[Steve Cassani]

I noticed that you mentioned the cost of a new SP three times in your note and you take the time to consider the current market for used cars, including those that have been well cared for with low miles. Your consideration did not yield a happy result.

While it is easy to acknowledge that car ownership should not be thought of as an investment, I wonder whether you are comfortable with the idea of owning a +$50,000 new car (mine costs nearly $60,000, including delivery, license and first insurance payment). Although it takes many, many hours to earn it, you only get to spend the money once and I can't tell from your note that your enthusiasm for owning a well construted replica is enough to quiet your misgivings regarding how much you will have to spend.

One thing is for sure: If after you've owned the car for a few months, the experience is not enough to silence any lingering doubts the situation will not improve with time. Don't put yourself in a position of continually second-guessing your decison to purchase, especially if the nagging doubt takes the form of wondering over other opportunities foregone because you cannot afford both the car and ....

Everyone who participates on this forum knows the uncertainty you face. My guess is that a fair share of the cars offered for sale only a year or so after purchase come to the market because the owner failed to do a fully honest job of resolving the uncertainty. Indulging in a fanatasy is expensive, really expensive and a lot of quality literature has looked at the collision beween fantasy and reality. Good luck with your deliberations. The road ahead of you has a lot of footsteps.