Recently my better half purchased a BMW and the bug bit me hard. I used to love driving....someday's just going for a hours long drive to no where ...just to drive

Did it recently with her X3......took Rt 6 in PA down to the national forest and found may way back north via side roads....5 hours of pure heaven!

Over the years I have migrated to Trucks and SUVs as they were more practical but I am seriously thinking about trading in the Subaru after this winter (main reason she got the X3) and getting something like the GTI R or a used M240i....would really like a 330i wagon with the Mspot pkg but those are like hens teeth.

Anyway, anyone here transition from a truck or SUV to a smaller car regret it....or if you actually drive something fun and smaller do you wish you had something like a truck?

I know it will make going to Lowes a bit of a pain and I will not be able to carry my normal truck load out.....which honestly may be a bit too much anyway

But the big upside for me is that I would actually look forward to driving everyday

I'm going through this same issue right now. My daily is a GMC 2500 Crew Cab diesel. I'm restructuring a few things and am thinking i want a light SUV or a sport car. Looking at a Gt2 Kia Stinger or a Telluride. I will still have access to trucks and vans so it will not be an issue. However, i'm used to having everything a field engineer might need and more with me all the time. I'm tired of carrying all that shit. Its time to delegate!

I love driving, and have been fortunate enough to own several vehicles over the last 25 years

If finances allow I recommend you have 3 - truck, SUV, and fun car.

If I could only have 1 it would be the truck. I found over the years the opportunities to really enjoy a fast/spirited car were few in between, especially living in the midwest where the car sat under a cover 4-5 months of the year

Yeah an excuse to talk about my car again and post cool pic I took last night at sunset.

I just bout a 2019 Fusion Sport, in my mind a perfect compromise between hot hatch/small import and SUV/full sized car. Smooth ride, huge trunk, seats four adults very comfortably or five for a trip for lunch no problem. At the same time it's got power to spare. 325hp/380tq Twin Turbo in an intelligent AWD set up with adjustable suspension. Great dad car that is a comfortable ride while simultaneously a blast between stop lights or on a twisty mountain road when you desire a bit more spirited driving. The AWD gets all of that power to the tires with out spinning wheels.





The 2019s are about $9k off right now. They are discontinued, so I imagine as the 2020s start rolling in they will go even lower.

I drive a Subaru WRX hatchback everyday, I love it. I had forgotten how much fun driving can be!

I rarely miss my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I might one day find a old Jeep Cherokee, or pickup truck. But most likely not.

My friend has a beater pickup truck that I can use when I need to.

I love to drive, and my Subaru WRX is extremely fun to drive! Besides, it's a hatchback, so if the load isn't too big, heavy and/or dirty, I can fold down the rear seat and Chuck it in the back. With AWD and good tires, it can go good in the snow, as long as it's not too deep.

So, no. I don't really regret driving a "sporty" car everyday.


ARman

I don't know how old you are (op) but, everyone goes thru a "sexy car" phase in their life.

I drove an Audi S4 daily for 10 years before I got rid of it (divorce...could no longer afford the upkeep). The replacement was a Hyundai Tucson (small SUV). I drove that for seven years and while I did miss (to a certain degree) my S4, I did not miss the costs of ownership.

Now, I drive a midsize pick-up and don't look back.

If you really want it, go and get whatever you want. As the young say:

YOLO

I used to drive sports cars daily......corvettes....mustangs...… then got an Expediton. Once I got an expedition, there was no looking back for a daily driver. Trips to the grocery store, home depot and things of that nature were such a pain in the rear with a sports car that I have no interest in going back to one. Also the visibility and ability to see over to the next lane of parking spaces, or whats in front of the car in front of me on the highway that a SUV offers, I much prefer. IF I retired and moved to a condo, then I would consider one again, but would probably be too old to get in and out of one then. LOL

A friend of mine has an SRT Jeek Cherokee and that is fun to ride in and actually functional. So something like that might be a consideration.

I traded in the Subaru Legacy for a Subaru BRZ. Very small, very sporty. Not so expensive that I feel like it is a huge extravagance. Sinfully fun to drive.

18 months and no regrets.

Bruce

we have a sporty car I would LOVE to remove from the fam motor pool

but my SO has a vote and disagrees at least currently

---------------------------------

I owned a Cadillac CTS-V for 4 years while I road raced it around the country AND daily drove it. I came from full sized SUV's for 13 years before the Caddy. While I LOVED the car, I got tired of daily driving it after a few years. I am 6 feet tall 240lbs so not too small. If I could afford it I would have a truck and a sports car. Now I drive a GMC Sierra 2500HD Diesel and I love it but I do miss the sports car.

I have a Tesla Model 3 Performance as my daily driver.

And, a 2013 Dodge 2wd regular cab long-bed pick up, with a six cylinder engine.

The 3P costs very little to own, as it has such a low "fuel" cost.

Frankly, if I didn't already own the pick up, it would be more practical to just rent a van from Uhaul whenever I needed something larger.

Its a difficult concept. at least I found it so, but buy your car for how you actually will use it, and solve the exceptions with rentals. (An older, and smarter, friend got me to think that way.)

The Tesla isn't as cool as my Viper was - its more like driving a great handling, really fast VW Jetta, than a sports car - but its a heck of a commuter.

Its a bit plebeian, compared to a real sports car, and doesn't have that same feel that a high-end muscle car or sports car gives you, but its effective transport.

I love driving.

Starting in 1987 I bought my first new car - An 87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe. It was my first introduction to a "sporty car"

After the car was rear-ended and totaled, I bought a used 1985 Corvette. It too was hit and totaled. So then I bought a used 1990 Corvette.

Then we had our first and only child and the wife said the Vette had to go. I bought a 4 door replacement 1998 bmw m3. Great car.

Since then I've owned 3 series bmw's. Why? They are a blast to drive, have 4 seats if needed, and are easy to work on for routine maintenance but can get expensive if you have something major go wrong.

The best of all worlds is I have my sporty car and my wife has a Subaru Outback. If going together somewhere we just use the most appropriate vehicle for the trip.

Go sporty and have fun again is my advice!

Here is my current 2011 convertible:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: h2oys,

quote:

Originally posted by mo4040:
I don't know how old you are (op) but, everyone goes thru a "sexy car" phase in their life.

That. I drove a `97 F250 diesel for literally 20 years and finally decided it was time for a change. I wound up buying a 2018 Challenger R/T (hemi) that's become my daily driver. Driving is fun again. I also picked up an older Tundra that I use for camping and range trips, landfill runs, Costco runs, and the like.

I've been driving a Lexus IS250 AWD for 8 years. It's a great little car. Very comfortable and agile, but not super practical. Now that I've gotten the "sporty car" syndrome out of my system my next will be a "sporty" small SUV like the BMW X3 or what I think is the value leader in this segment, a top-of-the-line Mazda CX-5.

At least current, I think it's still legal to own more than one vehicle. This opens up a lot of possibilities.

No regrets.

my daily driver (out 4 or 5 times a week) is my 1999 Ferrari 355 F1.



If I need to do something serious like buy something other than dinner, my all-purpose vehicle is a 2016 Toyota Tacoma.

I don't regret buying it, except when it comes to doing a belt service (due this year) and then it only hurts for awhile. This year I need to do the clutch, transmission and the major engine service.

I’ve had a poor man’s sporty car - BMW’s MINIs. I’ve had 4, and i will never own another sporty car or car for tha5 matter due to road conditions.

I was always worried about my front end going out of alignment due to how bad the roads were. We now only have trucks and SUVs.

Also, my MINIs were all coupes, except my one Clubman, which was a 3 door. Even so, it and the other MINIs had long doors that I always feared would open too widely where I may accidentally tap the vehicle next to me in a lot.

Also, MINIs and cars in general, are just too low for me, and I also don5 like having to deal with the air dam.

I’m in the same boat. I rarely haul a load or tow something in my truck.

I was looking at a Vette convertible, but scratched that itch with a motorcycle. However, it’s not my daily driver and unlikely to become a daily driver.

I’ve been considering selling my truck and buying a sporty SUV as a daily driver. My Dad has been a SUV driver for years and he solved the hauling items too large for SUV by buying an inexpensive 4x8 open trailer designed to be stored standing up (ie doesn’t take up much garage space). The trailer would also be much easier to load my motorcycle compared to my truck bed.

I’m also fortunate that I am able to have and garage 3 vehicles. I have a Ford F-150, a Honda Passport, and a Honda S2000. After owning 2 Mazda Miatas, the S2000 is wonderful. If I needed anything more then the ‘S’, I’d look at the C8.

While I’m not an expert, I can’t imaging anything better than a S2000 for the money. I hope mine lasts another 13 years.
Mike