I’m not one to spend money frivolously. Sure, I don’t mind dropping some coin on nice things occasionally, but when it comes to large purchases, I evaluate every aspect – value, practicality, depreciation, etc. – before committing. Growing up poor helped me to learn the value of money and gave me an appreciation for spending frugally. As a result, I often delay large purchases for days or even weeks, so I can research the value and practicality before committing. However, this week, I did something way outside my normal comfort zone.
I bought a Corvette.
As a kid, I could only dream of fancy sports cars. Even before I could drive, I dreamed of climbing in my own Vette, top down, radio up, flying down the open road. It’s a juvenile desire, to be sure, but one that never left me. If I’d had the money back then, I would have bought one, and it would have been practical. Two seats? No kids yet – no problem. Bad gas mileage? At under a buck a gallon, no problem. No storage space? I didn’t own anything back then – no problem. But now, with three kids, a mortgage, gasoline approaching four bucks per, a two-seat adrenalinemobile is the furthest thing from practicality for me.
And yet a sleek, shiny Corvette sits in my garage.
It’s not as if this was an impulse buy. For a while, probably six weeks or so, I’ve been looking into buying a Vette. After spending the last year or so saving up to build up my cash reserves for my consulting business, I decided that a reward was in order for surpassing my goal. I figured out how much I was willing to spend, and then researched how much car could get for my money. In the end, I settled on an older Corvette in exceptional shape. I found a two-owner 1992 coupe, with 45,000 miles in immaculate condition. I actually settled on the deal with the seller over a week ago, but I had two out-of-town trips and we were only able to meet up again yesterday to transfer the title and such.
The kids already love the car. Kaylee rode from the midcities with me as I drove it home, and I’ve taken both of the boys (Evan twice!) for a ride. It’s a bummer that I can only take one of them at a time, but again, practicality wasn’t the primary goal with this purchase.
Driving this beast will almost certainly be an occasional luxury. I’m keeping my Explorer as my daily driver, and will reserve the Vette for weekends and such. It’s taking some getting used to – I’m accustomed to the ride and luxury of newer cars, and getting acquainted with the feel, sounds, and smells of a 22 year old sports car is going to take some time. But still, no buyer’s regret – I’m very glad I bought it, and I hope it’ll be fun for years to come.
And if nothing else, this allows me to cross off “Own a Corvette” from my bucket list.
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