The Hazards and Joys of a Sports Car

By Charles L Harmon

You’ve somehow managed to get your first sports car. Finally, after what seemed like an endless wait, you are now in the somewhat exclusive club of sports car owners. You can finally enjoy sporty driving, the wind briskly blowing in your hair - you do have a convertible don’t you? You can now have no fear when you want to pass someone on the road. You have the power to do it safely.

There are many questions to be answered and situations to be explored once you have your sports car. In time you will experience it all, from the exhilarating ride, to the high cost of insurance. If you have never owned a sports car or do not live near a highly populated area you may miss the big insurance bill a sports car usually generates. If you’re young it is a double whammy, and takes some of the initial thrill out of ownership.

The High Cost of Insurance

This is not a real hazard, but if you are living on a tight budget or even no budget at all it can often be a strain to make the unusually high insurance payments that are inherently associated with sports cars. Making a single in-full payment is even worse. There isn’t much you can do about this onerous act of giving your money to the insurance company except shop to find the best rates from all the high rates. Sometimes you are able to do as I do and get your car insurance from the same company as your house insurance. This can potentially save you some bucks.

The Exhaust in your Face

This is something I didn’t think about, or expect, when I purchased another Corvette a few years ago, after having gone several years without a sports car. I was anxious to have a powerful car again after suffering for a number of years with a small pick-up truck and some “economy cars”. To my utter dismay I found that since my car was so low and so very many pick-up trucks and SUV’s have their exhaust pipes up high, that most were pointing right at my driver’s side window. That is a very real gas hazard I haven’t yet found a good way to avoid if my top is down. Keep this in mind when you get your sports car - you must try to avoid pulling up next to a SUV, most full-size pick-up trucks and busses and a few other vehicles. The easiest way to avoid that is to stay away from the number 1 lane or the rightmost lane when you pull up to a stoplight. I personally find that difficult to do as I am usually not thinking about which lane I need to be in at a stop.

Just another Sports Car

I live in Southern California. It must be the sports car capital of the world since there are an untold number of sports cars everywhere you look. It used to be you were someone special if you owned a sports car. At least back in the day, if you owned a Vette, other Corvette, drivers would wave at you. Not anymore. It sometimes seems like everyone has a sports car. Some diehards like me have more than one, or at least a sporty car that some mistake for a sports car.

Back in the good old days - for me it was the 60’s, I was in the minority when I pulled up in my new high powered Corvette, especially after having owned a weakling MG Midget. I was in my twenties and it was quite easy to afford a special order Vette even with my computer operator job. No way, nowadays. You see only older folks like me, in Corvettes. Probably it’s due to high costs and heavy competition with many other sports cars.

Traffic, Trucks, and More

Maybe you do not have this problem, but if you live in a highly populated area you surely must. The traffic is often horrendous here where I live and isn’t getting any better. It’s not only a pain in the neck, but its outright dangerous driving in a low slung sports car. It’s easy for other drivers to miss you, depending on where you are and what type of vehicle they are driving. Your car is low and sometimes virtually invisible in the blind spots of other cars mirrors. You must drive defensively in most cases, when near other cars.

Your Fast Sports Car is Slow

You’ve got a fast car. It feels good. But wait. Your car is not the latest model and is not so fast anymore. That could easily happen to you and sometimes it might be rather embarrassing. If you have a lead foot, unlike me, you could easily be left in the dust by a much lighter smaller car, probably with more horsepower than yours. Case in point - my 1989 Corvette. It used to be a rather fast car. Now there are probably 50 other models of cars that have more horsepower or are just plain faster taking off at the light than my old Vette. Sometimes I think my semi-sports car, as I like to think of it, my BMW 3 Series Convertible, is as fast taking off as my Corvette, even though the BMW has a small engine and is not a true sports car in my view.

If you are younger this is probably more important to you. However, a fast pickup is important when you want to pass someone or get out of a potential trouble situation. Unfortunately it can get you into trouble easily.

Excellent Target for Cops

I’ve got to mention this because it probably is still true to some extent. Even though there are a lot more sports cars on the road now than in previous years they are still in the minority compared to other vehicles. If you are driving one you can still stick out like a sore thumb as far as cops are concerned. Often its in self defense you are driving fast, to avoid the hazards mentioned earlier of blind spot problems, small car size compared to SUV’s trucks, and some larger or otherwise risky vehicles to be next to.

Myself, when I am driving in my sports car, I like to be in front of everyone, if possible, so I am clear of potential problems. Once in a while I try to be behind everyone, but usually that does not work too well because people squeeze in front of me in almost all cases. Being in front usually means driving fast and that can lead to more tickets. Cops are still generous when giving out tickets. Tickets are not cheap, especially in California, so be careful. I believe you are more of a target for a ticket if you are in a sports car. Don’t however, try to test my theory.

Try it - you might like it

If you don’t own a sports car they may seem like nothing special. If you are ultra conservative they might not be your style. Nevertheless there are more joys and hazards you will come to know if you own a sports car. They are not for everyone but are a lot of fun and can bring some thrill into your driving. If you don’t have one or cannot afford a sports car you might try renting one for a weekend to see if a sports car is in your future.

Copyright © 2007-2008 Charles Harmon

Charles is a software developer and owns several websites. He creates websites and writes articles. One of his favorite interests is heart health - visit Health Finds. Another is cars - visit http://www.carviewpoint.com. Charles can be contacted via the contact form on Travel List.