I think I'm financially responsible but often feel guilt when making a big purchase, even though I bust my chops day in, day out. So, it's refreshing to get validation here 😅 Hope you're having a blast with your new toy Peter!

I'm 65, and a few years ago I began thinking of what I could buy as a gift to myself when my super matured - meager as it is. Suffering from mild anxiety and depression, I knew that no material thing would make me feel any different, so I held off from buying anything. Finally, I committed to an ongoing course of anti-depressants, which have only really eradicated the worst of my moods. Despite this, I felt it was time to reward myself - for as you said, life is short, and you never know what's around the corner. Peter, you are absolutely right - as you get older, you have less of an emotional attachment to material things. I upgraded my guitar collection with 2 new Fenders and as an extra reward for finding a new job, I bought a 2003 Boxster S for cash. These new possessions haven't made much of a difference to my life, but the medication and the new job certainly have. Every person is different, but some things are fundamental. We strive for happiness, but that is a mistake. We should, instead, strive to be fully aware of our strengths and weaknesses, stop beating ourselves up for simply being who we are, and engage with the world and with the people around us in the most selfless (unselfish) way we can. If the people reading this think that retirement is about sleeping in and doing nothing, then you're in for a rude shock. You will grow old very quickly that way. Focus now on what you love doing. Narrow it down to the most important ones, and plan on making them your life's work for as long as you are able. Some will require financial investment, so make sure you are set up for that. Others may be completely free, and you may undervalue them because of that. If you can't think of anything, then now is the time to start looking. As a side note, owning a Porsche is interesting. People who don't know me either respect me more, or think I'm a rich wanker, but I'm certainly not rich. People who do know me think that I've lost my mind inside of a massive mid-life crisis. But it's simple - I've always loved two-seater convertible sports cars, and after doing my research, the Boxster was a no-brainer.

…I guess the biggest mistake people do permanently make is to believe that they will have time to do important things or moves in their lives later… kinda the tragedy of life!

just watched a video from garagetimeautoresto and thought of Mr Fritz. It’s about a toyota and older 911 and the joys of NOT chasing the latest drag strip times and bar bragging rights. A kind of maturity position although i’m not sure that’s how the poster intended it. Anyway, i recommended he watch your content as it’s touched my heart as does your content. Keep it coming, it makes a difference and changes lives ❤

I'm in my twenties, but this is still solid advice for me, thank you!

Fun to see you flying down the road! The audio was really good and I see you mentioned the gear you use so that will be helpful to others. I don't mind voice over for some things but live was the only way to go for something like this, so we could hear you but still feel the wind in our hair! And good reminder that acquisitions are never the endgame and we need to keep looking for projects and goals to keep our minds busy and thriving in the precious time we have.

Peter Awesome noise that Boxster makes. Looks like a riot to drive hard. Great Advice. Reinforcing what most already know but most do not act on it, then it is too late. Thank You.

Love hearing that howling flat-6! Truly an intoxicating sound when it's right behind your ear, upshift-just-to-downshift kinda stuff 👌 I appreciate that you touched on the "don't expect it to change your life, because it probably won't" aspect of owning your aspirational object -- I think especially with cars we enthusiasts can be guilty of building up a car in our heads and while it may be utterly brilliant (I do recommend meeting your heroes), with time and familiarity the novelty often wanes as we adjust. Thing is, this happens with nearly *everything* in life to a certain degree. It doesn't mean you won't always enjoy getting into the seat of your favorite car or eating your favorite dish, it just means we have to remind ourselves sometimes of how hard we've worked and how fortunate we are to be able to appreciate such nice things -- that way we don't take them for granted and they remain special. Great video as always!

I bought a Porsche Boxter s ,as a retirement present for myself back in 2012......living the dream .....I’m now 76 ,and feel 26.... that’s what a Porsche can do ...woooo hoooo 😬

next trip Peter...a tour of Stuttgart in Deustschland:) we are from NZ and flew over there and did the tour in 2010. You will not regret it :) Love the Boxster too mate!

Good for you Pete do what you love.

Love your videos, very well done. I've had three Miatas over the years. A 1996-NA, 1999-NB, and a mint 2003-NB2 with 28,000 miles. And you know, my 1996 was my first sports car and my sentimental favorite. When talking photography Pentax has always been my go-to camera.

Love your view of life. Enjoy Pete

Enjoy the Porsche!!! You are right, life is short and hard. enjoy the moment.

Peter - you're right on point with your even-handed analysis of these 2 pieces of advice: 1). Don't buy something thinking it's going to change your life or fix your problems (my buddy's wife once thought she wanted a new SUV and I asked her what she didn't like about her just-fine luxury SUV, or what she *really* wanted in a new one and she said "I'm not sure really" (she then leaned into me and whispered) "I might just be bored, I'm not sure". I told her maybe to try a new pair of shoes first to see if that was enough of a spirit-lift. 2). If you've ALWAYS dreamt of owning X,Y,Z or you're losing sleep obsessing about it, or nagging your partner about getting one JUST DO IT! At least with a Porsche you know you can turn around and sell it without taking much of financial hit if your experiment goes sideways, though I've never heard of anyone who's regretted *buying* a Porsche....only folks who've regretted selling them.

Really like your videos, your view of life and your advice. Love your Boxster in white! Congrats! Hope to see more of your videos.

Life is short and uncertain. get that damn porsche/canon!

Congratulations. Drive the wheels of it, the 981 is the perfect sports car in my eyes. Well balanced, sounds/looks great. All the best 👌

They say find something that you really enjoy that pays well and you will never work a day in your life. Yeah true for some but if your talent in your chosen field is not at the top of the tree sometimes you have to settle and postpone. The core message is true but life is about balance. And in certain situations financial independence. But always live the life you want to live with consideration. I cannot think of anything worse than living a life of others choosing, no matter how successful....a fellow 981 (s) owner.

watched this again and it still totally resonates, one day Peter and would love to shake your hand 👍

That’s the thing, once you drive a slow but great driving car like the MX5 then the Porsche 911 simply becomes a historical icon. Driving slow cars hard is a joy most people don’t get the pleasure of understanding. You get to use the whole car unlike the Lamborghini drivers you see on the road who can only go max 80 mph on a non-rush hour highway.

This is inspiring and good on you. I'm a massive car nut and thanks for sharing your achievement and respect for overcoming your adversity. I resonate, there is a thrill about cars that goes and above and beyond material pleasure- it provides experience and memories that live with you forever. I still have memories of cars that I have seen as a child.

Love your channel Peter! So fun. What are you editing your videos with? Love all the extras you add into the film!

…so true!

Yep! Do it while you can. That's my latest moto. Thanks for a refreshingly honest video.

I fell in love from that first one in 1995. It was my screensaver for years. Right before the pandemic I ended up renting a 2006 flat-six manual, in gorgeous silver, for a long weekend. Sooooo delicious of a car. Even good for a run to Home Depot.

Wise words, especially for mid life crisis males.

Wise words.

Very good points Peter, my best mate at the time living in Brisbane finally got the Porsche Boxster he’d always wanted after living on the smell of an oily rag for years getting his company off the ground, three years later at 54 he was dead, unexpectedly!! Thats why at 67 after 43 years working and paying off ex wives and mortgages I have a professional level camera when most of what I do could be managed on a crop sensor from Canons D series, its just a piece of technology I always admired from afar and it’s a joy to use 😀!! BTW nice wheels and I remember that sound from my mates car which I did get to drive - very carefully !!

Parabéns meu amigo. Belo carro. Hello from Brasil 🇧🇷

Pete at age 58 I do exactly the same thing with my Boxster Spyder 987.2, when the afternoon is sunny just take the roof off and hit the road with a smile on my face!

Great video, I love people who fulfill their dreams, I know what you mean about once you actually own it nothing really changes, maybe focus on the next dream car ( nsx maybe ? ) and just enjoy what you have for the time being

That's so good old chum. It looks great on you! And I actually caught a vid early for a change. Praise be to the algorithm gods.

Congrats! YOLO. Can't take anything with us. We only have so many good years of good health on this rock hurtling around in space.

I'm still struggling with the decision whether to treat myself to the Boxster or not. Since your upgrade video and several test drives, I can't get it out of my head. Strangely enough, I now see negative things in my ND that I hardly noticed before (space). The money is there, but the concern about unforeseeable financial bottlenecks in the future (I have 2 small children) makes me hesitate and takes away my anticipation. I don't own several large properties, so decisions in this direction have always been problematic for me. When can I afford something and when can I not? Maybe I should just follow your father's advice: be good to yourself, you never know when it´s going to be over 🙂

Just found your channel and funny I’m looking at a981 white 2.7 Boxster so I’m binge watching you I’m in Nz

Congratulations mate

Hi so very true life is very short 😀

Love your videos. Congratulations on the Porsche! I came very close to dying 6 months ago, and my wife--who has also worked mad hours for decades--had a life-is-short reaction: time for my dream car, time for a 911. So happy for her, and for you. :)

Seems similar to what I think and have done. Many homes, many cars…. And thankfully I have my boxster as well. Ain’t life grand?! Cheers mate 🍻

Wow, that’s some interesting optical filtering going on with those windows. How much are we willing to bet that’s a land mine of optical engineering PDF’s i’m about to step walk on to . 💀

I'm going through the same decision cycle. I sold my motorcycle due to kids 20 years ago. So now I'm wanting to finally get a dream bike...a Ducati Panigale 1199S. Just have to put away money now and find the right one.

Splurged and got me a R5 and the 100-500 and a Gitzo tripod and haven't looked back, 55 now and figured I finally get me a Full frame and got rid of the old faithful 7D M2. Hopefully this year I can get a Wimberly head and a 24-70 2.8. Oh the BMW Z4 Roadster was good enough for me :)

Life is too short. I had an old 911 years ago during my sports car phase and it was majestic. Sadly, the roads in NS would destroy a boxster before driving it home to the garage.

I'm 51, not far behind you. It's not a car that I want. I want a great stereo system. I want some Magico A5 speakers. I want some great components from Pass Labs and Esoteric. That's my dream, and has been in various iterations since I was 18. I think you're right. I should have some of the things I have wanted for a long time. Can you help me convince my wife?

Perfect! That Porsche looks good on you 😉 as always, love the life lesson chats ❤ random question, what camera/audio are you using to record yourself while driving? Love and hugs headed your way!

Glad to see you’re enjoying that car! I’m not much of a sports car guy, so I guess maybe I’ll buy a Hasselblad 😂 Have a great day, buddy! Good to hear from you.

What’s the mic setup? You’re rocketing around in a convertible and the audio is still great

Hey Pete, love your channel and love how you started tis video - takes some guts to come out of the gate like that. Also middle aged, over weight and grey - I have been loving shooting with Canon ever since my Nonno gave me his AE-1 back in the late 70's. Over the years I have swayed into and out of photography and have had lots of fun with my 7D from 12 years ago. Currently looking to upgrade my kit and get back into photography in a serious way and would love to connect with you. Are you Sydney or Melbourne? If Syd, would love to have a coffee or just a phone chat - let me k ow if you are open to this.

If you want me to SCRATCH the bird💩 off your car , just let me know haha. I immendiately visualised a scourer pad on that porsche😁😁😁 Great video buddy, good to see you happy & less stressed! Cheers

I love Porsche drive it myself, I question if an SL Mercedes would be a better buy then a Boxter, sound wise 4 sure.

Is the Porsche a bigger feel car than the mx5 to drive?

The only thing that you can change is you.

The most important things I got from this was Porsches are overpriced.

2:34 No way, there are no pot holes in Oz. LOL Every year when I am on the Gold Coast, the roads are perfect. Of course there are no winters in Oz to wreck the roads. And $330K for a new 911 is ridiculous, but then you have this added luxury tax on top of the regular tax and greed. So little wonder you guys are being shafted. Being a bit bored of the constant sunshine on the Gold Coast, I stepped into the local library in 2018 and went to the Porsche Australia web site and priced out a 911 Carrera 4 GTS, but a 991.2 model since the 991.1 models were no longer listed. The Drive Away Price was AU$323,994 for the manual transmission without any optional extras. Then I added all the Porsche factory options on my car but one which was not listed and the Drive Away Price was AU$404,520. NUTS! My 991.1 Carrera 4 GTS to the original owner listed for CA$208,805 out the door as we call it. So we are looking at almost double the price in Oz. NUTS AGAIN! I paid slightly less but then the 3 year 1 month old GTS only had 157 kilometers on it. I lucked in and snapped it up. Great YT video!

Shouldn’t you be comparing a 9 year old Boxster to a 9 year old 911?

Is the life is a lie?