When did virtually all sports car become "mid-life crisis" cars? (truck, Aston Martin)

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by vision33r

What about SUVs? Seems all SUVs are driven by middle age men and women.

Never seen a teenager drive an SUV or minivan.

Car stereotypes are dumb.

Tons of teenagers drive SUVs. Go to any upper-middle class or greater high school parking lot. Tahoes, Yukons, 4Runners and Wranglers are abundant.

[ohio_peasant]

It can't be a merely economic argument, since (1) most sports cars depreciate precipitously, creating screaming bargains (examples: a $20K 8-year-old Corvette, a $15K 10-year-old BMW M3), and (2) liability-only insurance coverage rather weakly depends on the car being covered. In other words, it's not money that's preventing young men from buying sports cars. The same fellow who's foregoing a 5-year-old V8 Mustang or a 10-year-old Corvette is buying a brand-new Accord or Altima or Explorer for the same (or higher) price.

Rather, the prevailing view is that sports cars are ostentatious and gauche. They're toys suited only to persons whose lives are fully established and who can afford the frippery of something impractical, pompous and garish. And as goes the trope, only a middle-aged man would feel the need to compensate for insecurities in his life, for the travails of his corporate existence or his lack of peace at home. Younger men, being still enthusiastic and less jaded, occupy themselves with more productive and less foppish pursuits. Older men no longer care. And women are altogether too sensible to allow themselves to be swayed by such rubbish.

Nice stereotype, no?

As for "when" this happened... venturing a guess, the early-mid 1990s. That was the rise of the SUV and pickup, the decline of the Japanese sports car, the rise of the Internet (and the associated shift in tinkering from mechanical things to web-design and software).

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by itsMeFred

I recently decided my hubby and I had a mutual mid-life crisis car; a two year old Ford Focus with 20,000 miles on it.

We've never bought anything so extravagent lol

My condolences.

[itsMeFred]

Yeah, we figured it was time to spend money on something foolish, like a too-new car

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Dumbest post of the day so far. Who says these are mid-life cars? Yahoo?

Everyone that can't afford one.

[rugrats2001]

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

I just bought a 2015, albeit a V6. My insurance went down from the previous Scion FR-S. USAA, paying around $300 / six months for decent full coverage.

I'm militantly single and blissfully childless, my commute is short and twisy, and I'm not a Taxi service.

The Mustang is not my kind of car and I made a mistake buying it. The only thing I really care about in a car is FUN. The FR-S was fun, the Mustang is a boring "regular" car, as some have mentioned. Conservative steering geometry, pathetically soft suspension, huge bloated car. I'm actively seeking a replacement (but this car depreciated more in a month than my FR-S did in 2.5 years).

Anyway, somebody mentioned mid-life crisis the other day at the bar and my purchase of this thing came up. It's not. It's a "mature" car, and probably understeers worse than a Camry. It's way less fun than the car I had before and the one before that.

The FR-S also isn't a mid-life crisis car either of course.

Also this Mustang is bad for dating. Intelligent woman takes one look at a big dumb Mustang and thinks she's with some dumbass dude-bro frat-boy. So, maybe it is mid-life crisis-worthy (just not for me), dunno...

Read your second paragraph again and tell me how you aren't a 'dude-bro frat-boy'

You know, if you live in Texas and you consider a mustang to be bloated, you need to wake up and look around you. Just because you drove a glorified go-kart before this, I think you may have damaged your ability to determine size. Next time try a motorcycle, they should provide you with everything you need.

And what 'intelligent woman' is looking for a 'militantly single' guy?

[rugrats2001]

Originally Posted by ovi8

Still with kids here and a house we've only been in a handful of years that we still like to improve upon. I like my SUV because it can haul Home Depot stuff and I've thought about this for the future. Is that sort of thing not necessary when you're 50+? What do those aged people do for hauling stuff home? Surely renting a truck just for something like a fence, door, etc. is a bit of a hassle.

First, a lot of families have both a 'fun' car and a 'practical' vehicle like your SUV.

Second, do you really want to haul items like fencing in a nice SUV? It's the quickest way to turn a nice vehicle into a beater work truck.

[Nepenthe]

Originally Posted by rugrats2001

Read your second paragraph again and tell me how you aren't a 'dude-bro frat-boy'

Geez, what's eating you? Thanks for the insult, but it's laughable. You don't even know me. Let's see, I practically inhale books, I don't hang out in bars very often, I have degrees but was never part of a fraternity, I don't wear backwards baseball caps, I'm not all hairy, I don't high-five a bunch of 'bros,' I don't own / carry a bunch of guns, I don't ooh-rah at football, I don't go "clubbing," I don't read PUA sites, I don't play Call of Duty, I treat women and minorities with respect, I care about our world, the motto at my alma mater was 'the unexamined life is not worth living,' I'm a nerd, I'm soft-spoken, I have progressive values... I can't think of a single way I'm anything like a dude-bro... except for driving a Mustang.

Originally Posted by rugrats2001

You know, if you live in Texas and you consider a mustang to be bloated, you need to wake up and look around you.

What does Texas have to do with anything? What on earth would "waking up and looking around me" do? I'm baffled by the references to the particular state I inhabit.

My opinion is this car is a big, overweight, numb car that wasn't made to turn. It does not feel like an extension of my muscles and my thoughts. I don't like it very much. It does not suit me. I fully admit to making an error in judgment in buying it.

Originally Posted by rugrats2001

Just because you drove a glorified go-kart before this...

Ohhh, now I see what you're all about.

I'd love to have an actual go-kart for commuting, for the record.

Originally Posted by rugrats2001

Next time try a motorcycle, they should provide you with everything you need.

I've owned a number of motorcycles in my life. I currently have in my garage a Ninja 250, a Yam FZ6R, and a Suz SV650S.

Originally Posted by rugrats2001

And what 'intelligent woman' is looking for a 'militantly single' guy?

A woman who isn't looking to have a clingy ankle-biting boyfriend? A woman into casual dating? Lots of them out there.

Okay, maybe "militantly" was the wrong adjective, the point was I don't have a family and I don't need a family car and I don't need a midlife crisis car. How about "contentedly" single, does that make you feel better?

So, why did you bold "blissfully childless?" A lot of dude-bros I've seen do have kids. I don't like kids. I never wanted any kids. I'm glad I don't have kids.

Why did you bold "Taxi service?" I don't like to drive around a bunch of passengers, so?

[rugrats2001]

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Geez, what's eating you? Thanks for the insult, but it's laughable. You don't even know me. Let's see, I practically inhale books, I don't hang out in bars very often, I have degrees but was never part of a fraternity, I don't wear backwards baseball caps, I'm not all hairy, I don't high-five a bunch of 'bros,' I don't own / carry a bunch of guns, I don't ooh-rah at football, I don't go "clubbing," I don't read PUA sites, I don't play Call of Duty, I treat women and minorities with respect, I care about our world, the motto at my alma mater was 'the unexamined life is not worth living,' I'm a nerd, I'm soft-spoken, I have progressive values... I can't think of a single way I'm anything like a dude-bro... except for driving a Mustang.
What does Texas have to do with anything? What on earth would "waking up and looking around me" do? I'm baffled by the references to the particular state I inhabit.

My opinion is this car is a big, overweight, numb car that wasn't made to turn. It does not feel like an extension of my muscles and my thoughts. I don't like it very much. It does not suit me. I fully admit to making an error in judgment in buying it.
Ohhh, now I see what you're all about.

I'd love to have an actual go-kart for commuting, for the record.
I've owned a number of motorcycles in my life. I currently have in my garage a Ninja 250, a Yam FZ6R, and a Suz SV650S.
A woman who isn't looking to have a clingy ankle-biting boyfriend? A woman into casual dating? Lots of them out there.

Okay, maybe "militantly" was the wrong adjective, the point was I don't have a family and I don't need a family car and I don't need a midlife crisis car. How about "contentedly" single, does that make you feel better?

So, why did you bold "blissfully childless?" A lot of dude-bros I've seen do have kids. I don't like kids. I never wanted any kids. I'm glad I don't have kids.

Why did you bold "Taxi service?" I don't like to drive around a bunch of passengers, so?

We can stop right there. I never said there was anything wrong with being a frat-boy, I'm sorry you took it as an insult.

[ipaper]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

When these cars became so expensive that we old guys were virtually the only ones who could afford them.

I agree with this. I bought my 2011 mustang GT when I was 50 and I'm still driving it and loving it today. For years, I only drove full size pickup trucks with four doors. I had elderly parents and two boys, mom and dad are gone now and my boys are all grown up. I just went back to what I love before kids and being a caretaker.