My second wife - now going on 15 yrs together is totally enamored with anything fast, edgy, cool and shiny. She is younger than I by @7 yrs and grew up with her dad street racing / drag racing a '67 Chevelle with a factory 396/ 375HP -4 speed. She loved the thrill and once said - "because that's where all the cool boys were"...........

When we first started dating, she knew I was a complex man (of sorts) but my interests revolved mainly around cars, motorcycles and racing. I do not care for any type of ball sports nor do I watch them on TV. My hobby is my heroin............most times, sometimes a source of serious household cash drainage and frustration. But it is how I like to spend a lot of my free time. I thoroughly enjoy 'creating', fixing and making improvements over whatever original design may be. It is extremely satisfying to my soul.

Now because of my past career implosion, I no longer have the excess cash to do whatever I want. I now have to make the hobby pay for itself, to be profitable. Which is more challenging, but I found that to be more rewarding and less self-indulgent.

A friend of the wife's once asked how does she tolerate my husbands' work in the garage all the time and the money he spends? She answered that 2 things are for certain: " I know where he is and I can go hang or talk while he works and I know what the money is being spent on"

I look at my hobbies, or passions, as the thing that makes me different from a plant. or perhaps less extreme they are the things that make me different from the millions of corporate cubie dwelling zombies who have no soul.

I just can't see much point in life without passions which, by definition I think, are irrational or at least not required to be 'sensible'.

Nor do I much care for people who don't have hobbies.

I sometimes wonder about my attraction to cars. I can be logical to a Spock-like fault so there's definitely an internal struggle going on sometimes. But the Porsche hobby has cost relatively little and brought me lots of pleasure. I'm a little sad acknowledge that I'll probably never own another air-cooled 911, but I'm guessing by the time my daughter is off to college, or the Navy, or whatever she's doing after high school, that Caymans and/or 997s will be getting low enough in price that I won't feel like I'm risking our chances at retirement by picking one up.

I was in a Corvette club from 1975 until 1981, back when used vettet's were pennies on the dollar. We both worked at jobs that paid so_so, but we managed to go to events all over the midwest and somehow lived ok. Those were the days. I learned so much about cars and the friendships were great. Without a club, or like-minded friends of you passion, it would'nt be nearly as fun. I live in a small town now where " car guys" are few and far between. I have a friend who has mobility issues, and also has no hobbies at all. I feel sorry for him because we all need a passion or such to wake up to each day and tinker. Man, I love everything about cars.

Words are quite easy when you are half in the bag. Yeah, that would be me.

I do try not to beat on myself though, as I would be hanging from a rafter by the neck.

If I had the chance to change one thing I would have accepted the 1983 job offer from the Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland as a vintage car restorer assistant. However, I had my brand new accounting degree in pocket and offers from a couple of Big Eight accounting firms along side it. 60% more money.

Would trade that money for a life doing what I like all day long.

Mistake. Blessing. Addiction. Can't imagine my life without it, mostly because in parting out 12+ cars over the years here on Classifieds, I've made so many great friends, met so many interesting people, all over the world, my life would be a lot less—fill in so many blanks here—than if I were a normal person. Nothing better than not being normal, something the addiction dramatically encourages.

And then there's this kind of fun. I love what I do, and only just getting started. Where else is the search for perfection so rewarding.

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I have become more handy. And like another poster said, awareness of fixing stuff bleeds into other aspects of life. I have opened appliances, laptops, and cell phones and and replaced parts. I've even fixed random mechanical things at work, like a loose office chair or desk. I now keep a small screwdriver in my briefcase.

It has improved my research skills. I know how to ask a question better than ever before.

I have a better appreciation for some aspects of science, in a practical sense.

I do envy the people who can share this car hobby with others.
I do all my wrenching alone, as few people in my area are into working on cars.
Maybe much younger "tuner" guys, but that's not exactly my demographic.
It would be nice to sometimes have a 2nd set of hands, but I think that kind of stuff is for younger guys without families.

Once in a while, I do wonder to myself if there is something bigger and better I could be focusing on. There is a big opportunity cost, like Bob said.
No matter how much time I spend on this hobby, I'll never be as good as half the guys on here, so in a way, it's kind of pointless.
But then I realize life itself is ultimately pointless anyway, so all you can do is enjoy the journey.

It has never become a chore, since I am pretty good about not biting off more than I can chew.
For now, I am enjoying learning, building up my tools, and every repair completed gives a sense of satisfaction.
Maybe that satisfaction diminishes over the years. Or becomes a hassle. But, who cares? I've had many passions come and go in my life.
So, when I stop enjoying hobby cars, I will just buy a commuter car.