Should a dream car be realistic?

"Goshen, formerly Darkcode" (thedarkestofallcodes) 08/04/2013 at 12:50 • Filed to: OPPODISCUSSIONS, DISCUSSIONS

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Recently, on LS1Tech, an interesting topic came to light. When discussing the brand new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, one user described it as "a dream car" , to which another user replied "you have some pretty sad dreams if your final objective is a 55k Corvette" .
Let's be honest here. Many of us will never get to own our dream cars. Most of us will never get to afford cars worth hundreds of thousands, or sometimes millions, of dollars. It's just too unreal. The reckoning that we'll never be able to complete our lust for our favourite four-wheeled motorized object isn't exactly a happy thing. To many people, I believe it might feel like a permanent and terminal defeat. Therefore, a Corvette (or even something way cheaper like an MR2 or a DS) could classify as a fair dream car. A car we could buy, hoon, wrench on, and feel great about ourselves with because we've reached an important goal in a gearhead's life.
On the other side, satisfaction is the death of desire. Being easily able to buy our dream car isn't much of an incentive for future life ventures. A million dollar dream car, while being an unicorn for sure, can motivate many to reach great lengths. As unethical to some as it might be, the unrealistic character of a dream car might be the secondary intent that fuels many a successful career.
So Oppo, what do you think? Should dream cars be affordable vehicles we could own and feel fulfilled about, or expensive unicorns that will inspire us even if we never own them?

Anon > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 12:54

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I feel like any car can be a dream car. I know that mine is a Ferrari 458 Italia. However I also dream of owning an FD RX7, which is very possible.

Victorious Secret > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 12:54

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To me a Vantage V8 is an amazing unicorn. I've felt the unicorn. I've tasted the unicorn. I've swung the unicrons ass sideways with a big childish grin on my face.

But I'm not going to kid myself into think that I'll ever, ever get one in the timeframe that I dream of. That is just expecting too much regardless of whatever success I have.

The unicorn is what I have on the wall, THIS is what I'll have in my driveway because its a reasonable alternative that I can actually obtain easily and still be able to dream about the unicorn.

For Sweden > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 12:56

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Why not both?

The 250 GT0, 288 GT0, Muria, 1969-1970 Mach 1 Mustang, and Corvette Stingray are all dream cars for me. Though clearly the latter examples are more realistic.

Sparf > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 12:57

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I think you should have a few realistic dream cars, and one or more unrealistic dream cars.

My unrealistic dream car is the Koenig Specials Testarossa Competition Evolution (or Testa Comp-Evo) not only due due to the rarity and price but also due to the unlikeliness of me ever being able to control a car that insane (600-1000 horsepower, depending on how the boost controller is set, in a Testarossa!). Hopefully I'll learn though. I still have my whole life ahead of me to learn.

Z_Stig > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 12:57

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There is dream cars and then attainable cars, cars one can aspire to own, and hopefully one day see that aspiration become reality.

My dream car is the McLaren F1, while my long term relatively easily obtained car is a Porsche 911.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Victorious Secret 08/04/2013 at 13:00

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I'm becoming more and more of the same opinion. I thought that the V8V was depreciating heavily though.

Anon > Victorious Secret 08/04/2013 at 13:03

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Really v8 vantages aren't that horrible! You can get a mint condition 2008 in the low 60ks. When talking about dream cars, it's not horrible.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Sparf 08/04/2013 at 13:03

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My guess is that'd be a dream car and a most-desired car (i.e. you don't love it as much but you want it more because you know you can afford it).
You also brought a very interesting point to the discussion: a car can be affordable without being realistic (f.e. because it's incredibly hard to control).

Victorious Secret > Anon 08/04/2013 at 13:05

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Yea but I don't wanna make that mistake of buying what was still a 120k-200k car and then getting annoyed with it breaking.

Though with the Vantage, 1k oil changes and 4-5k clutches are something I can live with.

I just want to feel like I've done something to earn having that kind of car.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > For Sweden 08/04/2013 at 13:06

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I sort of am somewhere on that grey area in the subject. The problem is that well, it's a grey area in a subject that does not necessarily accept grey areas.
Although none of the cars you mentioned could be truly called "realistic" because I live in the side of the Atlantic where anything with more than four cylinders is politically incorrect and therefore overtaxed.

GrauGeist > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:07

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A dream within reach, or a fantasy almost certainly beyond reach?

I appreciate the Ferrari 330 P4 to a tremendous degree, but I do not have anywhere near the financial resources of someone like Jim Glickenhaus to afford one. That's $10M each.

I DD a BMW E60, after the SVX, and come to think of it, those probably are someone's dream car(s), out of their reach as well.

It's all relative. At one point, my DD was a beat up Buick Century wagon, and it sure beat walking.

At this point, I'm just waiting on that next-gen SVX.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > GrauGeist 08/04/2013 at 13:09

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Well, that's an interesting approach to a dream car. Most of us desire already existent vehicles.

Sparf > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:11

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The Testa Comp-Evo is actually one of those cars that I could probably live my life never driving or even seeing and still be quite satisfied. I just know that if I ever get to the point where I have that kind of money, I MUST get my hands on one.

I switch between most-desired cars all the time, because I usually have month- or even year-long periods during which I like certain things that fit a certain car. Therefore, I don't try to fool myself by saying I have ONE most-desired dream car, but a list of cars that I must own sometime in my life. Most of those are very realistic since my tastes tend to lean towards American muscle and Japanese tuner/classic cars, and neither of those are particularly expensive or rare. Exotics and boutique super cars don't really get my stuff going that much for some reason, although I still like them and think they are amazing cars. I just don't want to own them.

Victorious Secret > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:12

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4.3 ones are what I'd like to call hilariously cheap. 4.7 ones aren't quite there.

And shoot me later, but I'd actually prefer to take the sequential manual with this.

For Sweden > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:12

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You should probably emigrate to freedom.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > For Sweden 08/04/2013 at 13:15

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Nah, I'll just wait until the EU falls apart. Which means soon.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Victorious Secret 08/04/2013 at 13:17

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Grand tourers live by different rules than bona fide sports cars.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Sparf 08/04/2013 at 13:21

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I also have regular "crazes" for a specific car but my favourite cars are a very well defined group, and I can indeed go as far as ranking them clearly.
I would own an expensive classic supercar if I were a millionaire. I don't make a huge fuss about owning them, though, because I'm not.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Z_Stig 08/04/2013 at 13:24

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An interesting conclusion I'm having from the variety of replies from this thread is that a car doesn't need to be expensive to be unrealistic.

Sparf > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:27

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That's a good approach and mindset.

I think my millionaire dream is basically owning a large garage with about a dozen cars that are not necessarily expensive or rare, but the modifications I'd make to them would be (not by millionaire standards, perhaps, but to regular people). See for instance one of the cars that top my list: an RB26DETT-swapped 1987-1989 Nissan Fairlady 200ZR-I with a full S14 suspension swap (and various other mods to make it a 600+ horsepower Wangan Racer-style car).

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Sparf 08/04/2013 at 13:31

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That's an interesting project if you ask me, although I'd rather go wild on it (meaning VK56).
It all depends a lot on what a person's utmost desire is. My guess is that some people would even build their cars entirely from scratch.

Blondude > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:33

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My dream car is a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe...until I realize that even if I had one I would be too nervous driving it to be able to enjoy it. Replica it is!

Sparf > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:34

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Oh don't get me wrong, I'd have a US-spec 300ZX 2-seater with a VK56 swap as well!

Tom McParland > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:35

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Yeah my dream car, RS6 Avant, is unattainable even if I had the money. But I think I found a realistic alternative in the new V60.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Blondude 08/04/2013 at 13:36

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Oh yes, I would definitively build a replica someday.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Tom McParland 08/04/2013 at 13:40

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All I can say is: lobby against the 25 years rule, it makes no sense.
But yes, local avaliabilities can prevent many to own their dream cars. For example, I'm quite fond of performance Commodores and Falcons, but those are RHD and I live in an LHD country.

ScootScoot > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:40

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456 GT Venice. Total no day car. No day, no way. Never gonna happen. Nope.

Yet i want an MR2 just as badly as the 456. The MR2 is a someday car. I just need more room.

GrauGeist > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:49

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I'm a practical sort.

If someone dropped walked up to me and said I won the prize where they'd match me 10:1 toward my dream car, I'd drop the $1k to trade my E60 for the M5 version.

My DD is a pretty nice car, already. Sure, it could be faster, but getting a lot more tickets really doesn't help me keep my license. And that's what the vast majority of these dream cars would do. And paying Ferrari maintenance to drive it like a fucking Toyota? No.

Otherwise, as a third car, add one of these as a weekender:

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 13:57

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"you have some pretty sad dreams if your final objective is a 55k Corvette"

Fuck that guy, pretentious prick.

Anyway, onwards with an answer. I've got unattainable dream cars, like the gorgeous Alfa 2600 Zagato...

...but the vast majority of my dream cars fall into the 'cheap-to-dirt-cheap' category, as far as cars go. You'd certainly struggle to but a new car with the budget for any of them.

What makes them my dream cars is what I'd do with them.

Triumph Spitfire £1000 (2.5l PI I6 and overhauled suspension, lightweight rocketship)

Maserati Biturbo ~£4000 (old boxy one, all the later mechanicals: LSD, 2.8lTT V6)

Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2000 GTV ~£4000 (supercharged to 200bhp)

Alfa Romeo Alfetta Saloon ~£3000 (3.0l Arese V6 swap)

Alfa Romeo 156 ~£1000 (3.0l Arese, transaxle in back, custom IRS suspension, the RWD saloon Alfa should have built)

Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon ~£1000 (Q4 AWD version, turbocharged I4)

Jaguar XJS V12 ~£8000 (exhaust cutout system so with the flick of a switch it sounds like this )

Jaguar XJC ~£8000 (full E-Type spec engine, Ecurie Ecosse blue, later Jaguar IRS)

Jaguar XJ40 ~£2000 (custom estate conversion, supercharged AJ6 engine)

Rover P6 V8 ~£3000 (uprated Rover V8, wider rubber, proper V8 super-saloon)

Triumph Stag £5000 (ITBs from a GSXR600, hopefully 200bhp)

Triumph Dolomite Sprint ~£6000 (IRS swap from a 2000 saloon and fuel injection)

Lancia Beta ~£4000 (AWD drivetrain and a turbocharged Fiat Twincam, so it's a Beta Integrale)

Chevrolet Corvair ~£4000 (tuned to be a proper Porsche-fighter)

These are my dream cars. All of them are cheap, but require a ton of effort and ingenuity from me, which makes them worthy of their dreamlike status.

Chech > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/04/2013 at 14:02

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I feel I have fairly realistic 'dreams', but the difference between my dreams and another's is that I won't be done with just one of them.

I already have my SW20, and doubt I will part with it, unless I replace it with a 95+ SW20 GT. I'm looking at an FD or R32 GTR within a couple of years. And the only two cars that cost an arm and a leg that I would have genuine interest in owning are a Zonda or Toyota 2000GT, but I don't lust after an ownership that isn't realistic.

It's just me, I'd rather keep my cheap little MR2 that gives me that little smile every time I look at it, and think "Would I really be that much happier if it was a $1million supercar?"

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 08/04/2013 at 14:44

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"All of them are cheap, but require a ton of effort and ingenuity from me, which makes them worthy of their dreamlike status."
Exactly. Unrealism doesn't come solely by the hands of high price.

JGutz164 > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 08/05/2013 at 09:39

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realistic? naaah.