Does your car show your status?!

[Dibbydoos]

I was a BMW X3 for 7 years - a prowling beast of a thing, fast like heckers! I loved that car! But it's now retired and I didn't want another big SUV, so I bought from the same stable, a Mini Countryman and everyone is giving me stick! I keep getting with your money you could afford better etc etc.

It's jarring.

I blinking love this Mini. It drives like my BMW even the general controls - cruise, nav, wipers are the same.

Why are people so fixated on spending more money than you need?

Am I being unreasonable to not waste money on a flash car?

Of course cars show status. How is this even up for debate.

And Minis are still prestige cars. 🙄

There's an easy way to tell whether you can fit an audi in your car boot. Drive at the speed limit.

@Dibbydoos I have the same car. My current version is the 3rd one I've had. All red. None of my peers care, but for my dgc it says 'cool grandma'

So what 'status' does a car show when it's not necessarily a reflection of the financial health of the individual? It shows that someone likes cars, but often not a reflection of what they can afford.

Or if someone is driving around in a 20 YO Golf, are they doing that because it's all they can afford, or have they had it for many years, and they're going to drive it it until it's not worth keeping any more, at which time, they'll go and get another nearly new one, paid for in cash that they've saved by not always having a new car on finance?

This tied in with the thread about not getting why people are so obsessed with holidays.
Its about personal priorities for me

I drive an old Fiat 500 with 90000 miles on the clock because I really have no interest in cars other than getting me from A to B.

Id rather go on 3 foreign holidays and a couple of weekend breaks every year than spend the money on a newer car.

Most of my friends are similar. I can only think of one of my close circle who drives a decent car and that’s leased. The rest of us drive basic cars but love our holidays. Horses for courses

There's an easy way to tell whether you can fit an audi in your car boot. Drive at the speed limit.

I've always said I'd like an Audi just to change the car's image by habitually indicating and sticking to the speed limit.

When my husband was alive we lived in a lovely house worth about £2m, he drove a second hand VW Bora (as middle of the road as you can get). He just needed to get from A to B and couldn't care less what the car 'said' about him. I drove a second hand VW Sharan as we had four kids between us. My only stipulation was it couldn't be grey, but it was the one they had with the best deal so yep I got it.

Absolutely not. Most people don't own their car and only pay a monthly payment, this only goes to show that they can get credit and afford repayments.
My more affluent friends drive older cars owned out right. They realise that cars are depreciating assets so put their money into appreciating assets instead or buy them second hand after the initial value has dropped by 1/3 in the first 3 years.
Personally I don't see a car as status.

Not sure why petrol heads are so proud of being petrol heads, something's gone to their heads

Petrolheads need to get from A to B without undue suffering.
HTH.

Except for the suffering of everyone else

I'm extremely proud to be car mad! If I'm not at a horse show, i'm at a car event. Wouldn't have my life any other way.

Because other than family, NOTHING else matters.

I knew someone with a Lambo (and not a big green tractor). He would only drive it in the daylight because hitting a pothole in the dark could land him with a £6k bill.

I mean, my car shows my status in the sense that I don't actually have a car

Quite the contrary. Most people seem quite happy with the situation.

@NyanBinaryJohn , Having lived in other countries, I do assure you that cars as a ‘keeping up with the Joneses thing’ is most certainly not confined to the U.K.!

I absolutely love cars as my username suggests, but I do not use them as a status thing.
I have an Old Ford that I use for boot sales and taking the dog places, a Mini Convertible that is 8 years old and presently doing up a classic Mini that is sentimental.
Range rovers and the like don't interest me at all even if I have the money

I have a modded pickup truck and a passat. Bit of a conflict there! 🤔