"SmugAardvark" (SmugAardvark)
09/26/2020 at 18:09 • Filed to: Corvette, Off-roading | 0 | 29 |
Okay Oppo friends, I’m looking to bounce an idea off you all and get some other opinions. Yes, I’m actually considering selling my Corvette. It isn’t that I’m tired of it, or that I don’t love it anymore. But there are some reasons, so let me explain.
When I bought this car about 2.5 years ago, it was with the intention of getting back into autocross, track days, and f un mountain roads after several years of mind-numbing Nissan Cube driving . Since that time, my partner has made it abundantly clear that I will die in a horrible, fiery crash on the first turn of the first lap on a track. Even autocross makes her nervous, because I don’t know...hitting a cone at 20mph will somehow be fatal to me, despite having done at least 100 autocross events over the years and going as far as a tiny bit of door-to-door racing in the past (Spec E30) . Anyway, our opinions on the matter don’t jive, but I also don’t want to make her feel like crap by going out to do laps anyway.
That basically just leaves mountain roads. While fun, it sort of feels like kind of a bummer to have such a car for just the occasional trip to Tahoe or the coast. On top of that, the Jaguar is also great fun on the same roads. Maybe not quite as quick through sharp turns, but with the same amount of power output as the C5, it’s no slouch.
One other reason, cargo space across our fleet (C5, Jaguar XE, BMW 1-series) is minimal at best. If the two of us and our doggo go on a camping trip, we take the Jag. I t is the most roomy, but even then it gets cramped with all our gear.
On the other hand, driving the Corvette is just flat-out fun. The look, the sound, the low seating position, it all adds up to smiles. So I’m stuck. Keep a seriously enjoyable car that I can only get some of the potential enjoyment out of, or sell it and use the money to buy a much more practical vehicle for us?
Whatever I replace it with will be on the opposite end of the spectrum as a Corvette. Something like an older Range Rover, LR Discovery, Isuzu Trooper, Mitsubishi Montero, Nissan Pathfinder, or something like that. A vehicle I can take down dirt roads/fire roads , have a roof rack and cargo area full of goodies, and haul the occasional load of random stuff with. I’ve also considered pickup trucks as well, but the reality is I would get more use out of having the back half of the vehicle covered than I would an open pickup bed.
Basically stated, going from this...
...
To something like
this...
Alternatively, I could just keep the Vette and let it sit covered in the driveway for weeks at a time. What would Oppo do? And no, finding a new partner is not an option. If I’m willing to give up my Corvette for her, it must be love.
OhCrikeyTheRozzers
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 19:07 | 5 |
Non-answer: is getting your partner hooked on auto cross an option? Mrs. OCTR was always a fan of cars, but warmed much more to small aircraft after I got her a flying lesson, motorcycles after she got her certification, off-roading after we went together and took turns driving.
FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 19:11 | 2 |
Sell it and get an off-road pickup! (Not that I’m biased or anything...) Seriously though, as much as I’d hate to see a C5 go, I think you are coming to the same conclusion that I did - I you aren’t autocrossing or tracking a sports car something to bomb down fire roads with is more fun on a regular basis if you live near good dirt roads and/or trails. Around here pickups with camper tops and A/T tires are very popular for the covered storage aspect. Something else that might be in your price range and a little more reliable is a Lexus GX. Around here lots of the first generation ones are popping up with big tires/steel bumpers with winches/roof rack full of goodies.
The Snowman
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 19:14 | 1 |
When you sell it are you obligated to give the new owner all your denim shorts and new balance shoes?
SmugAardvark
> The Snowman
09/26/2020 at 19:15 | 1 |
I believe I am. But I’m keeping the mid-calf white cotton socks. After all, I’m getting up there in years.
SmugAardvark
> FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
09/26/2020 at 19:19 | 0 |
Lots of great trails around me (northern California). So I would definitely get a lot of use out of an off-roader. I do also quite like the Lexus GX. Good call.
SmugAardvark
> OhCrikeyTheRozzers
09/26/2020 at 19:24 | 0 |
I wish. She has severe driving anxiety, and being a passenger isn’t much better at times . She has also told me she will leave me if I ever buy a motorcycle (I had stopped riding before we met). Even 50cc scooters are a no-go, which is a bummer, because I kinda want another Honda Ruckus.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 19:28 | 4 |
Sell it right now while the market it is hot, then wait for it to die down a bit and get a GX470.
SmugAardvark
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
09/26/2020 at 19:31 | 0 |
Hmm, perhaps you’re right. Just got to change out the headlight gear motor to fix that awful grinding noise, then it’d be all good to pass along to a new owner.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 19:35 | 1 |
Just a note: a proper fitted canopy for any pickup will solve that open bed problem. And then it can be used as a truck for truck things when you’re not camping! — If you’re into that sort of thing.
I say sell it. Time for new experiences.
Signed, man disinterested in new experiences.
SmugAardvark
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/26/2020 at 20:03 | 0 |
Yeah, a pickup with a camper shell would technically do the trick.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:05 | 1 |
I mean, I see the appeal of the SUV. More room for people, more secure, less work messing around with a canopy as the weather changes.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:05 | 1 |
I just moved into a neighborhood and have actual neighbors now, and I’m now very self conscious about the grind. I have the parts... But if you are going to sell it, used cars are up 30% at the moment. It’s the time to do it if you are.
LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:06 | 1 |
This sounds like my marriage.
Tohru
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:11 | 6 |
“if I don’t get to control what you do I will leave you”
I’ve been in those kind of toxic relationships before, and I will never ever do it again. The most liberation I ever felt was telling the last person who treated me like that it was over.
Cash Rewards
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:30 | 3 |
There’s gotta be a middle ground to be found here, no? I could see backing off track days (and no bikes) but keeping autocross, maybe? I don’t know, but if it’s an anxiety on her part, would she be willing to recognize that and not let it impact things you enjoy? Not trying to pry into your relationship, but this seems like its important to you, and there seems to be room t o compromise, I hope.
OhCrikeyTheRozzers
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 20:40 | 1 |
Hmm...I’ll argue the minority position then. I say keep it. If you really love the Vette you’ll find excuses to drive it and will miss it when it’s gone. Just my $0.02, but y ou have your whole life to be practical and a (third) vehicle that genuinely makes you happy is something worth making a few sacrifices for. You can always rent a midsize SUV for a camping trip ; it’s a lot harder to get a V8 muscle car for spur of the moment mountain runs.
atfsgeoff
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 21:16 | 1 |
The answer to your dilemma is:
Get a motorcycle.
shop-teacher
> SmugAardvark
09/26/2020 at 22:21 | 1 |
Go with whatever you think you'll use more, and have more fun in.
SmugAardvark
> atfsgeoff
09/26/2020 at 22:22 | 0 |
I was given a hard NO on that. No, as in, I will no longer be welcome in the house. Bummer, I know.
SmugAardvark
> Tohru
09/26/2020 at 22:24 | 0 |
I don’t see it as toxic . I see it as a give and take. I’m sure I nitpick things she does or wants to do. I didn’t mean any of this as a way of saying I’m unhappy with the relationship. Quite the opposite, as the last seven years of my life have been some of the happiest.
Ultimately, my desire to race is less important to me than my desire to be happy in my home life.
SmugAardvark
> OhCrikeyTheRozzers
09/26/2020 at 22:30 | 1 |
The perfect solution would just be to buy another vehicle and keep the Vette. But alas, we live in a city, and there’s simply no room for another car/truck.
I’ve missed many cars that I have owned in the past. Thankfully, C5 Corvettes are not a rarity, and it isn’t like I couldn’t replace it . And who knows, maybe I get rid of this one, then we re-evaluate things a few years down the road and I buy myself a C7 Z06. I’ve forced myself not to get too attached to cars. It keeps me from being a total wreck any time there’s a nick, scratch, or ding (or worse) . When I wrecked my S2000, it was a crushing blow to me at the time. But after it got rebuilt, sold, then purchased by someone who tweaked it to run in the SCCA Solo2 Nationals. That made me feel proud, and also realize that an end for me can be an awesome beginning for someone else.
It’s definitely no V8 sports car, but the Jaguar handles curves surprisingly well.
SmugAardvark
> Cash Rewards
09/26/2020 at 22:33 | 1 |
I definitely want to at least get her out to watch a few autocross events. Hopefully it will sway some of the decision-making. But like I said to someone else, my desire to get back into racing of any sort is less important to me than my desire to continue a happy and overall fulfilling relationship. She’s really an incredible lady, she just has issues with racing stuff.
Fortunately, it has never once spilled over into her having any issues with working on cars or enjoying them as a hobby. She’s totally content with me wrenching in the garage for a couple of days.
SmugAardvark
> LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
09/26/2020 at 22:34 | 0 |
Haha, I figured at least a few other folks here could relate. It isn’t something totally irrational like telling me I can’t ride a skateboard or get on a plane.
SmugAardvark
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
09/26/2020 at 22:35 | 1 |
Same deal for me. I don’t hate the sound as much as I hate that my neighbors have to hear it when I come home from work at 1:30am.
atfsgeoff
> SmugAardvark
09/27/2020 at 00:29 | 1 |
A partner who
absolutely forbids you
from doing something you greatly enjoy, is not someone you should be in a relationship with.
The Corvette/motorcycle/track days are not the real issue here.
SmugAardvark
> atfsgeoff
09/27/2020 at 03:20 | 0 |
The motorcycle aspect doesn’t real ly bug me too much . I never rode seriously, just for fun every once in awhile. And even then, almost never sport bikes because my previous unrelated back injuries left me with terrible spasms after long rides. And big hogs were never my thing. So I mostly just puttered around on my SV650 or Bonneville (when I could actually get the old Triumph running, that is). It would be enjoyable to get on a bike again just for kicks , sure, but there’s no inner need of fulfillment being lost if I don’t.
She actually loves the Corvette, just not the idea of me racing it. Ultimately, if I really felt the need to press the matter of track days hard enough, I could probably do it at the cost of her being mad for a few days . But you know what? It’s not worth it. Other than the racing hang-ups, it’s the perfect relationship for me. She doesn’t nag me about anything else or force me to do stuff that I hate and she wants to do. She has an issue with car racing, and I respect her feelings about that. I don’t relate, but she’s fully entitled to feel that way for whatever reasons she has.
I’m not so tied to any car, hobby, possession, or activity that I will torpedo a relationship over it. Yes, I love driving . But I won’t be a miserable little shit about not getting my way on this one thing. Let me be perfectly clear here. I went through a really rough patch about 10-12 years ago. Self-destructive activities were the norm for me, and I’m sure I have friends that are at least a little surprised that I’m still above ground. My life now is fantastic. I’ve got a job I love, a partner I love , two cars I genuinely enjoy, and a great house in a fun city. If the worst problem I have in my current existence is that I’m not able to do hot laps around Laguna Seca, then I don’t have a lot to be upset about.
So, yes, this is about the Corvette, and the simple thought process that if I’m not using it for what it was intended, why not move on to something else? You seem to be the one insisting on making this about her, which to be honest, I really don’t appreciate.
Cash Rewards
> SmugAardvark
09/27/2020 at 08:06 | 0 |
Then you do what works best for you!
AMGtech - now with more recalls!
> LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com
09/27/2020 at 11:20 | 0 |
Yup. Well, ex for me. That's just too much disconnect, or too controlling. Or both.
Tohru
> SmugAardvark
09/27/2020 at 11:36 | 0 |
I was just giving my perspective on it - the relationships (plural, I don’t catch on fast) that were like that didn’t work for me. They would continue to use ultimatums like “I’ll leave you” on more and more things until it became intolerable. I am at a point in my life now that if a partner ever makes a hint at ultimatums like that it’s immediately over with no take-backs. I don’t play those games anymore, I’d rather be single than guilt-tripped or controlled.
however, if you are happy then that’s more important as you are the one who actually lives in your relationship.