Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

A couple more things on non-sporty cars then.
1) I'm a believer in buying a gently used car. Something 2-4 years old with relatively low mileage. We would have done that here, but the used 2025 that was available was too good to pass on. Especially for a Camry, something with 20-50K miles has a good ten+ years/150K miles left in it, and will save you the drive-off-the-lot depreciation.
2) We didn't expect to lose the 2019 when we did--we were just pleasantly suprised that the depreciation was not nearly what it is on a lot of other cars, e.g., the Mustangs, BMWs, etc. that we considered for a hot second because of their used car values. Those cars dropped in value much faster than our Accord did, which made us feel good about the money we spent on the Accord. The Camry has a similarly low depreciation rate.
3) The funny thing is I grew up really liking cars, classics, 60s muscle, European sportsters, etc. While not a gearhead, I'm reasonably conversant in "car guy" stuff, and--to Utee's comments earlier--feeling the growl of a Ford 5.0 liter V8 does quicken my pulse. Pulling a hard S-turn in a Mazda MX-5 even more so. There's a part of me that would love to be a car guy, but my practicality overrules it. I would rather retire earlier than have a just-for-fun car. And I, too, would love a truck--and will likely have one, if for no other reason than to tow the likely motorcycle that will come back to the wife's life once the kids are settled. A dream of ours is to spend months at a time roadtripping with a rig that allows camping, but also staying at weeks-at-a-time rentals. Whether that rig is a truck or a van is an interesting question...

Your practicality is wise and valuable, and when it comes to cars I wish I had those traits. 

Your practicality is wise and valuable, and when it comes to cars I wish I had those traits.

Eh--the flip side of it is that we don't know the time or place. It's not worth saving everything for later--you should make an effort to enjoy your life as it is now. If driving fun cars gets you there, it may well be worth it. It isn't for me, doesn't mean it isn't for you. :-)

This is trending vacation thread more than fun cars, but have you tried Ensenada wines? We were in Mexico recently and they recommended them. We opted for a recommended Chilean wine at a good price point that was surprisingly good.

Probably Santa Barbara, or even Pasa Robles is the closest for better wines, right? Convertible up Highway 1 would be fun (north of LA), even if it isn't especially warm.

Or Ensenada, allegedly. Much closer.

I make fun but I've actually done this a few times, back when I used to travel to California a ton for business, and it's great.  A good heater and a jacket make it fine.  I do the same thing in our short winters here in Texas-- if the sun is out I've probably got the top down on the Jeep or Mustang, regardless of temperature.

It might.  

My wife is close to buying a second vehicle.

Our oldest works for Wheels, Inc. He's a manager. He can get used cars for personal purchase, including his family.

So, they have a 2023 Chevy Equinox with 11K miles on it. The book value is $25K. She's buying it for $12.5K + tax. Tax is on the $25K value (so $1,750). This is a steal.

I think it's powered by gerbils, but she doesn't care.

The good news? Now I get my Benz all to myself again.

I would be into that, too, though I think the current Z is even saucier. Subaru's BRZ might also qualify. (Again, I like the Z.) Oh, and the Mx-5. I would choose between the Mazda and the Nissan, but the Toyota is probably the most practical.
The wife likes convertibles. Oh well.

Oh he loves the Z, and he loves the Supra (even though I think it's kind of ugly).  But those are actual sportscars, so there's no way I'd let him have one, while the BRZ above, and its sister the Toyota GR86, are sporty-looking but not as powerful.

He'd also love a Challenger Hellcat and even if the price weren't outrageous, he ain't getting one of those, either!