This is the year | At the Apex

For years now (10 years to be exact), ever since I sold my 1998 Honda Civic, I have been longing to get another fun to drive car. Now I will admit, a 1998 Honda Civic DX isn’t the most powerful or dynamic car to drive, but I had a blast with it either way. Now that I’m a bit older and more financially stable I feel that now is the time. This is the year that I make my dream a reality. This is the year I buy myself a fun, impractical sports car.

Ever since the moment I handed over the keys to my Civic I have had to live vicariously through other people. While I had prioritized buying houses, vans and SUVs for my growing family, other people that I knew hadn’t been in the same position where they needed to sell their ‘fun car’ or their spouses had supported them with their ‘car disease’. I’ve longed to be in a position where I could afford to have a impractical, fun to drive car again. As I’ve mentioned in my 9’s the limit series, I have a larger family now which includes 9 people so I’ll still have the big family vehicle so we can haul the kids around. But this car? This is for me.

There is a certain feeling that I used to get whenever I would sit down in my Civic ready to take it for a drive. Even after 7 years I would still get this calming, excited feeling whenever I got in the driver’s seat. It made me feel special. It made me feel alive! Driving SUV’s with CVT transmissions or minivans just don’t give me that same feeling and I miss it. Mr JWW, one of my favourite YouTubers, says it’s all about “smiles per mile” and that’s the feeling I’ve been missing in my life. That feeling that you don’t need to be going fast to have fun. When even driving to the store puts a smile on your face.

There are a lot of different options I’m considering. I’d like it to have good handling, a decent amount of power and be not too expensive to maintain. I would prefer to keep the purchase price under $15000, ideally closer to $10,000. It needs to be rear wheel drive and have a manual transmission and have aftermarket support. A few of the options I’m considering are:

Mazda Miata
Nissan 350Z
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Scion FRS
Ford Mustang GT
Chevrolet Camaro
Mazda RX-8

Are the kids excited by the possibility of going for a ride in it? Absolutely! If it’s a 4 or 5 seater, they can come with me regularly when I go for a cruise or I can use it when I take them to activities. However, if it’s a 2 seater then it’ll be a lot more rare and be limited to the older kids who don’t need car seats.

To say that I’m excited is a massive understatement. I am absolutely over the moon that my dream will soon become a reality. I can’t wait to share this passion of mine with my family. This is a goal I’ve been working towards for years and I will soon achieve that goal.

This is the year.

What cars would you consider? What options am I missing? Let me know in the comments below!