How do find enjoyment from your vehicles?
 

I had this thought while driving my camry to work this morning. The lack of an engaging ownership "experience" with the camry really takes away my enthusiasm for it.

Yes its reliable, yes its decent on gas, and it'll probably outlast me, but to take a line from Marie Condo, it doesn't spark any joy. It turned into a soulless machine that I used to commute with.

I think when we initially bought it in 2010 it was still an aspirational vehicle to me. ohhhh a brand new 60k lexus!! that meant something to me back then as financially i was in a different stage of my life. Now i literally see it as a camry and i treat it as such. We never took it on any meaningful trips and therefore it never cemented in my consciousness as a memorable car.

My wife's RX plays that role more as we drove it to all sorts of fun places with the dogs. Its our road trip car. Its also the car that protects her and my doggies from the hardships of weather, the city, hobos on hastings, etc. its our little cocoon of silence and i love it for that reason alone.

Likewise i associate my childhood with that shitty 2001 Sentra XE with blood stained seats (you made me bleed my own blood!!!) and manual roll up windows. I actually looked into restoring a 2001 Sentra SE (with the one with the sr20de engine) before just so i can relive some of that childhood experience.

So im curious if thats the same with you guys? does your enjoyment of your vehicles come from a personal connection? or is it purely based on driving enjoyment?

figuring out when the next part needs changing while driving :troll:

Just buy a second vehicle with a manual transmission.

My dad had an E36 for many years.

I bought my first used BMW after I broke up with an ex girlfriend many years ago after that.

After we had our first child, I sold my E39 which I regretted. I held onto that regret for almost 7 years. When we finally settled into our house a couple of years back, I told my wife that I was going to buy a beater BMW to remind me of simpler times. Last year, I bought an auto E46 convertible that was in the same colour as my old E46 from 11 years ago.

It's old, the seats are worn, and the body has seen better days. I've spent many hours doing maintenance and replacing old parts. But it fires right up and nothing beats cruising around with the top down.

I have no enjoyment.

FeelsBadMan

I have no enjoyment either, the roads suck, too many Uber drivers, vi, always stuck in traffic, can't even rev enough to hear the supercharger whine. Not sure if I'm getting old, but I enjoy the double pane windows, massaging cooled seats and curtains that I can look through to see the hobos from while enjoying my music in peace and quiet.

Back then my exhaust and road noise was too loud and I can't enjoy my audio build FeelsBadMan first world problems.

I enjoy the build. Putting it all together and seeing it function reliably is satisfying.

Then having it perform better than anyone would expect is the other half of it.

I bought a beaten up (dirty interior, CEL, ripped softtop) S2000 in 2017 when it was cheap $10,000.
TSS refreshed the engine and I put it in storage afterward.
figure one day I will start restoring the interior and new softtop.
I had been collecting parts here and there over these many years.
and 2 more years will apply for Collector Plate.

For me the enjoyment changed over the years, the S2000 was
- First full on sports car I've driven
- Got a lot of random complements that was fun, even had an 85 year old dude wait for me at walmart to talk to me and ran over to show me his.
- Gave a lot of people their first convertible experience and watching other people's excitement made it super memorable. Combo that with being 22 and in school, got to live the dream
- The rarity and collectible value is still fun
- Now I'm too big for the car, hurts to hop in and out, I'm too tall for the car
- I worry about no parts, engine blowing up and dropping $20K to repair, not comfy to drive

The driving enjoyment has diminished as you driven nicer and faster cars. I think I hold on mostly for nostalgic memories.

The Veloster N is equally as fun to drive as the S2000 for different reasons but it's a placeholder until I find the next car that is fun to drive.

As far as I can remember, I have fond memories of every single vehicle I have owned or spent significant time in.

Regardless of whether it was the family Ford POS, the hand-me-down VQ, Dad's made-it Benz, the reliability nightmare VWs, the Miata, the winter beater, or the M2 grocery getter, the everyday adventures and drama always made each one special.

Driving enjoyment has obviously been a critical part, and personally, I don't think I'd be able to enjoy those everyday adventures if I wasn't also enjoying the drive in the first place. With my own vehicles, I have always tried to tweak them so that they will perform better than stock, and that the handling characteristics is what I prefer. By making the car a happy and enjoyable place to be in, I can go on and enjoy the rest of what I am supposed to be doing.

Not needing to commute daily to work by car has been the biggest factor.

When I do need to drive it's for personal reasons, and usually outside of busy traffic times, making it much more enjoyable.

Laughs in ultra-low production 1969 Datsun.

I enjoy the act of driving. It's like my own personal space. The type of vehicle doesn't particularly matter all that much, though of course nicer cars are nice.

Road trips are one way I enjoy the car and indulge my mechanical sympathy as thousands of parts work together to propel me down the road.

Too rich for me :awwyeah:

We both know this is true and not trolling whatsoever!

For me, it's the sweat equity that goes into the car.

Our Corolla is boring as hell but it gets us to point A to B safely and reliably. Plus it was my first brand new car from a dealership. Since doing track days, everything feels like normal driving.

The shaky feeling and your heart pumping, the anxiety when you get into the car only to put the key into the ignition, wondering whether it will start or if you'll get a new Check Engine light is what keeps me enjoying it. I'm talking about you, BMW. :lol

Backstory too - My uncle in San Diego had an E30 325is and I saw it in the garage when we did a California trip when I was 4. I wanted a ride in it because everyone in the family had a Toyota and it was boring as hell. We didn't get a chance to go for a ride in it so I threw a tantrum like a little bitch and wailed like a spoiled brat. That's my connection and love for BMW. It's a love hate thing. Fuck BMW. I still want one.

Joy is found in manual trans convertibles with 200hp+ or 4x4ing, mostly everything else is a method of transport

Snap oversteering coming off Arthur Laing from Van to Richmond on that big sweeping left turn gets my jimmies rustled, every time.

That or powering into it, either way I think I might like turning left, NASCAR here I come.

Too rich to have to turn wrenches, too poor to afford a dedicated “fun” car

I have no interest in any older slow car deemed as sporty or fun. I want a Z06, I want an M3, a P car etc. otherwise I have zero interest in doing work on vehicles anymore. It’s not fun, it’s actually the opposite lol

I enjoy driving our G37 as it’s got some go, very comfortable, and has many creature comforts of a luxury sedan. But I wouldn’t say it’s fun or exciting

Same bro. I used to love working on cars because I had time. Now I just want a car that works perfectly, all the time.

I enjoy the nostalgia - ripping around in my highschool dream car makes me feel good. Simpler times.

I (mostly) enjoy the wrench turning. when you have the right tools and the right parts, it's a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

I enjoy the social aspect the most - whether it's meets, or auto-x or a group cruise. seeing the old friends and meeting the new ones is great. even this place is a nice escape once in awhile.

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I don't enjoy the car market. it's not fun anymore. buying a selling is a huge chore and everybody is working some kind of hustle. same applies to parts. it's hard to find shit for 25-30 year old cars. it's even harder when everybody is hoarding and flipping parts.

I don't enjoy the social media aspect of the hobby. FB/IG absolutely killed forums - which were a much more enjoyable space to interact w others in the hobby.

Now I don't even have time to wash my car, and it's always raining here

There's something different about every car if you're an enthusiast... there's never 1 all encompassing vehicle... that's why so many of us swap them so much or have so many.

I like my 68 Mustang because it reminds me of being in my early 20's and people talk to me everywhere I drive it... but I hate it because it drives like a truck and because people talk to me everywhere I drive it

I love my MR2 turbo because of how it feels, but I hate it when it rains and drips on me and if I drive it too much in 1 day I start to get annoyed with the noise and whatnot

I love my Lexus IS because it feels just luxury enough to make me feel like I'm wearing a monocle and a bit more grown up while still having a manuel transmission and great sightlines, but also the transmission sucks and it eats a lot of gas for not much performance engine-wise

I love my Celica GT-S because it does everything I need it to do and it's light enough to still feel punchy even at only 190hp and feels like it rips on highways and into corners... but I hate it when it comes to trying to outrun anyone off a stoplight and the peaky powerband can be aggravating for daily driving plus noise levels inside are economy car level

I don't know if I'll ever find a forever car or something that makes me happy all the time in every situations... I'm too complicated and fickle as an enthusiast to be satisfied in every way by 1 vehicle I think... but having them all around means I can play them off each other and stay pretty engaged!

My whole fleet is so damn reliable and boring right now that i long for that Maserati ownership again.

The one where you pray to god the check engine light doesn't stay on, the one where you cry with tears of joy if it ONLY needed an oil change at the dealership. And of course the one where you weep bitterly as you fork out 18k for some piece of shit Italian part that broke for no discernable reason.

Ever have your seat heater catch on fire!? I HAVE. Thank god it was under warranty at the time.

But when you drive it, at any speeds really, the magic is there. It just has so much more soul and personality than modern day cars. You sneeze and the idiotically fast steering sends you 3 lanes over while you tram line over bumps. That engine & exhaust is a proven aphrodisiac and rumbles in all the right way. Gold diggers actively come up to you at gas stations and parking lots.

God i miss that thing.