[baege]

Given the direction newer cars are going, turbos, fewer manuals, heavier and bigger, I find myself considering older cars to feed my automotive ADD.

The r8 v10 gen 1 gated is a car I've been intrigued by for a while.
I've also always had a thing for e86s, my 2007 SI being the car I've owned the longest of any car.

So in the last couple years or so I've test driven a three R8 v10 gated coupes, and 2 e86 m's and one SI.

What I've noticed is that all they all felt a little "old" when I got back into my newish car (a 2020 BMW M2 comp). the R8's were 2 2012's one with 44000 km, one with 30000 km, and a 2014 with 30000 km. The e86's were all 2007's all with between 40000 and 60000 km. They all felt older in that the interiors showed wear and they all felt a little "loose" in terms of the way they drove. Some of them had particular issues (the 2014 R8 sounded kind of off, didn't have the epic throttle response that v10 normally has, the 2007 Si had strange throttle response and rode rough). But overall that they just all felt "old".

Growing up I always had older cars (anywhere from 5 to 10 years old), until my early 30's when I bought my first new car a 2003 350Z. Since that 350Z, all my cars have alll been brand new or at most 2 years old. I am starting to think I've become accustomed to the tightness and "newness" of newer cars and won't be happy with anything older.

This is starting to make me think I should just focus on newer cars, 3 years old at most, and give up on the search for an older car.

Curious if others have come to a similar realization.