Fancy cars and the people that buy them.

I think they fall into two categories, those who appreciate and can afford the finer things in life and then there's those that want others to think that of them.
An acquaintance of my wife came home with a nice, new SUV a few years ago, she was boastfully proud of it and even implied several times it was owned "outright" and she wasn't making payments on it.
Almost exactly 36 months later she brings home a very similar (almost identical) but higher trim level SUV and, once again, couldn't wait to tell us about her upgrade. I mentioned to my wife about my suspicions on weather or not she owned those vehicles or leased them.

Several years later, divorce and relocation was looming for her and she admitted she would be downsizing her means of transportation and arrived in a very nice, low milage Camry LE. I told my wife how it must sting for her to have to find comfort on cloth seats and I bet she HATES that car. Sure enough, within a few weeks she was back in the lap of luxury with a very clean 10 year old german SUV. She pointed out all of its features and told my wife how it only had 12k miles. The odometer said otherwise, 10 times otherwise. When my wife asked why she didn't keep her old "paid for" SUV and she let it slip that it was a lease and the buyout was too much.
She knows I do most of our repairs and maintenance and never fails to mention repairs her current car requires and its elaborate maintenance costs.
 
Remember too, a posh car can be leased and paid for AS WELL AS THE INSURANCE COSTS through a business.
It's a great way to drive something real nice and "not pay" for it.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. What triggers jealousy more often than cars?

Our next door neighbor was a country boy who could dress a deer with a 4" pocket knife while chatting with you.
He was an accountant for a paper company. Over decades his pay included use of luscious red Cadillacs leased by his company.
"Give them things, not money", is a long established business practice.

Also, used posh cars can be more affordable than you think.

There was a true beater of a Rolls, a 1972 Silver Cloud, for sale next to a bowling alley on Paterson Plank Road in Wallington, NJ.
You've seen car service cars in lousy neighborhoods in better shape. At least it didn't smell.
The guy left it unlocked and I called...he wanted $12K for it.
I asked if I could rent it for a week.
I so wanted to drive it upstate and tell people I took it in payment for work done on the owner's other car.
 
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I'd say if someone owns a luxury car, sports car or super car, they'll likely know what and why they're getting into it are fairly certain that they have no problem having paying someone to service and repair their vehicles.

The Subaru car community for example usually have specialized tuner and repair shops that are common in my region that exclusively service the WRX and BRZ line of vehicles and plenty of customers who are wealthy enough to afford their services to keep them in business.

In the opposite end of the spectrum, if you're a poor guy with those types of cars in which a break down can dramatically affect your ability to commute and make a living would need to have their priorities reviewed.

And of course there are types that also happen to have a garage and tools that can turn their own wrenches and have a second set of wheels that probably don't mind the hassle of dealing with repairs on their own.

Chris142 said:
In my world I see zero reason to buy/ own something like this when a jeep,Toyota etc does what I need without the fear of it breaking down and parts might be weeks or more away.
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Did you ask your customer with the RR that his or her livelihood is at stake with that vehicle sitting in your shop?
 
dadto2 said:
I know a lot of people who grew up poor, and want to show that they've made it. Most of those people are living beyond their means, but displaying their improved socio-economic status is their first priority.
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Low IQ

dadto2 said:
I also know a lot of people who grew up poor, have actually done very well for themselves, and can't fathom wasting any of their hard earned resources on conspicuous consumption.
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Hi IQ

I was sucked into the world of automotive repair and DIY because I grew up relatively poor. I had to fix my vehicles and learn along the way because there was no other option. I'm not wealthy but am very happy with a 4 year old Honda. Heated leather seats, lane keep assist, blue tooth radio, AWD, relatively comfy ride....this would be considered a luxury vehicle 20 years ago. I wouldn't get a RR even if I had a 100M in the bank. I'd get a new TOTL Honda or maybe even....an Acura.
 
I really enjoy seeing people out driving a nice car.
They took the time and energy to shop for something different than the masses to.
I know some rich people, who drive nice cars, because they can, not to think they're better than anyone else.

If I was rich, I would have a 500 car garage full of beautiful cars, because I enjoy them.
 
I guess I view a car more as a tool and not a status symbol. I don't feel the need to show off, I would rather be in the middle of the pack than our front.

The car in front is the 1st speeder the cop See's.

My father was very out spoken and I guess I inherited some of that from him. We would be driving his 4 door Valiant and he would point out a flashy car and say " That guy wants to prove a point " or something similar.

I do feel that certain car brands while considered luxury models are much more problem prone and expensive to fix than some other brands and I wouldn't want those type of problems.
 
AZjeff said:
Chris, is your shop where people go because they own an older Euro car (maybe shouldn't) and can't afford to go to the dealer? I ask because every pic you've posted the engine bay is dirty it seems.
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Have you seen some of the interior pics I have posted? 2 days ago I got into an S class. Don't remember the exact model but as soon as I opened the door a cloud of smoke came billowing out. The driver and passenger both left a cigarette in the ashtray.... yuck!
 
Chris142 said:
I guess I view a car more as a tool and not a status symbol. I don't feel the need to show off, I would rather be in the middle of the pack than our front.

The car in front is the 1st speeder the cop See's.

My father was very out spoken and I guess I inherited some of that from him. We would be driving his 4 door Valiant and he would point out a flashy car and say " That guy wants to prove a point " or something similar.

I do feel that certain car brands while considered luxury models are much more problem prone and expensive to fix than some other brands and I wouldn't want those type of problems.
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You need to check your own attitude. Just because some wishes to buy something nice for themselves , does not mean they wish to show off or consider themselves above anyone else.
The guy who can only afford a beater Corolla may think you are showing off with your fancy 4wd jeep.
It's a kind of class thinking that serves no good.
 
JoelB said:
The irony here is that your thought process is the same as "theirs". Other people think why would you drive a cheap car when you can buy something new and nicer?

The reality is people can buy what they want and you can't determine qualities about them based on their purchases alone.
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What I infer from the purchase is that they have enough money to have a backup car and call a car service when they feel like it. Because highly successful people aren't about to be scrambling to meet transportation needs for 3 weeks waiting on parts for their Rolls Royce.

Other thought: the real problem is when something like this depreciates into the range of normal folks owning them, and then someone who really needs their car doesn't have it for 3 weeks while they wait for parts. And to whom maintenance costs and backup transportation is a financial burden for them.

You may laugh but I've seen older Bentleys for sale for less than $30K in good condition, talking early-mid-00s models. I mean ok, maybe fun, but if it's not someone like @Astro14 maintaining it to a meticulous standard, IMO it's not going to work out well.
 
Kira said:
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. What triggers jealousy more often than cars?
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Seriously. I have been driving my Ferrari on the freeway and had people roll up in the fast lane (I'm in middle lane, light traffic) and flip me off. Even had people edge into my lane, sort of an intimidation tactic, then race off. I'll slow and move far to the right and let them drive on. I guess it makes them feel superior? Except for going to a Club or car event, my GF simply doesn't like to ride in it due to the possible undue attention.
 
f355spider said:
Seriously. I have been driving my Ferrari on the freeway and had people roll up in the fast lane (I'm in middle lane, light traffic) and flip me off. Even had people edge into my lane, sort of an intimidation tactic, then race off. I'll slow and move far to the right and let them drive on. I guess it makes them feel superior? Except for going to a Club or car event, my GF simply doesn't like to ride in it due to the possible undue attention.
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Some wealthy folks don’t want to drive a fancy / flashy vehicle cause it attracts too much attention.

Criminals might bump you to cause a minor fender bender so you exit your vehicle and they rob you at gunpoint thinking you have a Rolex and wallet full of cash.

I know someone in $10M legitimate net worth range and they don’t drive a vehicle over $40K…. I’m not joking.
 
Brons2 said:
You may laugh but I've seen older Bentleys for sale for less than $30K in good condition, talking early-mid-00s models. I mean ok, maybe fun, but if it's not someone like @Astro14 maintaining it to a meticulous standard, IMO it's not going to work out well.
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I have had two friends who bit on a Bentley. At the time, the cars were only 5 or 6 years old. I forget the years...but around 2008 or so models. Prices were still high five figures...but the random repair costs were unbelievable...and these guys owned Ferraris. One needed extensive suspension repairs...I forget if they are air or hydraulic, but it was like $10k to fix. Everytime they went in it was 3 or 4k.

They dumped them two or three years later and the cars were still on a downward depreciation...so they took a bath between depreciation and repairs. One guy said he sold it for half what he originally paid.

Its the reason most older Bentley's are pretty "needy", as they get a lot of deferred maintenance and repairs. People buying them used are thinking its a lot of car for small money...not realizing how much money it takes to keep them on the road.
 
We all have our own ideas about how we wish to spend our money and I suspect many here could afford more car than what they currently drive.
If someone can swing the cost of a really special car either easily or within their means and that's what floats their boat then who am I to say that there are better uses for the money involved?
I do enjoy seeing things like this RR rolling down the street although I'd personally not own one.
Nothing wrong with people having different priorities.
How boring life would be if we all had the same tastes.
 
KGMtech said:
Yes this is very true, I moved away when I was 23 in 1985 and each time the place leaves me thinking about conspicuous consumption.

FWIW my grandfather was given the advice in the early 1960's, a time when Buick was prestige.
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I visited Vancouver in late 2022 for the first time since 1983 (?) I think, when I was a kid growing up in Oregon. What struck me was the growth, we went up to the reservoir and Grouse Mountain when I was a kid and it seemed like a long drive up there through the countryside. Now, the houses go right up to the gondola. And North Vancouver is a huge city in it's own right. I was absolutely floored.

That whole trip back in the 80s was pretty wild in retrospect, we went up to Abbotsford, BC and worked as migrant farm workers (probably illegally) picking all sorts of berries. And I was like 12 lol. We used the money we made to travel around BC when we weren't working. It was my mom, my mom's friend, my sister and I, and the two kids of my mom's friend, in a 1973 Chevy pickup with a camper shell. We stayed in a shack on the farm, had running water but no inside toilet, outhouse for weeks. Every time we went somewhere, 3 of us 4 kids were in the back under the camper shell. And we lived. LOL.
 
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