Any Tractor Guys Into Sports Cars Too?

[N80]

I've driven 4x4 trucks all of my life. In fact, up until recently I have never had anything, in 30 plus years of driving, but a 4x4 as my primary vehicle/ daily driver.

Well, a year or so ago I got my wife a used Infiniti G35x sedan (also 4wd ). Compared to our previous average sedans or cross overs it was a real revelation in terms of performance and driving experience. So when my 17 year old daughter commandeered my 03 F150 I began looking for a daily driver and got a high mileage 06 Infiniti G35 coupe with the 6 speed manual and sport package. And while some might claim this isn't a true sports car, well, it is. It is too heavy but it has 300 bhp, 19" forged rims, large antisway bars, stiffer springs, rough ride and all that. It seems most happy at 5000 rpm (and it underneath it is the same as a 350Z with a few extra inches of wheel base). Anyway, I love it. I've made trips to the mountains to drive on twisty roads. I'm hoping, if I can ever find the time, to take it to the track for a weekend.

So do we have any other tractor and truck driving guys that are also into sports cars? (Not really talking muscle cars so much, but there's a lot of overlap these days.)

[N80]

Here are a couple of pics:






Looks pretty.....much like a midlife crisis doesn't it?

[beppington]

I always loved fast cars & even sport bikes, but somehow at age 42 seem to have finally scratched that itch. I guess I had my "mid-life crisis" between 16 & about 35.

I've owned 3 Mustangs (not really a sports car I guess), '86, '93 & 2000 convertible, & 3 sport bikes: A Yamaha FZR600 and 2 different Honda CBR900RR's. I took the 2nd CBR out to a long, straight road with no driveways, tucked beneath the little fairing & pinned the throttle & needle ... 173 mph. Kinda scary to think back now that my life was hinging on that skinny little rubber front tire

[dmccarty]

I sorta, kinda, grew out of sports cars. I had a Z28 in my younger years and managed to mostly stay out of trouble in the car. Somehow.

Given some of the training I have received over the years, as well as job experience, driving fast cars, while still a temptation, has ebbed. A bit. Sorta. Kinda.

The curvy, hilly roads I drive on the way to and from work are a temptation. A big temptation.

Since I need a truck, I drive a truck. The F350 SRD 7.3L with a six speed, tipping the scales at 7,300 pounds empty, helps me control my sport car temptations.

I also did not renew my Car and Driver subscription.

I have NOT outgrown my tractor.

Later,
Dan

[CinderSchnauzer]

I did the muscle car thing in the 60 / 70's - 327 Chev, 409 Chev, 426 Hemi.

By the 80's it was time to give sport bikes a try. Had a couple of 1100's - one of which hit 148mph before I gave up and blinked. Got rid of that when the younger boy started saying "I could ride your bike Dad"

For the 90 / 00's it was Corvettes - 84 hardtop, 1993 40th anniversary and 2003 50th anniversary roadster. Smoked the tires and had great fun with the 84. By the time I got the 03 - drove it like a little old lady for 7K miles in 8 years.

Don' see any more speed toys for the future.

[beppington]

Oh, yeah, I did buy a 1990 Corvette ZR1 off eBay. Kept it for only about a year. That suspension was so rough it just wasn't fun to me. Had ~40K miles on it & was kind of a rattle trap already. And while that small, super-tight cockpit was cool as heck to sit in the first time ever, it didn't take many miles to start to feel like, "OK, there is no room to move in this darn thing." Great for staying in your seat around fast corners, though.

[JDL538]

I have had corvettes since I was 18 a 1960, since then 5 other vettes now driving a 06 conv.. best one by far.
Have also owned Street Rods a 33 and 34 Fords and a 37 chev sedan all have been fun and the kids love them to.

I made some good money on the rods owned them at the right time and some of the vettes were also money makers, but mostly they are just for fun I am 65 now and they always put a SMILE on my face when I pack up my wife and take off for a run. The vette is so fast its hard to believe. 6 speed.
ALSO HAVE BEEN IN A HOT ROD CLUB FOR ALOT OF FUN TIMES, club started in 1956 one of the oldest around from Cincinnati. The Hilltoppers.

[johnrex62]

Considered it, but couldn't find one that runs R4s or has a FEL.

[om21braz]

As much as I like the looks of those type autos (G35, IS350, 335i) I'll have to settle for a stint with a Honda CBR954RR as my performance fix. They've come a long way from the muscle cars of the 60's. They have straight-line and curvy road ability now.

[N80]

Wow, most of you guys are growing out of sports cars while I'm growing in. I don't think this will be an obsession for me and I don't think I'm going to spend much money. However, it is a real revelation to drive a machine that was made for driving. Such a huge difference over typical cars....I had no idea....but it is intoxicating.

I'm not into drag racing at redlights or pushing the top end. But on sufficiently twisty roads you can have a lot of fun at what sounds like very mundane speeds.

I would also have to admit that on this particular car the exhaust note is fabulous. Not brash or particularly loud, just a deep growl. I never listen to the radio.

The ride on this car is very harsh. 19" rims with 40 aspect ratio tires don't help...you feel every expansion joint and reflecter. Springs are stiff too. But its worth it.

As one auto writer once wrote: every aspect of a car that makes it good on the track makes it miserable as a daily driver. Its true, but this car walks that fine line pretty well.

So no Porsche, BMW M3, MX-5, RX-8 or Z car owners out there?