Oppo, I Think I'm Having a Mid-Life Crisis.

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve) 01/31/2014 at 10:45 • Filed to: midlife crisis, saturn sky

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I'm 35, changing a lot of things in my life (back in school, quit the job I hated, etc.) and now I find myself drawn to sports cars I can't really afford right now, and can barely fit inside.
Driving the wife's Passat makes me long for the rush of a direct-injected turbo four...
I'm 6'3" and somewhere around 300 lbs. I know I can fit inside a Solstice although I've never driven one. The Cadillac dealer a few towns over has a bright red Sky RedLine 5-speed that we could afford...if we traded the Kia. But this one in Florida caught my eye. Of course, convincing my wife to make a road trip to south Florida to buy a car may be difficult, especial since we have been barely scraping by for the past few months.
Since I'm on my phone, here's a link:

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
And a picture:
Look at that blue...

Money Hustard > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 10:48

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As a 6'6" 350-pounder I can't think of a less comfortable thing for you to do.

Don't make a car move you can't afford. Hunker down until you get out of school, and when you get a solid job you like, get something WAY better than this.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 10:49

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This is what you do.

Buy a 60's muscle car. You'll get the performance you're looking for + some BRUTE POWER. also, you'll fit.

And you can get one for less than half the cost if you are ok with not driving a 69 SS Chevelle 454.

I recommend a Montego HA!

gt6xxer > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 10:52

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Have you driven one? I'm not trying to be rude, but they are known to be cramped. A large woman at my work owns one and looks rather ridiculous getting in and out of it.

My understanding is that they are underwhelming. And you should at least be comfortable.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 10:52

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Sports car on a budget?

Chris Clarke > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 10:58

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From my understanding, the answer is always Miata.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/31/2014 at 11:01

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The muscle car I would love is going for around 20 grand in near perfect condition. They only made 7,000 of them, though, and the price drop between "daily driver" and "restorable" is only about 5 grand. I'm talking about the 1970 Mercury Cougar convertible. At least, the 351-powered base models — the 302 Boss Eliminator hardtops and big block ragtops are approaching six figures.

yamahog > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:02

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If that's a midlife crisis, you're handling it a lot better than my ex's father in his 50s: new 7 series, giant oceanfront condo in Miami, and 30 year old cokehead mistress.

I agree with previous comments, start stashing the cash and wait for something a little more ergo friendly.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > gt6xxer 01/31/2014 at 11:03

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I've ridden inside one. It was tight but I fit pretty well. It was also a base solstice wiyh an automatic so I figure it was a different animal than the turbo cars.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Money Hustard 01/31/2014 at 11:07

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My degree will be middle grades education so it's likely I will only be making 35-42k per year but I will be able to do something I love. Thus a sub-$20k sports car is where I want to be. Of course when I finish my degree, the '13 Genesis Coupes will be coming off-lease.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/31/2014 at 11:08

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The 454 came out in 1970.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:09

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I don't think so. You're not considering a Porsche 911.

Audi-os, amigos > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 01/31/2014 at 11:12

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Damn right!

Audi-os, amigos > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:14

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I'm selling my '06 Audi A4 1.8T convertible, and it, too, is dark blue! It's got a direct-injected turbo fouuurrrrrrr.......... ;)

OPPOsaurus WRX > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:21

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my wife says i'm going through my midlife crisis because i went out and bought a wrx. i'm 28. I might be in trouble if she's right.

gt6xxer > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:40

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Thats a good sign. Sounds like you have some knowledge going in. Most people's impression is that for a turbo roadster, they are really anemic. You might be disappointed with the power/power delivery.

That means you will probably turn to the aftermarket, which is very weak for these cars. They were not well supported due to various reasons.

So I will suggest you try an MX-5 as well, since it has more interior room, will hold its value better, and has a far superior power train. A cheap reflash with a header will put you at 165 horsepower at the wheels. That might sound weak, but it makes fantastic torque at the low end. (E85 tune makes even more torque)

Plus, removable hardtop available.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 01/31/2014 at 11:41

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Thanks, definitely helped with the point i was making

:-P

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:42

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Would you take a 68 or 69? I've had good luck finding those around 7500-13000 in the Detroit area.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/31/2014 at 11:44

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I'm honestly not a big fan of the 69's look. It's not much different from any other hideaway-headlamp ford of the era. I'd prefer a 70 XR-7 for the extra shiny bits. I just like that look a lot

Textured Soy Protein > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:56

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Speaking as someone who in his younger days made a financial stretch to buy a car or two, wait until you can do it when it's not a financial stretch.

As for which car, I don't think a Solstice/Sky is a good idea for you. I'm 5'11" 225 lbs and drove a Miata for 4 years. People looked at me like "dude you're a big guy for that car," and you're a couple sizes larger than me. From what I understand, the Sky/Solstice are larger on the outside but more cramped on the inside than a Miata.

Really, you should go look at C5 Corvettes. They're actually very roomy inside even with a big transmission tunnel. The seats aren't very well bolstered, which if you're larger in size is actually a benefit. Decent gas mileage on the highway with their really tall 6th gear, and so many of them have been 2nd/3rd/4th cars for people that you can still find low mileage examples.

But yeah, wait until it makes financial sense.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 11:57

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DONE

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/424770…

As you can see, i'm a bit of a trouble maker when it comes to some MUSCLE MERCURY!

Money Hustard > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 12:09

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It's just not an exceptionally great car, at least not something you stretch to buy. It also not a great investment from a depreciation aspect. There are going to be a lot of cars out there that hold there value better than this one. If you do make the move now, make it towards a car that you can liquidate easily, and not still potentially owe money on your car loan.

dropthatclutch > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 14:13

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Make sure they have done all the service bulletin work. It cost me $600 or so to get them done on mine. Esp the coolant check valves.

crowmolly > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/31/2014 at 17:23

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It is not a midlife crisis if you never grew up in the first place.

Doesn't quite make sense but still has truth to it.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > crowmolly 01/31/2014 at 20:11

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The fact that I never grew up is probably why I am drawn to middle grade education for my 4 year degree. Also it is why I can be found watching Spongebob every morning and playing Mario Kart with my niece and nephew every time I end up at their house.