I had a friend in San Bernardino who loved Corvettes and each time I visited him he had to show me triple digits on the speedo. It never felt as if we were going that fast and even though I was the passenger, it hugged the road like it was on rails. I became more interested in Corvettes and began doing some research. The clincher was: Corvette manufacturing hired a team to drive their car on a track ,around the clock for days, until something failed. They would remove the part, determine why it failed, correct the problem and drive it until something else failed, etc, etc. That, I felt, was the real way to build a car. I was at that time in my life where I could afford to buy the car I wanted. I found a 96 LT4 advertised for too much, and made the 200 mile trip to see it. I knew it was going to cost me as soon as I saw it. It was beautiful, three years old, had 4K miles on it, had never been stored outside, and was always covered. The owner took me for a ride, pinned me back in the seat and I was sold. I went home got a certified check and returned the following week for the car.
Incidentally, my wife knew it was a "used car" and expected me to bring home a dog because it was the first and only Corvette I looked at. Her expression was priceless when I pulled into the driveway. It was the shiniest red car she had ever seen in her life. When she opened the door for me to take her for her first ride, the interior smelled like new leather. And it still does.
And that is what hooked me on my ride.