Is this typical of BMW drivers

I grew up in a family where the work ethic was strong and learned that in life some will do better than others. Ca va!

I cringe at the attitude so many have to wealth, inherited or earned, lead like sheep by a hypocritical but influential media. I have never had more than enough to live fairly comfortably but never invested in a pension either. So now I live relatively frugally. My responsibility, no one else’s. Good luck to those who have more and bad luck to those who don’t. That is how it is.

I think it’s more of a Status thing nowadays, rather than Class

I’ve worked in a lot of houses where the owners have more money than they know what to do with.
Big houses, flashy cars etc. I can honestly say that I have never felt envious. As for many of them,
their lives revolve around the accumulation of money.

Isn’t my point exactly what you said in your second paragraph?

Um yes….

Apologies 🙁

Moggy

I think there is a genuine hatred of those with ‘wealth’ in the United Kingdom; especially those who are perceived not to have ‘worked’ to earn that wealth (those born ‘with a silver spoon in their mouth’)…

…and yet so many play the National Lottery so they can become exactly the thing that they hate!

I would say that the general attitude to wealth, and especially success, in the United States is better that over here but that there still is a ‘class’ system based almost completely on wealth; at least by those who judge a person’s worth on money alone.

Isn’t my point exactly what you said in your second paragraph? At least that was the meaning I intended!:)

I always recall the saying that an average American sees a Cadillac drive past and says to himself “I’m going to get myself one of those one day”. The average Brit sees a Rolls drive past and says to himself “Why should he have one when I don’t?”

It’s not class envy. It’s just a very destructive envy of success, hard work or careful money management / saving. I wish it would change

Moggy

Surely “keeping up
with the Jonses’ ” is hard wired into the American psyche. There individuals reach for their aspirations – here we just resent those with more.

…there is no class envy in the US.

There may be no ‘class envy’ in the United States but I am absolutely certain there are (like everywhere else) divisions in society based on wealth; and in the United States the gulf between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is about as big as it is possible to get in such a civilised, wealthy and developed country.

Not thick. Blinkered American! Ooops ………;)

I’m still trying to comprehend the American poster on here who claims that there are no expensive German cars on the road and that there is no class envy in the US. How thick do you have to be?

The 419 scam must still be working then.

We have some friends in the Indian community in NW London. Mercedes is definitely the vehicle of choice for demonstrating financial success in that group.

Moggy

Indeed, a Nigerian friend of ours has three !!. Two saloons and a 4 x 4.

We have some friends in the Indian community in NW London. Mercedes is definitely the vehicle of choice for demonstrating financial success in that group.

Moggy

Same up here. The corner shop owners all have them. The thing is, a tired ex-fleet car is nothing more than a tired ex-fleet car, regardless of the badge on the bonnet, and any airs and graces are pushed aside when the boxes of crisps and cans of coke start appearing out of the boot.

And around here, if you see a guy in tracksuit in his late teens / early 20s driving a large, high powered Merc, you can bet he’s a drug runner.. But again, you usually only have time to see their tail lights as they drive at over 100 km/h in the inner cities.

Surely the whole point of buying an expensive car…

…is so other people know you can afford it!

We have some friends in the Indian community in NW London. Mercedes is definitely the vehicle of choice for demonstrating financial success in that group.

Moggy

I had some work done on my Berlingo van at the weekend, by a friend who works for a local Merc Dealership.
It’s amazing how many new cars they sell, especially the top end models. Very often for cash.
He said they had one customer who bought two of the top end sports models, and has put them straight into storage.

Even the Smart cars sell well. They just cant get enough from the manufacturers.

I’m sure no one in the UK has any envy towards expensive German cars. Must be why you don’t see any on the roads.

Which seems to indicate that it’s a very long time since you had the dreadful experience of visiting these shores.

Thanks for that Tony I needed a laugh after the day I have had!

A perk of living in gated communities and never having to mingle with the riff raff?

Is that how they are describing Broadmoor these days?