Who is Secretive about their Ferrari Ownership?

being self employed, my employees don't know about any of my cars,well except my mini van I drive to work, they would want to know why they are not making more money.. well even some of my friends don't know, its the " geeeess "must be nice comments" that drives me nutts,, must be nice to work 12 hours a day for the last 17 years on my own bizz..

 

If you own the company it's a different story. There is only one thing employees want...more. If you have customers, will they understand? Will they believe you are overcharging them?

Every situation is different. Now that I am retired and have sold the business, who cares. It was a different story before I sold it.

Nobody cares about the 80 hour weeks I put in though. Don't miss it one bit.

 

If you treat something like a big-deal or not, others will usually follow suit. I see the same thing with Ivy-league graduates who do/do-not make a big deal of their academic credentials. Once over the initial "shock" (for lack of a better word), folks will see the real human behind the <insert supposedly shocking thing here.>

 

with cars it is different.

having driven ten year old mercedes for many years, i have often gotten the finger and excessive horn honking etc.

folks are jealous of a mercedes just because they picture it as an expensive car. no matter how old it is.

now a ferrari....of course many might think it is a mitsubishi so maybe they wouldnt bother with it.

tom w

 

I can see both sides and as a business owner who has not yet quit his day job. I can appreciate the reactions from co-workers and employees thinking that you have it easy.

In my case raising 7 children, working full time and running a business with my wife.

Last year I treated myself to an 85 Porsche 911 which was a childhood dream of mine. 308 planned for next year.

Even though it cost a lot less than the Toyota Prius that I just bought for the business people rarely understand the passion that many of us car entusiasts have for these cars.

I drive the 911 every day to work 80 miles round trip and except when in traffic I love evry minute.

 

I found myself in an unfortunate situation when I took a new job here in MA....my future supervisor had called all of my listed references prior to making me an offer. A very good friend was one of those references, and apparently he let 'slip' that I had a Ferrari during the conversation. Upon my acceptance of the position, my first meeting with the supervisor went well until he asked me "Is it true that you really do have a Ferrari?"

There wasn't much point in hiding it from anyone at that point. Several of my coworkers have asked lots of questions (how/how much - typical curious/car-guy stuff) but other than that everything has been positive. My Section Manager just purchased a Cayman S, there's another fellow at work who brings his 348 TS to work when the weather is nice, and I've seen a grey 308 in the parking lot so I'm not the only one.

 

I would never think of flauting the fact that I have a Ferrari, but on the other hand I never make an effort to hide it. Everyone that I know knows that I am a car nut and that I have a Ferrari. And no one cares! If they did, tough sh*t! I never try to offend anyone, anytime, when it comes to anything. But
I could not care less if someone forms an unwarrented opinion about me just because of the kind of car that I drive. If someone is that shallow, then they are not the kind of person that I want to associate with. And I couldn't care less if someone drives a Pinto or a Porsche, a Vega or a Veyron, a Fiat or a Ferrari.

 

I think it's all about knowing what you have (Ferrari). What it is, and why you have it. Answer those questions and you will end up with a realization that it doesnt matter what others think.....There will always be, half who will like it, admire it and compliment you. On the other hand, you have the haters, jealous people, those who don't know a bolt from a screw much less what a Ferrari is and why it is such a great automobile.

 

I live in Behesda and only have a 308, therefore I keep it to myself
Tom

 

Good point.. you cant please everyone.

 

I'm just glad you didn't include Pacer... I'd have had to take issue with that one .. I let Pinto slide, since my older sister had one of those.

 

Very good post, to own nice things in life you usually need to sacrifice a lot of your time... I currently work 9-5 Mon-Fri and also run a second business on the side. The money is great but people seem to forget that I often sacrifice my whole weekends to earn this type of income.

in the end it pays off though...

 

Also self employed. I find that my customers have more to say in regards to what I drive than do my employees. My employees recognize my sacrifices and hard work. An interesting side bar. I drive a new Ford F-350 King Ranch. Customers never say a word. If I drove a beat up 80’s 308, they would think I was stealing from them!

 

Yep, the majority of the F-car owners own business'. I forget there are very few of us who rely on somebody else to draw a paycheck!

 

It's a shame people get jealous (who doesn't, seriously?).

I think what seperates the sh*tters and the curious, is wether they are car enthusiasts or not. If you tell a enthusiast that you have a Ferrari, he will get all excited and he'll ask you a hundred questions hoping you would give him a ride in the car. Others would think your life's too easy and you probably never think of bills and downpayments etc.

Every friend and relative of mine knows I love cars, so they'd be very happy for me if I got myself a Ferrari. But others don't always understand.

I definetley wouldn't tell anyone, unless they asked me first.


I think it's waaaaaaaaaaay cooler to keep it low, until the other one brags about his car and you can show him what's sitting at your home! Laying low is the best strategy.

 

With 308/Mondial prices hovering at the price of a fully-loaded SUV, I wouldn't presume that only the self-employed are owners.

 

No one knows(15 months & going), except for my wife! Don"t think I could have gotten away with that!

 

Honestly, I wish my Ferrari assumed the looks of a beige Toyota Camry after I am inside of it and ready to drive. I love to look at it and I drive it feverishly however, I do not like the attention it brings. I drive the car for my own enjoyment, the sound, the smell and all things that are a Ferrrari. It is almost sad. I try to drive the car at night and early mornings to avoid drawing attention to myself. Even though it is 1977 308 and WHITE, it still draws massive attention wherever it goes and that attention gets old rather quickly. I will eventually purchase a newer 360 or 575 and it will be the most inconspicuous color I can find. For a low key guy like myself it is the only downside of Ferrari ownership.

Best,

David

 

I'm not secretive about the car I have. The reactions are very different based on who I am talking to. My friends know I am a car nut so no problems there. Florida clients generally take the 'we must be paying you too much' stand, while the Arizona and Utah clients take the 'wow that's cool' stand. If I explain that the car costs less than a new Suburban loaded up they cool off a bit. Seems stupid though.
BT

 

I learned a long time ago to ignore all that crap. When I was a young fellow I took a lot of guff from an extremely wealthy contractor cousin about my Corvette. He drove a Caddy limo. Not a Caddy but, a caddy limo. Now that I have a 575M, he can kiss my limo! Let them get over it! It doesn't seem stupid. It is.

 

The point of being in business, any business, is to be successful. Why would anyone want to do business with you if were no good at what you did, and why would anyone want to work for you if the boss can only drive a minivan.
Someone said it seemed stupid. There's no "seem" to this idea. It is moronic to think that you have to be ashamed of your success and your choices. What a crappy way to live, to be ashamed of yourself and concerned that people will look down on you for being successful.

I feel sad for people who can't fully enjoy what they have for fear of recrimination from others.

 

"What he said"

 

Oh! on the mini van comment!

I have kids and haul allot of goods around, a pickup does not work for me,, plus the last time I checked the Ferrari`s don't haul much either and if anyone out there has there own multi-million dollar a year business please speak up! I am all ears, sure would like to hear what your employees have to say about you having 3 Ferrari's and few muscle cars in your collection!..



I feel better now...

 

i think you've missed the point...

 

no I got the point!! but as the general public goes and even some employees, there is class warfare with out a doubt. I have "had" employees that knew about my cars " had" they could care less what I drove or didn't drive or how many homes I owned, but when it came to there income it was a topic trust me...
I don't go telling my friends or customers or employees what I own or drive anyways if they find out they find out, but I am naturally secretive of my things anyways! I guess it would be like telling everyone how much I have in my saving or in stocks or anything else of that nature.

just how I feel.