Treehouse: Oregon-Based Teenager Defends His $85K Sports Car Purchase

On Proportionality and Peace of Mind

There's a question I've been asked more times than I care to count: Why does a sixteen-year-old need an $85,000 car?

It's a fair question on the surface. I understand the optics. I understand the assumptions that come with it—privilege, excess, perhaps a lack of perspective. And yes, I've since traded that vehicle in. But the question itself misses the point entirely.

Let me reframe it for you.

When I can attend school without being followed by wealthy executives in my Oregon town—men who are five times my age—perhaps then we can have a conversation about what's "appropriate" for someone my age.

When the gossip stops.
When the unsolicited attention from individuals who should know better finally subsides.
When I'm afforded the same anonymity and peace that most teenagers take for granted.
Then we can discuss whether my vehicle was scaled appropriately to my circumstances.

But until that day comes—and I say this with all due sarcasm—I'll keep the sports car.
Or rather, I would have.
They can keep talking.

The reality is this: security and peace of mind don't come cheap. And when your daily life involves navigating a level of scrutiny that most people will never experience, you make decisions accordingly. You prioritize what allows you to move through the world with a semblance of control and safety.

So yes, I had an $85,000 car at sixteen. And no, I don't owe anyone an explanation beyond this: it was necessary. Not as a status symbol. Not as a flex. But as a means of maintaining boundaries in an environment where boundaries are constantly tested.

The conversation about excess is always easier when you're not the one being watched.

-Respect Over Reputation