You have a dream car. You know you do. What would you do to own it? Would you suffer the indignity of buying a car in a color you don’t love, or with an automatic instead of a manual if it means you can get one in your budget? I have lived on both sides of this decision. My Porsche 996 Turbo was a cheap track rat with some pretty big flaws when I bought it, and my Dodge Neon ACR is maybe the best example of the car in the world. Is it better to settle for a great example of a cheap car or a cheap example of a great car? It’s Friday, you’re not doing shit at work today, let’s have a conversation.
Ex-Hoonigan Vinny posed the question (admittedly in a slightly higher tax bracket than mine) on YouTube today and it got me thinking. He wanted to know if his $50,000 old-man-tan Ferrari 360 with F1 gearbox was a better driving experience than an extremely nice face-lifted first-generation Acura NSX with a stick. There are plusses and minuses to both, but there’s definitely something to be said for having a Ferrari V8 singing away behind you instead of a raspy Honda V6. Watch his video above for his take on the subject.
My Neon ACR is a vision in one-of-a-handful Lapis Blue and period-correct white Regamaster-style wheels. This car was given a full bare-metal respray recently, and the engine was swapped for a naturally aspirated PT Cruiser 2.4-liter that makes a smidge over 200 horsepower at the wheels. I bought it for $7,500 and it needed absolutely nothing when I got it home. It’s needed nothing in the last year, aside from an oil change. It was expensive for a Neon, but I could swing it.
A couple of years ago I bought a slightly rough 996 Turbo with just 80,000 miles on the odometer for a reasonable $35,000. I had to stretch my budget to make this one happen, and it was hardly perfect, but I’ve wanted a 996 Turbo since they were new. This car still really gets my blood pumping as a “regular guy’s 959” it really serves the power up in an exciting way. This particular car was a track machine for most of its life. It’s been converted to rear-wheel drive and big turbos have upped the power to somewhere in the realm of 600 ponies. In the time I’ve owned this car I have had to invest thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars to make it nice again. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, as it was a Seal Grey car with some dings and dents and a boring grey interior, but it got me into my dream car.
Both cars deliver extremely different experiences at very different price points. Would you rather compromise to get your dream car, or settle for something that still makes you happy, but isn’t the love of your life? Would you buy a $50,000 Ferrari? I couldn’t choose, so I got both. Sound off in the comments below and we’ll have a healthy and rousing debate.