5 ms·

I'm not upset about it or concerned with the financial arrangements, I'm just kind of amazed by the concept. On top of the self-expression of never having lice

• nlh 15y ago
  Don't overly idolize the concept. The SL55 is, relatively-speaking, a fairly modest car (brand new, the SL55 was a bit over $100k vs. the SL65, which looked the same but had a bigger motor and was almost _double_ the price). Among car nerds, Jobs' choice of the 55 model showed a lot of restraint. It's a nice car, but far from one of the finest cars in the world. And lastly, I'd bet that he didn't actually get a brand new one every six months -- leasing companies generally don't do that without requiring a massive chunk of money up front (i.e. $20k each time), and given the restraint he showed with the car selection, I doubt he'd be so, well, inefficient. It's MUCH more likely, as another commenter suggested, that the actual loophole they used was for him to "sell" the car back to the leasing company and immediately re-lease it every six months.
  • blhack 15y ago
    >The SL55 is, relatively-speaking, a fairly modest car [..] a bit over $100k Are you out of your fucking mind? $100,000 is a fairly modest car? That's as much as a lot of us make in two years.
    • AJ007 15y ago
      Modest by the definition of, no one notices your driving it. In any affluent area a Mercedes stands out no more than a Toyota.
      • getsat 15y ago
        San Francisco comes to mind. You don't blend in unless you drive a low end Mercedes, BMW, or Audi.
    • getsat 15y ago
      The SL55 AMG is a mid-range Mercedes. It's modest compared to what he could have had. (Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bugati Veyron, etc.) > That's as much as a lot of us make in two years. It should be inspiration to hustle, if anything. I hustled for many years, and I was able to buy my first Mercedes last year.
      • blhack 15y ago
        >I hustled for many years, and I was able to buy my first Mercedes last year. Boy oh boy! Maybe if I work my little fingers hard enough, someday I can be on that level! /sorry for the snark, maybe it's the weather, or maybe it's the condescending tone of your post -- I sincerely hope that I never look at hacking as a form of "hustling"
        • getsat 15y ago
          My post wasn't condescending at all. I was just pointing out that instead of the typical reactions to affluence (jealousy, anger, etc.), you should admire it and strive to attain it while furthering your own skills and bettering yourself. Most of my hustle has been in the form of serious hacking/side projects.
          • blhack 15y ago
            Your post is condescending because it assumes that mine is rooted in jealousy or anger, or that your version of affluence is something that haven't already attained.
            • getsat 15y ago
              Sorry. I should have said "one" not "you", and "one's self" instead of "yourself". Most people seem to get angry/jealous when they see affluence instead of having a more pragmatic reaction. My version of affluence is being in the top 1% that the 99% hates. I'm not quite there yet. :)
              • 15y ago
    • prawn 15y ago
      Relax, the author said "relatively-speaking" - Jobs wasn't making $50k/yr. No need to jump to "out of your fucking mind" over that.
  • felipemnoa 15y ago
    >>It's a nice car, but far from one of the finest cars in the world. I'm not trolling and this is a sincere question. Which car would you consider among the finest in the world? Edit: Thanks for the replies.
    • blhack 15y ago
      There are certainly cars that go above this one, but once you cross the $100k threshold, you're basically in the "I don't care what it costs" territory. (Personal dream cars that cost more than this): Ascari A10 Koenigsegg CCX Ariel Atom V8
      • veyron 15y ago
        There's a whole class of cars in the 100-250K class (more expensive BMW/Mercedes/Porsche) which are a notch below the 350-450K range (Bentley/Rolls Royce) That first range is generally for the rich professionals who do care, to some extent, about price. I would say the "I don't care what it costs" territory starts at around 400K
    • veyron 15y ago
      There are a slew of more expensive cars. Whether they are finer is a matter of opinion. For example, I think that the bugatti veyron is one of the finest cars in the world. As for price, the hermes-modified veyron is about 10 times more expensive than the SL65.
    • getsat 15y ago
      Porsche 911 GT3 is beautiful. I'd take it over any other car.