How much is too much to spend on a car? At my age if you can't afford to write a check for it you can't afford it
In my youth i.e. the late 80's and early 90's I was into car stereo competitions. I had a 1994 Acura Integra GSR as the base (boy that was a fun little vehicle) for my systems. I literally threw tens of thousands into equipment, all so I could have a bumping system and win plastic trophies. I came from a 1969 Camaro that was beat up, but still functional. Eventually someone wanted my stuff more than I did, and they stole it all. Ironically the night they did was 9/11/2001 because when I gave the police report the next morning the second plane hit the second tower.
As I started adulting in my 20's and 30's I saved money and started thinking about the future. In my early 30's I had a bunch of heart issues, and I developed a screw it attitude and bought my first sportbike, a Kawi ZRX-1200R. I started running with the sportbike crowd, and eventually leading weekend rides into the alphabets of Wisconsin at speeds such that law enforcement wouldn't even try to stop us, they'd just wave their arms to slow down. I switched to a Ninja ZX600R and flogged the heck out of it on the backroads and some track days. Eventually kids I know started dying off from the inevitable accidents that pushing too much on the streets causes, and I sold the bike. The woman I was with had a 250 Ninja, and she also sold it because it wasn't fun any more without me.
I went through a few Ford trucks after that, and then a couple Ford Edges, a Sport and an ST. I married that woman, and spent the next years building wealth and getting out of debt. My motto now is "don't pay interest, collect it". My wife got tired of driving cheap vehicles and bought a loaded RX350 in 2023. Interestingly, she traded in a 2020 Hyundai Veloster N, which she bought because it was bright red and then that awesome exhaust burbling out the back. I actually drove the heck out of it on the back roads a few times myself, it was fun for an old man.
Enter me in my mid 50's. I had always wanted an X5 since I saw one back in 2021, but the cost was too high. This past year I had a lot of stuff going on, my older brother succumbed to lung cancer, and being an ultramarathoner now I had some big races. Big races are very stressful, every day is training and it's tiring. But I ran the numbers, and decided to build an X5 and make it how I wanted. Granted it's only an xDrive 40i and not an M, but I was able to write a check for it without upsetting our financial balance.
My wife and I get a lot of crap because we are childless, but we take nice vacations. Next year is Antarctica, and it's pretty expensive for 3 1/2 weeks. I still think that maybe I should have gotten an M and just financed the balance, but maybe next time.
The X5 is the first vehicle in a long time I have just walked out into the garage at night with a beer and looked at. I walk around it a bit, sit inside it and maybe make a few setting adjustments. I have only had it a week. I love it. I love the ride, the steering, the M-sport exhaust when I pass a car at 85 MPH on my way home from work.
I think people should pursue their hobbies with great zeal, even if they are somewhat expensive, as long as you aren't hurting yourself or your loved ones. Like I tell my workaholic boss, whoever lies on their deathbed and thinks "I was I had worked more, and had less fun".