Years ago you gave up the sport compact with the cold air intake and blue HIDs. There was a kid on the way and you needed the cash for a minivan. In a blink decades passed. You no longer need to slurp instant ramen every meal to save up for a set of rims, but even if you had new wheels there’s nothing cool to put them on. The kids think family trips are “cringe” and would rather be on social media than utter a single syllable to mom and dad. They Uber everywhere anyway, so why are you commuting in a 7-seater? “That’s it,” you think, “I’m going down to the automall and regaining my youth!”
What’s the best Japanese car for a midlife crisis?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What automotive scenario would you conjure up on the holodeck?“.
Before we get into the AotW we must first issue a correction, because in the original asking of the QotW we claimed that Star Trek contained no automotive content whatsoever. That was wrong, as Collegiate Autodidact pointed out. JM followed up with an episode in which a car was actually on the holodeck, a 1969 Camaro in Voyager. Oh well, to err is human.
Many comments conjured up historic scenarios that few individuals were privy to. streetspirit wanted to be there at building of the Hino Samurai. Kyuusha Corner chose to be immersed in the early days of Japanese auto racing at Tamagawa Speedway in 1936. dillon would beam into the Toyota 2000GT’s speed record run at Yatabe Circuit in 1966 (be sure to ask the computer for an umbrella).
It also made sense to ask for scenarios that would be risky as hell in real life, as the holodeck has built-in safety features that (mostly) prevent death and injury to life forms within it. So why not put BlitzPig in the driver’s seat of a Ferrari 330 P4 at Spa, or TheJWT in a Top Secret test car in one of Smoky Nagata’s 200mph runs on public roads?
Alan went whole hog trying to get the computer to extrapolate an entire future in which cars did not become iPhones on wheels. Talk about diverting power from shields. Others opted for settings of a more personal nature, like dankan‘s drive down the Japanese coast in an MR2 or Franxou‘s Groundhog Day scenario with a 240SX.
The winner this week was JW, who vividly described the experience of taking a Honda S2000 to the track. Presumably the computer would have an archive of every website ever created, too:
That holodeck had better be running Starfleet’s fastest CPU and graphics processors, because my request to relive 9000 RPM in my Honda S2000 down the front straight of Texas World Speedway is going to take serious power to reproduce.
And the sound has to be perfect—reverb off the wall on the straight, climbing through the revs in every turn, because the perfect lap means you never drop out of VTEC. And finally, wind through the hair, because of course the top is down.
Yes, this was our life for so many years at TWS… best immortalized in in-car video, which we’ll provide to train the holodeck AI.
Unfortunately, our video showing this on Temple of VTEC was lost—along with that great site
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
As with automotive trends so does the midlife crisis evolve, with elder millenials more often hiding shiny domes under their flat brim caps these days and the VHS tapes the first fast and furious movies came out on being museum pieces by now the midlife mobile evolved too.
It’s that sport compact with the cold air intake, a K swapped EG civic, preferably in teal on some very rare mugen rims is the new Chevy nova. Maybe with a classic rock CD like linkin park or limp bizkit.
New or late model Honda Civic four door with a six speed manual.
Mine is a 2019.
This really depends on your age. It’s pretty much either the car teen/twentysomething you had or a younger you wanted.
For me – that would probably be an AW11 MR2, but for someone else, it’ll be whatever got under their skin in their formative years.
The quintessential American example would be a Corvette, so i thought what would be the equivalent Japanese car? The nearest thing to me would be a first gen Acura NSX. If that was a bit too expensive as the kids are still in college, then a Honda S2000 would be the ticket.
I’m 38 and for me it would be one of these-
R32 or R33 Skyline GT-R
MK4 Supra
Acura NSX
FD RX7
All of these are way out of my price range, though. Maybe a not-perfect FD would be doable haha.
If this is basic I don’t want to be anything else.
Ideally it would be the Lexus LFA, which is in the ranks of Japanese Unobtanium.
But coming back to reality, a mid-life crisis car needs to be sporty, reliable, somewhat fast, a convertible, and is not to be winter-driven. So, in my mind, it’s got to be either an MX-5 or an S2000. The Honda, though older, has aged very well and is still one of the best looking convertibles ever made. And that engine! The Mazda needs no explanation, it’s one of the best roadsters ever made. Pick any generation, and you won’t be wrong.
Mazda RX-7 FD3S would be my perfect mid-life crisis car because it’s such a good-looking car, style wise, to grab a lot of attention, if built up correct with the right set of wheels. Just in stock form this car looks better than +95% of the cars on the road. If you’ve seen the latest Ferraris, the FD3S craps all over them style wise. To get the car to look more cooler, this car is highly supported in Japan, so there’s a lot of body kits to install for even more attention. A lot of info now available to keep the rotary engine relatively reliable, so I wouldn’t mind doing the extra work to keep it running.
I speak to you from experience here. Tell your family you need a low mileage 97 USDM 240SX because you want a fun, reliable, all-mechanical, RWD car that you can daily, and slap a bronze JNC sticker on the rear quarter window. Then explain to them how you quickly realized it’s too precious to put miles on it and watch it turn into an OEM+ resto-mod which necessitates KEEPING the minivan (or CR-V in our case) to daily, but now it lives outside so the s14 can stay garaged.
In my late 40s now, and I had seriously looked at a C5 Corvette Z06 in Electron Blue. My wife motioned at the JNCs in the garage, to which I responded with “to add to the collection, now I have 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder, and 8-cylinder!” I sat on that concept some more and ultimately saved the money for something else.
I think as I get older, I’m inevitably looking towards a slightly more pampered ride. I definitely wouldn’t mind a 2005 Lexus LS430 to gobble up the miles. I had thought about a Toyota Century, but the only one I like is the current gen, which isn’t a JNC. I had thought about an Acura RL, but I wanted V8. I had thought hard about the Infiniti Q45, but it’s still a 5-speed auto and subpar fuel economy, with rather inefficient interior space. The Infiniti M45 was a contender, but it’s also a 5-speed, and the styling (2005-2010) has aged a bit faster than I’d like. The 1998-2000 LS400 looks pretty good and is pretty bulletproof. However, the LS430 (2004-2006) packs some good technology that hasn’t yet aged out yet. I’d skip the air suspension and the navigation, but then it might be hard to retrofit Apple CarPlay.
I am contradicting myself with the “no automatics” rule and that a midlife crisis car should be some sports car to bring me back to my youth, but I think a decently aged luxury car is a good way to enjoy these years, to subtly remind myself that I am doing alright in life, and to still take the family out before the nest starts to empty out.
After renting one for a solo trip to visit family the answer is easy, and expected. I was offered a Hyundai Kona at the parking garage at the Manchester airport in New Hampshire and when he saw my face react to the suggestion he took me to find something more fun “Have you ever driven a Miata?” he asked. And with that, a week long adventure unfolded with me and the white Miata RF that convinced me that everyone was right about them. I drove it to the top of Mount Washington the day after the first snowfall of the season, with the top down, and found reasons to just get in and drive when I had nowhere to be.
Flash forward 2 years and after daily searches for the right one, it appeared on Vroom com. A Soul Red RF with white leather seats and a touch of red peeking out from the front wheels. I wanted either a Brembo/BBS/Recaro Club trim or a Grand Touring with the white trim -(2021 only) – white so that when I leave the top open in the sun it doesn’t burn my butt. But this one meant I didn’t have to compromise since the previous owner had fitted Wilwood 4 piston calipers up front.
As I head alarmingly deep into the second half of my 40s it hasn’t escaped me that I fell for the little red sports car trope. And darn if it isn’t the perfect stereotype, girls have shouted at me complimenting the car and I find myself driving it much more aggressively than my other cars. I have found the need for speed might be gone, but my love of driving stronger than ever.
I’ve since taken it on a 2 day back roads only drive back to New Hampshire where it all began. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a road trip and all I can think about is where to go next.
Welcome to New England! Western Massachusetts, and into Vermont offer some gnarly roads too! I recently drove my Miata NA around there, “taking the long way back.”
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Saved!
The one that captures your nostalgia & lets you bask in it.
A Z32 300ZX. There simply is nothing better for a mid-life crisis. Hear me out: Yes, there are Skylines, NSXs, S2000s and what have you, but those are all actually good cars. They have inherent worth and continuous demand from people seeking out the greatest of Japanese cars.
The 300ZX on the other hand, is not the greatest Japanese car. It’s not even the greatest Nissan from that time period. It is however, a big GT with classic “of it’s time” looks that you cannot find anymore that screams “I’m having more fun than you” to any bystanders in their RAV4s and Q5s.
It’s also attainable. Which means those in a mid-life funk can actually try to buy one. Sure, you can find $60k+ examples with everything in great condition, but there are also loads of these out there floating around the $15-25k mark; ready for you to make your bad choice at your lowest point. And then, in 6-12 months when you’ve smartened up or gone to counselling, you can dump it on the next balding mid-40s guy for the same price.
And it has one thing that none of those other cars ever had. It had a commercial literally about a mid-life crisis, with a guy in his mid-40s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGMI_mWmb7g
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer
Unless your midlife crisis starts “too early” and you need a backseat for kids, then MX-5 Miata is the right answer.
The GR Yaris
My mom was unhappy one night because my dad bought a GR Yaris and said: It’s the perfect mix of a spacious family hatchback and a fun sportscar… AWD… Compact… etc.
He said he got it for a low price. How you might ask?
My uncle secretly bought a GR Yaris, my aunt found out and told him to sell it… and that’s how my dad now drives a GR Yaris.
Great question, and I’m so far (or not) from a midlife crisis.
Having a Honda Spada VT 250 in my garage, I think the car I could add would be a first-generation Honda NSX…
but its engine is likely no longer in such good condition, so my challenge would be to gather all the parts from Ayrton Senna’s engine that went up for auction, so I can reassemble the V10 that surely fits in the engine bay, and complete the Senna trilogy. (Yes… there’s a catch with the motorcycle; it’s one of the few that appeared in the graphic campaign.)
I could also consider, as an alternative, if I could track down again that NSX he owned in Brazil that went up for auction a few years ago. I think there’s no better thread to enjoy a “midlife crisis.”
https://noticias.autocosmos.com.ar/2024/04/24/el-honda-nsx-1991-de-ayrton-senna-sale-a-la-venta
https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/30559/lot/15/direct-from-honda-racing-corporation-the-last-honda-v10-ayrton-senna-ever-raced-a-1990-honda-35-liter-v10-ra100e-formula-1-engine/#photos
well… u$s 254.500 is not a huge amount of money….
I’m coming up to a year ownership with my 2008 Miata, and I think this is the best midlife crisis car.
I have never felt freer behind the wheel than with the top down and the wind blowing across my bald head.
i am in a sort of complicated and “accelerated” mid-life crisis rn (i am heading into early retirement at near-lightspeed and i am now actively ticking off my bucket list – im in my 30s).. and by serendipity i have been pondering this exact question for a good part of the year and now just happened upon this site and article by cosmic luck.
anyways, my answer to this question is:
GR Corolla
..i know it’s not vintage – the opposite actually, and hell, there’s even nothing REALLY special about this car, but it’s what i am going to do with, and to it, that makes me giddy with excitement.
firstly, i am going mod the f out of it – rally raid + full offroad + Mad Max. then i am going to do “the big loop” around the country (hello from Australia!) with a planned 6 months on the road, then finally, as the last item on my list, i am going to cross the Simpson Desert in it. i have probably until the end of the decade to make it happen, and i know i absolutely will. and i don’t really have a budget at this point..
I would definitely say an ND Miata – a little zippy, a little sporty, a little impractical, but not so much that you can’t take it to and from work. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone below 40 in an ND Miata…
You cannot beat the Mk3 Supra for a good old mid-life crisis! A long front end for all the best… mid-life crisis jokes, low and wide for good road manners and a targa top always make everything awesome.
And Pop-up headlights!
Jeeeeeez, I feel like I definitely missed the point of “mid-life crisis car here!” Me and my LS430 sure aren’t going to revive any youth inside me!!!