[scooba0010]

I was in the dealer yesterday and was waiting while my e90 had a new light fitted ,as the one on the car filled with water?? wtf.Anyway i ended up chatting with the sales manager and asked why they had 3 off the m3 coupes in stock i thought that they were hard to come by ?.

He explained how they came to have 3 all sounded like BS but he did say buisness was still srong despite all the doom and gloom in the economy at present and they had sold 44 cars the previous week .

One thing i did find amusing is he said the amount of people now coming in who pretend to be so wealthy and when they sit down and start going through finance options etc are completly broke ,

I work with some heavy plant contractors who supply us with caterpillar and volvo moxys all 40 ton plus kit .We had a problem with one D8 caterpillar and the fitter was really struggling and phoned the office for tech support ,They advised that some one would come and help ,I was totally in awe as he burned a huge hole with a welding rod through a huge bolt then drove a massive chissel in it attached a huge wrench and procedded to unwind the offending stud.But you can imagine my horror when he climbed straight back in to his new range rover with out even removing his overalls ,I asked the fitter what is that all about he said its only a car ?? 50k being treated like that yikes he then said wait until you meet the old man ??? what do you mean by that ?? He explained he drives a rolls and treats it just like his boy does the Range Rover he has 5 gallon red diesel cans rolling around in the boot and all and sundry of shit. I guess what i am trying to say is to some people a car is just that a car .

It seams this contractor has millions of £ kit from catterpillar that he is interested in as its his thing, along with his steam engines, and his grandson who rides on the european motocross championship for ktm ,

A car is just a car ???

[SoYank]

I thought the headlight washer only washed the outside.

[NFS]

Originally Posted by scooba0010

A car is just a car ???

I think people ascribe value to a car (or any object for that matter) based on how easy it was for them to aquire.

If people have enough money to lease or buy a new Range every year, without worrying about residuals etc .. then it's just a car.

[scotw]

Originally Posted by needforspeed

I think people ascribe value to a car (or any object for that matter) based on how easy it was for them to aquire.

If people have enough money to lease or buy a new Range every year, without worrying about residuals etc .. then it's just a car.

Yeah I'd agree with that. My car is just that, a car, no great emotional attachment (unlike Carlos), I don't treat it with kid gloves. However, it does represent the most expensive thing I own apart from my house. I wouldn't treat it totally badly as the residuals would be poor and while I can afford my car, I can't exactly throw thousands of pounds away.

Be nice to be so well off that it didn't matter thou.

[scooba0010]

I have some nice bits like th bmw /rolex /house all paid for no finance mortgage etc .I personally look after everything i buy with consideration even my tools are kept oiled to avoid rust etc (my wife hates it annal weirdo !) sometimes i bug my self and wonder why i bother,

I have a mini cooper as well it has had some twat smack a dent in the rear quater and some one seams to have had the need to dent the roof wtf> my wife has managed to kerb 3 wheels ,so now its due a service i asked the body shop to attend to these dents and wheels are being sent to refurbish shop then full valet ,But what is the point???? well at least ill be happy

That said every time i trade a car out loads of mates all ways want first dibs .

so i guess it must be noticed that i try and look after everything

weird shit you really should see my lawn tractor its 12yrs old and like new ,i serviced it before xmas filters oil etc and washed and waxed sad fuck ehh

[beemerbird]

scooba, no offence but perhaps you are a tad anal. I agree with you in part though, I like to look after my things especially my car which is also my hobby really. I had two stone chips in the bonnet repaired the other week as I couldn't just leave them. Apart from looking unsightly they could start to rust. Still think the paint is a bit soft though and the guy who did it confirmed that (water based paints etc).

I know a guy who is well off, not that you'd know by the way he dresses, and he bought a brand new top of the range Disco and within a week the Spaniels were in the back, mud everywhere and he just climbs in with all his mucky work gear on. Just a car to him but he can afford it, so I agree with the others, must all be relative to how much money you have and where your priorities lie.

[garyhgaryh]

Originally Posted by scooba0010

A car is just a car ???

A car is just a car, althought a 335i (and Range rover) are nice ones.
I love it when people spend all their money on a car and are barely making it in life... (living pay check to pay check).
I do take care of my cars, even my old cars (I'm just anal like that), but I won't go broke on a car.

Speaking of rolex's, I wouldn't buy one cuz I'm not into watches. They're nice, but I can use my money on other things - like the 335i ...

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by scooba0010

"A car is just a car ???

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by."

"As Time Goes By"
music and words by Herman Hupfeld

[SoYank]

To put a cost of something into perspective, assuming you weren't given it and you work for a living, take the price of it -- your BMW for instance -- and divide it by your hourly wage. That's how much of your life goes into that object. It's only a car? No, it is more than a car. It's part of my life, my blood, sweat and tears. Same goes with other property. Neglect your tools, let them rust away, you're neglecting a part of yourself. Protect them and they'll serve you well. Nothing anal about that.

It makes me mad sometimes (often) when the courts let off some lowlife thief and someone else says something like, "Well, it was only a television, insurance will pay for it". No, that television took me quite a number of hours of labor to acquire. The cost of that insurance took a number of hours as well. So, that thief isn't stealing just an inanimate object, he's stealing a part of me; a part of my life. I should be able to take back that part from him/her in whatever manner I decide. And I'd want it in his blood, sweat, and tears.

[Steve A]

Originally Posted by scooba0010

A car is just a car ???

I think i agree to me a car is just a car.

I always promise myself when i buy a new car that i will keep it clean. However after the initial honeymoon period ( 3months) then it can become a rolling dustbin filled with water bottles cans of diet coke and sandwich wrappers.

im not saying im filthy rich and that money doesnt matter but i do think once you have had many many 'luxury - premium' cars then the novelty wears off.

It doesnt stop me lusting after new cars but they are just a car.

I cherish my family, the mrs and the kids and spoil them all rotten. if my car gets damaged then so what.

Steve

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by Steve A

I cherish my family, the mrs and the kids and spoil them all rotten.
Steve

Awwwww!

[Gibbo]

I like to try and keep my car in good condition as it is also a hobby for me as well. You have to live but for example, I will try to park at the far end of a supermarket car park as there is less chance of getting a trolley in the door.

For my dad a car is just a car and it gets scratched, dented, rarely cleaned and dirty inside and the dealer knocks about £500 on trade in to get it sorted.

[ShereKhan]

I had to laugh at the thought of getting into the car with overalls on.
I always remove any PPE before getting into the car. Last thing I want is all the crap off my PPE onto my clothes. One of the clients I have is a carbon black plant!

I try to keep my car "sort" of tidy - even though it's a company car, its cleaner than some of my colleagues. One of them always stores most of his disused McD' burger wrappings. He lets the stealer empty out the crap for him.

I do have a few scratches around the boot - but these will get sorted out at some point.

A car is just a car - unless of course you have a shiny new M3 then that isn't just any old car.

[Chris33]

A couple of years ago I used to be so anal about my car. I even took the wheels off to clean them!

Now I'm not to fussed. I keep it cleanish but that's about it. It's used and used alot!

Only the other day I had a guy come and collect something from me that l had sold on ebay.

He came in a beautiful black "56" reg Ranger Rover Sport with the BIG wheels etc.

I helped him put the item on the back seat as it would not fit in the boot due to it having a second hand discovery engine in there that he had just collected from a breakers!

[- Paul -]

Originally Posted by Steve A

It doesnt stop me lusting after new cars but they are just a car.

I cherish my family, the mrs and the kids and spoil them all rotten. if my car gets damaged then so what.

Steve

Agreed

I was a bit obsessive over mine when I first got it as it is my first new car. Should see the state of it now

[hmi1750]

yer, i am obessive at times, but I don't have time or the equipment... I will get it machine polished and detailed, or just do it myself sometime in the summer.. but with 3 cars on the drive I have no time.

Also doing 20k a yr means a simple wash each week keeps it looking good enough, as stone chips and kerbing is unavoidable, though I get the bumper resprayed when it hits 50k or something.

It is more than just a car in terms of my passion for cars, but in all respects its a car that I am blessed to own (being a student again, PhD, its also still worth more than I earn). Family enjoy being driven in it, and I will prob keep it till it dies now.

[Bumps]

Interesting what your dealer said Scooba. I was in my dealers on Saturday waiting for my car and I got talking to my 'usual' salesman. I asked him how business was and he said that they're hardly selling any of the more run of the mill machinery (320s, 1 series etc), but are still selling X5s and M Cars etc. He said that the people who need the finance for a new car are just not about, but that the people with the real money, who don't need finance, are still buying big bucks machines (lucky for them as they're the ones with the real profit in them!!). He also said that the used market is pretty dead.

For me I get attached to my car but after all it's just a car and when the chips are down, it's way way down the priorities list. Family first and always will be.

[NathanJT]

For some people that's very very true!

A very good friend of mine owns a heat exchanger company and I remember him calling in to his local AM dealer to pick up his Vanquish (which was in for service) dressed in mucky overalls.

At first the service rep didn't even want to talk to him. When they realised he was there to pick up his car they offered him a set of paper seat covers (like they use) to drive home in. His answer? "Naaaah, it'll rub off!"

[NFS]

Originally Posted by NathanJT

A very good friend of mine owns a heat exchanger company

What does he exchange heat for?

[NathanJT]

LOL!

Cash, and lots of it (obviously).