Why do people buy expensive cars?

motorguy

Retrogamer wrote: »

I've been driving for about 12 years now but never once have i looked to see how much fuel other people are putting in their cars when i'm filling mines.

Thats because you dont have a chip on your shoulder.

AndyMc.....

motorguy wrote: »

What if they can do both? Just because your income doesnt permit you do drive a really nice new car AND retire when you want to, it doesnt mean everyone else has those constraints?

Likewise its not an either / or. I know of quite a few people who've bought some very heavy duty Porsches who buy the right model, run it a couple of years and often break even or make money on them. A friend of mine runs an M3. If you buy at the right point in the depreciation curve you can have very little depreciation.

Even something as humble as a Golf GTI. Buy at the right point - say 3 years old and they'll depreciate maybe £1500 a year tops.

And likewise, why spend your life driving around in some euro shitbox only to retire and not be fit to make the most of a car you'd really want?

Why not? It allowed me to pay off the mortgage doing it for eight years.

bugslet

All my driving life I'd driven older, cheaper cars and vans and frankly it didn't bother me. But one day I saw a second hand VX220 and it just looked like fun. So I bought it and it was fun. Traded it in for a brand new VX220 turbo. Ridiculous vehicle, yoga contortions to get in and out of it, all the comfort of riding 200 miles very quickly on a skateboard. And you couldn't wipe the smile off my face, I loved every second of it.

I'm now driving a secong hand Vauxhall combo van . I could go out tomorrow and buy outright a reasonably expensive car, but there's nothing that floats my boat really and I don't think I could replicate the fun I had in the VX, so I'm not fussed.

I certainly didn't get it to impress anyone and I had the money at the time.

Tiddlywinks

Bloomin' 'eck - what a load of judgemental codswallop has been spouted over the last few pages.

Just because some of you wouldn't do something that doesn't make anyone differing from your views an idiot / to be pitied / to be assumed in debt etc etc.

We've got three cars - two paid for in cash and one on 0% apr because it was 0%... I'll pay it off when the time comes.

We choose to spend money on cars because we enjoy them. We don't choose them to impress others; we choose them to enjoy driving them.

I don't give a fig what the neighbours / man at the next petrol pump / man in the Aldi car park thinks... as long as we're happy then life is good.

One of our cars is a 2015 Landie and, even though it's relatively new and expensive, we take it off-road at events. We bought that marque for the performance and not for the badge.

I've had a lot of Volvos in the past - big engined gas guzzlers but they were sooooo much fun. Take them to track days, use them to their limits and just enjoy the experience.

My life, my choice.

PS - I shop for my fresh fruit and veg in Lidl - because it's good value and convenient for parking. NOT because I can't afford to shop elsewhere.

Some posts just ooze envy - if it makes you feel better about yourselves to think that some of us are in hock up to our eyeballs and living on bread and water to pay for a car then go ahead and live in your fantasy world... ignorance is bliss.

fred246

What is a euro shitbox? Most prestigious marques that I know of are European.

motorguy

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Why not? It allowed me to pay off the mortgage doing it for eight years.

So not spending a few £££ extra on a really nice car for 8 years solely and wholly allowed you to pay off the mortgage on your dream home?

I salute you! You truly are an anomaly.

What car do you drive now by the way?

motorguy

fred246 wrote: »

What is a euro shitbox? Most prestigious marques that I know of are European.

Doesnt make them euro shitboxes though.

fred246

I have always bought the car I wanted. I look after them myself and they have always been so reliable they have lasted years. One day I read Whatcar and couldn't believe how much it cost if you have a new car every 3 years. A few calculations later I had worked out that my savings had given me over five years more retirement. I never tried to save money it just happened.

Jackmydad

What's the problem with having, (within your financial means at least), whatever car you want, for whatever reasons you might have?
What's it got to do with anyone else?
It's personal choice.
I don't drive anything exciting myself at present. So what? It does what I need it to do at the moment.
I will say that I've mostly stopped seeing driving as much "fun" though. It seems to have mostly become queuing in between a game of "dodge the idiot" these days.
Probably just my jaded view of it. :-)
Watch out for the "rise of the machines" though. I reckon that the next twenty years or so will see more and more "self driving" cars.

Tiddlywinks

Jackmydad wrote: »

I will say that I've mostly stopped seeing driving as much "fun" though. It seems to have mostly become queuing in between a game of "dodge the idiot" these days.

If you ever do fancy some driving fun then try joining a local car club or one for your make of car and then go to a track day - you can then take your car for a spin and see what it's really made of.... great fun.