5 Smarter Purchases Than Balenciaga's $12,500 Pantashoes

Once I started explaining why I bought an RX-7, at least she stopped nagging me about it. And I think my father ultimately understood. An old sports car is the way for someone with a "need for speed" and a limited budget. I understand why someone would buy a brand-new 911 GT3 RS for track use. And I realize that many people get into supercars without ever thinking about pushing them to their limit.

Cars are just a status symbol for them. And I guess buying ridiculously expensive clothes from various brands is kind of the same thing. I tend to avoid designer clothes or anything that costs more than it should. Until today, I have lived a happy life without knowing about Balenciaga Pantashoes. "Panta-what," you might ask. This company created a mix of pants and shoes, but it doesn't stop there.

The Biker Pantashoes is what you'd expect to see on a motorcycle rider, although I don't think anyone in our group would ever wear something like this. Someone might try it out if it wasn't for the ridiculous $12,500 price tag. You might be a millionaire if that doesn't sound strange or expensive. If it does, I can name at least five smarter purchases that would make you much happier in the long run.

Brand New Motorcycle

A $12,500 budget is a decent starting point for buying a new motorcycle. Sure, you can't buy an MV Agusta or the fastest Ducati with it, but plenty of other nice options are on the market. You just need to decide on the type of riding you have in mind and then start writing down the possibilities.

Suzuki's GSX-8R, Triumph's Daytona 660, Yamaha's R7, or Honda's CBR650R would all be fun and easy enough to handle, even if you're not highly experienced. Buying either would still leave you with enough money to ride for the next 10,000 miles or more. If you're keen on some long-distance adventure, you could even walk into a BMW Dealership and buy an F 750 GS or an F 800 GS.

I could list at least a dozen medium-sized motorcycles that cost less than the odd Pantashoes . And your life would be much more exciting riding one than dealing with the drawbacks of imaginary "Haute-couture."

Used Motorcycle, Full Gear, and Maybe Enough Gas for a Year

If buying a new bike means considering over a dozen options, buying a used one opens up a whole new universe. Have you been dreaming about a Suzuki Hayabusa? You can have one if it's older than 2016. How about a Ducati 999? Most of the time that will only eat up just over half of your $12,500 budget.

If you aren't afraid of ending up with a code brown, then by all means, buy a first-gen BMW S1000RR. Otherwise, go for an older Harley-Davidson Street Glide for the all-American Dream experience. As for me, I'd jump straight onto a Triumph Daytona 675i. Even the pristine-looking ones will cost less than $8,000. Spend an extra $2,000 for an Alpinestars GP Tech V4 one-piece suit and another $1,000 for a top-of-the-line helmet.

The boots, gloves, and undersuit will cost another $1,000, and you're all good to go: track days, mountain runs, you name it! I'd like to see anyone who buys the Pantashoes test them at high speeds by hitting the ground. If you plan things right, you could have enough money left to buy gas for a year. And that sounds like a big win to me!

Used Sports Car

As you'd expect, buying a fast car for a $12,500 budget will be more difficult than buying a bike. That doesn't mean you won't have fun with it. But allow me to provide you with some exciting examples. Forget about the Golf GTIs and the Civic Type Rs (even though the Hondas are fun to drive). You can get a first-gen Porsche Boxster for less than $10,000.

You won't be the fastest guy at your local track, but you will be driving a convertible Porsche for less than what it takes to buy the Franken-pants-shoes-thingy. Someone sold his 1994 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra Coupe for $8,000 on a well-known auction platform a few days ago. Working with a 302 ci (5.0-liter) V8 sounds fun if you're into big engines. If you'd rather opt for something more nimble and lighter, why not go for an RX-7?

I hear the first-gen models are awesome to drive (one of my friends prefers the FB over his FD). If you need a turbo, you could try to find an FC Turbo II model. But it won't be perfect. And as strange as this may sound to some of you, $12,500 is enough to get you into the exclusive BMW M3 owner club. (if you don't mind driving a convertible E46 model with around 100,000 miles on the odometer).

Collection of Hot Wheels Cars

This next option might sound strange, but listen to me for a second here. If you've read my previous Hot Wheels stories, you'll know plenty of them could serve as an investment if that's your end goal. With $12,500, I'd focus on a mix of new cars and older models, have them on display for a few years, and then sell them for a profit.

Sure, you might find yourself falling in love with them along the way and deciding against letting them go. With a big budget like this, you could get around 1,000 nice castings and even start your diecast museum. Opting for a larger scale (1/43 or 1/18) would be more expensive, but it would likely be as fun in the long run.

If you can't be bothered with the logistics, just find ten Hot Wheels worth over $1,000 each and hope their value will double in a few years. As silly as this choice may sound, it still makes more sense than buying a pair of Panta-what?

Travel the World

Then there's this approach. Sometimes, it's best to just forget about material possessions and make as many cool memories as possible. For the price of the Pantashoes, you could go on a trip around the world. Of course, the nature of that trip depends on the type of experience you'd like to have. You can fly out to the Greek Islands and spend six peaceful months with some money to spare.

Or you can go on a drift vacation to Japan and slide around for two weeks at Ebisu before returning home. You could start driving if you already have a trusty vehicle or motorcycle at home/riding across the country. Some people choose to move to countries where it's inexpensive to live and make a new life for themselves (Think Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, or maybe even New Zealand!).

If you carefully plan your budget, you can go on the adventure of a lifetime. Choose to document it via video, and you could be on the road to becoming a well-known influencer. Or just ditch all of social media and be one with nature. That way, you won't have to deal with silly fashion creations, so it's a double win.