I totally agree with you. But for some of us, speed/performance are the most important things.

I am only 20 but I have my tuition taken care of through scholarships, I take care of my insurance, transporation (gas, maintenance, etc.), I live at home so I don't have to worry about paying for food or shelter, and besides getting good marks at school, I don't really have anything else to worry about. I pay for all these things through multiple little jobs. I do computer work for professors and doctors that do research, I am a licensed distributor for AMSOIL synthetic lubricants, and I work full time during the summer, usually making little more then minimum wage, i.e. $7-10/hour.

And whatever I have left besides going into miscellaneous and investments for retirement, go into my baby. She was purchased by my father for a cool $23,500 Canadian which I pitched $8000. I have spent everything on sound upgrades to the tune of about $3500 Canadian. And now, the sound is exactly where I want it to be and I am now looking for performance. So this year, I'm doing almost everything that is rather easily done to increase power (full exhaust, chip, intake, wastegatem, and everything but chip will be done by the end of the week, would've been earlier if it weren't for Good Friday), switching to stainless steel brake lines (slotted rotors and aftermarket pads when the oe rotors go), am buying used rims tomorrow, and all the handling goodies next year.

So I admittedly spend WAY too much on the car. But I LOVE my car. I LOVE going fast in it. I LOVE racing it. Though I am heading towards psychology or law in university education and a high interest in philosophy, I know that I will always have a passion for cars, and that I will always love making use of high performance vehicles. So for me, though I do not take loans to satisfy my desires, I do spend a lot on them. And if I had to do it all again, I would. So your priorities are obviously different then mine. Many would consider my priorities to be aimless and without depth, but I disagree. Your experiences and to do list is very commendable and grand with experiencing wonders/events topping the list. But for me, it is cars. I can't say that it will always be cars, but for me, my love for cars runs deep. This is not to say that cars are my only love. I still find travel, music, art and other intangibles highly desirable, but cars will always be a desire for me. And as such, I find no reason not to spend a lot of money on them.