Consider the sports car. Ah yes, the quintessential symbol of a full blown mid-life crisis. If you find yourself with a little disposable cash, and an urge to recapture a youth that you probably didn’t actually have because you couldn’t have afforded it at the time, then you my friend may find yourself seriously contemplating acquiring that big toy. But before you lay your money down, let’s have a little look at a few do’s and don’ts.

First of all, it will have to be a vehicle that says “sporty”, even if only in name and looks. So, for example, if you’re thinking that a restored ’56 International Harvester pickup truck just like the one your Dad used to drive would be the ticket, forget it. Nope, sorry, that won’t do. Really it comes down to two choices: foreign two-seater or Detroit iron muscle car.

If you want to say to the world “I’m eccentric”, look for a used Italian or German sports car from 40 or 50 years ago. If you want to say “I’m jolly eccentric, and I like to spend more time under the car than in it”, then get yourself an old British sports car (don’t forget to budget for a tweed cap and jacket, pipe optional, for those times you can actually get the thing to run). Unfortunately, if you decide Detroit iron is the ticket, you may be saying “my best days are behind me”, just like Detroit. I mean, what do you really think when you see a gray-haired guy piloting a ’74 ‘Vette into the parking lot at the mall? Yeah, me too; Viagra. And if he’s driving a brand new ‘Vette, you’re probably thinking “has a boatload of money, has left his third wife and taken up with some 21-year old he’s constantly trying to impress. I’ll bet he’s not really happy”. Admit it, you do.

But the feeling won’t go away. You still hanker after the kind of car you couldn’t have as a teenager. The manufacturers know this. Look at the surge of old-is-new-again designs out there: Mustang, Camaro (coming soon), Mini, Challenger (also soon), VW Beetle and so on. Even Fiat figured it out.

If you’re not a weekend mechanic, then new is probably the way to go. The upside is better reliability, better fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions, airbags, traction control, ABS, and of course the most significant automotive advancement in a long time—cupholders! What you’ll be missing is chrome, fins and carburetors.

If you sit tight and do nothing, the feeling may pass. Or you may settle for a compromise. I’ve told my wife if the urge hits, she may come home one day to find I’ve bought a set of mags for the minivan. In the meantime, you can window shop to your heart’s delight online. You can find a lot of cool stuff here. But be warned, we tend to make the world out of those thoughts we keep feeding, so if you’re not careful, you could wind up with a ’73 240Z (some rust, runs good) and a puddle of oil in your driveway. But hey, if that’s what it takes to find your mojo, let’s go for a ride!