What do you say when someone finds out you own a ferrari?

liked your wife's answer.

 

That guy was an utter moron. So he is suggesting that an M3 coupe is a perfectly logical and worthwhile spending of money? HAH, don't make me laugh, That would be the dumbest thought process ever. M3's cost far too much for what they offer the guy is a total jerk. Don't get me wrong, I adore M3s but calling them "bargains" and "not-a-waste-of-money" is utterly pathetic.

And regarding the comment about "not that fast" - I suggest this moron get himself wrapped around a light post while attempting to Apex the local hiway.

"People who want to show off," okay that is it. This man/moron is a complete idiot. What was he about to say next? that "yeah baby my M3's is totally inconspicious and no one ever notices my 50 grand car, nope!" Somone please put a bullet in this idiot. He doesn't deserve to pass on his genes. Someone offer natural selection some help!

As for the black Porsche? Forget it. Live each moment as if it were your last, forget what an overjealous freak thinks about your car. With comments like his, he doesn't have much credibility.

 

As I drive a 550 to work as my daily driver, I have to deal with this all the time. I’ve probably been through all the behaviors and have had all the reactions. I now don’t try to hide or deny it. I also don’t flaunt it or advertise it. I’ll let curious people look at it and sit in it. I do know where the security camera is and I park in view of it – just in case.

I find that the good and curious people far outweigh the people that see it in a negative light. And, I find that I don’t work with or socialize with the negative ones. I don’t let it bother me.

Life is short. Work hard, have some fun.

My 2 cents… - Tim

P.S. If really pressed for additional info, I use one of the following depending on where my head is at that day:

* My 550 is no more expensive than… (I point to a loaded C4S or AMG or …) I just like my dollar to go as far as possible.

* Kids are finally out of the house and I’m having some fun.

* I don’t smoke, drink, or take drugs. In order to be not completely boring, I have exotic cars as a hobby (as well as riding bicycles).

* I told my wife it was a mid life crisis, and she bought it! (the crisis, not the car) ;-}

 

Gee Tim, Your wife is a good sport.

 

The reality is most people in the world, no matter if they would admit it or not, are jealous. You cant possibly own something that expensive, or that nice, so they have to find fault. Its the classic keeping up with the Jones's problem, only they cant imagine how to keep up, so they have to knock it down. The first car I owned, when I was 15 years old, was a '66 Pontiac GTO. I got more crap out of other kids than I can ever recall. Comments like it was puke green, where are the goat horns, or "what, daddy buy it for you?" There were a few days where I really wondered why I had that car. Sadly my father did step in and forced me to trade it for a Chysler Newport, because he drove the GTO and thought it was to much of a bullit car. Well, whatever, a year later I had another GTO.

Many Christians would even like to look down thier nose at you for owning a car like this, but we should remind ourselves, Enzo was a Christian. The car was his good work, which we should all embrace. Like well made furniture, or a well made appliance, or a well made tool, or art. There will, obviously, be those who will never get it, and that is okay. Just surround yourselves with people who understand, or that you are able to explain it to, and just enjoy it.

We had a graduation party for my son this spring, and leading up to it I had totally redone the garage, textured cieling, textured yellow walls, checkerboard tile floor, it looked really nice. But when it came to having the Ferrari there, I was against it. But our son said BS. He wanted it there, and his answer was "if anyone had a problem, they could lick me" So, we had well over a hundred friends, relatives, and neighbors here, and you know, the car was a hit. So maybe you just need to take your boss for a ride, and explain to him what it means to you, and if he still dont understand, tell him what our son said.

 

tell them you had to buy a used Ferrari because you couldn't afford one of those New Mustangs!

 

I tell them I couldn't possibly afford it and my grandmother gave it to me. The funny thing is-this is true-she bought the Dino in 1973-she gave it to me last year since she no longer drove it. I'm a relatively young lawyer and some at the firm say "we're obviously paying you too much." I explain that I will need to sell my home to repair the car in the event of engine failure! My red 246 GTS sticks out like a sore thumb here in upstate NY-people look at me like I'm from Mars! When people ask what it's worth, I tell them it was purchased for $14,000 (also true-in 1973). This seems to calm people down!!

 

Is that a Ferrari?
Yep.
How much it cost?
I'm not sure, the witness protection program gave it to me and,
damn, now I'm going to have to change my name and move again.
Strange looks......

 

In my little town the licensing and title transfers are handled by a state certified contractor. The owners daughter (young 20's) processed my title and asked how I liked my new Fiero. It is listed on the title as a FERR CP 308

I was later asked by a lady across town as she stared at the Cavallino on the back if it was the new Mustang.

Somebody else thought it was a Maserati.

I was asked again if it was a Pantera by someone else.

I think I'm safe from inquiring minds.............................

 

I can't resist an egghead comment here - so I hope you'll all forgive me. What's interesting (to me, anyway) was the difference between the European and American responses to Ferrari ownership. It points to the deeply ingrained anti-elitist streak in American culture. Americans don't like people who set themselves apart - whether driving a nice car or, say, going to college. What is fascinating is how it works both ways: even the people who own the cars want (or at least think) to reply in a self-effacing manner, essentially saying "I'm just like you."

 

....after all, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

 

I have patients complain about the same thing. If you offer a service for $20, they look at you like you are trying to take advantage of them. I see my patients once a year and many complain about the $100 they have to pay for my services out of their pockets. So I get 100 bucks for spending most of my life in school. Afer they leave me, they go to the hair cut place and spend $150 every three months to get their hair done... Which they happily pay for. So this cosmatologist spends 3 months to learn how to cut and dye hair, can charge much more, not have to deal with the insurance, and customers dont complain as much. Perhaps I have chosen the wrong career?

To follow with the thread, I am still afraid of buying my first Ferrari because I am terrified of patients seeing me in it and complaining even moore about my fees. Perhaps I should start offering hair cuts while they wait.

 

If asked how I made my money sometimes I say that I found an UFO and sold it to the goverment.

 

Forty years ago I bought a gorgeous Alfa Romeo Julietta spider and I got some of the same questions. My answer, " Geeze, the damn thing followed me home and I felt sorry for it."

 

Living in Hong Kong You get a completely different response. The locals are almost without excption very positive towards Ferraris and their owners. I often get big smiles and thumbs up from kids and grannys alike. Ocasionaly a stranger will compliment me on my good taste. The car not my shirts. I have never suffered a negative comment here. (from locals, Expats are a whole other deal) My 348 is a dayly driver, and is parked in public parks nearly every day. I've never had a problem. Mike D

 

Good One! I've had people ask me how I could afford a Ferrari and sometimes I'll just kind of shrug my shoulders and say, "I invented some stuff."

I like your response better, I may use that next time.

 

& how much is your Insurance ?

 

In HK, the locals admire signs of success. Everyone is into branded items (Rolex/Patek watches, Porsche/Ferrari cars, Vuitton/Bally goods, Gucci/Dior clothing, etc). You'll see a waitress in a mid-level restaurant wearing a two-tone Rolex. All it says to them is that you were smart/clever/diligent enough to afford something nice. They're happy to see it and think some more about how they're going to get their own.

In the US, the behavior is more schizophrenic. The US has one of the most mobile societies in recent times. Most citizens believe that they have the opportunity to be successful and the statistics seem to back them up (top and lowest quintile mobility is very high). At the same time, even if you're successful, it's frowned upon to flash signs of success around. There are some exceptions, such as all "upper class" events; but otherwise there is a lot of pressure for people to behave in a "classless" (meaning egalitarian) manner. I think Europe and Asia are just more used to "privilege" co-existing with the "common" folk.

 

Interesting couple of sentences there.

As I see it, generally most people in the U.S. don't look at nice material items and think that someone was smart enough to afford it, it's just that they were lucky enough to do so. Quality, rarity, and taste never really enter the equation-- it's simply a matter of he who dies with the most toys, wins.

One crucial point to keep in mind is that we have a huge portion of the population (baby boomers) that were pretty much brought up in a egalitarian suburban cesspool. For the most part it stayed that way for a very long time (20-30 years) and ultimately shaped quite a few views on spending habits. Keeping up with the Joneses only works in small chunks- the minute they buy a G5 or a 5M summer home the game is over and you're the big loser.

 

This discussion reminds me of a TV program I saw about police (militzia) in Moscow during the soviet era. There was a complaint about money stolen from an apartment.

I remember thinking, "how can theft be a crime in a socialist country?" At most, wouldn't it just be "bypassing government procedures"?

In the modern US, success is politically incorrect. If you're successful, you have money. If you're politically incorrect, you have no rights. If you are successful and you have no rights, everyone has the right to steal from you. Or so it seems.

Success builds pride. Pride is a sin. Self-esteem makes people independent. People with no self-esteem have even less regard for anyone else. Which makes it easier to convince them that they need Big Bother to protect them from all the other people who act just like them.

I've been unable to discover any trace of correspondence between Ayn Rand and George Orwell, despite the similarity of ideas expressed in "The Fountainhead" (1943) and "1984" (1948). But it seems that these cautionary tales have become "how-to" guides for the modern era.


As for me, I just tell people that Ferraris are far more affordable if you don't insist on a new one.

What I find more disturbing is the number of Americans who have never even heard of an Alfa Romeo.

 

I did omit "lucky" from my list. HK locals don't mind lucky either. "Smart" and "lucky" aren't that far apart in HK.

 

Skidplate ... I AM a hairdresser, and don't offer the knowledge, to most of my clients, that I have an F-car. Probably for the same reason you mentioned ... many think I charge too much, anyway! I feel it is most diplomatic to not flaunt it, at work. At the same time, some people are impressed, and think I must be one hell of a good stylist to afford one!!

You can't win for losing!

bpu699 ... I guess this just proves, you can't make everyone happy. So don't worry about it ... just enjoy the life you have earned.

 

As long as you do not take others reactions personally, and you know why you have it, who cares?

I've seen my car bring out the best and the worst in people. For the best, a good look at it, a sit in it, answer the questions, quite nice. For the worst, it is likely that they will never understand so to try to justify it to them only makes things worse.

 

I've driven various exotic cars 500K miles over 35 years and have never been asked a question I thought to be objectionable.

I did once overhear a guy dressed in a P jacket standing next to his 911 looking over my MK-IV when I come out of a dinner explaining to his GF:

"That's a kit car. It has a VW engine."

I smiled, got in and started up.

His girlfriend said:

"That doesn't sound like a VW."

I opened my door a bit so they could hear me, looked from the GF to the guy and said:

"She's a keeper..."

They were still standing there as I drove away.

 

priceless