5 Reasons Why Supercar Ownership Has Zero Appeal

1. Supercars are no fun

Think about how much fun you have when driving your car. I’m guessing you have fun most of the time because, like me, you probably don’t own a supercar or hypercar. I’m sure a lot of you who do drive, don’t even have anywhere near 200bhp, and you know what? That’s awesome.

The reason why this is awesome is because you get to spank your car’s engine, suspension and chassis pretty hard a lot of the time, and I’m sure that you know what your car’s limits are by now (some of you will have crossed this line too). Now imagine reaching that same threshold of a supercar’s limits. Do it on the road (where the majority of us do 99.9 per cent of our driving), and one of three things will happen - you’ll either crash, you might kill someone and you’ll likely get your license taken by the cops for a very long time. Give me a wheezy MX-5 over a LaFerrari for a fun street hoon any time. The Ferrari I’ll take for that remaining 0.01 per cent of my driving.

2. You'll always be scared to drive it

Supercars and hypercars are fragile, highly strung machines. Their turning circles suck, their doors scrape on kerb stones and their wide bodies make it near-impossible to just flow through traffic. Narrow streets lead to more squeaky-bum moments, visibility is appalling and parking is a mission.

For these reasons, you can’t just jump in and drive to your destination. You need to plan your route, be super alert at all times and keep a very close eye on the speedo. Does that really sound like fun to you?

3. I don't think it's cool to own a supercar

People who own supercars and hypercars are minted, I get that. But why is it that the majority of these owners have zero imagination? Lambos, Ferraris, McLarens, Porsches…these are all factory cars that anyone with money can buy. So why not use the money you were going to pay out on a Ferrari 458 and create something unique and truly incredible? If I had the money for a 458, I’d rather put an LFA engine in an E30 Touring than be another rich guy in a Ferrari.

4. Jealousy from others will cost you big bucks

I can’t even begin to imagine how much trouble it is to find a safe place to park a supercar. Leave it in a bad area for even a few minutes and a massive key scratch could land you with a bill for thousands. For that reason, I’d much rather own a car that looks pretty normal, but that has the potential to embarrass a Ferrari underneath a shabby, less ostentatious skin.

Parking in parking lots and supermarket car parks brings its own issues too, I’m sure. You only need to look at some dented car doors to understand how little people care about their vehicles. And if they don’t care about their own cars, do you think they’ll give a moment’s thought to how much a panel repair on your Lambo would cost? Hell no.

5. I don't believe in status symbols

If you knew me, you’d know that I wear clothes from Primark, cut my own hair and shop at Lidl. It’s not that I’m cheap, it’s just that I see no damn point in paying extra for something that I can get for half the price. And the same goes for cars. Sure, I could have fun in a Ferrari, but that fun wouldn’t ever come close to the fun I do already have in an MX-5 or 20-year-old E36 M3 (a car I don’t consider a status symbol, I just love the look and the engine).

People buy supercars and hypercars not to explore these cars’ limits, but to impress people that they’ve never met. And to me, that’s just sad…