nice cars and jealousy
Discussion
Guys, appreciate that most of you own pretty nice cars that are expensive to buy, money that 'average' motorists wouldn't dream of spending / would find extravagant.
Does this make your motor stick out like a sore thumb in the office car park of mundaneos? If so how do you deal with the inevitable comments?
Does this make your motor stick out like a sore thumb in the office car park of mundaneos? If so how do you deal with the inevitable comments?
Depends on the car. TVRs seem pretty well received in general with most people (I think the Brit factor helps). Of course you get the old 'w*nker' sign from spotty yoofs and builders vans but only a fraction of the abuse that you get in a Porker for example.
In fact, Porsches seem to suffer most IMHO.
In fact, Porsches seem to suffer most IMHO.
Never had a sniff of trouble, mostly shouts and calls of delight - even from the spotty yoof!
As for the company car park, ours is pretty huge, but I know of another 3 Chimaera's a Corvette, Lotus, and others so mine doesn't stand out too much.
Mind you most of the people drool over BMW's and Mercs, because everyone else does!h
As for the company car park, ours is pretty huge, but I know of another 3 Chimaera's a Corvette, Lotus, and others so mine doesn't stand out too much.
Mind you most of the people drool over BMW's and Mercs, because everyone else does!h
I can relate to this topic quite easily. I was once followed by a articulated lorry who decided he wanted to kiss my bumper all the way up a country road. I got fed up, pulled over to let him drive past. He then pulled the lorry over, and started coming towards the car while yelling abuse at me. I left pretty pronto, but was disturbed by the incident. I was taking it easy on the road because it was wet and I didn't know the road that well, but this guy thought he'd show me a lesson or two. Weird?!
Another encounter happened in my car park. I was looking for a space and I noticed a woman following me round in an MPV. As I pulled into a space she drove up and started calling me me a 'posing d******d' and I was a 'rich w*****'. It was a sunny day, so I had the top down, that's it! She also dished out the abuse in front of her two kids in the back seats, great parenting!
Another encounter happened in my car park. I was looking for a space and I noticed a woman following me round in an MPV. As I pulled into a space she drove up and started calling me me a 'posing d******d' and I was a 'rich w*****'. It was a sunny day, so I had the top down, that's it! She also dished out the abuse in front of her two kids in the back seats, great parenting!
Interesting stuff.
I'm more focussed on the point that most of us here would spend a greater proportion of our income on a car than a lot of our work colleagues.
E.g. If your mates at work are running Golf Gti's and you turn up in a spanking new Tamora (for example) what sort of reaction do you get...
[also on the driving around roof down, I've had abuse shouted at me for being a 'rich w****r', and thats driving a 4 year old MGF!!! Some people are just plain idots I guess...]
I'm more focussed on the point that most of us here would spend a greater proportion of our income on a car than a lot of our work colleagues.
E.g. If your mates at work are running Golf Gti's and you turn up in a spanking new Tamora (for example) what sort of reaction do you get...
[also on the driving around roof down, I've had abuse shouted at me for being a 'rich w****r', and thats driving a 4 year old MGF!!! Some people are just plain idots I guess...]
Yeah sorry, looking back I'm a bit off the topic...
When I turned up at the office I had people say :-
"Er, Where are you going to put the shopping?"
"It's not a car, it's a bloody skateboard!"
"Nice car, When do you have to give it back? ..."
I think it confused people more than instill any sense of jealousy. People didn't seem to see the point in it, but of course the only point of my car is to entertain the driver i.e. Me!!
When I turned up at the office I had people say :-
"Er, Where are you going to put the shopping?"
"It's not a car, it's a bloody skateboard!"
"Nice car, When do you have to give it back? ..."
I think it confused people more than instill any sense of jealousy. People didn't seem to see the point in it, but of course the only point of my car is to entertain the driver i.e. Me!!
Of the cars in the small car park my colleagues and I use, mine is the only car of a performance nature, and I'm probably the only motorcar enthusiast (although a couple of the other blokes are bikers), and yet my car is one of the oldest and least valuable. In my mind it is less sensible to splash out thousands of pounds on a dull eurobox than a 'nice' car.
The wife of a good friend of mine has just spent 15-grand on a brand new VW Golf 1.4 ! She had a perfectly good, but 4 year old, 1.4 Golf before, but just wanted a New Car.
The wife of a good friend of mine has just spent 15-grand on a brand new VW Golf 1.4 ! She had a perfectly good, but 4 year old, 1.4 Golf before, but just wanted a New Car.
I disagree on the comments re Porsche' attracting the most abuse. Regular thumbs up from other cars, inc builders vans, always let out at junctions etc.
Found the same with my TVR's.
Funny thing is when you get behind the wheel of a normal saloon again you never get let out, cut up etc
Bennno
Can't say I get any problems at all in the work car park. I turn up in either of my cars and my colleagues are all either
1) Utterly uninterested
2) Enthusiastic
I never get asked questions about how practical it is.
On the road, mind you, if the top is down its a different matter.
In the TVR I reckon you get a 70-80% positive response - "nice car, mate", "lovely", "wots that then"...and the odd pillock.
In my Porsche its more like 40% positive 60% plain rude.
Joe Public doesn't know what a TVR is or how much it costs. But they know damn well that a Porsche is b****y expensive and get jealous.
1) Utterly uninterested
2) Enthusiastic
I never get asked questions about how practical it is.
On the road, mind you, if the top is down its a different matter.
In the TVR I reckon you get a 70-80% positive response - "nice car, mate", "lovely", "wots that then"...and the odd pillock.
In my Porsche its more like 40% positive 60% plain rude.
Joe Public doesn't know what a TVR is or how much it costs. But they know damn well that a Porsche is b****y expensive and get jealous.
Quite a different experience. I think we're even relatively local...(Basingstoke). AAAAAHHHHH reminiscing now...... (beware war stories coming!!))
1970, helping for friend who supplied drivers, got a call to go home and get a suit on and report to....... Got there and had the marvellous RollsRoyce experience. The owners Missus wanted to go shopping in Bath. You just waft through traffic (1970 mind you) everybody but everybody backs down, waves, and lets you through. Even a Noddy on point duty at a X-roads in Bristol stopped everybody and waved me through. One day of absolute bliss........... 2002 doubtful,,, probably some yobbo would throw something!!!!
1970, helping for friend who supplied drivers, got a call to go home and get a suit on and report to....... Got there and had the marvellous RollsRoyce experience. The owners Missus wanted to go shopping in Bath. You just waft through traffic (1970 mind you) everybody but everybody backs down, waves, and lets you through. Even a Noddy on point duty at a X-roads in Bristol stopped everybody and waved me through. One day of absolute bliss........... 2002 doubtful,,, probably some yobbo would throw something!!!!
Its totally different when you own the car park !
A close friend of mine bought an Isuzu trooper (about £25K at the time) as a work car about 6 years ago at the time his company turned over about £1M, 4 years later after a mountain of hard work the company had grown to £7M and it was time for him to get a new car so to suit his status as an MD of a now large company he bought one of the very first S types for about £40K. This time the rumbelings from the factory floor were "there goes this years pay rise, it's alright for him" etc etc jealousy is born out of what people perceive a car to stand for not what it actually costs in this case the Trooper was a "farmers wagon" and the Jag "fat business man material".
Another friend whose company refurbish pubs for most of the large breweries and turns over again the £8-£10M mark runs an A4 Avanti for work and never had a problem, however one weekend at a relatives wedding he bumped into senior buyer from one of the breweries who noticed his 996 weekend car. Strangly his work from this client started drying up the following week, it's not just colleagues that get jealous watch your clients !!!.
In my case most of the people that work for me, or that I work for don't know whats in the garage at home only what comes to work.
A close friend of mine bought an Isuzu trooper (about £25K at the time) as a work car about 6 years ago at the time his company turned over about £1M, 4 years later after a mountain of hard work the company had grown to £7M and it was time for him to get a new car so to suit his status as an MD of a now large company he bought one of the very first S types for about £40K. This time the rumbelings from the factory floor were "there goes this years pay rise, it's alright for him" etc etc jealousy is born out of what people perceive a car to stand for not what it actually costs in this case the Trooper was a "farmers wagon" and the Jag "fat business man material".
Another friend whose company refurbish pubs for most of the large breweries and turns over again the £8-£10M mark runs an A4 Avanti for work and never had a problem, however one weekend at a relatives wedding he bumped into senior buyer from one of the breweries who noticed his 996 weekend car. Strangly his work from this client started drying up the following week, it's not just colleagues that get jealous watch your clients !!!.
In my case most of the people that work for me, or that I work for don't know whats in the garage at home only what comes to work.
Back to dealing with comments. On the few occasions that people have said anything, and on the more often one were people look you up and down and dont say anything...
I point out that the car took me 10 years to save up for. Whilst not strictly accurate it did take me 10 years from the point I did the 'It will be mine... Oh yes, it willbe mine' bit.
I guess this doesn't work if you get a new Tiv every year, but hey if thats the case you probably work with people who can afford whatever car they want anyway.
Cheers Dan
I point out that the car took me 10 years to save up for. Whilst not strictly accurate it did take me 10 years from the point I did the 'It will be mine... Oh yes, it willbe mine' bit.
I guess this doesn't work if you get a new Tiv every year, but hey if thats the case you probably work with people who can afford whatever car they want anyway.
Cheers Dan
Mel
You have some very valid points there, which I would back up with my own experience.
If you own/run a business, you need to be very careful about the image your car projects; workers, customers and suppliers can get unbeleivably jealous.
As I mentioned before, I tend to run a pick-up truck day to day. It's best to try and beat them at their own game if you can and have a 'B' car. Even then you can't always win - I customer once moaned because I arrived on site in a new pick up! And as you say, there's still the risk of being seen out of hours in the 'A' wheels.
You have some very valid points there, which I would back up with my own experience.
If you own/run a business, you need to be very careful about the image your car projects; workers, customers and suppliers can get unbeleivably jealous.
As I mentioned before, I tend to run a pick-up truck day to day. It's best to try and beat them at their own game if you can and have a 'B' car. Even then you can't always win - I customer once moaned because I arrived on site in a new pick up! And as you say, there's still the risk of being seen out of hours in the 'A' wheels.
this topic was on the caterham forum blatchat recently.
I think caterhams are so different that people are more interested than abusive. TVR's are a bit more common and are always associated with wealth so i guess you will get the odd unfriendly comment. Its sad really because its not like TVR's are all expensive and you cant get them for less than £20,000. People just think "oh classic car = wealth = w****r!"
I say let them have their Toyotas and their Mondeo's......... just get em outta da way!
I think caterhams are so different that people are more interested than abusive. TVR's are a bit more common and are always associated with wealth so i guess you will get the odd unfriendly comment. Its sad really because its not like TVR's are all expensive and you cant get them for less than £20,000. People just think "oh classic car = wealth = w****r!"
I say let them have their Toyotas and their Mondeo's......... just get em outta da way!
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