Do any of you consider your car a form of therapy?

Yes. Taking a nice drive in the country is therapy for me.

 

I hate driving, flying, and walking. I'm looking for a nice quality wheel chair.

 

Though I have wide ranging interests, my TR is currently my only active hobby.

So, early this Sunday morning for me, it's therapy.
No traffic, beautiful summer morning, winding mountain roads for 130 miles to a summit of 7500 feet. It doesn't get much better.

 

Turning a wrench or cleaning up the car is as much or better therapy than driving it. Just me in the garage in the evening, some good music on the stereo. It's how I decompress and relax.

 

Nothing like a ride in the mountains with the top down, the sound of the Tube echoing off the canyon walls.

Works for me.

Life is good.
Life is better driving a Ferrari.

 

I've been trying to figure out how to write off my 328 as a medical deduction.

That flat crank V8 rumble seems to help my digestion.


I do feel better after a spirited drive in the Ferrari.

It's you and the car against the laws of dynamics.
No committees, no review boards, no thumb-fingered klods messing it up in installation, ...

Before the Ferrari, I used to get a similar satisfaction from a day on the target range.

It's like a high school friend who chucked being a lawyer for big pharma, and started building cabinets for a living, so that at the end of the week, he could see that he'd accomplished something.

An antidote for a process-oriented world, just going through the motions.

 

yes (and I have a master's degree in counseling )

 

I had my new F430 spider about 6 months when I went in the hospital for a sore shoulder and walked out 2 weeks later after a quad heart by-pass.

My car was definitely like therapy. I just wanted to get strong enough to take it round the block once. It took me about 3 weeks but i did it (with great pain!). So, for me, it was an inspiration to get stronger and better.

 

I think if I were a guitarist the greatest experience would be to jam with Jimmy Page. But as I am a Design Engineer my idea of heaven is driving and working on my 328.

I always find myself critiquing cars I have owned or worked on before but there is pretty much nothing I would change on the 328 which is why its so enjoyable and rewarding to be involved with it. Like something to aspire to in terms of the perfect design, not only for looks but practicality and maintainability. Designing a car which looks stunning is one thing but also making it possible to see out of, and enabling easy access to everything for maintenance requires genius. Thats what floats my boat!

 

Spot on. I actually wasted a ton of money going through those meaningless stuff (country clubs, boats, drinks) to conclude that nothing beats a destressing drive in a Ferrari. For those contemplating any of those meaningless stuff, my advice is save the money and get a Ferrari. A cool morning drive through tree lined roads in my California is what makes my life a life, away from the matrix system of my work life.

 

YES. VERY much so.

I have a pile of junk I am bringing back from the grave and it is the most relaxing thing I can do even with all the money I have thrown down the Ferrari Rathole and all the skin and blood I have deposited on the garage floor.

Other than my wife and son it is the reason I live for.

 

Absolutely: the 12 cylinders therapy!

 

+1. Except for watching f1/football (preferably alone), I swear I could have written this myself. When I was reading this, I was thinking, Unbelievable. My wife even says the same things about me and I use the same justification for pouring money into my f-car every year.

NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

 

Yes - I love getting in and taking a drive.

 

When I head out in "Gina" Sunday morning I tell the wife I am going out for therapy.

 

I like the thread title

And definitely a yes, no matter what mood I am in, taking the Ferrari for a drive is always right

 

Most definitely.

Here's a new one to try if you're up for it. The track. Do some drivers ed. Some people find it to be a great escape. I can assure you that when you are working your way through the turns, you will not be thinking about anything other than that turn in front of you. It's different than hunting and fishing in that regard.


Therapy? Yes. I come from the track tired and refreshed at the same time. Happy to have had the experience. And not busted the car. It isn't cheap, even without breaking equipment. But I easily rationalize it as therapy.

I love normal drives as well. I'll be using the 456 as my private jet next week, and I just got back from a jaunt over to Palm Beach. I like my time on the open roads.

 

I agree that cars are a fantastic form of therapy and find that each brand provides its own type of enjoyment. My Ferrari is gives a deeply engaging and exciting escape, while my Bentley provides a serene "all is right with the world" experience. My MB CLS fits somewhere in the middle, which makes it the perfect therapy for daily traffic stress. Country club activites are great, but they are "in the moment" and end when you leave. The best thing about automobiles is that after you park and the active therapy ends, you can look in the garage and enjoy unlimited passive therapy!

 

Back in the 90s I went through a real rough stretch where I sought the company of a therapist.

Two things came from those sessions. My therapist suggested I install a hot tub in my backyard and buy a convertible.

I bought a BMW M Roadster (later followed by a Viper and a Ferrari). Going for late night drives with the top down did more for my stress levels than anything else.

 

It's definitely something a "car guy" or girl feels. It comes natural. If I take my 355 to work, I use that drive home to de-stress and forget about the office and my patients. It totally helps me clear my head before getting home to my wife and 8-month old son, who are the other two things that help me relax.

My wife has asked me in the past, "why don't you take the car and have it detailed?" but she has come to realize that it's a form of therapy for me. Like others who have posted, some music and all my detailing paraphernalia is all I need most times. Then I stand there and stare at it when I'm done.

Take it one step further and I'm behind the wheel and the top is down (on my car, not the wife)...there's really nothing that equates to driving for no other reason than for enjoyment. Away from the traffic. Listening to the sound of that V8 over your shoulder. Sure it may cost money to own and operate and care for a 355 or any other Ferrari, but it's worth every penny.

 

After a week of stress from the job, pushing in that Start Engine button seems to make it all go away. Its like an intrevenous drug. Works instantly. Best form of therapy there is. And probably cheaper over the long run than seeing a shrink

 

A spirited drive does wonders.... It leaves a feeling of euphoria with a hint of adrenalin.

Works for me every time when I want to de-stress