4 ms·

> No one is as impressed with your possessions as you are Reminds me of: if you own a Porsche, all I know is that you're $120K less rich

by bspear 4y ago

the_common_man 4y ago
and if you own a house in bay area, you are on the leash for the next 20 years
ed312 4y ago
I wanted to buy one. I technically could squeeze it out. I talked to a few folks who owned them (ok, 2 people that I sort of knew). They universally told me to hold off, that it was really expensive, that I should have my finances in order such that spending $100,000 (at the time) would feel like losing $1,000 to cancel a vacation so you could spend time with your sick grandma. Obviously this is just an anecdote, but everyone I've met who owned (not leased!) their Porsche was quite good with money.
- Swizec 4y ago
  Don’t buy anything you’ll be afraid to use because of its price. Things are meant to be used. If you aren’t using it, what’s the point?
- bitexploder 4y ago
  Make sure you can afford the maintenance and are willing to drive the wheels off of it. I drive mine often, especially road trips and fun weekend rides. But just infrequently enough that it feels good to sit down in it and crank it up. I have enjoyed many cars over the years and when we could afford a nicer one we did so.
  - anyfoo 4y ago
    I pretty much agree. When I still had a substantial commute (pre-WFH days), I had a cheap commuter car, because associating that thing with traffic jams didn't seem like fun. But now that that's gone I'm even getting the groceries with the fun car. It seriously transforms a chore into something I volunteer for. And we got rid of my crappy commuter car, for family business we still have my wife's solid but boring car.
karmakaze 4y ago
My corollary is that the only person that my possessions have to impress is me. The trick is recognizing if this will be fleeting or long lasting.
- bitexploder 4y ago
  Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, happiness, etc. buy things because they bring you joy. At least in this market you aren’t out much if a car does not make you get that feeling inside. For me my nice car is a beautiful work of engineering and art. It represents the cool things we can build as humans and reminds me I need to keep doing that myself (building, creating). It may sound trite, but it inspires me and brings me happiness in its own way. But it is the more subtle long term kind. Satisfaction is maybe a better word. And I do drive and use it. It’s time will come and go :)
  - karmakaze 4y ago
    I get this from two experiences. My first car was a used Alfa Romeo 75 (aka Milano). I got it because it looked really cool. I discovered it was a hell of a lot of fun to drive, high-compression normally aspirated V6 has such great throttle response. And a weight distribution that just loves to 4-wheel drift. Later I did drive a BMW for a bit, well knowing the 'BMW drivers are assholes' reputation. But I wasn't going to let some asshole drivers deny my fun. It was a Z3 roadster, but I wished it was the Z3M coupe.
bombcar 4y ago
Man $120k could get you a pretty nice plane, or an HEMMT.
andrei_says_ 4y ago
This reminds me. I had a colleague who bought a Porsche. He went through a million hoops to be able to afford it - buying used, restoring etc. He loved taking photos with it and they looked great. He looked literally like a million $ - dressed up, nice sunglasses, nice watch, SoCal roads etc. He loved talking about it and genuinely enjoyed living the Porsche life. This man got his money’s worth and much more. He bought the car and let its presence and status and demands influence his life in a multitude of positive ways. Speaking with him and seeing this influence gave me another viewpoint and I was inspired. Not to buy an expensive car but toward excellence in something - anything.
anyfoo 4y ago
I have one (much less than $120k) because I really, really like driving it. I agonized over buying one for a long time. I did a lot of spreadsheets. I asked my wife whether she thinks it's crazy. In the end, after all those things checked out, I bought my Porsche a bit more than 5 years ago, and am still happy with that thing. And I don't even track it. It's just so precise, just a joy to drive all around.
- gwbas1c 4y ago
  How long do you think it'll last? Is it easy to keep up with the maintenance? Is it your "daily driver," or a 3rd car that you only use when you want to have fun?
  - anyfoo 4y ago
    > How long do you think it'll last? Not sure, I hope a long time? It's a 2014 Boxster S (981S) bought used, with now a bit over 60k miles on it, and it's still going strong. It had its last big service recently and there wasn't really anything wrong with it. They replaced the drive belt (I am honestly not sure if that was necessary) and that's pretty much it. Other than that it's regular oil and filter changes, and I got a new battery once. I might be lucky, but mine seems built to last. > Is it easy to keep up with the maintenance? Based on the above, I'd say so, yes. It's just not something I have to think about much. Maintenance is more expensive, though. Definitely less frequent than my Ford was, but with the much more expensive tires and the drive belt (again, not entirely sure about that...), the Porsche may still well come out more expensive. That's okay, I knew full well going in. > Is it your "daily driver," or a 3rd car that you only use when you want to have fun? It is effectively my daily driver now. That needs a bit of qualification: Before WFH when I still had a daily commute, I had a crappy Ford as my commuter car and only took the Porsche on that commute when I felt like it (e.g. when I knew traffic would be light, when it was a good day...). But since I mostly work from home now, keeping the Ford in shape was annoying so I got rid of it. We still have my wife's boring car as "family car". But the Porsche is my daily driver by virtue of being the car I usually take and took before outside of the commute, even for grocery runs and other chores. For being a 2 seater sports car, it has a surprising amount of space in frunk and trunk (remember it's a mid-engine car, so it has both), and I really mean it that it feels good to drive even in every day situations. It's precise, you feel "in full control" (I don't mean getting into more dangerous situations, just in regular safe situations it feels like that already), more connected the road... it probably does not add anything for people who generally think driving is boring or even annoying (of which I know plenty), but I like operating cars, and when I drive other cars I honestly wish they weren't so "mushy" in comparison. You really should try though. "Feeling the road" comes with properties that are fun or at least worth the payoff for me, but not everyone wants to be jumbled around with lots of perceivable road noise in a car with low vantage point. It's not extreme, but my wife is not a fan; she likes that I have fun with it and tolerates the ride, but she prefers traveling in her "mushy" car where driving is more, shall we say, abstracted away.
jbluepolarbear 4y ago
These are two very different sentiments. The first is buy things for you not to impress. Yours is insulting and it’s like saying “I don’t care about your hobby and I’ll insult you for having one you spend money on.”
bayareabadboy 4y ago
It is interesting how common of a sentiment this is among people, I think especially engineers. Have you ever driven a Porsche? They’re pretty cool. If you can afford it without sacrificing other important things, a Porsche (or anything cool, esp a car) can make life a lot more fun. Life is short and non-repeatable. I am an engineer and I don’t have a Porsche.
- hattmall 4y ago
  I read a car and driver study / survey / analysis thing a few (maybe 10) years ago and it determined overall the most enjoyable car to drive was an 89-92 Nissan Maxima. It was sold under the special title "4DSC" Four Door Sports Car, basically a sedan version of the original 300ZX, same motor and internals. It of course lacked some speed but this wasn't about racing but normal street driving, plenty fast for that, great suspension, built in hands free cellular, heads up display. Really was a marvel and it was compared against all cars up until the time of the article. I think a Porsche or Acura TSX was #2.
- greggman3 4y ago
  Different perspective, just go to the track and drive one. For ~$300-$500 it cured me of ever wanting to own one. I got to drive it hard in ways I'd likely rarely get to drive in if I owned one and it was so much cheaper.
vmception 4y ago
Isnt this like the only year that isnt true? Or does this used car premium not apply to luxury vehicles.
jnash 4y ago
Nope. $millions in lost long term investment opportunities. Even worse if you took a loan to buy the car.
- dag11 4y ago
  By that logic you shouldn't buy anything at any time besides food and shelter because that money could be $$$ after appreciating for years or decades. We only live one life, you can't try to optimize every dollar. There's a tremendous price on "investing" in your own happiness throughout every part of your life.
thorin 4y ago
For a new top line one, maybe, in the UK I see them in the 10-20K range for an old one in good condition all the time. Quite a few friends have had one for a bit just to show off and lost minimal money on them. Now if you were talking about a Lambo, Ferrari, McLaren you might be nearer the mark, but who buys them who doesn't have money to burn?

> No one is as impressed with your possessions as you are Reminds me of: if you own a Porsche, all I know is that you're $120K less rich

by bspear 4y ago

> No one is as impressed with your possessions as you are Reminds me of: if you own a Porsche, all I know is that you're $120K less rich

the_common_man 4y ago

and if you own a house in bay area, you are on the leash for the next 20 years

ed312 4y ago

I wanted to buy one. I technically could squeeze it out. I talked to a few folks who owned them (ok, 2 people that I sort of knew). They universally told me to hold off, that it was really expensive, that I should have my finances in order such that spending $100,000 (at the time) would feel like losing $1,000 to cancel a vacation so you could spend time with your sick grandma. Obviously this is just an anecdote, but everyone I've met who owned (not leased!) their Porsche was quite good with money.

Swizec 4y ago
Don’t buy anything you’ll be afraid to use because of its price. Things are meant to be used. If you aren’t using it, what’s the point?
bitexploder 4y ago
Make sure you can afford the maintenance and are willing to drive the wheels off of it. I drive mine often, especially road trips and fun weekend rides. But just infrequently enough that it feels good to sit down in it and crank it up. I have enjoyed many cars over the years and when we could afford a nicer one we did so.
- anyfoo 4y ago
  I pretty much agree. When I still had a substantial commute (pre-WFH days), I had a cheap commuter car, because associating that thing with traffic jams didn't seem like fun. But now that that's gone I'm even getting the groceries with the fun car. It seriously transforms a chore into something I volunteer for. And we got rid of my crappy commuter car, for family business we still have my wife's solid but boring car.

karmakaze 4y ago

My corollary is that the only person that my possessions have to impress is me. The trick is recognizing if this will be fleeting or long lasting.

bitexploder 4y ago
Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, happiness, etc. buy things because they bring you joy. At least in this market you aren’t out much if a car does not make you get that feeling inside. For me my nice car is a beautiful work of engineering and art. It represents the cool things we can build as humans and reminds me I need to keep doing that myself (building, creating). It may sound trite, but it inspires me and brings me happiness in its own way. But it is the more subtle long term kind. Satisfaction is maybe a better word. And I do drive and use it. It’s time will come and go :)
- karmakaze 4y ago
  I get this from two experiences. My first car was a used Alfa Romeo 75 (aka Milano). I got it because it looked really cool. I discovered it was a hell of a lot of fun to drive, high-compression normally aspirated V6 has such great throttle response. And a weight distribution that just loves to 4-wheel drift. Later I did drive a BMW for a bit, well knowing the 'BMW drivers are assholes' reputation. But I wasn't going to let some asshole drivers deny my fun. It was a Z3 roadster, but I wished it was the Z3M coupe.

bombcar 4y ago

Man $120k could get you a pretty nice plane, or an HEMMT.

andrei_says_ 4y ago

This reminds me. I had a colleague who bought a Porsche. He went through a million hoops to be able to afford it - buying used, restoring etc. He loved taking photos with it and they looked great. He looked literally like a million $ - dressed up, nice sunglasses, nice watch, SoCal roads etc. He loved talking about it and genuinely enjoyed living the Porsche life. This man got his money’s worth and much more. He bought the car and let its presence and status and demands influence his life in a multitude of positive ways. Speaking with him and seeing this influence gave me another viewpoint and I was inspired. Not to buy an expensive car but toward excellence in something - anything.

anyfoo 4y ago

I have one (much less than $120k) because I really, really like driving it. I agonized over buying one for a long time. I did a lot of spreadsheets. I asked my wife whether she thinks it's crazy. In the end, after all those things checked out, I bought my Porsche a bit more than 5 years ago, and am still happy with that thing. And I don't even track it. It's just so precise, just a joy to drive all around.

gwbas1c 4y ago
How long do you think it'll last? Is it easy to keep up with the maintenance? Is it your "daily driver," or a 3rd car that you only use when you want to have fun?
- anyfoo 4y ago
  > How long do you think it'll last? Not sure, I hope a long time? It's a 2014 Boxster S (981S) bought used, with now a bit over 60k miles on it, and it's still going strong. It had its last big service recently and there wasn't really anything wrong with it. They replaced the drive belt (I am honestly not sure if that was necessary) and that's pretty much it. Other than that it's regular oil and filter changes, and I got a new battery once. I might be lucky, but mine seems built to last. > Is it easy to keep up with the maintenance? Based on the above, I'd say so, yes. It's just not something I have to think about much. Maintenance is more expensive, though. Definitely less frequent than my Ford was, but with the much more expensive tires and the drive belt (again, not entirely sure about that...), the Porsche may still well come out more expensive. That's okay, I knew full well going in. > Is it your "daily driver," or a 3rd car that you only use when you want to have fun? It is effectively my daily driver now. That needs a bit of qualification: Before WFH when I still had a daily commute, I had a crappy Ford as my commuter car and only took the Porsche on that commute when I felt like it (e.g. when I knew traffic would be light, when it was a good day...). But since I mostly work from home now, keeping the Ford in shape was annoying so I got rid of it. We still have my wife's boring car as "family car". But the Porsche is my daily driver by virtue of being the car I usually take and took before outside of the commute, even for grocery runs and other chores. For being a 2 seater sports car, it has a surprising amount of space in frunk and trunk (remember it's a mid-engine car, so it has both), and I really mean it that it feels good to drive even in every day situations. It's precise, you feel "in full control" (I don't mean getting into more dangerous situations, just in regular safe situations it feels like that already), more connected the road... it probably does not add anything for people who generally think driving is boring or even annoying (of which I know plenty), but I like operating cars, and when I drive other cars I honestly wish they weren't so "mushy" in comparison. You really should try though. "Feeling the road" comes with properties that are fun or at least worth the payoff for me, but not everyone wants to be jumbled around with lots of perceivable road noise in a car with low vantage point. It's not extreme, but my wife is not a fan; she likes that I have fun with it and tolerates the ride, but she prefers traveling in her "mushy" car where driving is more, shall we say, abstracted away.

jbluepolarbear 4y ago

These are two very different sentiments. The first is buy things for you not to impress. Yours is insulting and it’s like saying “I don’t care about your hobby and I’ll insult you for having one you spend money on.”

bayareabadboy 4y ago

It is interesting how common of a sentiment this is among people, I think especially engineers. Have you ever driven a Porsche? They’re pretty cool. If you can afford it without sacrificing other important things, a Porsche (or anything cool, esp a car) can make life a lot more fun. Life is short and non-repeatable. I am an engineer and I don’t have a Porsche.

hattmall 4y ago
I read a car and driver study / survey / analysis thing a few (maybe 10) years ago and it determined overall the most enjoyable car to drive was an 89-92 Nissan Maxima. It was sold under the special title "4DSC" Four Door Sports Car, basically a sedan version of the original 300ZX, same motor and internals. It of course lacked some speed but this wasn't about racing but normal street driving, plenty fast for that, great suspension, built in hands free cellular, heads up display. Really was a marvel and it was compared against all cars up until the time of the article. I think a Porsche or Acura TSX was #2.
greggman3 4y ago
Different perspective, just go to the track and drive one. For ~$300-$500 it cured me of ever wanting to own one. I got to drive it hard in ways I'd likely rarely get to drive in if I owned one and it was so much cheaper.

vmception 4y ago

Isnt this like the only year that isnt true? Or does this used car premium not apply to luxury vehicles.

jnash 4y ago

Nope. $millions in lost long term investment opportunities. Even worse if you took a loan to buy the car.

dag11 4y ago
By that logic you shouldn't buy anything at any time besides food and shelter because that money could be $$$ after appreciating for years or decades. We only live one life, you can't try to optimize every dollar. There's a tremendous price on "investing" in your own happiness throughout every part of your life.

thorin 4y ago

For a new top line one, maybe, in the UK I see them in the 10-20K range for an old one in good condition all the time. Quite a few friends have had one for a bit just to show off and lost minimal money on them. Now if you were talking about a Lambo, Ferrari, McLaren you might be nearer the mark, but who buys them who doesn't have money to burn?