Rethinking my relationship with cars.

[12,000 RPM]

Man, this crash has really got me doing some soul searching. I realized something was up when it became apparent I was more bummed about crashing the G than my dog dying. And I loved that dog.

I gave people shit about being wrapped up in the image of a car, but I think I'm just as bad as anybody else here. And I derive a lot of pleasure from driving aggressively on public roads. Not sure what the outcome is going to be with the G, but regardless of the outcome I think I'm going to get something mild and civilian. Getting a motorcycle at age 28 rather than age 21 probably saved my life, but I'm not sure I'm mature enough to drive a fast car on public roads.

Wifey wasn't so much pissed as much as she was frank. The way I'm going with the bike and the car, I'm putting myself at serious risk. I've never had a serious crash before... even on the bike. This is the first in nearly 20 yrs of driving. A real wake up call. I'm glad it was at the track and that I'm OK but I think I'm done pushing my luck. Am I blowing this out of proportion?

[shp4man]

So what are you thinkin', Sporty? Minivan? Geo Metro? Public transportation? 

[12,000 RPM]

Probably a 2015+ Golf. Good on gas, practical, dynamically inert, not worth modding, gets out of its own way. I enjoyed the rental I had.

[Onslaught]

You crashed your car? Get a normal car and a Miata or another car like it as a toy.  What image people don't understand is you can have just as much fun (if not more) in a MX-5 going the speed limit then in  a fast car driving like a nut.

[Laconian]

You crashed your car? Get a normal car and a Miata or another car like it as a toy.  What image people don't understand is you can have just as much fun (if not more) in a MX-5 going the speed limit then in  a fast car driving like a nut.

I can speak from experience about this scenario, and it's absolutely true. The G37 needs to go really fast for it to be fun - and it can go fast, certainly, but the safety and legal stakes just get too high.

Get something loud and low, and not too powerful. The sensation of speed is psychological, and you can scratch that itch more safely with something that gives you more sensory engagement.

[CaminoRacer]

I can speak from experience about this scenario, and it's absolutely true. The G37 needs to go really fast for it to be fun - and it can go fast, certainly, but the safety and legal stakes just get too high.

Get something loud and low, and not too powerful. The sensation of speed is psychological, and you can scratch that itch more safely with something that gives you more sensory engagement.

A lowered El Camino is perfect for this as well.

[CaminoRacer]

The awesome sensory experience of being low to the ground is what makes me prefer a small, quick car vs. a motorcycle. A shifter kart is mind boggling fun.

[Laconian]

I wanna try a shifter kart <_<

[12,000 RPM]

Regular karts are enough for me

I had something loud and low... the Civic... but it was too slow. Plus I want to try and become an automotive civilian and stop seeking thrills on every drive. The most I wanna do is maybe pass slow pokes on 2 lane roads. Other than that I have to compartmentalize real world driving from sim racing + karting.

[CaminoRacer]

I don't find it hard to drive responsibly in a fast car.

I'll gun it every once in a while when the road is clear, but otherwise it's easy to drive normally. Maybe you need a gas hog so your wallet will force you to drive normally.

[Laconian]

Regular karts are enough for me

I had something loud and low... the Civic... but it was too slow. Plus I want to try and become an automotive civilian and stop seeking thrills on every drive. The most I wanna do is maybe pass slow pokes on 2 lane roads. Other than that I have to compartmentalize real world driving from sim racing + karting.

Well, that's not a bad realization to have, but it's important to strike the right balance instead of depriving yourself outright. Otherwise you're gonna fall off the wagon.

[veeman]

Sporty, I'm glad you're OK.

The limited info I have or am assuming is you crashed your G while tracking it and you could have seriously injured or killed yourself but luckily did not. Now you are reconsidering tracking your car, owning a motorcycle, and driving aggressively on public roads. 

Maybe consider autocrossing. Much safer.
Consider a pony car. 

[Laconian]

The car he has currently is essentially a Japanese pony car.

[veeman]

The car he has currently is essentially a Japanese pony car.

Yeah that's true.

So is the G totaled?  Show a pic of it.  What happened?

[Lebowski]

Is there a thread about this crash?  Glad you are ok.

Get something intelligent like a CRV and do a driving school once or twice a year.

[CALL_911]

Jesus christ man, I'm glad you're ok

I would 100% go Miata if I were you, but idk how your wife would feel about it, and idk if you'd be cool transporting your daughter in it. GTI is a very solid option.

[Soup DeVille]

car chat, pg. 149

[MexicoCityM3]

You are overblowing this IMO. The main thing to be learned is not that cars & track days are super dangerous.

If you had performance driving training the risk would go down by an order of magnitude. And after this you'll learn to be a bit more afraid of pushing beyond your limits. That's it.

You can continue to enjoy fast driving, just better trained and wiser.

I've been tracking for 12 years now. Probably close to 100 events. Crashes are very rare.

[AutobahnSHO]

You should never track a DD in my opinion. One of the cars should be cheap so you can afford the other. I second the Miata toy car option.

[CaminoRacer]

Fix the G, sell the bike, buy a cheap Miata for autox.

[Submariner]

Wait.  Crash?

[Onslaught]

Most important thing is never crash.

[12,000 RPM]

You are overblowing this IMO. The main thing to be learned is not that cars & track days are super dangerous.

If you had performance driving training the risk would go down by an order of magnitude. And after this you'll learn to be a bit more afraid of pushing beyond your limits. That's it.

You can continue to enjoy fast driving, just better trained and wiser.

I've been tracking for 12 years now. Probably close to 100 events. Crashes are very rare.

It's def dangerous. I made it more dangerous than it needed to be, but it's dangerous.

Improving my skills as a driver is still something I enjoy and will prioritize, but track days won't be a part of that pursuit. At least not for now. I'm spooked.

A 3rd car is not really something I want either... the way our driveway/garage is it's just a pain for something I will only use a few times a year. Probably good to stop dumping money into mods and shit too right now. Just having a 180 on my whole approach.

[AutobahnSHO]

Dude a fun car can be cheap. And just parked on the street or in a public place.

Or just auto-x.

[r0tor]

Sounds like you just made the classic mistake of getting in over your head with too little experience.

Take some time to reevaluate what you enjoy, and if it's going fast go to a school or two and/or have someone with experience in the passenger seat

[12,000 RPM]

YEa I am just going to take some time off.

[Laconian]

Most important thing is never crash.

Especially while bobsledding

[CaminoRacer]

Especially while bobsledding

Roasted

[68_427]

Especially while bobsledding

Thought it was a toboggan

[MX793]

All of the nearest tracks to here won't let somebody fly solo at their first HPDE.  All of them require you show documented proof you've attended several HPDEs and/or a recognized performance driving school (Skip Barber or similar) else you get classed as a novice and are required to have an instructor riding shotgun.  I question any venue that lets anybody with a car and a driver's license show up and run hot laps solo with other cars on course without previous track experience.

The solution is not necessarily to hang it up, but to learn.  You jumped in over your head by going straight to hot-lapping solo on a track, in what's really a pretty fast car, without ever having any formal instruction or even having anything like autocross under your belt.  Hell, I've been autocrossing for years and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable pushing it hard on a proper race track in anything faster than an old Miata without some formal instruction.  Go to an actual performance driving school.  Enter some autocrosses where you can explore your car's limits at lower, safer speeds (and also get instruction, you can almost always find some seasoned vet willing to ride shotgun and provide some useful feedback) at an affordable price.  Learn proper technique.  Learn how to handle your car with the nannies off.

Aggressive driving belongs on a closed course, not the street.  If this ordeal opens your eyes to reckless driving habits and slows you down on the street, then perhaps it's the wake up call you needed and thankfully it was one that came without you or someone else getting hurt.  Based on some of your posts about the G being a "handful" on the street and needing to leave the nannies on all the time for fear of spinning out on public streets had me seriously questioning your driving habits.  Even with bald tires, you shouldn't be pushing hard enough on the street to regularly be leaning on the nannies or even coming close to the limit.  Even in the wet.  If you have to significantly back it down when it rains or the road is wet, you drive too aggressively on the street.