What do all these people driving new Range Rovers do for a living?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DH works in Finance and I work part-time, mainly because my kids are in school and I don't want the commute of my original job. Our HHI is about $350k. We have a pretty hefty mortgage which we are double paying right now, but no other bills other than household bills. We both work and like nice things. We have driven brand new Hondas and 10 year old luxury cars and to us there is a big difference in the quality and feel, even if other people think it is not worth it to them. Just like my co-worker says there is a big difference in a ChicfilA sandwich and one from Wendy's (FOR EXAMPLE), there are people who know the difference in cars and houses and value that enough to pay more (especially if it's is "nothing" to their pockets.)

Just to give some insight... if you have $2Million in investments, $100k average balance in the bank and bring home $30k gross every month, it's nothing to buy a $80k car cash (and it's probably not even that much if you sell the dealer your current luxury car for $25k). We buy everything cash, by the way. The money is just adds up otherwise. And... we do donate $50k+ every year to the school athletic boosters, university alumni, our church, and endowments every year. We don't have any allowances for cars or wardrobe or housing. It's all us.

I want a Range Rover Sport (because I think it's such a sexy car) but I don't have one. (My DH has issues with the brand from "way" back, even tho he would buy it if I insisted.) We do own a luxury car that we have had "forever" and it is fine. And it's nice to have something to dream about. I like that I can literally drool over this car when I see one (and I see a lot), but I don't need it or "really" want it (sort of).

+ 1. I (DW) just traded in my German SUV for an equally nice but much less flashy Japanese SUV. Of course we can appreciate the differences but it's a matter of what we deem to be more valuable to us. We have never bought a new car - always one or two year old used cars. We have a nice house and yet could have afforded much more if we wanted - but we are actually looking forward to downsizing in a few years. Investment accounts are 2m+ and that's apart from retirement accounts (DH's pension will be 3m+ and my 401(K) will be about 1m). College accounts for all three kids are fully funded and are at the point where we no longer have to make contributions. We don't buy things we want, we buy things we actually need. Despite having the means to do anything our hearts desire (and we do splurge on things important to us), we have no interest in keeping up with the neighbors.

see the post at 12:31 - not all wealthy people drive range rovers.
Is there a reason why you are telling us this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many Range Rovers and Mercedes Benz GLSes. How do so many people afford 85k trucks? Car allowances from work? What do they do for work? We have a HHI of 300k in medicine and can't come close to affording those kind of cars.

The same people living in the 2-3+million dollar houses all over NW and Chevy Chase and Bethesda, sending kids to 50K a year privates, joining country clubs for 100K, carrying 5K handbags,,,,,and so on......
LOTS of wealth in this area.
Then some of them are stretched and HAVE to have the luxury car but really shouldn't be spending that much,
also some could be used.....
Although Range Rovers typically suck after 3 years/50K miles!!

What jobs in this area pay that much? Sure, Chris Matthews makes a few million bucks a year...but all these drivers look regular.

Get your head out of the sand. LOTS of jobs in this area pay over $1M per year. Probably more around here than anywhere else in the country. And, yes, people in this area who make over $1M look regular because there aren't many celebrities like in NYC and LA.

[Anonymous]

Married to a physician. I'm his 2nd wife, and a trophy. He buys me anything I want.

[Anonymous]

If you make over $200K per year (not wealthy), you can pretty much lease any vehicle you choose. That's not to say that you should but you can. I never judge anyone on their car since it's just a monthly expense. I know people living rent free with their parents driving $100K cars that they leased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Married to a physician. I'm his 2nd wife, and a trophy. He buys me anything I want.

...until he gets his 3rd wife. I hope you are more than just a trophy because there's always a new, shiny version of you waiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are thousands of people in the DMV that get a $1000 monthly car allowance.

Seriously? This isn't the 1950's.

Don't call DC the DMV.

Not pp but I call DC the DMV. You do realize many of us are transplants here. We will keep calling metro DC the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Business owners who lease and deduct. The American taxpayers foot the bill.

After 4 years, Mercedes/BMW/Range Rover become massively expensive to maintain and fix.

[Anonymous]

I don't know but my pizza driver showed up the other day in a Mercedes so who knows?

I'd say it goes back to the old adage that people value different things.

[Anonymous]

Isn't Range Rover owned by Tata now? So essentially an Indian luxury SUV for $80k?

[Anonymous]

My hair stylist drives a Mercedes. (I drive a Toyota Highlander.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many Range Rovers and Mercedes Benz GLSes. How do so many people afford 85k trucks? Car allowances from work? What do they do for work? We have a HHI of 300k in medicine and can't come close to affording those kind of cars.

The same people living in the 2-3+million dollar houses all over NW and Chevy Chase and Bethesda, sending kids to 50K a year privates, joining country clubs for 100K, carrying 5K handbags,,,,,and so on......
LOTS of wealth in this area.
Then some of them are stretched and HAVE to have the luxury car but really shouldn't be spending that much,
also some could be used.....
Although Range Rovers typically suck after 3 years/50K miles!!

What jobs in this area pay that much? Sure, Chris Matthews makes a few million bucks a year...but all these drivers look regular.

Partners in Big Law, Finance, some Medical, CEO's of all sorts of businesses, dry cleaners, real estate agents, One of the wealthiest families I know own a chain of auto part stores .......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you make over $200K per year (not wealthy), you can pretty much lease any vehicle you choose. That's not to say that you should but you can. I never judge anyone on their car since it's just a monthly expense. I know people living rent free with their parents driving $100K cars that they leased.

+1. I work at a large national nonprofit. The staff making 60K a year, tops, all drive the nicest cars in the parking garage. (And no, they aren't married to rich people or anything). They lease. They want a nice car and are willing to pay monthly. Now, half of them are pulling that nice car up to a crappy apartment complex, but everyone can decide how to spend their money.

All I want for Christmas is a gently used Subaru.

[Anonymous]

10:16 - my point is that some of the people driving these cars are driving them really, really badly, in such a manner that I can't imagine them having the IQ or the common sense to be earning a big salary. A dumb person driving a very expensive car probably got the money from somewhere - a spouse or a parent.

(i would have said it in a gender-neutral way but there are more sah wives than there are husbands.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you want to?

FWIW, I could easily afford a Range Rover (DH is biglaw equity partner). I drive a Sienna, which is a far more practical choice. I prefer to invest my money rather than engage in ostentatious consumption. A car is a depreciating asset.

But it's a depreciating asset that many can easily afford.

I paid cash for a brand new Benz. And I did so because I wanted the peace of mind of knowing that the car would last just about forever with little to no problems. And that's exactly what I got. A darned good quality car.

[Anonymous]

Interest rates are also insanely low.