And what do I know? I thought hate went much further back to Cain and Abel.

 

A good response: Yeah I have to drive the Jaguar. My (insert other person' car here) is in the shop again.

 

Good one!

 

In other aspects of my life I am very frugal, but not cars. I have many and fully enjoy them. When I am asked about this, I answer "Because I can afford it". One time someone pressed further, so I asked them when was the last time they had Starbucks. "This morning" they said. To that I responded: "The last time I had one was when someone else bought it for me, and this is how I can afford all these cars".

However, reality is a bit different. Great income plus smart investments. While I don't waste money on things like Starbucks, you can't afford the kinds of cars I have with saving from brewing your own coffee. However, they don't know this.

 

As I have already said, I paid $25,000 for my car. It was 10 yrs old, but looked and smelled and felt showroom new, and only had 23,000 miles. It was originally $87,000 - 10 years ago, but someone else paid that. I took 6 months to decide what kind of car I wanted to get, and another 6 months to find the one that I bought. I flew to Kansas to get it. I am very happy with my car. I compare it to any other car I may have bought for $25,000 and 23,000 miles, and I think I did great. I look at these behemoth pickup trucks that are so popular around here and know that they spent upwards of $50K on them. And, they are the ones that give me the attitude. I tell people that my car probably cost less than every other car in the parking lot.

I also spend about 3-4 hours a day in my car these days, so having a car that is comfortable, reliable, and above all fun is important. The Jag meets all those requirements. It is not great for carrying passengers in the back is the main drawback that I have with the car, but that only occasionally is a problem. And it CAN do it in a pinch.

I also am not afraid to work on my own cars, so maintenance costs are low. They day I have to actually go to the Jag dealer for something will be a sad day, because I know how expensive they are.

I am not made of money. I have 4 cars to support, 2 of which are over 20 years old. I have a daughter in college. I have a son in private school. I have plenty of expenses. So when it comes to cars, I try to be frugal. I think the Jaguar actually fits the bill very nicely. I drive it daily, anywhere and everywhere.

So, I do get embarrassed when people assume I am a snob, or rich, or whatever. I am not, I just made a choice. I am happy with that choice, and I think it was a smart one.

 

You put serious thought into what you wanted, then looked and put effort into getting it.

The $50k pickup guy may have honestly just gotten a feeling or had a small breakdown and decided it was time to trade into a newer pickup. There may have been no more than an hour of total thought, and a half day of work to acquire it.

 

I don't understand why anyone feels embarrassed or guilty about any of their material posessions (unless they're stolen). You either (1) got lucky and are among the few who won the (birth or state) lottery or (2) worked hard to earn and save to buy the objects of your desires. Be proud of your accomplishments because you made good choices that paid off. You earned it and only you have the right to determine how to spend it - after, of course, the government takes its cut.

That's a small price to pay to live in the land of opportunity.

 

 

Because opportunity must be purchased with inequity of opportunity.

It takes 10 men working at menial wages for 1 person to own a Jaguar (obviously we couldn't all drive Jaguars, if we did they would cost $400,000)

But there are two ways to look at that, if you are the unlucky sod making humble pay, you might be disgruntled. I see it the other way, I created opportunity for 10 miserable sods. No, as the winner of the lottery with bad odds, the onus is on me to show modesty - only because the other side of the coin will never understand. I am fine paying that price for the privilege.

There is another unspoken battle we are fighting; not everyone acquires wealth fair and square- perhaps they are lumping us with those loan sharks, slum lords, pimps and Paul Manaforts of this world.

 

I seriously don't mind any negative comments as it:

1) Identifies those with chips on their shoulders
2) Helps me avoid these individuals in the future
3) Makes me enjoy the car even more!

When I've had negativity it is a shock initially, but I do think them amusing shortly afterwards, weird that I never had any negativity with my X100, just positive?

I have however committed some of the responses given by others to memory, so shall be plagiarising should the need arise, note that no royalties will be paid

 

I just want to know if the restaurant had any Michelin stars?

Soz couldn't resist...bad me!

 

That made me sad

.... mostly cuz I will not GO to a place with any, they were THAT BAD. It crosses many connotations.

 

" Usually the brushing it off bothers the jerk even more than anything you could come back with anyway. "

So very true. These fools are looking to get a react from you; when they don't, it throws them off and generally frustrates them. Best comeback is not playing their game.

 

Yes, and that is the best approach to dealing with road rage too! Though that can be more difficult because one tends to be more emotionally comitted to the situation.

 

Can't be as bad as the problem I had the other night. After flying I drove my Lexus 30 minutes toward home. I stopped for gas. I left my damn wallet in the airplane and without enough fuel in my Lexus I had to go home and drive the Jag all the way back to the airport to fetch my wallet out of my airplane.

I got no sympathy from my friends.

2005 Lexus ES330: $2000 (wifes old car that got totaled and I fixed it)
2007 Jaguar XKR: Less than 30k
1993 Glasair aircraft: 24k

Making people think you're a zillionair? Priceless.

 

Haha! Soft. Soft. Soft. This reeks of weakness, and unattractiveness. I have the appearance of a guy who makes very little money and has no more than a high school education. But I hit the gym 4 times a week, dress in jeans and tshirts, and crush it when I go to work. My coworkers are very jealous, but they have never tried to make fun of me. Its because Im a man of high value with a strong mind. The point is... stop being a soft little child, and no one will ever say things to hurt your little feelings. Hit the gym and get yourself a stronger body, this leads to a stronger mind. So politics, envy talk, and whatever tends to bring you down, are not the problem. The problem is you. Change you, and watch the world change for you. Time to disconnect and go lift some steel. Be strong. Be attractive.

 

ITS A TEST.
Most are genuinely curious of
1.if there is any substance behind the loud statement an XK makes.
2. Is there any substance behind the owner

A response becoming of a racy Jaguar owner should have 3 components
1. an explanation of the car- such as "bargain of the century, not a lot of people know that"
2. Your modesty and if you deserve to posses such as thing- say "if Ferrari could make a reliable grand tourer that I could afford-this would be it"
3. They must feel the sharpness of your claws too. This will vary with age of both the abuser and owner. Picture Michael Caine saying "sniff the seats if you 'dunt' believe me"

 

I like it.

 

Spending 4 hrs a day at the gym on outer appearance and inner strength has the added benefit of making you strong as an ox and twice as smart.

 

This is probably one of the best statements I've read in this forum.