do you think that if someone drives an old car....that they are not well off?

[bubblepop]

c'mon now. be really honest.

My dad's elder brother was an auto mechanic, and my sister's husband qualified as one before going to university and becoming a mechanical engineer.

We have my ancient Ford escort that will be torn from us this year by the buggers at the TüV (German MOT)

Also a 1967 VW beetle.

And my DH's company car, a 3series BMW.

It is true that people react differently to me depending on which car I am driving. They tend to feel sorry for me when driving the Ford, and smile at me when driving the Beetle.

I do think that you are judged a bit on what car you drive, it is up to yourself if that bothers you.

I knew a consultant urologist who drove an ancient banger. The car park attendant at the hospital had a Mercedes and was most upset that he had a better car than the Doc.

This thread is really cheering me up. I think I will leave my car fund in the ISA for another year and carry on with my perfectly reliable but old Rover for another year or so.

I never notice what cars people drive - it just doesn't occur to me to register that fact.

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I rarely notice what car people drive. The only time I notice is if they drive like a twat.

Unfortunately in my world, which is quite unpleasant, you are poor if you are driving anything older than three years. You are also poor if you are driving a small or small family car. Working out just what is socially acceptable is very wearing and expensive

Yes, and it's funny how often it's the ones in the new cars...

...driving like twats I mean.

No, some of the partners when DH works (solicitors) have pretty old cars and I know just how much money they are earing each year! They can afford bigger and better but chose not to for various reasons.

Ditto, beanie!

I've met many very wealthy people, but you'd never know it from their car and house

We have small cars, although quite new/both bought new, but we are not poor by any means. But ours cars do the job they were bought for, and that is all we cared about at the time.

Infact we had faster, bigger and more exoesie cars a few years back when we had quite a bit less money.

When I think about it in every job I've had the best paid manager had the oldest car in the car park. A tiny A reg mini cooper with a 6 foot boss springs to mind. He used to pop out of it like one of those pop up tents.

should say expensive

IME often people with "old money" are the ones you really can't tell from a distance

As my dad always says, 'Well, you don't get rich by spending money' .

You also can't tell a lot of older self-made people, Hula, in the same fashion. Particularly ones born during the Depression or right or during WWII.

mr dipps has a 19 yr old ford orion called rosie shes cost a bomb over the years to be put right and now he reaps the benefits .....classic car insurance under £200 a year £40 exhausts etc etc .....our sons have grown up with rosie redcar ad we have no intention of parting with her at all!!!even the ids at ds1 and 2s secondary school will say can i have a lift in rosie? she actually uite well known lol!!

DH and I both had new cars up until last year, we just realised it was pointless shelling out so much money each month when, DH drives 4 miles a day for work and I have 3 children, a dog and various horse paraphenalia in mine!

We sold both and bought 2 older cars, which are both great runners and I am not so paranoid about the kids making a mess etc

BUT the comments I get from people who knew what we used to drive very judgemental!

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I'm with Ladyofwaffle, I have a range rover dh has a jag, all with his job, change them every six months and we're brassic usually kippers nad curtains as my nana would say (but they are lovely )

One of my most 'well off' friends drives a W reg car because he loves it.

Was in an accident recently and he's paid to have it repaired rather than written off.

It's in very good condition, he loves it and does cherish it.

I drive a car with an MOT (first time I've ever done that) because I'd rather not pay to get a new car, when this one is running so well and fits my needs perfectly...

Maybe this thread is in response to the 4x4 thread? Not sure though...

DH wants a genuine AC cobra

I drive a 16 year old austin mini city 998

People generally think I am richer than I am as they take so much maintenance (but I am married to a man who fixes jet fighters so it costs me nothing)

And people think my car is cool

My parents run cars into the ground and they are loaded (by my standards), and it is part of the reason they are loaded....

Geez, W reg is really new to me! For some reason I view anything above a P reg pretty new, anything on the new style number plates is really really new even though some are 8 years old now! Maybe it's just because I only took notice of cars when the P reg came out, and it's stuck in my mind as being new. We have an L reg landrover and I do not think of it as being... wow, 14 years old!. Waffling on now...