Interests 🤓

My Ultimate Dream Car 🏎💨

I am was the proud owner of a 2012 Audi R8 v10 gated manual. The Audi R8 v10 has been my ultimate, end all be all, childhood dream car. While some of the reasons for this may feel obvious, there are a few things that really stand out to me about this car.

First and foremost, it's a gated manual super car. There weren't many "modern" cars that offered this option and Audi/Lamborghini (both under the Volkswagen Group) were the last super cars that offered the manual option up until 2014.

Second, I'm half German and have always been a fan of German engineering. Admittedly, I'm less of a fan of the stereotypes around German car owners (looking at you teenage BMW drivers).

Lastly, especially compared to the sister car which is the Lamborghini Gallardo with the same v10 engine, I really like the more rounded body lines of the R8 vs other super cars.

For many years I've had posters, model cars, and all sorts of Audi R8 trinkets around the house. It's still so surreal to me that I'm fortunate enough to live out some of by biggest childhood dreams.

End of an era

You know what they say...all good things must come to an end. After 2 years of ownership I sold my dream car. Some of the reasons I decided to move on:

• Attention. When driving the car I got too much attention. Sometimes the attention was fun. More often than not, it was a hassle (i.e. kids pulling up in BMWs with their burble tune trying to race). People would be shocked that someone who liked like me and was as "young" as I am was driving the car. I'd often be asked about money and other things. Sometimes it came off as offensive. Other times it came off as genuine. Being somewhat introverted, this became more of a burden than a blessing.
• "Daily-ability". Relatively speaking, the R8 is a very dailyable for a supercar. Over time, it did get a bit annoying. I can't fit a golf bag anywhere except the front seat. I would always let it warm all the way up before driving. And more. It was far from a "get in and go" type of situation. While I had another vechicle to drive daily, it started to feel like a process to drive.
• Modern amenities. Since the R8 was a 2012 it lacked a lot of the modern amentities that I've come to love as I've gotten older. Things like Apple CarPlay, cooling seats, digital dash, etc. were all missing. Why the more analog inputs definitely enhance the more raw driving experience, after 2 years I was wanting a bit more.

So what's next? For now, I have a 2020 Audi S5 sportback. But something that starts with "P" and ends in "orsche" will be coming soon 🤫.

Jax (Jaxy Boy) 🐕

I am the proud fur father to a wonderful 4 year old Catahoula mix named Jax. He loves to give human-like hugs and play fetch. And of course...he loves to chase squirrels and cats.