My first and best car was my 205GTi 1.9, hence my nickname since 1997 hahaha. For me, I'd dreamt of having a GTI and I bought it cash when I passed my test and it was my first dream. I didn't want to drive a crap box personally, I wanted what I wanted... and as it was my first car I wasn't in debt to it. I loved it. Went to shows, met people, was at Max Power show where Jordan sat on it hahaha. Met some great people all enthusiasts and it's an area of my life I miss... just wandering around car shows and something I WILL be getting back into. Track Days, Santa Pod, all things I've not done in a car for years (did bike track days was awesome). I miss the banter and it created epic memories especially my car feature (4 pages) in REVS Magazine no one can take that off me.
For me, I've got my dream house, it's nothing posh or massive but exactly what we need as a family and I plough a lot of money into that now especially as I get older (I'm 48 this year!). I'm not a fan of a lot of new cars especially with the amount of tech and upto buying my SRT8 I'd never ever spent more than £5,200 on a car (my Saab 93 was the most expensive at 5 years old when I originally bought it)... but some of the cars I've had have been fantastic fun... 205GTi, Alfa 147, 350Z Roadster, RX8, Saab 93 Aero Convertible... nothing glamourous here but given me so much pleasure... and for me, I love what I love... I'm not one for buying "badge" or new cars to say look how much I earn or look how posh I am, all of that crap doesn't interest me. I think there is a major element of this nowadays... i.e. I have a good friend for last decade has to have a posh car, not for the love of cars but because it looks good on the drive... however imho most people don't care.... it's money down the toilet.
However, and this is the big thing... if someone gets in debt over a car because they really want that car, experience etc, then I have no problem with that, it's their love/passion and choice... BUT at least they've in my mind bought it for the right reasons. People who buy cars as status symbols like Guci Bags and all that nonsense... for me... I don't egenerally have those people as friends anyway.
I mean right now, I've got my backup car the Xedos 9... only about a dozen left on the road in the UK, worst absolutely nothing 2nd hand now (I paiud £400 in 2014)... BUT she makes me smile because she has something that a lot of modern cars don't have... charactor and a history and for me, a car isn't just a car, it's a love, it's a part fo the family it's memories of family trips etc....
Not sure what the point of my post was, but you know what writing this, it's live and let live... if you're in debt to a car (within reason that you can have a life and everyones levels are different) but you love it... you open the curtains in the morning and you smile... then it IS all worth it...