Who cares about resale value?!

“Resale Value” and “Car Enthusiast” are two phrases that, in my world, just don’t go together. As a dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast, I couldn’t care less about the resale value of a vehicle. Honestly, I don’t care about the resale value of anything really. My passion for cars extends far beyond mundane considerations like “depreciation”. And I’d happily take the wheel of a seasoned old clunker and savor every twist & turn of the road (even if it occasionally decides to break down)… rather than surrender to the cold calculations of resale value. To me – cars are not just machines, they are an embodiment of pure, unadulterated automotive bliss. But before we embark on this passionate rant…

Let’s ensure we’re generally on the same page…

If you find yourself in the situation of owning just one vehicle (what does that even mean?! lol), then reliability should rightly take a front seat. But that does not mean you can’t still have fun! You just need to adjust the margins a little bit. Additionally – if you learn to read the depreciation curves of vehicles (see below), you can score some great driver’s cars at a bargain… and not be on the wrong side of resale value. But enough with all that, because when it comes to matters of the heart, numbers & sensibility only deserve minimal interference at best.

As Jeremy Clarkson astutely put it…

”It’s what non-car people don’t get. They see all cars as just a ton & a half, two tons of wires, glass, metal, & rubber. And that’s all they see. People like you or I know… we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities… You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s what non-car people don’t get.”

And boy, is he absolutely right. So many casual conversations I have with “normal people” about cars invariably veer towards questions about resale value and/or reliability. I often hear remarks like, “Well, this [insert manufacturer and model here] holds its value so well.” But to be perfectly blunt, I couldn’t care less. I’m past that. Because look…

For true obsessed car enthusiasts…

A vehicle isn’t just a commodity. Rather, it’s an extension of our very being. The embodiment of our passion. And we form genuine connections with these mechanical marvels. Iconic cars of the past & present didn’t just happen by coincidence. Rather, they were a victory against complacency & the bean-counters. And they were tirelessly crafted and fought for by engineers, designers, & drivers with uncompromising passion for the automobile. The culmination of which (ie: what they were pursuing through “wires, glass, metal & rubber”)… is deep in the DNA of that particular car. So when you fire the ignition, grip the steering wheel, put it into gear, and press-down on the accelerator… there is an energy or kindred spirit that is translated across landscapes, languages, & generations. And in that moment, we feel what the car’s creators felt. It’s intimate, it’s telepathic, it’s time travel, it’s impactful. In other words, it’s more than metal. You either speak the language… or you don’t.

I genuinely hope you do… and/or hope that you learn to.

Because there is a fundamental difference between transportation… and driving. And I hope you get to experience it. It’s a difference where resale value & sensibility don’t really play much into the equation. But the tradeoff is much, much more rewarding & exhilarating.

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