History Main / MidlifeCrisisCar

** Ross and Monica's father mentioned buying a Porsche when he turned fifty. A few seasons later he later gave it to Monica (as an apology for using the boxes with all her childhood relics to block flooding water in order [[SkewedPriorities to protect the car]]).

'''Lester:''' Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird - the car I've always wanted, and now I have it. I '''''rule!'''''

* Parodied in [[https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Amish-Midlife-Crisis-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Posters_i9169312_.htm?UPI=PGQKOV0&PODConfigID=8419447&sOrigID=163450 this cartoon]] from ''Magazine/TheNewYorker'', currently illustrating the HollywoodMidLifeCrisis trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Bob Parr buys a black sports car with the money he's earning with secret superhero work (the idea that he's going through a mid-life crisis is brought up in the movie). This becomes a ChekhovsGun when [[spoiler:he uses it to destroy Syndrome's plane at the end.]] Of course by that stage he's reconnected with his family, so it's no longer CompensatingForSomething.

* In ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', the team asks Nate if he's buying a MidlifeCrisisCar with his cut of their money, and mock him when he says [[BeingGoodSucks he's getting an electric car]]. Then, he jumps into his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster Tesla Roadster]], and they watch in awe as he drives away, agreeing that he's definitely having a midlife crisis.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''. Bob Parr buys a black sports car with the money he's earning with secret superhero work (the idea that he's going through a mid-life crisis is brought up in the movie). This becomes a ChekhovsGun when [[spoiler:he uses it to destroy Syndrome's plane at the end.]] Of course by that stage he's reconnected with his family, so it's not longer CompensatingForSomething.

* In ''Series/TheGoodPlace'', Michael whips a red car out of nowhere in the episode [[Existential Crisis Recap/TheGoodPlaceS2E04ExistentialCrisis]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this by calling it "The Hot Rod Stage" of Harold's midlife crisis. "[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Next stage is the]] TrophyWife!"

* Aging crime boss Salvatore Leone buys one in one ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoLibertyCityStories'' mission, eagerly showing off his new "fully loaded, top of the line" sports car to Toni. His moll, Maria, digs at him by claiming that she can ''smell'' Salvatore's mid-life crisis. By the time Toni's finished the mission, Salvatore has wrapped the car around a tree not far from where he was showing it off.

!!Examples

[[folder:Comics]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Film/AmericanBeauty'', Lester buys a 1970 Pontiac Firebird. He's not compensating for something, but rather pissing off [[StepfordSmiler his wife]] (who would later interrupt their first intimate encounter in years because she was afraid he would spill beer on her sofa).
* Albeit it wasn't originally bought with this trope in mind, the titular SUV Sharon from Venezuelan movie ''Mi Vida Por Sharon'' has become this for its owner.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', the team asks Nate if he's buying a MidlifeCrisisCar with his cut of their money, and mock him when he says [[BeingGoodSucks he's getting an electric car]]. Then, he jumps into his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster Tesla Roadster]], and they watch in awe as he drives away, agreeing that he's definitely having a midlife crisis.
* A female example: Joanna Clore in ''Series/GreenWing'' asks a salesman which of two cars will make her look younger: the salesman deadpans, "Neither. They are just cars."

---> '''Old Guy:''' [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame How cool are we!]]
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' has an episode with Gil Grissom acting as though he's starting to go into mid-life crisis. Brass advises him, "Buy a convertible. It's cheaper."
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Martha's father is driving such a car when he first appears, complete with a (much younger) girlfriend the script compares to a Big Brother evictee.

* In an episode of ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'', Alan Matthews wants to get a midlife crisis ''motorcycle'', but he eventually decides against it.
* In an episode of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', one of Cliff's friends enters a mid-life crisis after his wife divorced him for being too boring. The first thing he does is go to the car dealership and try out the fastest, most expensive car they have. By the end of the episode he decides not to buy it though.

* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'':
** An old acquaintance of Agent Coulson tells him he's having a midlife crisis, what with the airborne mancave, renewed idealism, surrounding himself with attractive agents, and yes, the flying Corvette named Lola. Having just recovered from a [[spoiler:[[BackFromTheDead Not-So-]]]]NearDeathExperience, he quips that it's "More of an ''afterlife'' crisis."
** A later episode has Coulson on the run, and when he attempts to buy a car, the seller immediately assumes he's looking for one of these.
* In ''Series/PleaseLikeMe'', John's father buys himself a Porsche - despite his son and girlfriend mocking him for it.
* In ''Series/{{Californication}}'', Hank Moody buys a Porsche after he earned some money from a writing gig. His agent Charlie Runkle is a bit worried though he should be used to Hank's irresponsibility by that time.
* Walt replacing his aging POS light green Pontiac Aztek with a new black Chrysler 300 in ''Series/BreakingBad'' is a (relatively) sensible example. In a straighter (though vicarious) example, he also gets his son a bright red Dodge Challenger at the same time (in season 4, he had earlier gotten Walt Jr. a different bright red Dodge Challenger, though that was specifically at Walt. Jr.'s instigation).
--> '''Walt Jr.''' (gesturing at a billboard): If you're going to buy me off, ''buy me off''.
* In ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', Mike explicitly describes Daniel's circus wagon[[note]]a BRIGHT YELLOW Hummer H2 with red flames on the side[[/note]] as one to Nacho.

* A variation in ''Series/RedDwarf''. Kryten, a service mechanoid with a life expectancy of six million years, has a mid-life crisis at about three million years of age. While he does not buy a new car (impractical where he lives anyway), he does upgrade his chassis to a very goofy-looking "sporty" model.
* Political satirist Mark Russell, on one of his Creator/{{PBS}} specials in the 1980s, [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] the motorcycle version of the trope while joking about the number of espionage cases that had gone public in the recent past. Paraphrased, "It seems like these days, when guys hit a midlife crisis, they do one of three things: they acquire [[TheMistress a mistress]], they buy a fire-engine red motorcycle, or they sell secrets to the UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}ns."

* Arguably invoked by GM's former brand marketing. Their plan was for their customers to age with the company, starting with a Chevy in their younger years and upgrading to a (now discontinued) Pontiac and then a Buick as they grow more established, finally retiring with a Cadillac.

* Parodied in [[https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Amish-Midlife-Crisis-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Posters_i9169312_.htm?UPI=PGQKOV0&PODConfigID=8419447&sOrigID=163450 this cartoon]] from ''Magazine/TheNewYorker''.

* Steve [=McDonald=]'s midlife crisis SUV Jeep in ''Series/CoronationStreet''. His wife Michelle is not impressed. Not at all.

* Referenced in the song "Mid Life Chrysler" by Collin Raye.

->'''Caroline''': Uh, whose car is that out front?
->'''Lester''': Mine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird - the car I've always wanted, and now I have it. I '''''rule!'''''

* Unusually, the 1991-1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (the [=W140=]) as detailed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W140 on this page]] at Wiki/TheOtherWiki. It's often bought by people wanting to recapture their youth or relive a car the enjoyed in [[UsefulNotes/The90s the 90s]]. Often, they'll go all out and buy the Mercedes-Benz [=S600L=], which is highly expensive to run - it's got a 6.0-liter/402hp V12 engine. This may not typically be an example of this trope, but then again, they buy [[BrandNamesAreBetter due to Mercedes-Benz brand image]].

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'': Merlin buys a new car and explains it's because of his midlife crisis ... only it's [[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/0387.htm not a sports car]], and he only got it because [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpD7f8gWgDg the commercial]] had a Music/LedZeppelin song.

* In [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/hremail2000.html hremail 2000]], WebAnimation/HomestarRunner claims that the signs that an old pair of sneakers are starting to wear out are the equivalent to "graying hair, buying a blue Miata and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick dating your graduate assistant]]".

* Unusually, the 1991-1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (the W140) as detailed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W140 on this page]] at Wiki/TheOtherWiki. It's often bought by people wanting to recapture their youth or relive a car the enjoyed in [[UsefulNotes/The90s the 90s]]. Often, they'll go all out and buy the Mercedes-Benz S600L, which is highly expensive to run - it's got a 6.0-liter/402hp V12 engine. This may not typically be an example of this trope, but then again, they buy [[BrandNamesAreBetter due to Mercedes-Benz brand image]].

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Peter's car after he finds out that Chris is much larger than him in a certain... area. This whole sequence is a pisstake on the [[CompensatingforSomething concept]], with Peter's car being extremely phallic, him driving in and out of a tunnel repeatedly before the car gets crushed by oncoming traffic, and a group of cheerleaders giggling at him as he looks sad and mutters "Ow, my pride..."

* In ''VideoGame/TokyoXtremeRacer: Shutokou Battle 01'', there is Sanjyushi, an entire gang of middleaged men with souped up MLC cars in the Wangan area.

* Unusually, the 1991-1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (the W140) as detailed [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W140 on this page]] at TheOtherWiki. It's often bought by people wanting to recapture their youth or relive a car the enjoyed in [[UsefulNotes/The90s the 90s]]. Often, they'll go all out and buy the Mercedes-Benz S600L, which is highly expensive to run - it's got a 6.0-liter/402hp V12 engine. This may not typically be an example of this trope, but then again, they buy [[BrandNamesAreBetter due to Mercedes-Benz brand image]].