Which cost more: your system or your car?

Paid more out of pocket for new car (BMW X3 for $40k) in 2005, but stereo gear lists for around $50K new even though I bought lightly used and demo stuff for the most part.

Mitch4t, be careful when using words like "Always" and "Never". Once upon a time I thought and acted exactly like you. In fact in my original reply to this thread in 06/10, I wrote "My System". Today, the answer is: "My car".

Let's just say that life has a way of throwing you curve balls that may have you re-evaluate your priorities.

My system cost a lot more than my car. It should be noted that I paid $250 for my 2001 Ford Crown Victoria. I don't have a single piece of gear that would exceed the current retail of the car.

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Jmcgrogan2, I have an arrangement with my wife. She drives the nicer car and I drive the clunker. If we drive together, we take her car. So, I have no need to get a nicer car, we always take hers when she's too embarrassed to get into my car. My discretionary dough will go to the system.

Jazzerdave....I had a '56 Ford Crown Victoria when I was in high school in '70-71. It was a two-toned white over green beauty. I paid $250 for my ride back then too! I didn't even know they still made that model any more.
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Mitch4t, I drove a clunker for most of my life too. As the economic well started to dry up I decided that I needed to have a vehicle that I could rely on for 10-12 years. Hence I sold all of my system and purchased newer cars for my wife and myself.

The thing that I'm finding very amazing is that as I downsize, the music still sounds surprisingly good. My current system lists for less than 20% of what my old system did, yet I'm amazed at how close it gets sonically. Maybe all of them "Big" improvements that I heard over the years weren't so big after all. No, it's not quite as good as my old big rig, but I didn't realize just how steep the laws of diminishing returns have gotten.