Depressed car buying...

Why do I do this? My brain is somehow wired that, if I'm having a rough go of things in my life, I quickly pull up craigslist and start looking for ratted out miatas.

This is not a 1-time thing either. Most times I can resist the temptation. But it seems the more E36 M3 that is hitting the fan in my life, the stronger the urge is to make a potentially poor car-buying decision. What do people do to stop this, besides actually being stupid and rash and buying something...?

I feel like I need an intervention.

No harm in looking as a pick me up. I surf Miata's and theoretical builds all the time as light relief with no real intention of following through. Just think of all the issues and cost then content yourself with the dream for now. You don't stop watching a Natalie Portman movie just because you don't get the hands on experience do you?

Well a miata is an effective antidepressant and NAs have it the bottom of the depriciation curve.

I see no issue for concern here and prescribe a NA miata.

(Please note I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, however I am in a physician waiting room, a specialist in fact, and am using their office wi-fi).

Lots of people turn to drugs, legally obtained and NOT legally obtained or drink themselves into oblivion.

We turn to cars.

/thread

Some people use food, some alcohol, some way worse things. Key is that you've identified the problem and your reaction to it, now work on the actual depression.

But I can't condone not buying a Miata, sooner or later, maybe now isn't the best time.

I kind of feel you might be in the wrong place. We're more the enabling type.

Seriously, though, that's not at all uncommon. I don't know the psychology behind it, but it's pretty normal for people to go out and buy E36 M3 when they're depressed. You might try to tie your funds up in something else. Short term CD just to make it unavailable for a couple months (you certainly won't make any money on it!)? Project around the house that really needs to be done? Get a friend to go shopping with you who will at least try to talk you out of a bad option?

I do the same thing, and ended up buying a Traxxas R/C truck. I just can't justify an actual project car at the moment, so this is a project you can throw into a tote and work on in the house.

Doing this combined with Forza and the like is a sort of project car methadone.

It's called retail therapy and it's quite normal. When we are down we look to bring something in to our lives that will bring us joy, even if temporary. Sometimes it's about having some modicum of control in our lives that often feel like everything is out of our control. You are not alone.

wae wrote: I kind of feel you might be in the wrong place. We're more the enabling type. Seriously, though, that's not at all uncommon. I don't know the psychology behind it, but it's pretty normal for people to go out and buy E36 M3 when they're depressed. You might try to tie your funds up in something else. Short term CD just to make it unavailable for a couple months (you certainly won't make any money on it!)? Project around the house that really needs to be done? Get a friend to go shopping with you who will at least try to talk you out of a bad option?

Like.... Debt? Haha.

I'm not depressed, just more frustrated with seemingly all aspects of my direction in life. Nothing like a couple months of E36 M3ty sales figures in a job that you're not sure you enjoy anymore, a holiday-timed custody battle, and a severe lack of free time to do much more than eat or sleep.

Sorry for the vent, but happy to know that I'm not the only insane one here.

In reply to RossD:

Nonsense, they're cheapest this time of the year as the thought of top down motoring isn't on the mind of people in the majority of the country.

In reply to golfduke:

Sign up for a class at a local community college for either the winter semester or spring. Doesn't need to be a credit class or working tpearls a degree or certificate, just something that interest you. Gaining knowledge and self improvement feels good, putting in effort towards something and earning a grade as a result that validates your efforts is rewarding.

Turn your searching into a public service and list the good deals you find here in the $2017 section.
From there, live vicariously through the actual buyers build thread.

On a serious note, self-improvement is a huge boost.

Try working out and getting stronger. That type of concrete physical improvement often helps as you're moving in a good direction in at least one area and improved physical health often positively affects mental health.

Funny, I think my ending up with the E34 wagon a few weeks ago is somewhat analogous to your situation... I've taken most of it apart by now, and yet I still have not found the meaning of life.

ebonyandivory wrote: On a serious note, self-improvement is a huge boost. Try working out and getting stronger. That type of concrete physical improvement often helps as you're moving in a good direction in at least one area and improved physical health often positively affects mental health.

I'm a pretty avid (read: obsessed) gym rat. It's usually the only thing that keeps me sane, haha. But I am at the point where I've been doing it so long (not to mention getting old) that the progress and PR's are coming a lot less frequently now... Doesn't stop me, but also doesn't give me that 'F yeah' feeling that I love so much. I love training though, so that's not my problem.

The college class is a good suggestion. I've always wanted to take a professional welding class...

In reply to golfduke:

Ya know, I almost deleted my post about working out because it seemed to assume you weren't already in good shape.

My apologies.

I totally do that too. Due to your reminder I found two more Miatas locally that I want. An NB special edition and a black NA with hard top. Mix the two and sell the NA without the hardtop? Black hard top on purple car .. might look good.

captdownshift wrote: Well a miata is an effective antidepressant and NAs have it the bottom of the depriciation curve. I see no issue for concern here and prescribe a NA miata. (Please note I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, however I am in a physician waiting room, a specialist in fact, and am using their office wi-fi).

It makes total sense to me. When I had my Miata, I often thought that it should have been prescribed as a remedy for depression. I just could not be happy driving that car with the top down.

golfduke wrote: The college class is a good suggestion. I've always wanted to take a professional welding class...

I highly recommend it because unlike a lot of things, you get immediate gratification in seeing your work result in something. Also, the cross section of society that attends almost certainly has problems that will make yours seem not so bad.

9/10 times i give in and buy something. this is why there are 10 in the driveway, 1 in the garage, and one over at my parents' place.

luckily when i get to 11 or so i intervene myself. i could have brought home 3 LS donor trucks last night for $1500 but resisted. it's hard not to just go grab every rusted out 5.3 2wd $500 truck i see and stack them up to dismantle. maybe when i get rid of the 5 that are slated to go away i can do that.

In reply to patgizz:

Stop hoarding them and getting to dismantling and flipping the drive trains and beds.

I've fallen for retail therapy quite often over the years and I have to fight hard to keep it under control. While I look at cars often, a lack of space keeps me from buying any more. Guitars and bicycles, on the other hand... 2016 has been a fun year. I've added 4 bikes to my quiver and about a half-dozen guitars. I've hit critical mass with the bikes - my living room looks like a high-end bike shop exploded right now. And my guitar room isn't far behind, so I plan to sell off a few. Of course - that hasn't stopped me from looking. There's a late 80's Strat on eBay right now that I really, REALLY want. That said, I plan to sell off a few recent purchases that I don't really play much.

I'm sorry - I wasn't paying attention. I was drawing overland moto routes thru Darkest Peru to the southern tip of South America on Furkot. Now I just need to find the right bike and all the accessories... fake my own death to provide security for my family, and vanish into the wilderness. What were you saying... something about a Miata?

Ian F wrote: I've fallen for retail therapy quite often over the years and I have to fight hard to keep it under control. While I look at cars often, a lack of space keeps me from buying any more. Guitars and bicycles, on the other hand... 2016 has been a fun year. I've added 4 bikes to my quiver and about a half-dozen guitars. I've hit critical mass with the bikes - my living room looks like a high-end bike shop exploded right now. And my guitar room isn't far behind, so I plan to sell off a few. Of course - that hasn't stopped me from looking. There's a late 80's Strat on eBay right now that I really, REALLY want. That said, I plan to sell off a few recent purchases that I don't really play much.

Well, on the sort-of-bright side, most of the cars that I'm looking to buy are SIGNIFICANTLY less money than the relative bikes that I'd be looking to buy, haha.

In fact, with exception to my X3 DD, my mountain bike is the most expensive vehicle/mode of transport in my possession.