There are those who decry sports car ownership as poor decision-making.  They maintain the limitations in functionality, high maintenance and insurance costs, and other factors make owning a sports car a poor move.  They don’t understand the value of purchasing a sports car and will espouse the numerous virtues of more “reasonable” choices.

Even if one were to concede their arguments, however, it would not degasify sports car ownership.  What those who critique the logic underlying sports car purchases fail to recognize is the residual value of hobby entertainment.  They perceive automobile value as being found in quantifiable terms such as cost, fuel efficiency, available space and average maintenance costs.  They fail to value beauty, character and fun into their decision-making calculus.

Although a more expensive than crossword puzzles or knitting, sports car ownership is a hobby.  It is not just an automobile decision.  Instead, sports car ownership is part of a hobbyist lifestyle.  One can find great satisfaction in a hobby.  Grown men spend countless hours with model trains and planes.  Others spend their spare hours in workshops building chairs and tables. Some opt for a comfortable chair and a well-read library of classics.  Hobbies are attractive to all of us, and the sports car hobby offers unique appeal.

Sports car ownership creates the chance to spend your spare time doing something you enjoy.  As an alternative to watching television or spending spare time aimlessly, a sports car is hard to beat.  One can spend their time caring for the vehicle, learning more about it and its history and, of course, driving it.

Driving the sports car is really the core of the hobby.  There is nothing that compares to sailing down winding roads in a precision machine that responds perfectly to your every whim.  Sports car driving can be said to represent the perfect merger between man and machine and can create a thrilling experience unlike any other.  The entertainment value of driving a great sports car cannot be quantified, yet it still must be considered when one analyzes the decision to purchase a high-performance automobile.

Sports car ownership also creates an opportunity to develop and enjoy an extended social network of likeminded enthusiasts.  Sports car fans band together in clubs, attend fun functions, and socialize in a variety of other fashions.  One doesn’t just buy an automobile when they invest in a sports car.  They also come into possession of a developed social network filled with people who certainly share some of their interests and may share much of their outlook on life.  Sports car ownership isn’t just about the driving.  It is about forging relationships with others as well as growing acquainted with the car itself.

There are, of course, more practical automotive choices than a sports car.  You can find more reliable vehicles.  You can invest in a more spacious and comfortable car.  Fuel efficient and functional alternative abound.  None of these options, however, create a hobby.  It is that intangible hobby value that separates sports cars from the pack.  No other vehicle offers quite the same collection of benefits and joys.

Cars merely provide transportation.  Sports cars, on the other hand, provide thrills, fun and unique opportunities.  When one assesses these intangible benefits, it’s not hard to see why so many drivers eschew generic sedans and practical station wagons and instead opt to slide behind the wheel of high-performance sports cars.

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