You Should Not Have to Choose Between Financial Stability and Your Car Hobby

To be fair, cars can be an expensive hobby, and going into racing can make things extremely expensive. The same goes for project cars, which can put a mighty toll on people. The point is that it is somewhat normal that cars are expensive and that it is not affordable for everyone to do certain things with vehicles.

The problem that I see here is that people have taken things a bit too far on the internet, as that is the place with memes in the first place, and have made it look normal to be in a difficult financial situation because of vehicles.

Now, while it is real that many people have encountered financial difficulties because of owning a vehicle that they could not really afford, I do not think it is a great idea to glorify this behavior.

I am specifically referring to memes that make fun of neglecting your family, your significant other, or someone's general financial stability because of "car parts."

While a teenager who still resides with their parents, but has a job, should be free to spend whatever he/she wants on his car hobby, as does someone making at least six figures a year, those who are in between these situations should consider moderation.

While it may be strange to read something like this on a website dedicated to automotive enthusiasts, hear me out on this one. I, too, have taken all my savings and everything I earned in a month to buy a vehicle. It was my first car, and I was fortunate enough to live with my parents at the time, and I had just saved up what I made at my first job.

As time went on, I had to work harder and save more to be able to buy better vehicles and so on, but that did not help when the fuel price increased, nor when I had to fix things on those vehicles.

Instead, I had to make do with what I had, which meant cutting expenses to a minimum just to afford to fix a car or a motorcycle and keep them running.

While I admire people for being able to make fun of a difficult situation, I do not know how many people who are in a tough spot can take the time and make a meme about how cool it is to make poor decisions regarding vehicles. Or, at least, attempt to make it look like a cool thing to do.

After many years of having debt because of uninspired expenses, I see things with more clarity than ever before, along with the added dash of maturity that comes with the territory. Through that experience, I can say that people, especially young people, should think long and hard about what they are giving up when they decide to spend everything they have on a car or a motorcycle.

There are certain experiences that only work properly when you are young, and I think people should go enjoy those instead of spending everything they have on “building” a car just to look cool on social media. Let's be real here and accept the fact that fitting a few bolt-ons is not "building" and that it may not even be original. Or, if they are at it, maybe stop complaining through memes or stickers?

Now, I am not making a case for going out clubbing and drinking your money and your mind away instead of buying car parts. I am just suggesting thinking things through instead of jumping the gun on wasting money on things like massive wheels just for looks or going for extreme negative camber for the same reason.

The same goes for fitting a turbo kit on a 20-year-old compact car that you can barely afford to fill up and insure. If you do decide to do this, perhaps do not complain about being left without any money for anything except yogurt and ramen after you make do with your part of the rent.

There are many financial traps in this world, which is far from perfect in itself, but thinking through when making decisions that affect you for more than just a couple of days is worth more than the satisfaction of a few likes on a post with a picture of your car.

As I used to say many years ago, but still applies today, "being appreciated does not pay bills or groceries, but I will ask the clerk if I can pay with a few likes."