Johnhav430

That's what I would go for, 2k12 or '13. Again, I'd just make sure I knew about common issues, decide what I can DIY, line up an indie to install FCP Euro parts, etc. Not a huge deal but maybe just some due diligence....I know if your heat stops working, it's a common issue and only a $80 part...dunno the rest.

baconRx

Dmaxdmax

SW17LS

As somebody who has driven new expensive cars for a long time I can tell you thats not true lol. There is absolutely status still in a car and in other outward appearances of wealth. Its interesting when you have two cars, one of which is an expensive Lexus and the other of which is a minivan, the differences in the way people treat you on the road, when you pull up to a hotel for instance, or a nice restaurant. Theres a distinct difference.

Another thing that really is interesting, I had a Platinum AMEX for years and when the kids were born I downgraded it to a Gold one since we weren't using any of the travel perks, etc. Well...about 6 months ago I took a bonus point offer and upgraded it back. The new platinum cards are metal, and thick. they have a bright shiny look to them and they are very heavy, they plunk down on a bar or a hotel counter with authority. They catch the light too and get peoples attention. Here's what they look like for those who are unfamiliar:



Using that card is really fascinating. If you go up to a crowded bar, and pull it out of your wallet and plunk it on the bar, the bartender comes right to you. Its amazing. What use to take 5 minutes to get a drink or more is instant. I checked into a hotel and got a free upgrade. Never happened to me before. I was in WV and took my family out to dinner, the waitress actually came back and said "This is the most amazing credit card I have ever seen, we were all passing it around in the kitchen". When I paid the bill for the service on the Pacifica, the service rep actually said "Wow, this card is so heavy, it must have some money behind it!" He actually said that. I'm not exaggerating either...it actually makes me a little uncomfortable lol

When the Platinum card was just plastic and I had it for 10 years nobody ever said a word.

So status from things absolutely still exists.

And thats with it even being 10 years old, you still get those looks.

Toys4RJill

I agree. There is status in everything we own or buy, the value of something to one person could be different to another, but pretty much everything emits status signals somehow. I just don't see the value in telling someone I could have bought this or that but didn't. As for someone leasing vs buying, if you have loads of money it is probably in the best interest to lease something as someone with loads of money could make more money by leasing (such car) vs buying as lets say a $100K LS money can be used somewhere else (stock market, property etc) But at the end of the load, if you have loads and loads of money, what difference does it make?

SW17LS

The point is we're on a Car forum discussing cars and the auto industry...specifically in a thread where the question is why people have concerns about buying an S Class when they could and would like to. The comment "I could have bought an S Class but I didnt for these reasons" is on topic and it adds to the discussion we're having.

You talk as if I and others are walking up to people on the street and saying "You know, I could have bought an S Class but I didnt".

Just because people choose not to spend money on something doesn't mean they couldn't afford to. I could afford to do a LOT of things I don't do, as could you, as could we all.

The insinuation that comes across is "You really didnt buy the S Class because you can't afford it" and thats just not the case, which is why we respond that it isn't the case. Anybody who is buying ANY flagship sedan, unless they're an idiot, would be capable of buying or leasing a car well more expensive than an S Class.

Toys4RJill

Johnhav430

I do not disagree with anything you have said, but I do feel that a car doesn't really mean that much for status. It's routine for many Americans to overextend themselves, or, they can simply lease a nice car. If you get up there, like a 911 c4s, yes, even the lease payment is going to be something most people cannot do, but I don't know if we afford status to people just because they have a 911 c4s.

Now, if that c4s driver says, "Hey John, would you like to play at Merion? Why don't you call Lexi on Monday, and she'll arrange it." Yes, that is a showing of status, because you can be a billionaire from a successful start up, but if you are new money, you are still not a member at Merion, and cannot play there.

Last Saturday, we parked next to a GL AMG at Costco. Instinctively, I looked at the back brake rotors, which were scored. I told my wife, that's a shame, somehow material is able to embed into the pads and score perfectly good rotors like that. I walked past the other side and it was the same. A shame. I'd love to put that SUV on a lift and replace the rear brakes, because I like cars period. Should that driver be afforded status? I don't think so, he/she is at Costco just like we are. It's a nice car of course, but should they have elevated status?

I did see some clerks at IKEA making a big deal about a black credit card. I get those "pre-approved to apply" things in the mail for a black Visa. How come "to apply" lol I pulled my FICO and I have 0 inquiries and want to keep it as such, they stay on for 25 mos., no good.

I agree there is such a thing as status, just that driving a nice car at least to me doesn't get it for you. Need to know more about you...

edit what's funny is that I would get a lot of discussion when I would use the Navy Federal credit card, wanting to know my background. But I stopped using it since it's 1.5%, and citi double is 2%.....

edit 2 thought of another extreme, for a while I was watching on YouTube those kids driving exotic cars and how they swarm and treat police etc. And I realized, that is exactly how I acted and wanted to be when I was 19 and bought a Porsche. Do we afford them status because they are driving cars most of us will never even ride in? Not really, imho their behavior to me gives them even less status than a responsible community-minded Camry driver...

Toys4RJill

SW17LS

Correct, and I for one have discussed why I didn't. I don't understand your point.

But when you see the E Class and the S Class on the road, how do you know the method by which each are financed? Would you be interested to know that E Classes have a much higher % lease vs buy than the S Class? Same is true of all flagship luxury cars, actually most of them are purchased, not leased vs other luxury price points its the opposite. Thats why you find lease programs for flagship cars aren't nearly as good as they are for midsized luxury cars.

In just don't agree. If you drove around day in and out in a car like that you would see it too. When I pull up in my LS, it absolutely has an impact, and that impact is much less than it is in an S Class.

I think you have a certain thriftiness, a preoccupation with money and what is "smart" that is not shared by most people. Most people don't think about whether somebody who is driving a car is overextended or not, they just say "Wow, nice car".

Sheesh, you and these brakes!

Thats different lol. The "Black Card" they are talking about is the Centurion AMEX card. The "Black card" you got a pre-approval for is like a poser card pretending to be something that it isn't. The Centurion card is by invitation only, you have to already be a Platinum card holder and meet certain spend requirements (its well over 15-20k a month), as well as income profiles, etc. Super exclusive, which is why the people at Ikea were reacting that way (my guess is it was not an actual AMEX Centurion card lol).

You are atypical though, My guess is you'd be way more impressed on the deal somebody got on some leftover whatever from some outlet store than some new fancy thing.

They mean absolutely nothing. My point of bringing it up is just to illustrate that "things" do still telegraph status.

Johnhav430

Since we use Visa at Costco and you use Mastercard, I can never pump gas easily in Canada at Costco without an attendant. This reduces my status and has really given me a complex! No issue whatsoever making purchases inside, but the gas pumps are a problem. Pump will not recognize our memberships via the Visa credit card (it's a credit card and the membership card). One would think that Costco realizes they have customers who cross the border...lucky too the citi double card eliminated foreign exchange fees just this past Jan 2018, those were a gold mine...

RXSF

Ive had the platinum for about 5 years now and I love it. When people comment on the card, I tell them my credit is so bad, they had to send me a metal one so prevent people from cutting it in half

Johnhav430

All likely to be correct.....

Although I am not on their forum (I likely should be), I probably share a lot with the Bogleheads, although I don't think there is anything wrong with splurging here or there, if that's what a person wants. I can scream until I'm blue in the face, get the $25 full synth oil from Walmart and then do the $12 or $10 rebate, no-brainer!! Yet many people might say, it's only saving $12, I don't do Walmart, and I don't change my own oil, so it's not a very good deal. It's so easy you can even do amazon prime, which I did on the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum. Rebate is online and electronic submission.

The brakes are just an obsession right now, it will likely change in 6 mos!! Nice smooth rotors with no rust, is like putting a tie on straight...that scoring is annoying, none on my wife's car thus far...

edit: You got me thinking about that black Visa, it was from FNB of Omaha (already sounds sketchy). I googled it, and there is nothing about a black Visa on the website. So it does seem to be by invite, but as you say, a poseur card, because I remember it had some exorbitant annual fee to boot...

SW17LS

Haha, thats a good one!

I love it too, only thing that frustrates me is that you have to trade the extra points on restaurants and groceries you get with the Gold card for the other perks of the Platinum card. IMHO for the money you should have all the perks of the gold, PLUS the perks of the Platinum. Thats why I had downgraded, because we weren't traveling and I figured we may as well get the additional points.

At one time I had a personal and a business platinum, but I didnt upgrade the business card back to platinum for the same reason, I'm getting way more points on business purchases with the gold card and now have the Platinum perks back also.

Toys4RJill

I never said financed, I said cash payment. The person financing the E-class does not "own" the car until it is paid off. I see what you are try ask but it makes no difference how or the way someone paid for something until they tell you or they are asked. So when someone says "I could have bought that, but did not" it only matters when that person mentions it. Same thing for lease vs buy. If someone shows up in a Toyota Avalon and parks next to the S-Class at the hotel, goes inside and pulls out his credit card and says "I want to pay for dinner" and then everyone watches them leave...that is a vastly different status portrayal than the S-Class owner pulling up next to the Avalon at the hotel and walking in a sitting down and pulling out $1000 from her purse and paying cash.....inferences are made on both the Toyota and MB owner and the way they paid for an item...But the moment one of the owners starts spewing "I could of bought the S-class but settled for the Avalon" or whatever is the moment they begin to lose credibility....or if the MB owner says "I could of bought it cash but chose to lease instead" they lose their credibility....the words mean "nothing"...the actions are important. Does this not make sense? or is it not valid?