New toy - Car, boat, or ???

[748rpilot]

I'm thinking I want a new toy, something to play with during non-winter months. Purchase budget is $25k. Whatever the toy is, it should be an "outdoor" toy. I have/had motorcycles and it was like a default for "I don't want to be inside, what can I do outside?" However, I now need to replace motorcycles with something else.

For several years I've been saying "boat", as in a deep-V fishing boat, 17' to 20'. I used to kayak fish rather aggressively, probably 30 hours a week during the pandemic, so I do enjoy being on the water, and of course, fishing. Due to life happening, I'm not really able to kayak fish any longer, and subsequently haven't been fishing (shore fishing is lame). I'm looking at used Lund, Alumacraft, Crestliner and have several good options.

I've always liked cars, and have had a couple "fun" cars along the way; Porsche 944, MkV GTi with some light mods. But now only drive a soccer-mom grocery hauler. A couple of my friends are into cars, one is buying an M3 Competition and another has been poking me for years to buy a fun car. I found a 1993 Porsche 968 Club Sport for sale which would be cool, or I've thought about a BMW Z M-roadster and supercharging it. Or something along those lines, there's worlds of options.

I trust the Bear Pit for positive life advice and out of the box thinking, so whatcha got bear pit? Car, boat, or something I haven't thought of?

 

[Bigfatcock]

Buy assets.

 

[LuvDog]

Boats are a tough one. Unless it's very convenient then they get used very little when you have to trailer every time and deal with the ramp clowns.

Bikes are always fun escape reality if you live where you can get away from traffic on twisty roads, but with the terrible traffic and distracted drivers that hard. Do you have a track nearby that does track days often?

As much as I'm not a fan of all the mall crawler jeeps out there now, if you have access of off road areas, then maybe a true off road capable jeep would be fun.

 

[748rpilot]

Buy assets.

I really had you pegged for the hookers and blow option. When you say assets, are you referring to stocks, ETFs, index and mutual funds? If so, I'm already saving and investing at a solid pace. I have separate funds set aside for (car/boat/?) and a land purchase.

Boats are a tough one. Unless it's very convenient then they get used very little when you have to trailer every time and deal with the ramp clowns.

Bikes are always fun escape reality if you live where you can get away from traffic on twisty roads, but with the terrible traffic and distracted drivers that hard. Do you have a track nearby that does track days often?

As much as I'm not a fan of all the mall crawler jeeps out there now, if you have access of off road areas, then maybe a true off road capable jeep would be fun.

I think it would be pretty convenient, I live 5 miles from a major river and marina, I could either trailer the boat 12 minutes each way, or rent a slip for the season. Knowing how much time I spent on the kayak, I'm confident I'd get good use out of a boat.

Bikes are awesome, I really miss riding. But, due to injuries, it looks like my riding days are behind me.

Off-road vehicle might be cool, I know there is a place to dirt bike and ATV about an hour from me. I'm in the prairie lands of the Midwest though, so generally the terrain is flat, lol. I'll ask my Jeep friends if they know of anything.

 

[mtrmn]

AJ--Buy more ammo

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Rent

 

[Threadcutter308]

Rent

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

 

[Emerson0311]

Boat. Get all the accessories, bells, and whistles that make your boat use easy and fun, including good seats, enough power, decent electronics, and probably some kind of sun cover for those hot days. A good boat gets used just like a comfortable couch or chair. Make it your default activity when you have a few hours uncommitted.

 

[diverdon]

Ammo

 

[roostercogburn98]

I’d buy a midget cannon

 

[roostercogburn98]

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

Usually the cartel gets mad about this practice

Someone will come pay you a visit eventually

 

[sloporsche]

The world of radio control is another bottomless pit whether it floats/flies/crawls or drives .......1/4 scale tanks . I am in the same spot of looking for a toy , i could be tempted by the right 66/67 ss Chevelle that i could stuff a 572 gm crate motor in but the wife is saying just get a new z06 or Ferrari . Funny part is we have the money and the wife is pushing to get what you want but at 72 i have had most of that stuff and i ask do i really need that or am i gonna use it . good luck picking

 

[sloporsche]

Usually the cartel gets mad about this practice

Someone will come pay you a visit eventually

ya gadda get a package deal where the blow [pun] comes [pun] with the price of the hookers

 

[748rpilot]

AJ--Buy more ammo

Ammo

Done. SGAmmo thank you for your contribution to this thread.

 

[hlee]

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

I've been told that you take a portion and cut the rest with something to make up for the weight and sell it to someone else. Hopefully not the PO PO

 

[jdulaney]

If you live in or close to areas with offroad parks. 3.5 hours is about the closest to me, I usually try to go at least once a month, but been lees here lately. That's part of the reason I'm trying to get back into shooting more, can go 2 miles, and shoot up to 700yards

 

[Threadcutter308]

I’d buy a midget cannon

Another ?

 

[Pbgt]

Go be poor somewhere else....you aint gonna get shit for 25k anymore...

 

[748rpilot]

Go be poor somewhere else....you aint gonna get shit for 25k anymore...

I mean, I'm not  poor, per-se, more like...fiscally conservative.

 

[waveslayer]

25k won't buy you much in the way of a good ski boat. Best memories and family trips are using our ski boat.

For the 25K you can get a hell of a deal on a good UTV these days. Polaris and CanAm are hurting big time. Get the UTV and go rip it up! I use ours in Utah to hang targets and get to and from places all over the state

 

[jmp1]

Has anyone told you about the wonderful world of aviation..........buy an old airplane and fix it up.












Just kidding........don't do that........seriously it's a terrible idea.

 

[748rpilot]

Has anyone told you about the wonderful world of aviation..........buy an old airplane and fix it up.












Just kidding........don't do that........seriously it's a terrible idea.

Actually, yes. Several of the guys I used to work with had air planes. One guy was a stunt pilot. Another guy has a Bell 502.

My uncle got into planes by buying a beaten down old Cessna and restoring it, then renting it to the local flight school in exchange for lessons and hanger/taxi. But he's also loaded and very mechanically inclined. I'm neither

 

[jmp1]

Actually, yes. Several of the guys I used to work with had air planes. One guy was a stunt pilot. Another guy has a Bell 502.

My uncle got into planes by buying a beaten down old Cessna and restoring it, then renting it to the local flight school in exchange for lessons and hanger/taxi. But he's also loaded and very mechanically inclined. I'm neither

To make a small fortune in aviation........start with a big one....lol

 

[sloporsche]

build your own ultra light one seater and less flight rules ....i turned myself down over eye sight /lack of good

 

[Im2bent]

25k in the boat world means used, very used. Pay for an inspection before buying a used boat.

 

[Mr. Z]

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

Buy
Halve
Cut half to double

 

[sloporsche]

telescope hobby

 

[Mr. Z]

I've been told that you take a portion and cut the rest with something to make up for the weight and sell it to someone else. Hopefully not the PO PO

 

[Im2bent]

Hookers.

How does one "rent" blow ?

From a really good friend?

 

[Maggot]

The world of radio control is another bottomless pit whether it floats/flies/crawls or drives .......1/4 scale tanks . I am in the same spot of looking for a toy , i could be tempted by the right 66/67 ss Chevelle that i could stuff a 572 gm crate motor in but the wife is saying just get a new z06 or Ferrari . Funny part is we have the money and the wife is pushing to get what you want but at 72 i have had most of that stuff and i ask do i really need that or am i gonna use it . good luck picking

I'm kind of in the same place, 75 and I've had lots really of nice stuff, not really what I'm looking for. The times I've done it I've always found great satisfaction in helping out others. I'd like to use my time to help under privileged kids, or something similar, but dont know exactly how to go about it.

 

[748rpilot]

25k in the boat world means used, very used. Pay for an inspection before buying a used boat.

Oh absolutely, I'm 100% going used, with inspections and, ideally, a test ride.

The Lund I actually want if money were no object, is like $140k+. But I won't catch more fish from that one than the used Alumacraft Trophy I'm looking at, so...

 

[roostercogburn98]

If you live in or close to areas with offroad parks. 3.5 hours is about the closest to me, I usually try to go at least once a month, but been lees here lately. That's part of the reason I'm trying to get back into shooting more, can go 2 miles, and shoot up to 700yards
View attachment 8687667

He said 25k, he can’t even get the rolling chassis for that

 

[roostercogburn98]

telescope hobby

 

[st1650]

E-bike and dual nods.

 

[nikerret]

When I got into my current role, I found myself going full mid-life crisis. I’ve always wanted a boat and a fast car and ______ and _______. You know how it goes. I narrowed it down to boat or a fast car, since I couldn’t justify getting both.

I live in Kansas. The boating season is pretty short. I’m not screwing with the holiday weekends on the lake, so that only gives me 9 weekends to go play. At least one of those will be bad weather, so make it 8. Buying a boat for 8 uses seemed stupid. This would be different, if I lived somewhere else or worked less (or was retired). Instead of buying, I’m just going to go to the marina with a stack of $100’s and find a new friend with a nice boat.


Track car, for the win! The track season is March to October. The events are further away, than the lakes, but there are a lot of them. Plus, I enjoy the cruising and Sunday drives, even when tracking isn’t available.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Another ?

The first one is getting worn out, won’t hold sub moa anymore. I tried diagnosing it with my borescope, but that just led to more questions

 

[Redmanss]

25k in the boat world means used, very used. Pay for an inspection before buying a used boat.

Looks like he’s looking at aluminum with the brands mentioned. Going spartan style with a solid Yamaha tiller on a sub 20’, you can deck out one fairly nicely for $25k and hit every fishing spot you’d want.

I’d go boat.

 

[TX_Dan]

I bought a boat and some planes. About $300 in all

 

[doubloon]

25k won't buy you much in the way of a good ski boat

Truth.

If you're not set on getting anywhere fast or pulling a tube with a half dozen people on it the best you can do new for <$25k is a small-ish bass or pontoon boat. With a pontoon boat you can fish, float, get some big magnets and metal detectors to look for treasure or maybe hang a hibachi off the side so we can learn your name in the papers later when they report the fire.

A jetski or two might be an option, trailering two of them is easy. With the right accessories they work for fishing, I've run across people snapper fishing on one as far as ~25 miles offshore on a smooth day.

FTLOG ... DO NOT get a fucking bicycle.

For a thousand or two (or three) you can pick up some SCUBA gear and use the rest to fund trips. Maybe double down and get both the SCUBA gear and the jetskis.

 

[Labanaktis]

but a transferable machine gun if your in a free state. 9mm SMG. Cheap to shoot, fun to shoot, goes up in value year after year

 

[748rpilot]

but a transferable machine gun if your in a free state. 9mm SMG. Cheap to shoot, fun to shoot, goes up in value year after year

Can't even buy AR15 anymore.

 

[GreenGO Juan]

For $2,500 you could pick up a decent MT bike and go trail riding. Good exercise and gets you outside.

 

[XikoPlavi]

Buy a pair of these:
https://www.catamps.com/jl5

 

[UKDslayer]

I'm thinking I want a new toy, something to play with during non-winter months. Purchase budget is $25k. Whatever the toy is, it should be an "outdoor" toy. I have/had motorcycles and it was like a default for "I don't want to be inside, what can I do outside?" However, I now need to replace motorcycles with something else.

For several years I've been saying "boat", as in a deep-V fishing boat, 17' to 20'. I used to kayak fish rather aggressively, probably 30 hours a week during the pandemic.

Spend it on memories, not objects.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Can't even buy AR15 anymore.

Barely gets a Mac anymore, sad times

 

[diggler1833]

With $25K burning a hole in your pocket...I'd buy an AI, and then spend the remaining money on (1) spare bolt body...

You can thank me later.

 

[748rpilot]

With $25K burning a hole in your pocket...I'd buy an AI, and then spend the remaining money on (1) spare bolt body...

You can thank me later.

If you see a green, lefty AT come up for sale hit me up!

 

[91Eunozs]

I'm thinking I want a new toy, something to play with during non-winter months. Purchase budget is $25k. Whatever the toy is, it should be an "outdoor" toy. I have/had motorcycles and it was like a default for "I don't want to be inside, what can I do outside?" However, I now need to replace motorcycles with something else.

For several years I've been saying "boat", as in a deep-V fishing boat, 17' to 20'. I used to kayak fish rather aggressively, probably 30 hours a week during the pandemic, so I do enjoy being on the water, and of course, fishing. Due to life happening, I'm not really able to kayak fish any longer, and subsequently haven't been fishing (shore fishing is lame). I'm looking at used Lund, Alumacraft, Crestliner and have several good options.

I've always liked cars, and have had a couple "fun" cars along the way; Porsche 944, MkV GTi with some light mods. But now only drive a soccer-mom grocery hauler. A couple of my friends are into cars, one is buying an M3 Competition and another has been poking me for years to buy a fun car. I found a 1993 Porsche 968 Club Sport for sale which would be cool, or I've thought about a BMW Z M-roadster and supercharging it. Or something along those lines, there's worlds of options.

I trust the Bear Pit for positive life advice and out of the box thinking, so whatcha got bear pit? Car, boat, or something I haven't thought of?

What’s your capacity to invest time…not just money…into this new toy/hobby?

For me, it’s always cars/trucks/guns…rinse and repeat. Used to race motorcycles too, but those days are past, and there’s no way I’d ride a street bike around here.

Sounds like you enjoy sports cars, so I’d buy a used Porsche Cayman or Boxster and get into auto crossing. It’s a great way to learn car handling with very low risk. Or maybe a Miata and get into spec Miata racing…that’s a hoot!

 

[JR_77]

If you’re leaning toward a boat I would go with a club membership at Freedom Boats. You pay a couple thousand down and a monthly membership fee which includes insurance, maintenance, but you pay for fuel.
Our location has 30 boats to choose from. You can drive up on a motorcycle and walk down to the boat and go cruise for 4-5 hours then come back to the dock hand them the keys and all done. They swap out new boats every 2-3 years depending on hours of use.

No maintenance, no cleaning, no storage fees, or messing with the boat launch. They have around 40 locations across the country you can also use as a member. When we travel to Florida we reserve a boat there which is cool we don’t have to trailer a boat cross country.

After owning multiple boats you will end up financially ahead using freedom boats.

Freedom Boat Club - The World's Largest Boating Club

Your boat club membership is waiting for you at Freedom Boat Club, the world's largest boating club! Enjoy the benefits of boat ownership without the hassle.

www.freedomboatclub.com