Are we asking for advice to "justify" our decisions?

Let's face something - some buying decisions aren't logical. We buy on impulse. We buy "toys" that we can have fun with. We let our hearts rule our brains. We often buy things that we want, not that we neeed. Does this sound familiar? I confess to being in this group. What examples come to mind? Jewelry. A leather coat. Video games. Gourmet chocolate. A new tennis racket. Fine art. Expensive stereo equipment. And Porsches, of course. I don't even try to justify such purchases, or how much I'll have to pay. If I want to buy a piece of jewelry for my wife, do I check the price with my buddies on an internet bulletin board? Would I listen if they said: "$2,000 for that necklace? I wouldn't pay more than $1,100 for it." Do I then go back to Tiffany or Zale's and offer them $1,100? And if they say "no" do I just keep looking? I don't think so. If I want to buy a PlayStation 3 on e-bay for $800 because the stores have been out of it for weeks, do I ask my buddies on an internet bulletin board if I should spend that much? Heck no...I'm already drooling with the anticipation of getting the game by overnight mail. When I decide to splurge on Belgian chocolates, do I check the price with people on an internet bulletin board. And if they say: "that's way too much" do I decide not to buy it? Are you kidding me? Pass the truffles, please. If I have my heart set on a watercolor by a local artist because it would look "just right" in my living room, do I ask my internet buddies about the price? No, I want it and I need to buy it before someone else scoops it up! When we ask each other about a particular Porsche that we're looking at, does it seem like we're looking for validation of our decision? Or that we're looking for confirmation that we're about to make a "good" decision about the price rather than a "bad" one? To me, buying cars is normally an emotional decision. I've never really "needed" a Porsche, but when I get "Porsche fever" and feel that it's time to buy another one, talking to others about it to substantiate the reasonableness of the price does't make the decision easier to explain to my wife or my friends. I guess I'm obsessed with Porsches. I may ask for model specific information because I value owner input - that's one thing. But I won't ask about the price I should pay...that would be too "logical" and to me, there's nothing logical about buying one. It's all about passion. It's all about making your dreams come true. I think I'm going to crank up the 911 and go for a drive now. Just thinking about it makes me smile.

I think that most folks value the collective knowledge that exists among the members of this board and asking for advise and opinions leverages the broad experience that lies here. For six months I test drove and thought about the various cars on my shopping list, the Audi TT, Z3 and Boxster. I bought my Boxster after waking up at 4 AM with the word "Boxster" in my head. I drove one home that afternoon. Five years later the wife and I visited a dealer with a few CPO'ed 996's in the lot. She liked the look of the low mileage 2003 C4S they had on the lot, who was I to argue? We traded the Boxster for it a week later. I certainly did a lot of research on my purchase here and RennTech to validate my opinion. But it was really about an impulse decision that I made myself, with wifey's support. The beauty of this board is that there are so many people willing to offer their honest opinions when someone asks. And for those of us who don't ask, there is an archive of the people who did. I'm looking forward to a drive in the morning, it has been a long three weeks since I last drove my C4S. Staring at it in the garage between business trips and snowstorms is frustrating!

You can't rationalize a purely emotional decision to buy a Porsche Carrera...

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It was real easy for me to rationalize my purchase of my '99 Carrera a few years ago. My wife had owned her Boxster for about a year and a half. It was her toy, and a garage queen. She would bitch every time I wanted to drive it, warn me about parking too close to other cars, cornering too agressively and wearing the tires, etc, etc. And she kept telling me to get my own. So...me being the obedient husband that I am and usually doing what my wife says, did just that, and bought my own. Now, I'm thinking how to justify a GT3, and I'd like to keep my 996 Cab as well, and my Jeep, and Harleys, and Buell, and GSXR, and...

Does she still have the Boxster?

These people that spend years trying to find the "right deal" make me laugh. I just don't understand guys who who scour the internet for the perfect car with the perfect options in the perfect condition with immaculate service history and then don't buy it becase it was $ 1200 to high. You could have taken all of those hundreds of hours that you wasted looking for cars and made your self an extra $25,000 at your job! FIND A CAR YOU LIKE FOR A DECENT PRICE, BUY IT AND START ENJOYING IT! This rant is over.

I ask myself only one question: is this purchase going to make me happy? If YES, then I GIT R DONE! Life is short and we only have one life to live. C'est la vie Thus far, I have been able to justify/rationalize NEEDING 4 cars and 2 bikes (and I only have a 2-car garage).

Being on a semi-limited Porsche budget, I've asked about a certain C4 we both saw because I don't want to let my impatience and love of a car cost me $5k extra! Sure, arguing over hundreds, or even $1k shouldn't prevent someone from getting a car they love. But getting a good deal is important to me, both mentally, and financially. I think also all the stories here of people buying 2002 996's that are loaded and "mint" for $40k tend to set a benchmark (true or not) that we tend to keep in the back of our minds. Then, when we see an '02 996 selling for $49k, we remember that $40k "deal", etc, etc. Great idea, but "decent price" can mean something different for each buyer/seller, it's not quite that simple!

HA!

Yeah, I felt guilty being a single person with no kids and having two vehicles. After a while I just said "F' it!"

I had gone through a divorce and lived like a college student for 3 years to pay off the Ex asap. Once that was done and I was recovered, I headed into the local dealer and bought what I wanted. Justify...nope, not to anyone and never will again.