Do people who drive fancy and expensive cars ever feel awkard or self-conscious?

[Anonymous]

Or do they want and like all the eyeballs on them and people assuming they're made of money? I'd honestly feel incredibly awkward randomly rolling up to work in an expensive car. I'd worry it could hurt my career and perception with colleagues, superiors and clients. Once on a business trip I was randomly given some super expensive Mercedes SUV rental and it felt like everyone was gawking whenever parked.

I think Tesla has mastered the fancy-but-subtle styling/branding – but so many people have fancy and flashy Range Rovers, Yukon Denalis, Escalades, BMW X7s, Porsche SUVs, expensive Mercedes sedans and SUVs, G-Wagons, Bentley SUVs they're practically a dime a dozen.

At the very least I feel like I'd need a second lower-key car when I didn't want anyone to notice me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or do they want and like all the eyeballs on them and people assuming they're made of money? I'd honestly feel incredibly awkward randomly rolling up to work in an expensive car. I'd worry it could hurt my career and perception with colleagues, superiors and clients. Once on a business trip I was randomly given some super expensive Mercedes SUV rental and it felt like everyone was gawking whenever parked.

I think Tesla has mastered the fancy-but-subtle styling/branding – but so many people have fancy and flashy Range Rovers, Yukon Denalis, Escalades, BMW X7s, Porsche SUVs, expensive Mercedes sedans and SUVs, G-Wagons, Bentley SUVs they're practically a dime a dozen.

At the very least I feel like I'd need a second lower-key car when I didn't want anyone to notice me.

"Look at me" Americans are not like you.

[Anonymous]

Where do you live? I think in DMV people are more “low key” so luxury vehicles stand out. I am in CA and many drivers have luxury vehicles and surely they don’t feel uncomfortable.

I drive a Toyota so I’m just guessing.

[Anonymous]

Yes DH has an expensive car. I don't like driving it. We don't live in a major city so I feel like we stick out. We don't flaunt our wealth normally, no one would ever guess our HHI. But this was DH,'s dream car so he got it.

[Anonymous]

I drive a new white Mercedes suv and I don’t feel self-conscious. My DH drives a red sports car and I do feel self-conscious in it. I think he has low self-esteem and likes the attention.

[Anonymous]

Mercedes driver here. My car is currently more than 10 years old but still in great condition so I think a lot of people believe it's newer and nicer than it is. The only time I feel self-conscious about it is when people make comments about how nice it is or on the few occasions when I'm driving through a small town or rural area because it's just so out of place.

But I don't feel self-conscious driving it around the DC area and I never notice the type of car other people are driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or do they want and like all the eyeballs on them and people assuming they're made of money? I'd honestly feel incredibly awkward randomly rolling up to work in an expensive car. I'd worry it could hurt my career and perception with colleagues, superiors and clients. Once on a business trip I was randomly given some super expensive Mercedes SUV rental and it felt like everyone was gawking whenever parked.

I think Tesla has mastered the fancy-but-subtle styling/branding – but so many people have fancy and flashy Range Rovers, Yukon Denalis, Escalades, BMW X7s, Porsche SUVs, expensive Mercedes sedans and SUVs, G-Wagons, Bentley SUVs they're practically a dime a dozen.

At the very least I feel like I'd need a second lower-key car when I didn't want anyone to notice me.

Don't move to the west coast where this is the norm.

[Anonymous]

Yes. People assume I’m an asshole because i drive a Range Rover. I promise I’m not!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or do they want and like all the eyeballs on them and people assuming they're made of money? I'd honestly feel incredibly awkward randomly rolling up to work in an expensive car. I'd worry it could hurt my career and perception with colleagues, superiors and clients. Once on a business trip I was randomly given some super expensive Mercedes SUV rental and it felt like everyone was gawking whenever parked.

I think Tesla has mastered the fancy-but-subtle styling/branding – but so many people have fancy and flashy Range Rovers, Yukon Denalis, Escalades, BMW X7s, Porsche SUVs, expensive Mercedes sedans and SUVs, G-Wagons, Bentley SUVs they're practically a dime a dozen.

At the very least I feel like I'd need a second lower-key car when I didn't want anyone to notice me.

Please make up your mind, OP. Either people notice these cars and draw assumptions about their drivers based on the cars, or they are common-place and a dime a dozen, and so completely unremarkable. They can't be both.

And FWIW, I drive a Honda, as does my wife. Cars aren't really our things, despite being able to afford most luxury cars. But we do spend money on several non-essential items - travel and food, in particular - what I'm sure many people would consider frivolous. As long as they aren't hurting anyone else, I find it best to jot judge the way others spend discretionary income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or do they want and like all the eyeballs on them and people assuming they're made of money? I'd honestly feel incredibly awkward randomly rolling up to work in an expensive car. I'd worry it could hurt my career and perception with colleagues, superiors and clients. Once on a business trip I was randomly given some super expensive Mercedes SUV rental and it felt like everyone was gawking whenever parked.

I think Tesla has mastered the fancy-but-subtle styling/branding – but so many people have fancy and flashy Range Rovers, Yukon Denalis, Escalades, BMW X7s, Porsche SUVs, expensive Mercedes sedans and SUVs, G-Wagons, Bentley SUVs they're practically a dime a dozen.

At the very least I feel like I'd need a second lower-key car when I didn't want anyone to notice me.

Please make up your mind, OP. Either people notice these cars and draw assumptions about their drivers based on the cars, or they are common-place and a dime a dozen, and so completely unremarkable. They can't be both.

And FWIW, I drive a Honda, as does my wife. Cars aren't really our things, despite being able to afford most luxury cars. But we do spend money on several non-essential items - travel and food, in particular - what I'm sure many people would consider frivolous. As long as they aren't hurting anyone else, I find it best to jot judge the way others spend discretionary income.

Dime a dozen was in reference to how popular $80k+ cars have become, not that people are totally numb to them. In other words, lots and lots of people must not be bothered by the extra attention and optics?

[Anonymous]

No, I do not care what other people think of my car nor the judgements they may make about me. I also don’t care about the cars other people choose to buy and drive. I care about how people drive, not what they drive.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure where you live but I feel like the DC metro area is actually pretty low key on this. I've lived in numerous other towns, small cities and large cities around the country and I think they're almost all more "look at my expensive car" than DC. In my apartment building in Austin, there was a lambo, aston martin, several bentleys, a ferrari, an audi R8, numerous porsches, and the rest were filled out with the all those "terrible" cars you mentioned in your OP.

In the places I've lived around DC I see at most about half as many "look at me cars." But yeah I love to drive around in a fast, expensive car. Nothing crazy like a lambo but sure a $100k car is fun as hell. The faster the better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. People assume I’m an asshole because i drive a Range Rover. I promise I’m not!!

Says every Range Rover (and bmw) driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. People assume I’m an asshole because i drive a Range Rover. I promise I’m not!!

Says every Range Rover (and bmw) driver.

x1000 on the BMW drivers.

[Anonymous]

Dunno but I would, which is why I have a Pilot. I'd feel like an asshole driving to work at my school in a Mercedes like our board chair.