I never paid attention much to real cars until I was 17. Although I had Dinky, Corgi and Spot-On in a big box. Then it was what I could get for £100. Not much was the answer. A dodgy MoT was common. That start provided my hammer skills, although I was dismantling and creating things in the shed from years before.
Anyway, then it became what sort of sports car I could afford. Not much was the answer. After a while I went soft, wanting velour seats and a wooden dash, which equated to Truimph. After that was the two car arrangement, with a fancy weekender, and a daily shed. That became two weekenders and two daily better than sheds, and it stayed like that ever since. As I have said before, choose wisely and you don't need to change much. My tenure is usually over ten years and twenty plus years has happened.
I've travelled in a huge number of friends cars, and rented loads of others. This is why I don't have an auto, or an SUV. None have ever impressed me. A Lotus Elise didn't either, or a first gen water cooled 911. I also have a narrow drive which preculdes most modern lardys.
My cars must please my eye to look at and please me to sit in. My cars must always have a function. The Morgans do this well, because fettling matters to me, and garage time is fun time. For more space and seats my VWs do it well. I don't need anything fancier. So I guess I haven't really shifted that much. I buy a car which works for me. I don't listen to journos, because they are not in my world.