I also loved racing games as a kid and my first purchase after I moved out was a g29 lmao.
I'd love to have a simrig and could probably afford one nowadays, but space is really big issue when living in an apartment. I don't really have a free corner to put it in like you.
I bought a Steam Deck so I can play games while on the go. I just kind of forgot I'm never actually on the go, so 90% of the time it's just gathering dust on my nightstand, because I'd rather play on my proper gaming PC when I'm at home.