Cha Cha Cha Changes in Car Taste

Our taste in pretty much everything changes over time. The type of music we listen to, the types of food we enjoy, the types of women we date, and of course – the types of vehicles we want to drive and be seen in around town. We all have that car or two that will have a special place in our heart regardless of our age, but it’s interesting to see how our taste in cars changes as we grow older.

Our First Ride

Of course when we are in our early teens, we want a nice car, but we’ll settle for just about anything our parents are willing to give us or help us purchase. My first car was in late high school, and it was a 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R, which was somewhat of a sleeper car back in the day. This was an okay car for an 11th grader, but I had a friend who had it much worse than myself. His vehicle was purchased for him by his father… a bottle of Jack Daniels is what it cost them. The vehicle was… (drum roll)… this thing:

1975 AMC Pacer

Yeah, it wasn’t a pretty sight, but it got him from point A to point B while turning more heads than an exotic sports car. Another friend was lucky enough to have an old MG that his grandfather gave him. It was in rough condition, but it did its job and managed to get him a bit of action. Given the… *ahem* age and type of vehicle, insurance was rather inexpensive for him. If you’re going to drive a car like this, you need to have *some* perks.

Fast & The Furious Style

These first vehicle purchases hold us over for the remainder of high school and college, and despite expensive tuition, we are able to upgrade our vehicles. For me, this was also the time that Fast & The Furious was a few years old now and there were ricer boys around every street corner. You had rusty old Honda Civics with fart can mufflers and gigantic win spoilers. I would like to think that I had better taste than most of my fellow class mates.

Because I consider myself a simple person, I was able to purchase my dream car in my college years. It was a 1974 Datsun 260Z, to be modified at a later date. Now, I had mentioned that our tastes change except that car or two that will have a special place in our heart. This Datsun Z happens to be that vehicle. Doesn’t matter how old I am, the Datsun is a car I will always want to own. The lines of the vehicle are just too sexy and timeless. The price was right, was in great condition, and she was mine.

Practicality & Functionality

By the time college is over, we are already starting to think about practicality – not because we want to, but because we have to. At this point in time, we are pretty much broke because we paid for our way through college/university, have crazy student loans to pay off, or spent too much money on trying to have the “sickest” ride. So now, we need a vehicle that is fuel efficient yet still large enough to haul things or friends around in. Some of us may even need a sedan because a little accident happened during one of those college parties and now they are experiencing parenthood. Whatever the reason, the tricked out rides phase should be over or at least on its way out.

Practicality & Functionality In Style

Five years or so after college and lots of juggling through jobs to find something you truly enjoy (which most of us never will), you are finally on a career path you want to follow. If things are going according to plan, you now have some disposable income to play around with. Now you have tough decisions on where to spend your hard earned money. You are still young and stupid, so you want that fast car again but the other part of you is telling you to purchase a condo or home and to think long term. I don’t know about you, but I went with the town home and a Nissan Altima. Hey, it may not be the most stylish, but it’s a decent vehicle. At this stage in your life, you want a vehicle that is comfortable and offers luxuries. If your income is larger, chances are that you’ll be looking at luxurious German brands or the higher end Japanese brands.

Luxury & Style

Grey BMW 7-Series

You are now established and have young children. We’ll just say that things are going pretty fantastic, and at this stage in your life, you want to be pampered (who doesn’t?). Now you are looking at mid-size luxury vehicles or SUV’s, and you are also playing with the idea of either getting a weekend sports car or perhaps starting a project car. You want luxury but you also want to be reminded of the past. When I reach this stage in the future, I will likely go back to my Datsun Z and make it the way I have always imagined it would be.

After this stage in your life, the garage is your playground and you can do whatever the hell you please. You are hopefully able to purchase new luxury vehicle or something old and completely custom. Of course I am talking about the perfect life here and everything going to plan. This would be the path that I would ideally want for me. What about you guys? How has your taste in vehicles changed? I still tried to keep my “dream” here realistic by not talking about my hopes of purchasing a Ferrari or Lambo. And my mid-life crisis will not involve any type of motorcycles!

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eddie

Eddie is a writer covering men's lifestyle topics for Unfinished Man. With a business degree and passion for writing, he provides reviews on the latest cars, gadgets, and other interests for today's man. Eddie crafts entertaining and informative articles aimed at helping readers live their best lives.

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