A Question for the Older Guys

Sincere, honest advice:

You need a girlfriend.

Really.

I'm feeling sorry for you. Unless you're jerking us around ( like with your business address etc).

 

You have too much time on your hands to think of all that.

 

...or alone.

 

How much per foot do units in that building sell for?

 

when i was 14+ wow all i thought about were ferrari's..but seriously..once i got to around 19-20 i toned down..i still think about them daily..and I still imagine im driving a 360 whenever I drive my honda..but you have to get your priorities straight..my goal is to get an Fcar by the time im 50...right now im working my butt off and hoping to get a benz in a year or so.

Little steps my friend..little steps

 

With that kind of sensible approach/attitude, you might just get your F-car sooner than you think. I too aimed for 50, and I was fortunate to own at the tender age of 36. Good luck to you.

 

CD Allen, Hi, Im Dave, I'm a HUGE fan of your antics on Dallas Metropolis forums.

I'm so honored to have a chance to talk to you here, every time I want to ask you a question over there, I have to try to figure out your new user name, because you are constantly getting banned from their site and creating new identities.

Anyway, can I ask how the Ferrari and the Turtle Creek addictions fit in with your "CD Allen Ministry?"

 

EZ, Dave...
And what the h3ll does this mean??

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You are 19 years old, you are barely even an adult. You have no clue what you have left. Ultimately, one day by following your obseesion you may have a Ferrari, but it sounds like it will be at the cost of every fulfilling thing life has to offer. You're young, I hope you grow out of this, you will be a lonely old man otherwise, the ones that school kids are afraid of and throw rocks at your house.

 

Nothing is wrong with dreaming but don't stop everything else in your life. Your dream involves a lot of money to pay for. You need to work really hard to get all the money to pay for those. It can take years. At the end, you might find out that it's not really what you want. May be 10, 20 years from now when you got your condo and Ferrari, your life is still empty... I know many guys work really hard and buy everything that he wanted when he was young... then sell them all because it didn't make him happy as he thought .... enjoy life as for now...

 

They are just cool cars! ... nothing more or less.

Pete

 

The more I look on modern society, the more respect I have for cultures that imposed the "rite of passage": requiring young people to overcome a challenge before declaring them adults. Compare that to a culture that objects to even requiring kids to pass a test to graduate from school, then turns them out, terrified of any process where the results aren't guaranteed.

Hint: Politicians lie. They're lying when they say they can take care of people, when they say they can make all "bad things" go away, etc. Your life is your problem. Leave it to others, and you'll get the left-overs.

Nobody can give you confidence. That's something you create for yourself.

The best advice I can give you is:

[size=+3]Go build something.[/size]

Nothing builds confidence like taking on a challenge and succeeding.

And when you have the physical results in front of you to admire, it's a direct reward. (I had a friend who dropped his law practice to build cabinets, for that more direct sense of accomplishment.)

It sounds like you want a Ferrari as a trophy of accomplishment -- but what you want more is accomplishment itself.

Restore an old TR-6 or 1500 Spitfire or Fiat 124. You'll have more pride in a car you brought back to life than in a simple purchase.

Heck, you're the lucky generation: If you get stuck, the Internet is loaded with help -- some of it even accurate. Back in my day, I had to guess (and hope the brakes would work).

 

I say don't give up your dream. I bought my first Ferrari, a 308 GTS, with no help from anyone. I went out and busted my ass and saved every cent I made in the first 3 years in the military. I ate at the chow hall to save every penny. On my 24th birthday, I paid cash for my 308. Its obtainable, no matter what someone else thinks.

 

Well said!

 

I don't intend this as a personal attack. It's advice. Kid, get a life.

What do I mean by that? There is absolutely nothing wrong with having dreams and hopes and desires. That's what motivates us and keeps us going. But you need to put things in perspective. Unless you are Paris Hilton or some other kid of rich parents, chances are you are going to have to earn the money yourself to get what you want. What you should be thinking about now is how to do that, not what you want to spend the money on.

If you're not extraordinarily talented in music or race car driving or something else that you can make big bucks in without a formal post-high school education, you should be seriously working on getting the best education you can and getting the best grades you can. Or you should be figuring out how to go into a business for yourself where you can build something up and make a lot of money. You can't spend the money before you have it. And if you don't have a legal way to get it now, you should be worrying about how you're going to earn the money, not about the Ferrari.

Also, as far as lacking a social life, you should be working on that too. Don't expect to rely on a car to get you dates. You don't need no stinkin' car to get dates. Just don't be a wise guy, be honest, be a decent person, and you'll meet plenty of women. In the meantime, work on figuring out how to earn a living -- it helps to be able to pay for dinner when you do go out on a date.

Good luck, think big, but be smart and work out a strategy for your life and you'll get what you want.

____________________________________
"How petty one's dreams must be to have actually achieved them."

 

One other suggestion -- go get some counseling. You have a serious issue with self-esteem (that whole day dream about showing up a guy who stole your fantasy girl by driving a hot car tells a deep psychological story). Why didn't you every go after the girl in the first place? My guess -- fear.

Fear is the biggest impediment to success in anything you do in life. If you believe you will fail, you will. If you believe you can't succeed, you will not even get started. Fear is the root cause of self-loathing and lack of self-confidence. Learning to recognize and conquer your fears can change your life. You need to get over your fears, believe in yourself, learn to dream big, and then go out and work your a$$ off to get what you want. And don't go for any of those "get rich quick and easy" schemes. The only one who makes money on those things is the person selling them. There is NO substituted for believing in yourself and hard work.

Enough preaching. Now stop whinning and go out there and do something about it. You're young and your life is in your hands. What are you going to make of it?

 

DGS has a good suggestion. Many of us started small. There are a lot of affordable tiny exotics out there. Alfa Romeo is one of my favorite. Lancia is another. An older Alfa, especially pre-1968, will have an exotic aluminum twin cam engine, weber carbs, 5-speed (depending on model), well located rear axle, and a blast to drive. They are very much like mini-Ferrari's, but parts are fairly affordable. Even the later models with Spica injection are a blast, but the earlier cars are easier to work on. Pre-FIAT Lancias (pre-1968) are little exotic jewels, too, but are harder to find. I started out on British cars, and there are a number of fun cars to pick from. I"m partial to Lotus and TVR, which have more advanced engineering than the Standard and BMC cars (MG's, Sprites, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, etc.) I bought my first fun car when I was your age, and I still have it - a 1960 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite. Being knowledgeable about cars and being able to work on them yourself will go a long way to Ferrari ownership, but it takes years to learn. You should learn on more affordable cars.

Oh, and of course listen to what others here have said - get a good education and work hard at making a living. I remember being your age - it's scary out there. It takes time to establish yourself. In the mean time, enjoy life.
Good luck.

 

Enjoy the lusting after a Ferrari. When you finally get one you'll understand that it's really just a car. It has four wheels. It goes in the direction you point it and when it's your first one, it creates all kind of tension about not getting it dirty, or dinged or vandalized. A Ferrari stuck in traffic is just another car parked on the freeway, going nowhere real fast.

The anticipation is really much greater than the actualization.

Having said that, it's pretty cool to have one, or more if you can, but it's hard to do chores in a Ferrari.

 

Great post and what kids are not been bought up anymore to understand. Even my kids are not getting the message ... errrr. One of my steps sons always wants the finest and best of anything when he dabbles in that interest/sport and gets upset with me when I suggest he walks before he runs, and thus starts with modest equipment and learns the skills first.

Wake up and smell the roses kids, accomplishing something is where it is at ... not buying flashy cr@p. Also the flashy cr@p does not make you look good ... the complete opposite.

Pete

 

I am similar to you in that I have lived and breathed cars since I was a teenager. I've used that lust to my advantage to make me more ambitous and a harder worker than I would have been otherwise. That lust also cost me a marriage.... so you have to keep everything in perspective.

On the life:
I can't agree with the other posters enough.

GET AN EDUCATION. And in a real field (no basketweaving.) Sure you can "make it" without the skills or education, but it's a lot lower percentage.

Have a plan. I know folks that wanted to be self-made millionaires by 30 and drove relentlessly towards that goal, sacrificing EVERYTHING else in their life. I wasn't willing to do that (nor am I now)... I enjoy "living" too much.

Take educated risks. You can stay in the same job forever or you can continually look at your options. All of the other options have higher risks (and higer rewards) than the status quo.

After gaining a skill and some experience, consider opening your own business. You'll never be rich working for someone else. (If only I could follow my own advice here...)


On the cars:

Learn to work on you own cars by restoring and driving a classic car yourself.

Go to a high performance driving school.

Learn to drive a slow car fast.

THEN you'll REALLY appreciate a Ferrari... and the actual ownership might even be more pleasurable than the THOUGHT of ownership. (It so rarely is with most cars.)

I'm 39 and have owned a couple hundred cars. At any point in the last 10 years I could have sold a dozen cars or so and bought an inexpensive Ferrari. I wasn't willing to sacrifice variety for quality.

I worked my way up starting with Corvairs and little British cars... through Cadillacs, Jags, Lotus, Mercedes, etc... preparing myself technically and experience-wise for classic Ferrari ownership. I wanted to do more than just write a check... and so far my choices have proven to be good ones.

Good luck with your choices!
Bill

 

Amen. Listen to this man, he knows what he is talking about (take a look at his profile). A big part of me says having a dream is more fun than turning it into reality. Use that dream as motivation to succeed in life, and I think you'll be very happy. And like everyone else has recommended - get out and enjoy the world! Hit on every girl you see if you have to, you're bound to find one that's interested! I'd bet most single people with expensive cars would give them up in a second to be in a happy relationship.