please help me out here. Can't seem to disavow the status coming with a car.

[BelgianMadCow]

On the one hand, as the firstborn son in an upper middle class family, I sat in nice company cars, practically all BMWs.
I am male.
Audi is the customer I'm most proud of as a field materials specialist.
You are what you drive. Wheels rock.
I was not in the front row when God passed out the thing we measure most.

On the other hand, being socialist and green (the last one mainly theoretic unfortunately).
I totally dislike businessmen and bored housewives cluttering the street and the highway with enormous Audi Q7s or BMW X5s driving alone.
I am kind of fond of my Nissan Primera, still going steady at 260000 km or xx miles. 8 speakers too!
My feminine side says a ride should be a safe and efficient way of getting from A to B, point.

But I still hurt at every nice sedan berline driving by. Male pride thingie, probably to do with low self esteem. When I feel up (see avatar) ,so about half the time, I don't care really. About length either. :blush:

Any advice or suggestions on which mindset counters this, tips to tune my Nissan :-), frugal living in general or how you get around, most welcome!

:hi:

bmc


PS: same goes for big flat screen home cinema, PDAs and other un-valuable materials.

[MissB]

1. I *think* I get what you're asking.

Check out Your Money Or Your Life.

[Steepler0t]

2. You are what you drive?

Haven't had a car in over a decade, nor would I want one. How's that work?

[CTyankee]

3. Plenty of millionaires drive older cars. Here in CT it's a status thing all its own.

It's called "shabby gentility." Only the nouveau riche drive ostentatious cars, if you are "old" money you don't care because your status doesn't derive from what kind of car you drive, it's your "background" (by that they usually mean WASP).

I am a WASP but not originally from CT. I drive a 9 year old Nissan Altima which I keep in great running order. It only has 75,000 miles on it and I'll be damned if I give it up until it doesn't pay to drive it any more...

[Warpy]

5. I knew old money in New England

and if they drove something new, it was generally a Toyota. College aged sons had BMWs, but they were only young once, and those things were driven until they died of old age.

[Hepburn]

7. The wealthiest man I ever knew drove...

....a 20+ year old Ford Falcon station wagon. He just did not give a shit about materials things.

[Warpy]

4. My old Ford Ranger looked like a reservation vehicle

but I'd bought it pre battered because I knew that parking in hospital lots would destroy the looks of any vehicle. By the time I finally traded it in, when it achieved voting age and too many things were wearing out, it scared other motorists into keeping a respectful distance because it screamed "NO INSURANCE!" even though I always had insurance.

My present vehicle is a Korean econobox. It's more comfortable and easy to drive but hasn't as yet manifested a personality. One thing that old truck had in abundance was personality, most of it temperamental. I miss it sometimes.

There will come a time when reverse chic sets in and people driving junkers will be looked up to as being a little smarter than people who are servicing loans on cars that are no longer new and fun and are turning into junkers faster than the loan is being paid off. That happened in the 70s. It will happen again.

[BelgianMadCow]

6. Sorry I have to drive away from this thread

my firstborn is ill :-/