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Stopped reading at the luxury car point. Some people of means choose to drive luxury cars because they are powerful, comfortable cars with lots of safety featu

by tmuir 12y ago

Stopped reading at the luxury car point. Some people of means choose to drive luxury cars because they are powerful, comfortable cars with lots of safety features and bleeding edge technology. I'm sure there are plenty of people that buy them due to envy, but to state that everyone who buys one is envious, or wants to evoke others' envy, is more than a little ridiculous.

SamReidHughes 12y ago
Nobody cares about your reasons. Many people buy luxury cars to show off their wealth.
- tmuir 12y ago
  James Clapper, is that you? Perhaps you like to play fast and loose with the definitions of common words like "almost" and "certainly", but there is a wide gulf between "many people" and "almost everyone".
coldtea 12y ago
>Some people of means choose to drive luxury cars because they are powerful, comfortable cars with lots of safety features and bleeding edge technology. Probably the kind of people who have never heard or entertained the notion of diminishing returns, and think that spending $200,000 or $300,000 on a car will get you much more comfortable and "bleeding edge technology" than spending, say, $60,000, and not just an extravagant design and the envy factor. (I'm also not sure why buyers of luxury cars in the US in particular want "powerful" sports cars in a country where the maximum speed limit we get is a kindergarten level 70-75 mph). (Btw, and whenever someone writes "everyone" for a social group, he means "the majority of them". No need to point out some exceptions to "disprove" him).
- brandonmenc 12y ago
  > I'm also not sure why buyers of luxury cars in the US in particular want "powerful" sports cars in a country where the maximum speed limit we get is a kindergarten level 70-75 mph Because handling and acceleration are useful and FUN even if you aren't red lining it. > than spending, say, $60,000 The original author specifically denigrates BMWs, which you can purchase for less than $60k. It's all relative, I guess.
- tmuir 12y ago
  It's ironic that you mention diminishing returns, as many automobiles in the $200,000+ range appreciate in value, rather than depreciate. A $60,000 car is still, by all objective standards, a luxury car. Mercedes-Benz, founded by the inventor of the automobile, Karl Benz, has consistently been the leader in automotive innovation, particularly in safety features. http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/innovation http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/innovation Top speed is not the only desirable attribute of a powerful car. Accelerating to 75mph in 4 seconds is an enjoyable experience in its own right. Additionally, does the speed limit actually stop people from driving as fast as they want? Where I live, the speed limit most accurately describes the lower limit, not the upper. "Everyone" may, perhaps, be construed as an overwhelming majority, but not a simple majority. A majority of voters selected Barack Obama as President of The United States in 2012. It would not be accurate to state that everyone selected Barack Obama as President.
therobot24 12y ago
my dad used to 'cheap-out' as i'd call it for most of my life, "why waste the money?" he'd say. Now in his later years he buys luxury - a new boat instead of fixing up the old one, a 'comfort' car instead of something that fits better to function, etc. His reasoning now is, "I've got the money, I might as well enjoy it cause I can't take it with me when I die. A bit more money for me not having grief is well worth the investment." Like your statement, it has nothing to do with envy, he'd just rather splurge a little to have the piece of mind that what he has is going to work in the way he wants it to.

by tmuir 12y ago

SamReidHughes 12y ago

Nobody cares about your reasons. Many people buy luxury cars to show off their wealth.

tmuir 12y ago
James Clapper, is that you? Perhaps you like to play fast and loose with the definitions of common words like "almost" and "certainly", but there is a wide gulf between "many people" and "almost everyone".

coldtea 12y ago

>Some people of means choose to drive luxury cars because they are powerful, comfortable cars with lots of safety features and bleeding edge technology. Probably the kind of people who have never heard or entertained the notion of diminishing returns, and think that spending $200,000 or $300,000 on a car will get you much more comfortable and "bleeding edge technology" than spending, say, $60,000, and not just an extravagant design and the envy factor. (I'm also not sure why buyers of luxury cars in the US in particular want "powerful" sports cars in a country where the maximum speed limit we get is a kindergarten level 70-75 mph). (Btw, and whenever someone writes "everyone" for a social group, he means "the majority of them". No need to point out some exceptions to "disprove" him).

brandonmenc 12y ago
> I'm also not sure why buyers of luxury cars in the US in particular want "powerful" sports cars in a country where the maximum speed limit we get is a kindergarten level 70-75 mph Because handling and acceleration are useful and FUN even if you aren't red lining it. > than spending, say, $60,000 The original author specifically denigrates BMWs, which you can purchase for less than $60k. It's all relative, I guess.
tmuir 12y ago
It's ironic that you mention diminishing returns, as many automobiles in the $200,000+ range appreciate in value, rather than depreciate. A $60,000 car is still, by all objective standards, a luxury car. Mercedes-Benz, founded by the inventor of the automobile, Karl Benz, has consistently been the leader in automotive innovation, particularly in safety features. http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/innovation http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/innovation Top speed is not the only desirable attribute of a powerful car. Accelerating to 75mph in 4 seconds is an enjoyable experience in its own right. Additionally, does the speed limit actually stop people from driving as fast as they want? Where I live, the speed limit most accurately describes the lower limit, not the upper. "Everyone" may, perhaps, be construed as an overwhelming majority, but not a simple majority. A majority of voters selected Barack Obama as President of The United States in 2012. It would not be accurate to state that everyone selected Barack Obama as President.

therobot24 12y ago

my dad used to 'cheap-out' as i'd call it for most of my life, "why waste the money?" he'd say. Now in his later years he buys luxury - a new boat instead of fixing up the old one, a 'comfort' car instead of something that fits better to function, etc. His reasoning now is, "I've got the money, I might as well enjoy it cause I can't take it with me when I die. A bit more money for me not having grief is well worth the investment." Like your statement, it has nothing to do with envy, he'd just rather splurge a little to have the piece of mind that what he has is going to work in the way he wants it to.