Spending a lot on cars

[ClawsandEffect]

I don't get it. I know cars aren't my thing. To me they are transport. A-B safely and on time.

I do get wanting a reliable car. So not a banger. Safe for the children definitely.

But I am just mystified at why anyone would drop 50K on a car. I understand if you're very wealthy. Because it doesn't make a dent in your finances.

But the parents I see at the school drop off in super expensive / flashy cars when I know their living situation and income bracket (jobs). Why would anyone want to either dump a small fortune into something that depreciates so quicky OR saddle themselves to a small mortgage for a piece of kit that is just going to rust and decay.

Is it just me?

Millionaires tend to have homes in other countries and you don't know what kind of cars they keep abroad.

Also, cars that "announce wealth" to you might not, to others.

I find the reverse snobbery around cars really weird, it’s like people get personally offended by the car choices of others. I’m sure we all understand why (most) people want to have the nicest home or the nicest holidays they can have, why would cars be any different? For my DH he is a complete petrol head, it’s his hobby not just a means to an end. For me, cars are a pretty fundamental part of our lifestyle, in terms of reliability and comfort, so I am happy to spend a good chunk on a brand I trust, on the bells and whistles that make the drive more comfortable. What has that got to do with my own level of confidence? Totally get others don’t want to spend big portions of their salary on cars, they may be more of a means to an end for them just as I don’t like spending much on clothes for example, we all have different priorities, but I don’t understand the level of judgement against people who want to have a more expensive car (or how they choose to fund it for that matter).

It's quite hard to understand our ego, and not let it rule be the roost.

Most will probably be company cars. My husband has a company car worth £40,000 no way could be buy a car this expensive ourselves. I drive a ten year old car.

True. But I know the two families I worked for weren't overtly ostentatious. One family were huge snobs, but not about possessions. Conspicuous consumption was regarded as very non-U (not upper class). Probably because most of their possessions were inherited (antiques etc).

Because we all ought to be taking notice of the growth of cars on our roads which are 1.5 the size of former makes of car and which have hidden costs to us all.
These heavier cars damage the roads thus increasing the costs of mending pot holes etc, they emit more carbon, are less fuel-efficient, and can have higher running costs. On the road, their size makes them harder to maneuver and park, and they can pose a greater risk to pedestrians and cyclists due to larger blind spots and their mass. As for their lights, the position and brightness are just plain dangerous for everyone else.
It's not hard to find reputable information as above, you just have to look.

My DH bought a 50k electric car when he retired. Hopefully we will have it for 10 years. we’re saving over £ 350 per month on fuel.

That’s an SUV issue, I hate big cars, my brand new expensive car that gets judgement on threads like this is a hatchback.

You do realise that you still pay for the depreciation, just in monthly instalments?

I spend a lot of time in my car (long commute) but that's exactly why I wouldn't buy a fancy one. Would find it far too stressful being in something that costs £30k plus and worrying someone might scrape it. I go for a boring but reliable old VW.

But that said... I spend a huge amount of money on holidays as travel is really important to me. Some people would find that nuts whereas I don't understand the appeal of cars/handbags/watches/all the other status symbols.

We're all different aren't we, and being sneery or judgmental isn't particularly useful. Unless people are leaving themselves utterly skint and can't feed their kids as they have £300pcm payments on a fancy car or something..

DH and I aren’t bothered about cars - we both have old second hand cars, bought outright and get run into the ground. We spend our money on private school fees as that’s important to us. Some people value plenty of decent holidays, or a big house, or ploughing as much as possible into their pension. Others get a lot of pleasure from their cars - it doesn’t really matter does it?

It’s an extension of their “personality” for some.

(think I’ll take the Ferrari for a spin today).

Totally get you.

New cars seem to come with a much bigger risk of computer faults and electrical faults than they used to.
Garages are over the moon when we turn up with our ancient cars where the only things that can go wrong are mechanical.
I can see why people effectively pay a subscription for a new, pricier car that they can hand back if there's a problem.

When your choices affect others, people will judge

How does someone having an expensive car affect others? Sure if you want to talk environment, size of car etc, but this thread is sneering at people spending money on cars, not the impact of the car itself.

DH & I love driving , we like cars that are enjoyable to drive. Personally, I like a bit of modern tech in mine- cameras, sat nav, apple play, etc.

My only rule, apart from affordability, is that I have to be able to park it ( and drive it safely of course) And that’s pretty much the judgement I make on others.

Have as big or small, new or old, £££ or £ , as you like, but drive it safely, and park it neatly.

Cos the expensive ones are often the larger ones

Just spending a grand a month in the leccy.

We don’t smoke rarely drink, holiday in the U.K. when we do have a holiday and we just like a nice car, I’m a community nurse and so my car is basically my office and spend 90% of my time in it so yes I like a nice new car with a warranty and nothing to worry about for 3 years. We’ve just got a brand new car it’s a mild hybrid and already we’re saving some money on fuel

I dont get spending on a lot on cars but I don't notice what people drive i also dont get the point of watching certain TV shows or having certain hobbies but I dont need to get if it works for them

Not exclusively no, plenty of the large ones are old diesel guzzling SUVs, and there are thousands of luxury hatchbacks and sports cars on the roads.

I have an expensive car because I drive a lot and like cars. There does seem to be this weird thing on here where cars are because someone wants to look wealthy but the truth for most of us who drive flashy cars is the more mundane - we just like cars. I don’t care if someone thinks that I’m wealthy or not. I don’t care that MNetters are judging me. I just like my gorgeous silver Audi A6 😍

No, I don’t get it either. I do have a Volvo, which I love. But it’s secondhand and I paid £6k for it. I’d never buy a new one.

I do have a school mum friend. She’s a single parent, no partner, so no other household income. I’m not really sure what she does. She has a “shop” somewhere that she goes to check on maybe once a month. Doesn’t otherwise appear to work. Lives in a small ordinary house. She drives a £100k custom car. I’d never even seen one in person before, so had to look it up.

If I had £100k to drop on a car, I’d be buying a nicer house or putting my dc in private school or investing in something. It would be different if I was otherwise flush, but if I appeared to be not very financially secure in the rest of my life, I’d not be spending £100k on a car.

It’s a status symbol. Pretending to have more money than you do must make you feel better about yourself??
And to previous posters justifying their cars - it doesn’t sound like the op means people who can actually afford the cars. It’s those who struggle to pay for the car while complaining about being broke.
I’m sure there is lots of research on the reasons why people do it? When you are comfortable in yourself and have the money to buy the car outright often you don’t feel the need to buy the car because you don’t have anything to prove. I’d rather have ££££ in the bank and drive my 7 year old car than drive a new car with £ in the bank. I’m more interested in building generational wealth than looking rich.