To want a Porsche?

[NaMaStayInBed1]

This is a bit deep so please be kind!

I grew up in a council house in the 80s/90s with the housewife Mum and manual low paid worker Dad, all good. In secondary school, I went to a school at the other side of town where most parents owned their house. As I got to 14/15 I began to feel inferior and poor, my school trousers had holes in the crotch whilst my friends wore Tammy Girl. I went on to have a child at 18 and threw myself into being a Mum and fighting the stereotype of a teen Mum, would go to many baby groups. Because of my age, I again felt inferior and I was a size 20 so lacked confidence. I later went to Uni and have a fantastic career and have lost weight and feel good. Still don't own my home but live in a lovely area, we may buy but mortgage rates and economic instability have put us off - rent is cheap and we dont have to worry about unexpected repairs.

I currently drive an Audi, and previously a Merc. I'm looking at my next car and want to step up in prestige so for a long time have said it would be a Porsche family car.

I heard someone say the other day on TV "stop spending money on things you don't need to impress people you don't like" and it has made me question my motives!

TLDR: My career and car make me feel like I can hold my head up high. Things that need me feel inferior: growing up in a council house at school with mostly fanilies who owned their homes, being a teen Mum, being obese. I am very proud of my career and now want a Porsche to replace my Audi. I have always felt that people have looked down on me/had an inferiority complex and things like this grow my confidence.

YABU: you probably don't really want a Porsche, you are just trying to impress people

YANBU: A Porsche is a sign of doing well and will make you feel good to reach a new goal

Get a Porsche, then you will want a Ferrari, then get a Ferrari, you will want a Rolls...
Two cars in the drive & F all in the fridge springs to mind too.

A porsche will only impress wanna be rich people. So it depends what your end goal is.
To me a porsche doesnt scream rich, because i wouldnt struggle to afford it (well depends what kind of porsche of course). There is such a high price difference between the most expensive and the cheapest porsche 🤷🏻‍♀️
Most people i know who have money dont study other peoples cars and think “wow, a porsche, she must be doing well”
unless its a very special one.

Especially if you dont own your home yet, they will just think you have no clue how to handle your money.

This!
I would rather own my own home than an expensive car. I know this is some status symbol to you, but nothing depreciates more than new car. its a waste of money.
If your rent is cheap thats great, but the landlord might want their home back or to sell one day. Its unstable and who wants to be renting for the rest of their lives?

A porsche will only impress wanna be rich people

It will also impress people who are into nice cars.

I've been considering a porsch but as others have pointed out, I've decided to get my next house sorted first. Houses with deposits, legal fees, decorating etc is expensive. That's before having a good pension, savings and emergency fund in place.

At the end of the day, as PP has said a porsch is just a VW - as nice as some of them are. Don't forget running costs.

I've had a few prestige cars and the down sides are jealous people/ vandals and not always being able to relax when parked in certain places when there's no other choice. Also, when alone I've been conscious of having a car outside the house at night that thieves may want the keys for.

I decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

Dont chase the badge. There's plenty you've got ahead of you that requires money and will give a better financial return. If a porsch is about your childhood I'd consider counselling...

The thing is though, the OP isn’t saying she wants a Porsche because of the engineering or the handling or similar. She says she wants a Porsche because of the badge and because what other people will think of her driving it.

It’s therefore hardly surprising that people are telling her what they would think if they saw someone driving a Porsche.

Definitely buy a house before a fancy car.
Buying a flashy car before a house just says terrible financial priorities.

Did you read what i said?
"Buy your porsche and get on with showing off"

Its obvious why she wants it but its her money so why not

I must be old fashioned but buying expensive cars while renting to be is nuts.
Id always get property secure before spending on expensive cars.

Like a poster mentioned above...it isn't like the 80s..most cars on the roads are lease or pcp so not exactly impressive nowadays in the same way it used to be.

I read what you said but you don’t appear to have understood what I said. Buying a Porsche won’t work for showing off because many people don’t see Porsche drivers the way the OP thinks they do.

How people view what you are wearing / driving etc. is fairly important when the reason for doing so is to impress people!

Work on your self esteem. You don't need a certain type of car to prove anything. It's a highway to nowhere. Put the money into your house deposit instead.

This 💯
By owning our home ( we have a mortgage ) it means ultimately we can leave the house to the children for whatever it will be worth when we're dead.
It should give them a few bob.
I know care home fees might swallow it all up but fingers crossed there will be something left.

Is the OP coming back or was this just a waste of everyone's advice I wonder?

That's not the point. It could backfire, as OP doesn't seem to know the car tropes.
Range Rover: Chelsea tractor, can't park for toffee;
Audi: new money, no indicators;
Lexus: drug dealer;
Boxster: poor man's Porsche;
and so on.

No one is impressed by a Porsche SUV, could just as easily be a Hyundai at first glance.... you want, no need, a 911, thats the only Porsche worth having.

But in the UK, a total waste of time, poor roads, heavily congested and you could go to jail if you used just a small amount of its performance

Stick to a VW Golf etc.