which car is sitting in your listening room?



Hello all!

given the expense competent, high value, upper range performing, top flight, and no holds barred SOTA audio systems costs  lately, which car in terms of your ssystems  overall retail price  is waiting for you to rev its engine the next time you fire it up in your listening room?


Ford Escort, Toyota Corolla, Chrysler Mini Van, Camaro Z28, BMW M series, Dodge Viper,Tesla, ‘Vette, Lambo, McClaren, or Bugatti?


Or… ?


where-ever your audio system lands price wise, you choose the relative cost equivalent vehicle as it is now, and or which one you hope to eventually have on the ‘show room’ floor.


Enjoy.


blindjim
What I actually paid for everything in my system:
2019 Toyota Camry, fully loaded

If I had paid full msrp for my system:
2019 BMW 330i with option 1

This really puts my spending in perspective, thanks! I have been into this hobby for around 20 years, so all in all it's not too bad.
I am guessing a Bentley Bentayga.  The only thing a Bentayga has over my system, in terms of what I need, is that it has cup holders.
What I eventually would want:
I’m totally happy with what I have now. I have a Camry and appreciate its reliablity. It is problem-free. I have friends with BMW’s and I appreciate the way they perform. So I guess you could say my system is a blend of the Camry and BMW, which is fine by me. There’s no need to spend more.
In terms of the actual acquisition, which is over a very LONG period of time, the analogy would have to be like Johnny Cash's "One Piece at a Time":  "Well its a '49, '50, '51. . ."
This thread made me think of how important reliability is in an audio system and with cars, and what the cost of repair would be. I don't think I would ever buy a really expensive piece of audio gear or a car without having a good idea of it's reliability. I've been through gear and cars that kept breaking and don't want to go there again, which is why I would be hesitant about buying anything exotic. My friend bought a Porsche Turbo and was paying $900 just for an oil change. There's plenty of audio gear that costs at least that much to ship and perform a simple repair. I went through that with a Meridian processor.
Post removed 
Post removed 
Post removed 
I'd love to get my hands on the new Toyota Supra and bask my ears in it's revelry.
In my garage ... Ferrari F430 gated manual (old school stick shift) 

In my listening room ... Ferrari F430 gated manual (old school tubes and TT) 

I can't afford a LaFerrari ... in my garage or listening room ... although I'd like to rev one! ;)
List price new, a nice Camry, in context, we have a couple of E Class Mercedes, so my audio spending is not over the top in terms of proportion to our lifestyle.
rodman99999,
"1979 Zastava 750S(the performance exhilarates)"
You could not stretch for Luxe?

Exhilarating performance-wise, I know a man who used to tune his and everyone was making fun of him. Then he got caught (radar) and police claimed he was going 205 km/h. At first, he wanted to argue as it was impossible, but then he agreed to pay as long as they gave him a written proof that was his speed. It was a small price to pay for bragging rights.
I was just thinking  about this the other day. I’m going to have to go with a new Alpha Romeo.


expensive bicycle lol
Excellent!!

I began with a pr of BW towers a Sony Carosel CD changer and a Sony ES HT receiver, or essentially a 1981 F150 300ci straight six PU.

once I landed here things improved.

some BAT gear, Von S towers and a Sony SCD xa 777 or IOW, a 2000 Crown Vic loaded.

a while later it ended up pretty much as a loaded 300 series BMW, or a used 500 series, also loaded, i.e., $35 to $40K. MSRP

now its back to basics and a very well and often used Hundai that smokes a little bit. lol

I could live quite easily with something in the $75 to $100K MSRP area. An Audi A6? Dodge Charger Hell Cat? nope. maybe a lux SUV. if it has a trailer hitch of course. gotta be able to pull some kind of water craft, jet ski, bass boat, hmmm, horse trailer?

given how Integrated amps are progressing, maybe a whole lot less! perhaps a brand new Subaru Outback.

I don't know what the future holds, but I do know who holds it. gonna have to wait and see what He has in mind.

Random redneck: that thing got a hemi? 

Me: nope 😅
 I guess I have a set of alloys and some tires in my listening room. And I'm pretty happy with them 😃
I'd say Tesla model 3. Not based on cost but rather on technology and performance balanced with style!
I worry that some may think that means his stereo is worth the same as a VW electric bus. But no. He actually has a VW electric bus sitting in his living room. Dude.
It was just my way of saying I’m officially off the grid. Eat my dust, suckers! 
@glupson - The 750S’ added 5HP(over the base model) was a already a scary step, with all that blistering performance. It’s been my experience, as vehicles get fancier/more luxurious, they put on weight(hubcaps, chrome, carpet, etc). Performance being about power to weight ratio; I want to avoid that, or I might add some aero-effects. ie: https://barnfinds.com/1979-zastava-750-abarth-wannabe/  Looks slippery, no?   I WAS considering eyelashes, just for the aesthetic value.
@an10490413 - Nothing can beat the bass immediacy and dynamics of a good explosion!

FYI... and just because for clarity sake....

the car you post is the supposed equivilant of the cost of your stereo rig.

Clear?

yeah.. I did say what would or could you shoot for, figuring on reasonable real world expenditures you can and will make going forward to escalate your current outfit.

otherwise, in I ain't ever gonna get there land, I'd opt for a buggatti or McClaren.

... and renting some track time at 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd, just up the road from here a bit.

About 45 minutes ought to be enough to remove most of the right side of the body and frame from hugging the wall for 2 and a half miles.

check that. maybe only 15 minutes would work.

naw... I'd rent the track for a whole hour and have someone drive the ??? as fast as it could go first.

then... I'd slide into the drivers seat and find the wall.. suddenly.

hmmm. Bonneville is looking much better.

no walls. just a long walkk back. lol

then too if I'm still on the Fantasy Salt Flats, wonder if I could rent Mr. green's Thrust SSC. in '96 he revved it to 763 + MPH!!! that record stands yet today for steerable land driven vehicles.

however, I've always had a penchant for the Shelby Cobra 427CID ' Super Snake. there is only one all original model left, and I hear a bit over 5mil takes it home.

of course then 5 mil should fill out half a dozen uber 'spensive CNO audio systems.
SORRY!  Small as my listening room is, the choices for a dream car(as requested), were either Zastavas or Isettas, though- I probably COULD buy a few of each, for what I have in my system. If fitment weren’t an issue, I’d have mentioned a nice, low mileage, stock, ’87 GNX.
Dudes the only VW bus to own is the classic 21 window split windshield. Running or not she's a beaut! :)
rodman99999,

Zastava 750 was a well-known race car. Yep, you read it right. Check around 3:30 and onwards for some "eye candy". It is from the movie about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgTr2lsZJUQ
@jond  Dude, you paid $90K for your gear?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-volkswagen-bus-6/

My stuff cost about what I paid for a beat up Fiat 600. It did have suicide doors.
@glupson- Southeastern Europeans: Gotta love ’em. So easy to entertain! Though; playing in all that mud, does look like a lot of fun. But- my ’79 Super Glide weighed 44 lbs less than a 750S and had almost twice the ponies(58 HP), when it was stock. It wasn’t exactly quick(then), either.
@blindjim - Never was much for Ford, but- ALWAYS drooled over Caroll’s Cobras(ACs, that is)! He had his fingers in the Ford GT/GT40 leg-wetters too. AHHHH, the Sixties(high octane/compression, no cats/emission controls and lead rocked)!
The car in my listening room would be a 2009 Ford Focus with about 125k miles. The A/C still works!
86 Porsche 928, 2000 Porsche 911, 63 Stude Avanti (R-2) 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, 2015 Chevy Volt, As mix and match as my Stereo gear......
I have three systems that are fairly serious.   Don't think I paid retail for anything in any of them.

Ditto for all but one of my cars - anyone that buys new retail is a dope unless there are supply issues that support that decision. (Current fleet = 09 Solstice coupe, 07 BMW Z4M coupe, 71 Jensen Interceptor, 62 MG, 58 MG, and 56 MG.  Recently sold 65 Jensen, 69 MGC and 69 Lamborghini. None of these cars except the Solstice were bought new.

Whenever I see threads like "What turntable should I buy for $2000?" my response is always 'What someone else paid $4000 for not long ago.

Had I paid full retail my bill for power amps in one system would have been about $12k and the speakers in another system would have set me back ~$60K. Have to be crazy to do that.

If pushed to compare systems with cars, I suppose my main system would be an (old) Lamborghini, another would be BMW M car and the third would be something like vintage Jag (sorry, can't relate to American cars as I've never lusted after them, with only two exceptions.
Audio has nothing to do with cars this is so silly there used to a be an audio web site that called itself "sports cars for you're living room" and that didn't make any sense either!

mantaman,

"86 Porsche 928, 2000 Porsche 911, 63 Stude Avanti (R-2) 2018
Chrysler Pacifica, 2015 Chevy Volt, As mix and match as my Stereo gear......"


And none of them a Manta?