5 Reasons Why Supercar Ownership Has Zero Appeal
1. Supercars are no fun
Think about how much fun you have when driving your car. I’m guessing you have fun most of the time because, like me, you probably don’t own a supercar or hypercar. I’m sure a lot of you who do drive, don’t even have anywhere near 200bhp, and you know what? That’s awesome.
The reason why this is awesome is because you get to spank your car’s engine, suspension and chassis pretty hard a lot of the time, and I’m sure that you know what your car’s limits are by now (some of you will have crossed this line too). Now imagine reaching that same threshold of a supercar’s limits. Do it on the road (where the majority of us do 99.9 per cent of our driving), and one of three things will happen - you’ll either crash, you might kill someone and you’ll likely get your license taken by the cops for a very long time. Give me a wheezy MX-5 over a LaFerrari for a fun street hoon any time. The Ferrari I’ll take for that remaining 0.01 per cent of my driving.
2. You'll always be scared to drive it
Supercars and hypercars are fragile, highly strung machines. Their turning circles suck, their doors scrape on kerb stones and their wide bodies make it near-impossible to just flow through traffic. Narrow streets lead to more squeaky-bum moments, visibility is appalling and parking is a mission.
For these reasons, you can’t just jump in and drive to your destination. You need to plan your route, be super alert at all times and keep a very close eye on the speedo. Does that really sound like fun to you?
3. I don't think it's cool to own a supercar
People who own supercars and hypercars are minted, I get that. But why is it that the majority of these owners have zero imagination? Lambos, Ferraris, McLarens, Porsches…these are all factory cars that anyone with money can buy. So why not use the money you were going to pay out on a Ferrari 458 and create something unique and truly incredible? If I had the money for a 458, I’d rather put an LFA engine in an E30 Touring than be another rich guy in a Ferrari.
4. Jealousy from others will cost you big bucks
I can’t even begin to imagine how much trouble it is to find a safe place to park a supercar. Leave it in a bad area for even a few minutes and a massive key scratch could land you with a bill for thousands. For that reason, I’d much rather own a car that looks pretty normal, but that has the potential to embarrass a Ferrari underneath a shabby, less ostentatious skin.
Parking in parking lots and supermarket car parks brings its own issues too, I’m sure. You only need to look at some dented car doors to understand how little people care about their vehicles. And if they don’t care about their own cars, do you think they’ll give a moment’s thought to how much a panel repair on your Lambo would cost? Hell no.
5. I don't believe in status symbols
If you knew me, you’d know that I wear clothes from Primark, cut my own hair and shop at Lidl. It’s not that I’m cheap, it’s just that I see no damn point in paying extra for something that I can get for half the price. And the same goes for cars. Sure, I could have fun in a Ferrari, but that fun wouldn’t ever come close to the fun I do already have in an MX-5 or 20-year-old E36 M3 (a car I don’t consider a status symbol, I just love the look and the engine).
People buy supercars and hypercars not to explore these cars’ limits, but to impress people that they’ve never met. And to me, that’s just sad…
Comments
Ya know, I’d almost hope that I’d crash it so I could actually see a return on the ludicrous insurance prices you’d pay. I can’t imagine what registration fees would be like.. much less affording the sticker price.
What about- “they’re no good as race cars because they don’t fit in any Grassroots classes?”
Cool article! So true, wouldnt change my E46 for any other car.
I don’t agree. They’d be fun to drive, since you would go out of the city. The reason you buy a Ferrari instead of a E30 with a LFA engine is that you want a car that is super refined and awesome to drive.
I’m too tired to even make a counter argument to this, all I can say that I absolutely do not agree.
I would probably buy a 911 Turbo as a daily, some lightweight racy weakend funcar and an RS6 for if i need to tow something or need space. Non of these cars would stay stock though
My first car had 100hp, 2nd one had 300 and my current one 420, next step is 500
I’d buy a supercar because I love it, not as a status symbol. I would love to drive it and I think its a looot of fun ;)
Carthrottle pays you enough to that you could have a Ferrari?
Well then….
I mean you need to now lot of stuff to put an LFA engine in an old E30, ^^
LOL great speech. Yeah, but if there’s 2 cars, an Astek and an One:1, I will pick the One:1 (my dream car, seriously)