[Closed] So what's been your Midlife Crisis money pit (or not)

Travel.

Erm, surfboards.. bikes... s****y restaurants... I bought a Vespa Gt300gs to ride around town on (but sold it as it hardly got used)

Now I’m in my 50’s and I’m still buying surfboards and going to s****y restaurants. I am contemplating buying a twinshock Ossa or Bultaco Sherpa trialsbike..

Like this:

Or this:

Not that I’m going to ride either in any sort of trials, but I’d love one for those occasional Trail type rides once/twice a year..

Fleet of bikes. Turning 50 this year was a good excuse to replace an old Tricross with a Fairlight Strael. Not a money pit though, really good value for a top end steel frame - that's how I justified it anyway!

i am gonna hit my 40s in 364 days (yikes)

i expect that my spare cash will be consumed by some or all of:

Music tech stuff

holidays

attempting to mitigate the fact that i didn't start a pension til i was 35

a loft conversion

Water Ski boat, although not mid life crisis as we've run them for 20 years+, but massive money pit, buying, upkeep and 5.7L V8 drinks fuel

Cocaine and hookers

<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Water Ski boat, although not mid life crisis as we’ve run them for 20 years+, but massive money pit, buying, upkeep and 5.7L V8 drinks fuel</span>

ditto - a boat - costs a fortune to keep,maintain and run.

One of these...

Not really had one.  Maybe swapping from two motorcycles to 7 bicycles in my 40s?  I do also have a 1960 bsa sat in a lockup where its been for a decade and the lockup rent over that time is many times the value of the bike

So what has consumed your 40’s?

Kids - Although it’s early days as I’m only 41. I did treat myself to a used Cotic Flare last year though.

Not quite 40 yet but, radio controlled rock crawlers.

Despite being 43 and having owned 20+ bikes, i had never bought a new quality frame and forks and had always wanted to try titanium:

Many on here seem to sink thousands into bikes!

I had a couple of 60s Volvos. Didn't lose too much on them

For me, it's MTB, same as the last 27 years....!!!

My neighbours has been an immaculate Porsche 911, last of the naturally aspirated, fat, whale tail, version (can't remember exactly), purchased for 30k about 6 years ago, now worth around 100k. Been through official Porsche dealer restoration for some minor work, more of an investment than a money pit. I think most vintage cars will go that way.

I've not decided yet , hankering for a new guitar , either a classic vibe Tele or maybe a Gordon Smith GS1. I also have a looper pedal for practice purposes and I can see myself collecting pedals.….

(Ed aged 42)

Nice work there binners 😃 Careful going round corners and roundabouts but they make a lovely engine sound.

As for mid-life crisis, mine was circa 14 or so years ago and was my sanity. 😝 Priceless...

I am contemplating buying a twinshock Ossa or Bultaco Sherpa trialsbike..

I couldv'e sold you one BB, long time ago though!

[img] [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5xtN4U ]Bulto

Or a Mont?

][img] [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/vRNawr ]DH000001[/url]

Midlife crisis for me was a bit of infidelity & some tats.

I wasn't married & no kids were involved with the first bit) 😎

Amongst other things

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More recently

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Today I've treated myself to a great day on the bike

[img] [/img]

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Nice bikes essel!

Nice bikes essel!

Thanks. I rued selling the Mont, it was the last brand new trials bike I bought, paid £850 for it. Then I got the Bulto 2nd hand for £100, did it up a bit & sold it for £350. I rued that as well cos you know how much theyr'e going for now, in decent nick.

My mate's in the process of renovating an Ossa MAR like that one you put on.

My next midlife (oldlife) crisis could be another trially bike!

Putting four kids through Uni....

Had a mini-middi when I turned 30 (11 years ago) and decided despite being an overweight scaredy-cat I’d give DH a go. The next few years was a blur of ever increasing LBS bills and close calls.

40s and so farkids have consumed all my time and money.

Im sorta looking forward to 50. Kids will be old enough to leave in each other’s care for a bit, we plan to buy a little MX-5 or the like and spend a few weeks touring a bit of Europe. I expect ‘doing up’ the Mazda could become a hardcore passion.

A daughter

C&H

Helluva gazebo that Binners, hope you enjoy it!

A daughter

your's or someone else's

Gordon Smith GS1

I have one of those and a Gordon Smith Graf.

My mid life crisis spending was, I think, on a variety of instruments. Guitars, melodeons and oboes. Yes oboes, 4 of 'em. At least they've all been second hand. On top of that there's years of lessons, piles of sheet music, etc. So a pretty reasonable investment and worth every penny for the pleasure it brings.

Music beats everything.

Kids here too, we're at the most expensive stage too it seems 🙁

Airfix kits. Loads of them.

Binners… have you bought that?

Mk1 VW Caddy.

Bikes, bike racing, university and flying lessons.

Never had a crisis.

Mountain bikes (most of em cotics...)

motorbikes

guitars (& amps I guess)

tents 🤣

we’re at the most expensive stage too it seems

There's a cheap stage?

I’m 42.

i took the last two years off just to ride bikes. Not really a middle age thing, just realised I have the money, health and time to do this now before one of them decides to leave.

From a biking perspective, for my 50th I designed and built myself a custom titanium fat bike and decided I needed to 'find myself' so went riding somewhere cold:

So far, increasing the number of mountain bikes that I own, going on more mountain biking trips and buying more biking stuff!

Harry - I bought the thing a few years back then got rid of it when I found out the truth in the Dandy Warhol’s lyric “you’ve got a nice car, yeah, what’s wrong with it today?”

Classic cars = proper money pits

These day’s it’s artwork. I’m presently looking at this Pegasus original silk screen print hung above the fireplace. I bloody love it! It cost more than my car...

Wild camping. What.for.some is cheap.i have sunk loads into fancy sleeping bags, exotherm mattress, custom knife, zip boil, brukit and loads of titanium stuff from alpkit.

Mtb was a money pit for me way before mid life. 40 in 29 days and counting...

surfing. Not boards etc, more neglect of family and work, and a moneypit by the sea that we really should let out. Approaching two decades in I'm still shite, but still checking the weekend forecast pretty much hourly...

MTBs, roadbikes and a MenoPorsche

There’s a cheap stage?

There's a less cheap stage it seems. Adult shoes and clothes, three boys that can eat a loaf worth of toast in a sitting, bikes, phones, weekend activities etc.

Tools and workshop toys; woodturning lathe, big bandsaw, and lots of associated paraphernalia, MIG welder and lots of associated paraphernalia...

I was 40 last year.  I have two daughters, the youngest was born before I turned 40, though.

For me, it's music tech stuff, mostly a Eurorack modular synthesiser.  Bleep bleep!

A Surly.

Long hair and a big beard.

Tamiya - A Plasma Edge and loads of upgraded bits for the Lunchbox I don't yet own.

A new job.

I really think I need to try a bit harder......🙂

Nice Tracy! I'm a couple of years away yet but planning on just the same as you!

<p>35 at the moment, my main weakness seems to be airguns. I have a pile of "projects" to get dealt with, to be honest I seem to be more interested in working on them than shooting them. Eventually I plan on getting a router so I can make my own stocks, a perfect world would see a lathe too but that's never happening in this house. In the meantime I'm always on the lookout for a Falcon Praire CM with thumbhole stock in .177 for sensible money. Rosewood caps a bonus. Or a CZ 200 Green. Or a DIana 440TH. Or a Parker Hale Dragon. And so the list goes on...</p>

Apart from bikes, all music related - AKG headphones, Meridian DACs, lossless and Hi Res music and a myriad of ways of storing it for remote access. Really want a Rickenbacker 4003 bass guitar in Fireglo 🎸, but haven't worked out how to swing it yet... not easy to sneak under the radar!

Oh, just realised I have some guitars in storage that are performing well financially. Only way they ever will perform well the way I play.

Some of the desirable vintage guitars are worth more than my car. I can't justify the expense on the basis of my playing abilities either... being left handed also adds to the cost.

Not mid-life crisis as I've always been into them but now I'm over 40 I have a wee bit more money to spend on them...
Classic & old motorcycles, so far I have:

1966 Triumph Bonneville
1976 Yamaha RD200
197something Garelli Endurocross (first bike I ever bought aged 11 for £3.50)
1981 Honda XL185
1988 Suzuki RM250
2000 Suzuki DRZ400
2000 Yamaha R1

I was lucky in that I picked these up for peanuts over the years. Finding bargains is almost impossible now as everyone thinks their rusty heap of crap is a 'barnfind' legend worth a mint. They're not.

And a Subaru Forester full-fat turbo which is shooting for big power. It's a rolling project and whilst the current incarnation is good for around 330 or so BHP the long term plan is to put it somewhere around 450 - 500. Now that's a moneypit! But it's really good fun!

And I just bought an R53 Mini which I'm planning to hill-climb/sprint for a laugh...

So far, moving to Canada. I also want to finish off my geology degree but I haven't worked out the financials and logistics of that yet.

Bikes. I think I buy at least one new one every year. They’ve gone from being a halfords carrera Vulcan to high end full carbon exotica. And even then they have to be upgraded, cossetted and fettled almost every day.

Then there’s the clothing, equipment, tools, tool

boxes, work stands etc, etc.

I had had a clear out of old parts and bits I had upgraded recently. Made £2K on eBay and I’m in total denial about how much they cost new. The 2k has almost instantly been invested in new bike related stuff

I don't regard it as my midlife crisis car but my fiance does.... A 2006 Nissan Cube Conran edition. Bitter chocolate colour with red interior. I don't think it's a midlife crisis car as I needed something small that could accommodate all my work gear and was big enough for two young children at the same time. She thinks it's a midlife crisis car as it has bronze alloys, roof bars, shagpile carpets and a hula girl on the dashboard. Oh, and a Fox, a Troy Lee Designs and a Yo Eddy sticker on it. So maybe she's right. Maybe we're both right. As for it being a money pit I bought it off the back of a clean MOT but it goes in for the first service under my ownership next week so we will see...

I didn't expect it to be, but my midlife (40 and 11 days old...) appears to be the rather run down rather big house we've just bought.

I massively underestimated how much everything cost, had several experiences of dodgy/useless tradespeople and have been busy buying all the tools and teaching myself plumbing and electrics so I can do it myself....

So far I've rewired 5 rooms and fitted out 1 bathroom and fixed many assorted horrors, not bad in 18months, whilst working and having our second boy.

Wife seems deeply unimpressed.  I proudly state I've removed all the 50;s wiring and the lighting for a room is now on the correct circuit, and now has an earth and meets current regs - she asks, it does the same right?  And now you've made a mess and there is dust everywhere....oh well.

I plan on living to110 so I haven’t got there yet 😉

but when I do it will be a Mustang, preferably rhd current UK model but i’d settle for a slightly older lhd 2010 model

I'm turning 40 in a few weeks too.

As far as physical "stuff" goes, I've found I've gone the other way! I'm getting rid of as much as possible.

Ownership is overrated IMO!

I do have a 2nd child on the way in a few more weeks though, so I think i'll have enough things to spend money on.

Mine are as follows:

a fleet of 9 road, cx and mountain bikes which always need to have something upgraded!

13 hi end guitars 9 of which purchased since turning 40, 3 years ago.

several drawers full of cycling jerseys

a large collection of wris****ches

but i am doing more bike riding than ever, events, weekends away, local rides and overseas trips to the alps etc.

I think ive come to the end of the purchasing phase though and Im now trying to enjoy what Ive got as my bank account is looking a little sorry for itself

Three ski trips a year, while I still can

a cupboard in the Alps to call my own. And as many excuses a year as I can muster to be there.

I dont spend much on cars. We dont do expensive holidays to far-flung global destinations.

I do love walking/riding/skiing in the Haute Savoie though.

I had my expensive midlife crisis in my late teens/early 20's (Lancia Delta Integrale) , the older i get (now 45) the less i spend and i'm paring everything i own down to as little as possible.

Hmmm.. guitars!

I have a Tele, should I buy a Strat??

this thread reminds me how so many hobbies basically just boil down to collecting stuff!

Hmmm.. guitars!

I have a Tele, should I buy a Strat??

Nope you already have a real mans guitar.

I've just turned 40 and seem to spend all my money on a variety of things. The next likely expensive purchase for me is probably going to either be a ceramic bbq or smoker though.

Having said that I'm also taking paycut to go from a ~2 hour commute each way to an 8 mile ride each way to work, so if anything I'm investing more in myself!

my strat (affinity squire from 1999) is crap and needs to go (buzzy neck, tuners are worn, electrics dodgy, not worth spending cash on) hence my hankering for a tele and I'm a lefty too so not much choice other than very expensive or very budget. Strats need a really good amp to get the best out of them, which I don't have. My problem is I am better on other instruments and because I'm not doing gigs on guitar it all feels like a massive indulgence...

If my uncle lets me get my mitts on his Norton (stuck in his shed for the last 25yrs),I can see that getting a bit pricey.

my strat (affinity squire from 1999) is crap and needs to go (buzzy neck, tuners are worn, electrics dodgy, not worth spending cash on) hence my hankering for a tele and I’m a lefty too so not much choice other than very expensive or very budget. Strats need a really good amp to get the best out of them, which I don’t have. My problem is I am better on other instruments and because I’m not doing gigs on guitar it all feels like a massive indulgence…

Erm.. well Fender do a Player series and they are Mex built but with all the modern improvements. My Tele is a Player and has some s****y 58’ reissue pickups and a solid bridge (not the thin tin std stuff) and they do lefties in them £550 IIRC

I bought a Boss Katana 50 amp to go with my Tele and so far I love it. You still get the sound profiles at low volumes which considering my (lack of) ability is a god send.

The Tele and Amp weren’t a MLC purchase, it’s something I’d been toying with over the last year..

It would be a blue-printed Honda RC30, but fortunately I can't afford to buy one. Meanwhile the Corrado does its best to fail in expensive ways, but seems to be appreciating at the same time, so it's a sort of zero sum horror show 🙂

As I accelerate into my 40s, this is an itch I'm really struggling to avoid scratching

this thread reminds me how so many hobbies basically just boil down to collecting stuff!

And strongly held pointless opinions!

Nope you already have a real mans guitar.

Push bikes, guitars, motorbikes, houses, records and hifi.  Too many and I need to reduce.

I have a Tele, should I buy a Strat??

Yes. Yes you do. Everyone does sooner or later, I'm not there yet but I was looking at the Hendrix Monterey signature thinking hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

(I have an array of SGs and valve amps, and a Jaguar so I sure don't need one, but still...)

@bikebouy, i cant pm you. I have an old Ossa which need rehoming.

Can you PM me? or email  breninbeenerATgmailDOTcom

Not quite reached mid-life crisis territory yet but I did own a 1977 VW T2 for 10 years, the last welding bill was more than I paid for it!! I've never added up what it cost financially but every one of the memories is worth it ten times over.

tjagain 7 bicycles

Crikey, that's pretty materialistic. You must have worked long hours to afford that!

On my second MLC - the first was about 10 years ago, got into motorbikes, bought a Fireblade, soon realised i would likely kill myself so flogged it and not owned one since!

Nowadays its road bikes...just about to drop the bomb on a Cannondale SystemSix.

Oh yes and ive taken to learning French as i hated it at school. I blame the terrible teacher we had at school. I kinda did the same with Physics a few years ago. We had a truly abysmal teacher back in the day and Physics was a total mystery to me. I enrolled in an OU course - maybe self directed learning is more my style, and until they increased the prices, was banging along rather nicely with Physics and Astrophysics at Level 2. I wont pay their mental prices though that they charge these days. I'm not doing OU, but im doing Duolingo French and have a personal tutor for lessons...it turns out once again i'm actually not bad at it. If only shit teachers were weeded out in the good old days as quickly as they are now.

Other MLC money pits are gadgets..i love them. Drones, gaming PCs, all that jazz

Ive also grown a beard, lost 5kgs in weight, started doing Duathlons and generally look after myself a lot better now than i did 10 years ago.

If my uncle lets me get my mitts on his Norton (stuck in his shed for the last 25yrs),I can see that getting a bit pricey.

Looks in great condition, shouldn't cost too much to run 😉