Here's a hypothetical question: Say somebody walks up to you today and hands you the keys to a brand new BMW. Would you take the car? I wouldn't.
(I mean, okay, it's possible I would take it,
sell it, and then go on about my business, but that's not really my point.)
My point is, it would be awkward for someone like me to own a BMW. I'm a student/intern type, and if anyone saw me behind the wheel of a Beemer, they'd probably thing I was A) showing off or B) wasting money. And they'd be right.
I know the conventional wisdom is that expensive, nice, shiny things are good, and I'm not saying I'll
never want a BMW, but I think it's important that young people—people whose bank accounts are lacking in zeros—restructure their financial aspirations. It's like I said in the post I made about
knockoffs—it's better to buy a cheapo version of a designer purse than blow your rent on the real deal.
In college, I had this friend who bought a BMW, then actually traded it in for a
bigger BMW—and even though he thought it was the coolest thing ever, the rest of us real people saw it as silly, pretentious, and desperate. (Also, he wound up having to sell his baby after landing in some major debt.)
It's sort of like what's happened to New York over the past several decades. Some people are still very "I get a nose bleed anywhere above 86th Street" (quoth Mad Men), shunning the non-Manhattan boroughs in an allegiance to some stuffy decade past. But most people, better people, understand that the city's high cost of living has driven many New Yorkers to Brooklyn, Queens, etc., and in the process actually revitalized these areas—well, some of them—to include the sort of trendy hot spots you'd expect to see in Manhattan proper.
And so, my moral is this: Unless you're an extremely well-compensated businessperson extraordinaire, don't buy a BMW, or scrape to live in Midtown Manhattan, or anything like that. And, most important, don't let it get you down that your life isn't full of such status symbols.
Would you take the BMW? What do you think about status symbols?Image Source
Comments (28)
Yeah imo jerks drive BMWs. I'm fine with my Nissan Sentra yo
I wouldn't take the BMW....
.....but I would take if it were a brand new Porsche :P
"Unless you're an extremely well-compensated businessperson extraordinaire, don't buy a BMW" I thought that was a little too extreme. MIddle class families can buy BMWs
I would definately take the BMW. And sell that shit to buy an older one. I can't stand the new BMW models. As for the car, I would drive the car because I like the looks and the performance. Status symbols would just come as a side effect from the people who be hating.
I own a BMW 328. I bought it used- paid in cash. I drove a VW jetta for many years before I bought the BMW. I like the German engineering and I feel like the cars are well made. They can be expensive to maintain in comparison to a honda. I dont put a lot of miles on a car so my maintence costs are less than my husband who drives a honda but drives 2 hours each way to work. Overall- I like the car and I love the way it drives.
A statement of over consumption and a willingness to exhibit ignorance while so many suffer.
I prefer Mercedes. Yes, I own one. I do not see it as a status symbol. I like to drive a dependable vehicle and Mercedes Benz has great customer service. My first car was a brand new Chevy Spectrum.
I have also owned a Toyota Camry, great cars.
are you daft?! it's a FREE. CAR.
Fuck BMW. all those yuppie fools drive them. I work at a luxury auto park and got tricked into working at BMW one day. NO THANK YOU!!!! I'll keep working at my lovely Mercedes-Benz building with all the nice people who aren't looking to be assholes about how much money they have.
after i grow up and get into a career, i'll get a Mercedes for sure. I love them. Right now, i'm good with my purple Ford Explorer, hehe.
@ChOcOChObO@xanga - @gracefulpreeminence@xanga - @momzmybiz@xanga - I agree quality is really important. My family's has a couple Volvos and you can really notice the difference of a well built, save car. I think it's just about why you buy it, and whether you're going into debt to do.
It is a status symbol yes, however it is also a really nice car and it is REALLY reliable. I would not buy a corolla over this. My reasoning? Bad drivers drive corollas, camrys, civics, etc. To buy and drive an exceptionally cheap car is to put yourself into the category of other bad drivers, you don't want people glaring at you because of what damn car you drive.
And yes, MANY BMW drivers are young cocky men that think they're all that, but when they're wrapped around a telephone poll we'll know who really was "all that"
Nissans, Mazdas, Fords, Mitsubishis, and sometimes VWs are good cars. And, of course, extremely high end expensive cars.
Avoiding getting a BMW cause you don't want to spend the money on something that you can be cheap about? Says a lot about your personality. There are times to be cheap, when you have to be, but if you're doing it cause of the "symbol" or because you, actually are, a cheap ass, well then, good day to you.
I would BMW. I don't have a car!! hehe :3
i agree, typical bmw drivers are douche bags
I wouldn't. The running costs of taking the Beemer is enough to put me off. I'd rather buy something that's "below" the BMW in terms of status and be content that I'm not paying 4-5 grand for insurance.
Apparently I'm a douchebag who bought a car to compensate for my lack of internal value and personality?
I don't really get why people have a vendetta against BMW drivers and/or the car. It is an EXCELLENT car that I would highly recommend to any car enthusiast.
I really enjoy my car and consider it to be not only a blessing, but also a great tool for business. I own a BMW 330i and I have used it many times to drive around clients, business partners, and prospective clients.
As a 22 year-old self-employed entrepreneur, it was a tactful move on my part to get a car that has helped display the image that I mean business, as this is an industry where looks sadly DO matter much more than our intellectual capacity or potential.
I will say that I didn't buy it new, nor will I ever buy a brand new car as I don't think it's frugal. However, I do not have anything against those who do.
And just an FYI - my car gets 33MPG - is it the worse crime to have a car which costs slightly more on the front end or to have a more affordable SUV that gets 18MPG?
However, these are just words from a self-loving, oversized-ego, complete douchebag, BMW-driving prick.
Everybody has the things they enjoy putting their time and money into. If somebody is going to judge me for having a German car, I'd be more than happy to let them follow me around to the thrift store where I buy 99% of my clothes.
I wouldn't take it, it would be hell just to keep up with it. Sure, its free. That sounds great. But, how free is free? How much gas does it take to fill up the tank? How much gas does it take to fill half the tank? How much will it cost me to get the proper insurance for it? Etc. etc. etc.
Free sounds great, until you realize free isn't really free. I would never buy something I can't afford, especially something I cannot afford to maintain, just to look cool.
Aside from that, I think status symbols are overrated. Yeah, when I see a cool-looking car, I think "hey cool car" but I don't have a single thought for the person behind the wheel. I just don't think about it. So, really, that person didn't make themselves look any cooler or richer in my eyes. I never gave them a second thought themselves.
I was never the type of person to worry about it or get jealous over someone having something bigger, better, shinier than I had. :p It just wasn't something that blipped my radar.
There are two cultures that buy BMWs, people who have an excess of money and appreciate the luxury, and people who have barely enough money and want to put everything they own in their car.
If you need to lease to drive a BMW, you probably shouldn't be driving one.
Don't do it!!!! Get a Prius; it's the status sysmbol of the new mellinium!
@gracefulpreeminence@xanga - @aplaat@xanga - YES! Thank you! Heartily agreed, there is NOTHING like a BMW, and nothing at all wrong with owning one! ^_^
I found it difficult to read after the hypothetical question was answered, because it became clear that the author is an obvious liar.
I understand the sentiment. I would never buy one myself for reasons discussed by many here. However, I'm not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth, nor pass on a lavish free lunch to claim social identity points.
of course i would take a free one!
I would also buy a nice, used one if I could afford it.
I've always wanted a BMW. They're so nice!
My Nissan Altima is just fine though.
my first car (which is still have now)
is a 94' bmw. it was given to me after my brother
blew the engine on it.
so my father (being a mechanic) fixed it an gave it to me.
i definitely got hell for it in high school.
everyone thought i was spoiled
and loaded with cash, but really i could care less
that its a bmw.
it was kind of a joke after awhile because it's pretty old and has been through a ton
nothing in it like works haha so all my friends rag on me about it,
some friends say they would tae my car in an instant and others say they rather buy a honda civic. it depends ont he person i guess.
i mean i know a lot of people with nissans,
and they are just as nice.
i love my beamer just because i think it's a really
fun car to drive, and its really dependable.
i'd like my next car to be an audi though. :)
Why do you want it? IMO, BMW makes one of the best vehicles in the world. I drive a '94 325is, a salvaged car that I got with low miles for a great $$. I did my reasearch, paid cash, and after 3 years and minimal repairs and optimal performance, I love it. It is a great car in all aspects.It is not flashy, all stock, but it is an ultimate driving machine and gets 30MPG highway. Yeah.
I think what is more pretentious is people like myself (younger, college type) getting into loads of debt on a new or newer car, or getting fleeced in a lease.
I agree with you on this post. I went to a private high school and I would see students pulling up to the school in BMWs , Lexus', and Hummers and I would think to myself, "Really? Their parents would just give their children anything....Rich bitches!"
Maybe one day, but I don't think the fact that because the BMW is considered by some to be a status symbol, I should stay away from it until I'm like, 30 or 40. It's like, you're worried about BMW as some sort of "rich" status symbol but then you don't mind driving around a more cheaper car because you think it screams to the world, you're more economical or something? It seems like in both case, you care about the status you project, whether it's super rich, or average.
But anyway, I don't think a BMW is THAT much of a status symbol. It's like people buying Coach purses - they're like a taste of the "richer" stuff which is enjoyed by middle-high class.
Back to the beginning of your post though, free car? Yes please. ;)
I would pick a Honda or a Lexus over a Bmw, any day of the week. Yes Bmw's are nice but in the long run of things once they hit about 70k miles there value drops like crazy.