1G handling, the works. And she even lets me drive it; when I do I feel like I’m Queen of the Road.* And everyone else can kiss my ass too when I drive it. We studied hard, worked our asses off, and deserve it.
Sure, I’m the old person driving 44mph in a 45mph zone in the badass car, whatever. It’s like Mr. Myagi said: “You learn karate so you don’t need to fight.”
These words are wise! When I was a teen-35er, if I saw even an old man in a hot car, I would be envious. If he was a dork w/a combover, I would say he was a dork w/a combover, and he must have more on the ball than me, so I would wish that I was him. When I realized that i was a true loser, that was when I would resort to calling them tools.
One final word from me, in re an earlier post on owning classics; I say, buy rich new and hot over old classics. What young babe cares about vintage cars? They don’t even know what a 57 Bel Air is, let alone a 67 Camaro.
So when exactly are we supposed to give up on our dreams? I believe I was 9 when I first dreamed about getting a convertible sports car… is this better or worse?
You do realize that every collection begins with one don’t you?
He is well-aware of what he might look like driving it around, but he doesn’t care. He wants a sports car, and if we can afford it, he’ll get one.
