How many hide their Ferrari from employees?

DAMMIT! Stupid mailmen has ruined my life again!!

On a more serious note, how would your patients know its your ferrari? You just park in a public parking area right? Or is your practice in a place where it is just your office?

Just by talking to you and corresponding over email, I find you so down to earth, nice, and kind, that it would be hard to be envious of you.

Man I have nothing compared to you, and I wish you get diablos/f50s/enzos/murices in the future. I wish you nothing but the best. I can never fathom the idea that people could actually be nasty for someone else's good fortunes.

I must be too naive.

 

RASCALIF

Where in so cal do you work that people are impressed by Toyota Prius??!! Every place I go to in so cal, unless you have a Yellow Enzo or a Purple Diablo, it is likely no one will look twice.

 

I agree there are many people like that. Funny you mentioned the close friends thing. My parents (immigrants) have done quite well over the last few years, and they have friends who immigrated with them, who are still working 120 hours a week, living in a one bedroom apt. My dad as a hobby rents a land for like 20$ a year, and he gardens on it. It is his hobby. He has been growing tons of stuff, and he usually gives them away. Well lately he has been selling them to a local Asian grocery. Well now his friends are mad at him, that they don't get free vegetables and one said "Now that you are rich, you don't want to help any of us." LOL. I guess you have to be careful who your friends are and how much you allow them to view your real life. It is really sad that people don't appreciate other people's hard work.

When I see you, I don't see "man what a prick, he has all those expensive toys, blah blah" I see a guy who works hard and thus plays hard. For some people that is really hard to grasp. I mean, even if you did win the lottery and bought all your stuff, and never worked a day in your life, who am I to hate?

I mean maybe its just me, but I love saying I have successful friends, and friends with good degrees and such. I WANT all my friends to succeed. Why I would be jealous of other people is beyond me. I think jealousy/hatred are wasted energy. Instead of hating on other people, I would use the energy to focus on my own life, and try to better myself.

I think I am crazy

 

That's just it. Lots of Porsches, Hummers and Vipers in the parking garage, but this was the first hybrid car ever to appear on the lot. Everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted to hear what the car sounded like when started.

BTW, our office is just down the street from Platinum Motors in Irvine, so Lambo's are a fairly common sight around here.

 

LOL employees in your office need to get out more No offense, there are these hybrids everywhere, I don't see what is there to be excited about.

Now your F car, well the attention is understandable and deserved, but a Prius? Come on.

I guess when you live in lands of Ferraris/Vipers/Hummers, a corrolla will impress you. LOL. Let me know where you work, I will bring my 91 honda civic wagon beater, with pealing paint 246K miles, 13 inch wheels. Maybe that will really knock them out

 

The lottery is a great example of why it is messed up that we cannot enjoy the fruits of our labor. Why is it that if someone wins the lottery and goes and buys Ferraris, boats, houses ect. they are looked uppon and almost idolized? I mean people never look badly upon them what so ever, they just say...wow I wish I was him but that is great!

Now when you bust your butt through hard work, save up all of your money to acheive a goal, take risks and work long hours and do a solid job you are looked upon like you are a crook, like you should be damned and just simply don't deserve what you have earned? It is safe to say that everyone on this board has a serious passion for cars, Ferraris or something else. Now why is it that when whe are finally able to acheive our goal of buying something we are passionate about we are looked uppon badly, yet if you win a boatload of money it is like we actually deserve it?

Quite a few of my customers have found out that I just acheived my goal, some have asked me how I can afford it. Since I know what their hobbies are and what they have because they talk about it all of the time I just word it in that way. If you take all of their boats, campers, trucks, four-wheelers, dirt-bikes, motorbikes and combine them with that is equal if not more than my car. If you add in children (I am single) and a home that also adds in to what they spend their money on. It is all about prioritites in life. But the key is if you are overall a pleasent person and treat everyone the way you want to be treated and respect them and let them know of your passion and what it means to you to be able to acheive your goals then from my experience, and my customers, you are never looked upon badly.

A4EP

 

I have been practicing for 18 years and driving Fcars for 15 of them. I drive them to work. I bought them to enjoy.

I've had a few patients over the years tell me my fees are too high and that they don't want to pay for a Ferrari. It has always come from somebody whose insurance sucks...that I've bent over backwards to help...and who is paying $5 a visit....I usually tell them that their $5 won't put gas in the car and that the Ferrari was paid for a long, long time ago.

On the other hand I've had patients tell me that they are glad that I drive a nice car. It shows that I'm successful and that I must be good at what I do and that they feel more confident that their doc is successful rather than struggling or a failure. Those are usually the patients that pay their bills also!

When I ran 25 clinics around the country we had a share in a jet....that pissed the employees off. I usually told them that they were free to leave if they didn't like it....but we paid them so well that they stayed until I fired them!

oh well...you can't please all the people....so just please yourself...life is too short to drive crap and fly coach!

 

There is just no other car forum on the net as interesting as Ferrarichat ! Rob, just take the top 50 threads and publish your first book ;O)

Markus
Playersrun

 

Where do you get off making a judgment like this of me? Because I drive my Maserati to work you say I am rubbing it in their face? Why should they go the extra step to make the company profitable? Maybe so that the company stays open and they keep their job? I do not have some publicly traded company can that can lose money, If I cannot pay the bills I close, Very simple. I do not have some high tech business, but a down and dirty manufacturing company where much of my labor is unskilled, uneducated immigrants who are given the chance to have a job with decent pay and benefits. And I am not putting them down by saying this as they are great people and workers but most are new to this country and now have a much better life. The city my business is in is a very economically depressed area and they appreciate having a job at all.
My post was referring to the fact some here some seemed to feel we should hide our cars and I was taking exception to that. I go out of my way to help my workers on a personnel level and they appreciate it. The fact they do not have what me and my brother have is not my fault. The cars we drive our are personal cars and were bought mostly with money we have made thru taking chances on Investment and real estate dealings.

 

I'm still hoping.

 

My overall feeling on the matter is that you just can't win. People will always want someting they can't have and will be envious of those that have "it" already. It's the American Way. It's what drives our economy. Advertising is geared to making people dissatisfied with what they have and wanting something better. Case in point, do we really need cell phones that can take pictures and ring in any one of hundreds of different melodies?

As for doctors----i'd much rather know that mine was driving a Ferrari rather than an old beat-up Toyota. Know what I mean ?

 

I let one of my employees drive mine. Some customers see it...I think they appreciate it. Not good to let suppliers or people you pay money to in business see it. IMHO it is an open door to them thinking you grind them too much.

I was at the Consumer Electronics Show and one of our esteemed F-chat members Steve Rochlin and I were hanging outside, and he brought up my 360, and so on.

But there in the conversation was a vendor we buy from that always complains about profit margins and is a bit "frugal" when we are doing business. When he heard Steve say I have a Ferrari he flipped. Thanks a F****ing lot Steve!!! (grin)

I have let a few of the vendors drive it...that seems to take the edge off. Sucks cause I don't have a vacation house, no kids, ect. All these things cost more than a Ferrari, but people don't think twice about them.

 

Hey Markus!! Long time no see!

This is funny! Someone asked me once why all the Ferrari stuff! I told time it was my tie line to quality and performance! That was before I actually owned a car, now that I do, I realize the quality statement might not always apply!

I agree with the statement about professionals though. I was recently teased in a meeting at the Hospital, they said they might hire a contractor that DIDN"T drive a Ferrari to do some work. I agreed !

It was basically a back handed complement, that my company's engineering and expertise was not required for a miniscule problem. But when a hurricane blows the cr*p out of this place, and stakes are high, my Ferrari will have a reserved spot on the Third Floor of the garage, and my meals will be free!

Speedy"Pardon me Doctor, that's MY doughnut"308

 

Just brought my Dino into work for the first time today. Several of my employees knew I was getting one put together, and were waiting for it to be finished.

During their break, several of the guys came over to check it out. Asked me to start it, wanted a ride, etc. We stretched a 10 minute break into a 30 minute one, but, who cares. We had fun and there doesn't seem to be any resentment, just admiration for a great car.

Yes, I pay them well, over union scale for the jobs they do, plus a 401(k), cash profit sharing 4X a year, and fully paid medical benefits and sick and vacation pay. They make a good living, and so do I.

 

AMEN!

One scary example: Martha Stewart. When she was walking into the courtroom the media had a bloody field day because of her PURSE! Oh, only a devil woman who was the mother of Lucifer herself could possibly been seen at trial with a $6k handbag. They said it made her 'out of touch with 'the people.'' That's big in the criminal law game though - whether the accused is considered 'one of us' socially. All the difference, really.

I've said it before here, the media only creates celebrities to eventually destroy them. If someone dies with a good name, it's because they luckily slipped through the jealous fingers of TV producers.

Back to the original topic, there's nothing more jealous than people who have made poor decisions in life, or never had the courage to manage the risk of the entrepreneur.

 

I am a dentist and have had a Pantera, Viper coupe, Testarossa, and now have a 930 Porsche and a 95 F355. I have parked these cars infront of my office for 25 years. People are interested and like to ask me about them. I am known as the dentist with the nice cars. I treat my patients well, they know that, and are glad they go to a dentist that is successful. I have many more positive comments then negative. People get mad when they think you are milking them for every dime and getting nothing in return.

 

Well, i drive my F-Car to work, i don't park it in a visible area, ussually park it on the 5th floor of the parking garage. Not because i'm hiding it from other employees, but when it's sitting all day, it limits the attention it attracts. My best times is when i have my F-car sitting in the driveway and the neighbors drive by in a Minivan full of Kids, one guy gave me a snide remark and i threw back to him, 'It sucks being single with no kids." HAH! Well, i'm not a doctor or lawyer or buisness owner, just a hard worker and made some good investments throughout the years. It's been in my wildest dreams to ever own a Ferrari, then i was able to swing it last year and did it. My cousin's husban owns a new 456, and after seeing that Prancing Horse Emblem and the round tail lamps, i had to get me one. I always get the question from kids,"Are you rich?" and i tell them, "No, just a hard worker."

My first purchase before the Ferrari though was going to be an Airplane, but i have a few friends that currently own and they really gave me a scare on ownership. So, i decided to buy the F-Car first as a stepping stone...

 

I noticed that there was a Porsche Boxster parked directly in front of my dentist's office many times. When I went there for an appointment one day, I asked him if it was his car. He rolled his eyes and said no. Acted like the idea of him owning an expensive car like a Porsche was FAR above his means. I just kept quiet. I know good and well that he could easily have afforded a Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini with the size of his thriving practice because I know of many people who go to him for treatment. But I think that he was just trying to be humble and appear not to be a flashy by appearing to be an average Joe that wouldn't ever be able to drive a Porsche. I didn't doubt that the car belonged to somebody else, it's just that I know that he could easily afford such a car with his professional career. If he couldn't, then he needs a new accountant.

 

I don't think it's any big surprise that folks used to getting less than 10 mpg from their exotic cars would be intrigued by a hybrid that gets six or seven times that much (especially with gas hitting $3/gallon by this summer). Remember, out here in the O.C. the Porsches and Vipers are COMMUTER cars, and they outnumber hybrid cars 1000 to 1!

Of course, I won't be trading my Mondial in for one any time soon (in fact an upgrade to a TR will soon be in order...)

 

i drive my viper every day nice day to work and drive my escalade on the others. i am 24 and am the vice president of the company my family owns. but made my own money with my business i started in highschool. i did feel funny driving the car to work the first day but i figured. i am the first one in the office the last to leave. i work weekends if need be. and i bust my ass. we are a small office about 20 people. but evevry one here is great. also does not hurt that there are other more expensive cars in the lot. a large law firm is also in the building