should I get a "nice car"?

This "nice car" thing is not really about the car itself. A car is a status symbol. I have owned several "nice cars" as well: Maserati, BMW i8, several Mercedes Benz and BMW. Right now, I have a BMW SUV. Unfortunately we live in a world where people will judge you based on what car you drive, area where you live, and so on. I lived in many countries and everywhere it is the same, like an universal law. No matter if you live in Germany, Thailand, Korea, China, India, Malaysia or wherever. The first thing people judge you on is your appearance and your car is one enormous part of this.

If you don't give a shit about how people perceive you, just get a normal car. Getting a nice car however, will also have other positive effects than only sitting and driving a nice car. For example, people will take you more serious. The same way people will take you more serious if you wear a suit instead of dressing like a hippie. It is all superficial.

nakamura said:

This "nice car" thing is not really about the car itself. A car is a status symbol. I have owned several "nice cars" as well: Maserati, BMW i8, several Mercedes Benz and BMW. Right now, I have a BMW SUV. Unfortunately we live in a world where people will judge you based on what car you drive, area where you live, and so on. I lived in many countries and everywhere it is the same, like an universal law. No matter if you live in Germany, Thailand, Korea, China, India, Malaysia or wherever. The first thing people judge you on is your appearance and your car is one enormous part of this.

If you don't give a shit about how people perceive you, just get a normal car. Getting a nice car however, will also have other positive effects than only sitting and driving a nice car. For example, people will take you more serious. The same way people will take you more serious if you wear a suit instead of dressing like a hippie. It is all superficial.

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I agree that people will judge you based on your car, but who is going to see my car? let's say i meet a girl at the park or at the barber shop. how is she going to know what car i drive?

who will take me more serious? why would I need to be taken more serious? I have heard real estate agents get a nice car because a client is more likely to buy a house if the real estate agent drives a nice car. the idea is since this agent is driving a nice car he must be successful. I am not in sales. I don't have anybody to impress.

I don't give a shit about how people perceive me with one exception. if i am interested in a girl i give a shit how she perceives me. however, I am not interested in girls that judge a guy based on his car. i am interested in a girl who judges a guy based on his character. even if i had a nice car i would take a shitty car for first date to test the girl.

don6644 said:

1) what do people mean by "nice car"? is a lexus a nice car? what about bmw?

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Is it nice to you?
if yes, then yes.
To me lexus is below a bmw in term of premiumness.

at the end of the day, unless you goes balls deep in a Ferrari or a Maserati etc
it really depends on the viewer's judgement, some may not see benz as a nice car, while others will see it as a nice car.

I bought a G Wagon a couple years back. If you can get whatever a "nice car" is to you without the cost adding stress to your life, do it. But if the costs add stress, the stress will water down your ability to enjoy the car, house or whatever the thing is. Good luck!

Don't pay attention to what people say; do you want to drive a nice car? If buying a nice car will make you very happy, then go for it. But if it will feel ordinary and won't make you happy, then there's not much point in driving a nice car."

Where I live, My personal opinion

“you have a nice car, but not a luxury car”

BMW 3 Series, Benz C Series, Audi A4L（18-28 years old）

BMW 5 Series, Benz E Series, Audi A6L（28-38 years old）

BMW 7 Series, Benz S Series, Audi A8L（38 years old+）
Our plan for this year is to buy a Tesla base model in the new year, a new one is about $30k where I live.

It may not be much compared to a “nice car”, but we don't really need the face and status symbol that a car gives us.

We're more interested in the style, how easy it is to get carsick while riding, safety, and cost of ownership.

Of course, the main reason is that it fits our family's consumption of cars. If I had a million dollars, I would not hesitate to choose a Mercedes-Benz and buy an additional coupe.

yes

don6644 said:

2) should i get a nice car? how would i feel different after getting a nice car?

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I can understand why you were told to get a nice car. I bought my first car, a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, when my business was starting to pick up. It had surprisingly modern luxury features and I felt the style suited me. To say I enjoy driving that car is an understatement as it makes every trip feel special.

As I got older, I ended up needing something with more modern features. For one, my wife always goes with me everywhere, and my Mercedes did not have a passenger-side airbag. The AC didn't work (discontinued parts), which made driving during the Summer here in the desert difficult. We also have pets that we were struggling to take to the vet because the car would just be too hot for them.

I still have this car a decade later, although when the engine's head cracked and after I got it fixed, I decided it was time to start looking for something that has more modern feature.

Now, style is important to me, so I gravitated toward a modern car with modern features that I felt suited my style. However, this was my decision, and it's one I'm glad I made for myself as the new car has made a nice difference in our lives.

What I'm trying to say is to just get a car that has the features you want or need. I don't understand regret very well as I've not properly felt that in my life, but I would think that if you're happy with what you have now, there would be no reason for you to regret what you did in your youth when you're older. After all, you're just making the best decisions you can with the information you have right now. If there's no value you see in a nicer car, then don't buy one.

don6644 said:

1) what do people mean by "nice car"? is a lexus a nice car? what about bmw? i know lamborghini and g-wagon are nice cars but those are expensive as hell to buy, lease, and insure.

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It depends on the person. Some people think any car from a luxury brand is nice, some think only new cars from a luxury brand are nice. I think the latter is generally considered nice by your average person based on my experiences with my older Mercedes.

don6644 said:

but who is going to see my car? let's say i meet a girl at the park or at the barber shop. how is she going to know what car i drive?

who will take me more serious? why would I need to be taken more serious?

I don't give a shit about how people perceive me with one exception. if i am interested in a girl i give a shit how she perceives me. however, I am not interested in girls that judge a guy based on his car. i am interested in a girl who judges a guy based on his character. even if i had a nice car i would take a shitty car for first date to test the girl.

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1) Believe me, a bunch of people you never heard of will notice what car you drive. When I got a badass sports car, suddenly random people would say "oh yeah this guy always drive here at this time". You don't know how many people just stand there staring at you while you drive.

2) everyone is going to take you more serious, everyone who sees you in the car. When I was showing up with a really nice car to a restaurant, people would stare at me through the window, then I would walk inside and they would listen carefully what I order, how I speak, what I say.

as I said, I already got rid of fancy cars because I don't really give a shit as well. I found it way more annoying. You can not imagine how many people get triggered by car. Before I saw videos from India and Africa how some dudes were running after a super car, thinking Jesus is inside or something. Even in Germany, a first world country, people stare at you when you drive a nice car.

I am not even talking about girls specifically. If you drive a really nice car, you attract the absolute wrong kind of girl, believe me!

Buy a reliable car.

Don't buy a “nice” car unless you can afford to run it.
I have known a couple of people who bought expensive cars but couldn't afford to fill the tank up lol

Don't get a car on finance unless you have negotiated a 0% deal and/or a heavy discount.

We usually consider it appropriate to take 20% of your savings to purchase a car.

Get what makes you happy. I've had everything from beater trucks, to a Prius, to turbo Porsches. And you know what I prefer? The beaters that I picked up for under a grand because those are the cars I don't worry about. I can drive them, if they get a new dent, who cares. But on the other hand, drive a turbo Porsche and I'm worried someone will vandalize it, I get cussed out at gas stations because I don't buy people tanks of gas "because I'm so rich", I get pulled over all the damn time.

It's personal preference, I mean I also still use an iPhone 12. Not because I can't afford a new iPhone but this one is worn in. It's got battle scars, and I don't worry about it. There is value in not worrying about things too; no car payment means less worry. So, I lose some income? BFD. In my case I own everything outright (home, cars, etc.) ain't no one going to take anything from me and I'm not making some bankers rich by paying interest. Personally, I value not having to worry more than I want another flashy car to impress people that I don't know and don't care about. My real friends don't give a shit what I drive, I could show up in a horse and buggy and they'd be like "awesome! let's roll".

Well i think you should get a new car if it makes yourself happy and not because other people told you so .If i feel very good with the car i own i would not listen to other people

Invest these funds in cash flow generation brother.

If you're thinking too much, you probably shouldn't get it