See signature. I have loved cars since I knew what they were, have collected hot wheels and car magazines and car paraphernalia my whole life, and buying my S2000 was the culmination of a life’s dream. I love my kids more than the car, but it’s real close.
Good news is, for me the car hobby is pretty cheap. My car is worth pretty much what I spent on it if I had to sell, which I won’t. I DIY pretty much everything, and parts and consumables are inexpensive. Insurance is cheap. Tires and gas are the only real expenses. It’s basically just a cooler, faster, more interesting Miata (someone once called it a weaponized Miata, I like that).
I don’t drive all that fast. There aren’t many sports car roads around Chicagoland to go storming through the twisties. But if you get that warm summer night, the right passenger beside you, the right song on the radio, and you nail that corner and execute that perfect 3-2 downshift timed just right and bounce off the redline and listen to the engine scream..,oh man, that’s it right there, that’s everything.
I’m sure other people find that feeling elsewhere, but that’s my nirvana.