Keeping It in Perspective: 5 Pros and Cons of Owning a Sports Car

Owning an exotic sports car might be on your bucket list. If you’ve never owned one, you should know what you are getting into. They are beautiful cars with eye-popping power under the hood, but they involve more dedication than the average daily driver. It is important to keep it in perspective when you are ready for a new car, especially if that new car is an exotic sports car.

Pros of Owning a Sports Car

1.    Outstanding performance

Exotic sports cars are designed for speed and performance. They have technology that is too powerful for daily drivers. It is commonplace for sports cars to reach speeds over 170 MPH and some can go 100 MPH faster than that.

Along with outstanding speed, sports cars handle like no daily driver. The standard version can turn on a dime at rates of speed that no daily driver could handle. And, if the standard performance isn’t enough, many exotic cars have a high-performance model that offers even more in terms of handling and speed.

When it comes to driving a sports car to the fullest of its ability, you can’t just take it out on the highway. So, to make the most of owning a sports car, you should have a place to take it when you feel the need for speed. Having a local speed track nearby is a necessity, or a wallet with unlimited funds for all of the speeding tickets you will get if you push the pedal to the metal on the nearest Interstate.

2.    Pride of ownership

When you drive a sports car, people notice you. When your sports car is an exotic one, your car and you, the driver, stand out from the crowd. In some communities, there might only be a handful of exotic sports cars. Once you hold the title to an exotic sports car, you become part of an elusive club of people who have invested in them. In your community, you might be the only person who is in the club, but around the world, you are not alone.

Because exotic sports cars are so rare, you will be noticed when you are out and about with it. People will want to talk to you. Drivers might want to race you at stoplights. When you fill up with gas, people will ask you questions about your car. Even though you have an exotic sports car in your garage, most people do not have them, so they are anomalies that people want to understand.

With their style, speed, performance, and luxury, these beautiful cars make their owners very happy. That in itself is one perfect reason to own a beautiful and rare exotic sports car, even if you are the only person in your community to have one.

3.    Investment opportunity

There is no doubt that exotic sports cars are investments. Most cars depreciate the moment that you drive them off the lot, but not an exotic. Many of them actually appreciate in value annually and continue to appreciate as time goes on, especially if they are maintained properly.

Part of the benefit of owning an exotic car is that so few of them are made. Even though there are only so many people who can afford to buy an exotic car, there is more demand than supply, so the value of some cars increases dramatically. Some cars increase in value by more than 10% annually.

4.    Art on four wheels

Whether you drive your exotic sports car or you park it in a well-kept garage, exotic cars are beautiful. In the eyes of car lovers, exotic cars are pure art. The beautiful angles, curves, and lines are unique to the automotive industry. No other automobiles look like exotic cars and designers spend painstaking hours making sure that every little piece of the car is precise and deliberate.

For car lovers, owning an exotic car is the equivalent of owning a classic piece of art by a famous painter or sculptor.

5.    Can be customized

When you order an exotic car, the manufacturer or dealership will customize the car to the buyer’s specifications. Buyers can decide if they want a hardtop or a convertible. They can pick the color and the engine size – if there is a choice to be made. There are often options regarding the interior with main colors and accent colors. Buyers can also choose the design of the wheels.

Most manufacturers have some options that buyers can choose. The options can only be selected when a buyer orders a brand new exotic car.

Cons to Owning a Sports Car

1.    Expensive to maintain

Exotic sports cars are some of the most expensive automobiles to buy and they are also incredibly expensive to own. From repairs to car insurance, everything about exotic cars is expensive. Considering that the cars have such a high price tag, it is expected that the parts have the high price tag, too. And, as the cars are limited in production, so are the parts.

So, when an exotic car needs repair, it can take more time than a typical daily driver. Even getting an oil change takes time. Fortunately, most people who have an exotic car have several other cars so they do not have to worry too much about their sports car being fixed.

2.    Low fuel economy

Along with being expensive to buy and maintain, they get very poor gas mileage. In many cases, exotic sports cars get ten miles per gallon or less. Because of the low gas mileage, most people do not drive them on a regular basis. Not because they cannot afford the gas, but in a world where conservation is becoming a necessity, it is better for the environment to only drive them occasionally.

Keeping the mileage low on an exotic car also helps keep the car more valuable. By not driving them often, repairs can be kept to a minimum, too.

3.    Difficulty finding repair shops

Since most communities do not have dealerships that specialize in exotic cars, finding a repair shop can be difficult. Service technicians often specialize in a specific brand of car, so if a community does not have a dealership that would hire them, then there is no reason for them to specialize in Lamborghini or Ferrari. Instead, service techs decide to specialize in GM, Honda, or Volkswagen as they tend to be in most communities.

It isn’t unheard of for exotic car owners to send their cars to big cities for special repairs, even for regular maintenance like oil changes. You do not want to take your Aston Martin to a quick-change oil service station, especially if the service techs have never seen one.

4.    High profile vehicles

High profile vehicles can be used to describe cars that are tall and narrow, like semi-trucks. They can also be used to describe a car that turns heads. Exotic cars are high-profile because people notice them and not just because they come in attention-getting colors like red and yellow.

Having a high-profile vehicle is a pro and a con. When you drive a sexy exotic car, people want to talk to you about the car and that can be fun. But, having a high-profile vehicle also means that police officers will see you, especially if you are driving over 100 MPH down the Interstate. Your car draws attention and there can be expensive tickets that come with being so easy to notice.

Another negative about having a high-profile vehicle is that you have something that other people want. You cannot leave your exotic car out on the street as it will draw attention to the people who want to own one, but cannot afford one. Your exotic car also shows criminals that you have something worth stealing.

5.    Difficult to park

Having an exotic car is a true joy in life, except when it comes time to park it. When it is locked up safely in your garage, you can trust that it is safe. But, if you are out and about and you need to park it in a lot, you run the risk of door dings, shopping cart crashes, and theft. You might be tempted to use valet parking, but are you sure you want to run the risk of a young person driving your exotic car and selecting a parking spot, especially with what you pay for insurance.

Of course, there is nothing quite like owning an exotic sports car, especially when you can take it out on the open road. There is also nothing quite like looking at the car while it’s sitting peacefully in your garage.

Despite the negatives like finding a service technician, waiting for repairs, and finding a parking spot, no one regrets buying an exotic sports car. In fact, people who buy one exotic sports car often end up buying several more. The positives certainly outweigh the negatives, especially when you hear the purr of the engine and roar of the performance.