Do you drive your Fcar to work?

I don't bring it to work and I don't have my employees over to my house. I just don't feel comfortable doing that and know that some of them have plenty to say about me behind my back. Why would I give them more ammo?

 

Half of the households in the US do not pay any taxes at all, either they are wealthy and very shrewd at tax evasion or they are working (or non-working) poor. No Ferrari for them. Not even the lowliest faded Mondial 8 with bald tires and JC Whitney seat covers. They would struggle to afford a used Chevy Monte Carlo. They are living hand to mouth.

Another percentage (10%? 15%) are retired and on a fixed income, worried that inflation will make them poorer if the COLAs do not keep up. Very unlikely they are buying a Ferrari either.

Another set, perhaps the majority of the remaining citizenship (I certainly fall into this) have good jobs and are considered middle class, and in theory could afford a used Ferrari if they gave up many other things. But kid's college funds aren't fully funded (there goes a nice 360...for each kid). Saving for retirement eats 5-15% of gross, and taxes take another 30-50%. Meanwhile the cost of nearly everything is going up, the middle-class is getting squeezed from every direction. In reality the possibility of buying a Ferrari is just as far for the average middle manager making $100k/year with a wife and two kids and $250k mortgage as it is for the 22 year old dishwasher scrounging up beer money for a weekend binge in his parents' basement.

That leaves the remainder, the minority with above middle-class discretionary income. An increasingly small percentage of the world. Remove most as they could care less about a used car and you find the buyer's pool of people that desire and can afford a used Ferrari isn't that big.

No Ferrari for me yet (just spent 360 money on a pool for the family). I had an XK8 and Cayenne Turbo in the past, both cars "above my station" at the time and I received a few snide comments. It is amazing how jealousy can make "friends" act in very disgusting ways. I have decided that when (if) the Ferrari happens, I'm going to park that thing right up front, cumulative evidence supports my new theory that I cannot hurt my friends at work, as I have none. Lowly Honda Accord today. Showed a picture of our completed pool to a couple of people I considered friends (one drives an Infiniti, one a Corvette, Ms. Infinit has also has a pool), of course my house was in the pictures. Apparently it is nicer than theirs because their demeanor immediately changed and they haven't been the same since.

 

Unbelievable.

 

Definitely drive to the office occasionally - no need to hide it from my colleagues as we are in the same competitive sales environment - but am not likely to drive to client meetings.

 

That settles it. I'm going to get a few dollars changed into dimes and carry them with me. Anytime I see what I perceive as a "look" or sny comment.. I'm going to take a couple out and toss them at the person and say in a quiet dainty voice "for the little people."

hehehe

 

I drive to work as often as I can, sometimes it's the best part of the work day!

 

I think the exact words for one of them when they saw the landscaping I had done was "well...now I feel like s***."

The irony is she has a pool that is nicer than the one I could afford. Bigger, more expensive construction, etc. I guess I don't feel envy like most because I have seen pictures of her pool and thought it was very pretty and sincerely complimented her.

Relavent to the conversation, my boss had a Z06 he drove all the time throughout 2008-10 while slogging through the worst parts of the recession. Factory floor workers were furloughed about 6 weeks in 2009, while salaried engineers such as myself worked more to push through during the slow time and took a temporary (voluntary) pay cut. I cannot recall once feeling envious, this guy put his own money on the line and grew the company from nothing. Anyway in 2010 the Z06 disappeared, turns out he had traded for an R8 that he has not driven to work a single day since then. I found out through the rumor mill, and asked him about it. But knowing me he knew I liked cars and we had a nice conversation or two about the car since then. So he drives a new Audi S5 convertible and nobody bats an eye even though it is still probably the most expensive car in the lot.

I have thought about this today because of this thread, it seems like a bit of a paradox.
1) Have the Ferrari, never drive it work, keep it secret: basically stifle your own enjoyment of the reward for your own hard work, at least until someone sees you at Cars and Coffee and then you look dishonest.
2) Have a Ferrari, pretend not to have one when everyone knows you do: minimum wage workers lose respect for you and wonder if you think they are too dumb not to notice.
3) Have a Ferrari, drive it occasionally: low wage earners resent you and end up thinking you took advantage of them.

So whether you take option 1, 2, or 3 the enjoyment of owning this wonderful piece of machinery is greatly reduced. Maybe option 4 is a good path: drive it as much as possible, be gracious of compliments and respectful but dismissive of inconsideration, and otherwise don't give a damn what others think. I think these comments are made to illicit a d**chebag reaction from the owner to further perpetuate the non-owners own sense of failure. "He might might have a Ferrari but at least I'm not an a**hole" might sum up their misplaced thinking.

For the record I tried Option 1 (never drive or talk about it) with my Cayenne. At least until my POS hooptie gas-saver Civic Del Sol (now there was a car no one ever noticed) broke down and I had to take it to work, several months into ownership. It took all of 90 minutes for the knitting circle to determine whose it was based on what car wasn't in the parking lot.

Screw it, just drive it so much people are bored to see it in a year or two.

 

My sales manager loves it when he interviews newbies and tells them one of his top guys owns a Ferrari! He thinks it will get new hires excited about what they can make. Clients do not like it, wait the absolutely detest it. They say things like "Who drives that car over there?" or "Who drives the Ferrari?" If the clients are pricks I make sure to tell them its mine but rest of the time I tell them I'm not quite sure who's it is. It's never a good thing to have a nicer car than the one they are about to buy from you. They should feel special as they people generally only purchase a new car every few years or so. If a family has a son or daughter that is drawn to it I will wait until the car deal is done then offer them a ride. Always ends in smiles at that point. Most days I just drive my other 95 which is a Tercel with scud shields on it. One thing I will say for sure is that the Ferrari is an absolute motivator for me. Driving it, gets me pumped up to have a "hat trick" every saturday! Always Be Closing
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HA!
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It depends on your workers. Mines a family business most guys with us for 15-20 years so no resentment when my wife and I were dinks (dual income no kids) and had a beautiful Porsche with an aero kit at 25 years old.

 

Can't find it now, but when I was a young associate I worked in the Maritime Dept of my law firm and was reading a trade magazine. I swear it was about a Hong Kong or Singapore firm that leased a new Ferrari for each associate attorney. Article claimed "face" is very important in the far east and clients wanted an obviously successful lawyer working for them. Now in the US I read about a famous trial attorney who arrived at the courthouse in a beater, just hoping a few jurors would see him.

 

That's awesome. Are you in car sales?

 

I work on an Air Force base. I drive mine to work once or twice a week. So far no one has made any negative comments. We get paid pretty good so high end cars (not exotics) are not uncommon. The F430 has attracted a lot of attention but none of it has been negative. I have no feelings of guilt. I spent 22 years active duty USAF as an enlisted guy so I've paid my dues. As a contractor now I can enjoy the things I did without before.

 

I do sometimes. No one makes a big deal at my place.

 

Glad to hear that times have changed.

When I was in the 33rd I bought an 11 year old Mondial 8 as a Tsgt. It was my present to me for surviving the Gulf War. And I drove it to work once or twice...

Unfortunately after the purchase, I was called in for "random" urinalysis testing at least every six months thereafter. So much so that my supervisor ordered me to file an harassment complaint.

The Chief, however, said (upon hearing of another test request) "I told you to sell that Ferrari".

Here it is parked out by the Wing Environmental Office.
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I got a six month contract writing software for Cisco. Three months into the contract, I drove my Ferrari to work one day. Everybody saw it in the parking lot and made a big deal out of it. Three hours later, I was terminated.
The timing couldn't have been better because I recieved a phone call the next day to start at another outfit for over twice what I was making at Cisco, and have been here now for almost four years.
My point is, be careful as there are SO many haters out there.

 

Yes, I sell for vw. I really enjoy it. 12 years in and still at it. Do you know your 3 C's of the car business.

 

I like driving the 328 because the flat crank rumble is good for my digestion.


Want to see hostility? Get a ricer.

The EVO gets more hostility from other drivers than the Ferrari does.

 

Everyone at my company knows that I have a Ferrari. I'm a salesman. Ferrari=Successful. Do you want to buy from a successful salesman or the guy driving a beat up Plymouth? Therefore, I don't hide it. However, I rarely drive it to work. When I do, it's when I'm going to an event before or after work or because I'm buying tires at the shop down the street.

 

That. Is why I don't drive it to work.

 

Just goes to show the 2 completely opposite cultures at work...

I never understand the US (and increasingly more so in Europe) mentality you describe above. But then again I do not understand people that are so fixated and anti people with money (and I mean any money they make more than themselves). Those people do not understand the economy and how the world works. They should all move to Cuba if they enjoy socialism so much.

And more is coming. I even see it through facebook posts of my friends in Western Europe these days ''the bloody rich'' and all that.

Thankfully I don't give a crap what anyone thinks about me so when I get my Ferrari's I'll drive them all to work on random days.

The first part of this post is infuriating. Glad it worked out for you.

 

Good for you. Fortunately I park in a physicians only parking level on the bottom floor. Patients can only enter and depart on level 3. My colleagues seem genuinely happy for me getting my 2nd fcar at a relatively young age. Parked next to scuds, superleggera, bentleys and r8s, she blends in with the herd. There's a dozen 911s, more common than Toyota. I'm not making payments of over $100 a day to have a garage queen. After a hectic day at work, driving my spider home with the top down is tonic for the soul. I will never forget eating microwave popcorn and Top Ramen in med school for dinner. I was cutting coupons until I finished residency at 30. No way am I feeling guilty for living the dream.

 

What reason did they give you?

 

If I have another duty position with the Army stateside before I retire I will drive the 308 to work, the difference is everyone knows exactly what I earn and that I'm single with no dependents.