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Question: Why would you feel like a douche driving a $50K car if you work at a university hospital?
Another BS car/identity crisis post
Started by cchoukal
Question: Why would you feel like a douche driving a $50K car if you work at a university hospital?
Perhaps some of us are humble, or perhaps we are sensitive to the perceptions from others that physicians are paid too much, and that an ostentatious car reinforces that perception. Yes, yes, I know that I worked hard to be where I am and so forth, but part of me would feel a little... guilty? for rolling up in a fat car when many of my fellow employees are seeing rising healthcare costs, decreased access to actual services, and a PR smear campaign from the nurses and politicians that blame our "high salaries" for these woes.
That said, one of the RTs the other day gave me a hard time for rolling up in my Mazda. "Aren't you supposed to have a mercedes by now?"
That said, one of the RTs the other day gave me a hard time for rolling up in my Mazda. "Aren't you supposed to have a mercedes by now?"
If you were talking about a $150k+ car, I might understand. But $50k, c'mon man. I see people at the hospital that make much less driving bmw's and mb's.
Get the car you want. You earned it
Get the car you want. You earned it
I was thinking the same thing... you can easily break $50k with a nice minivan!
Reminds me of a nurse I used to work with... single mom, bought herself a BMW straight out of school...
Seriously, I feel like half the time a BMW passes me in the parking deck, there's an RN or RT or CRNA behind the wheel. Meanwhile, I'm sure half the resident cars are >10 years old or >100K miles
How do you make sure you don't end up on the floor at night?
😀
kazuma - do you watch Xtreme 4x4 on Spike? They had a three part series over the last few weeks building an expedition rig, complete with trailer. It was pretty sweet.
Hey SDN'ers
Thinking of getting a new vehicle around the sept/aug timeframe(hehe PGG ISP). I like the BMW 550 and the Range Rover Sport HSE. I am a big guy six four built like a linebacker. Not sure if I should buy or lease for the next car. I am leaning towards getting an off-lease. Cannot really make my mind up what are your opinions?
Thinking of getting a new vehicle around the sept/aug timeframe(hehe PGG ISP). I like the BMW 550 and the Range Rover Sport HSE. I am a big guy six four built like a linebacker. Not sure if I should buy or lease for the next car. I am leaning towards getting an off-lease. Cannot really make my mind up what are your opinions?
Can't go wrong with one of these:
A used 2010 M5 is a nice deal if you are a city dweller.
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Not sure what you're looking for in a car.. if you want a nice new car w/ a warranty it's going to be expensive to find something fun.. if it's driving enjoyment, you can get a lot of car for much less than $50k.
Honestly I can never see myself buying a new car, even as an attending. There are way too many > 20 year old German cars that look better and are more fun to drive than almost anything newly made imo. If you want a lot of side airbags and what-not it may make a difference, but otherwise not. Crash regulations and modern technology make for heavy, high-belted, unattractive cars with a sterile driving experience.
Driving enjoyment for me is primarily having a lot of fun while going *slow*. A car like the 335is is a very deceivingly fast car; you can hit triple digits and it doesn't produce much of an adrenaline rush. On the other hand a Porsche 951, BMW E30 M3, even E36 M3 will be white-knuckled ridiculously fun to drive at 10 mph over the speed limit. The key is MANUAL transmission (absolute must IMO for BMWs/Porsches), RWD, well-balanced, light-weight, quick turn-in, good enthusiast-base, and availability of after-market parts.
Doing a lot of work on your car yourself will also make it a lot more enjoyable because you learn about your car and know the work is done right.
Short list of cars that are imo suited to an fun to drive daily driven commuter: Porsche 964, 944, 951, 968 (S2), 993. BMW E28 M5, E30 325i, E30 M3, E36 M3, E34 M5, E46 M3.
Honestly I can never see myself buying a new car, even as an attending. There are way too many > 20 year old German cars that look better and are more fun to drive than almost anything newly made imo. If you want a lot of side airbags and what-not it may make a difference, but otherwise not. Crash regulations and modern technology make for heavy, high-belted, unattractive cars with a sterile driving experience.
Driving enjoyment for me is primarily having a lot of fun while going *slow*. A car like the 335is is a very deceivingly fast car; you can hit triple digits and it doesn't produce much of an adrenaline rush. On the other hand a Porsche 951, BMW E30 M3, even E36 M3 will be white-knuckled ridiculously fun to drive at 10 mph over the speed limit. The key is MANUAL transmission (absolute must IMO for BMWs/Porsches), RWD, well-balanced, light-weight, quick turn-in, good enthusiast-base, and availability of after-market parts.
Doing a lot of work on your car yourself will also make it a lot more enjoyable because you learn about your car and know the work is done right.
Short list of cars that are imo suited to an fun to drive daily driven commuter: Porsche 964, 944, 951, 968 (S2), 993. BMW E28 M5, E30 325i, E30 M3, E36 M3, E34 M5, E46 M3.
Can't go wrong with either the BMW 550 or the Range Rover Sport. But if went with the Range, I would make sure it is still under warranty. They tend to have a reputation of minor things breaking down. The new Mercedes E class or the new CLS are worth looking at.
If you are an independent contractor, a lease may provide some tax relief.
If you are an independent contractor, a lease may provide some tax relief.
I've been daily driving my E46 M3 for 10 years now. Little things on it are starting to break. Giving serious thought to selling it and buying another (lower mileage) E46 M3. I like it that much. 🙂
Can tell you my experience with the Range Rover Sport HSE. Great vehicle to drive, solid, holds corners well for a 5800 lb SUV. Gas mileage is God awful (rated 13/18), although I am averaging a whopping 17.4 MPG over the past year. Have had to have my backup camera replaced as it decided to show a mirror image one day and have had the satellite radio refuse to turn on from time to time. This seems to be typical of British cars as a whole...be prepared for electronic bugaboos.
That said, just did a Range Rover off-road event with my wife (bought her a LR LR4 as she kept "borrowing" my RRS) and had a lot of fun. Not many SUVs can hang with the Range when it comes to muddin'.
Passenger and driver space isn't huge and my dimensions are similar to yours...am 6'5" and 235#, but I fit well enough.
Overall, killer ride, especially in my Chawton White 👍 I traded my BMW 650i for the RRS and rarely regret it. The 550i is a 4-door 650i. Both great rides.
Happy shopping!
PMMD
Funny thread. Interesting to see how individuals' values are reflected by their ride. I've been getting a "real" salary now >4yrs, and still drive the Subaru I bought as an intern. I'll probably drive it at least another 4 years, I'm at 65K. In 4 years my 8yo will be 12, so maybe I can squeeze 4 more at that point and let him have it at 16. But I am getting a little bored with it. My guess is, when the boys are too big for the back seat, I'll get a bigger car that they can stretch their legs in. Used Tahoe or Sequoia? New is a rip-off.
Have fun driving your expensive cars.
Tuck
Have fun driving your expensive cars.
Tuck
This thing is only concept, and won't be sold to the general market anytime in the future, but MAN I want one!!!
http://www.europecarnews.com/wp-con...ncept/bmw-vision-connecteddrive-concept_1.jpg
Russian Joo,
Commute in your toyota, or something of that ilk. A honda? But, you can have a Porsche in your garage that can last you a lifetime. Buying expensive cars is a big money pit if you trade in every 3 years or so. I like to get a new car about every 3. I wanted a convertible infiniti, but the depreciation would be much more than the fiat convertible I bought. Women drool over my fiat.
Commute in your toyota, or something of that ilk. A honda? But, you can have a Porsche in your garage that can last you a lifetime. Buying expensive cars is a big money pit if you trade in every 3 years or so. I like to get a new car about every 3. I wanted a convertible infiniti, but the depreciation would be much more than the fiat convertible I bought. Women drool over my fiat.
ca2 here. my first car (prior to medical school) was an e36 325i, followed by an e46 328i. both manual transmission, and extremely fun to drive at or slightly above speed limit. did a few autocross events and promised myself i would not drive anything else. In medical school i couldnt afford the upkeep of a bmw so i traded it in and got a subaru legacy manual trans, 19000 brand new. i'm as happy with it as i was with the bmws, but at less than half the cost.. and i have a little fun doing maintenance work myself such as brake changes, belt changes, etc, which i know i wouldnt feel comfortable doing on a bmw. bottom line is i will probably drive subarus even after making an attending salary... bmws are beautiful fun cars to drive, they are just too pricey.
I don't know if I'd draw any conclusions about someone's values based on how they spend their discretionary cash. What do you spend your money on, beyond a spartan place to live, clothes to keep you warm, and 2000 bland calories per day?
You could easily spend $20K traveling and have nothing but memories to show for it a month later. Is that money wasted?
Yeah ... that's the point. Kind of like vacations and eating at restaurants are fun "wastes" of money.
Anybody want to weigh in on 2010 or so Q5 vs X5 vs ML350? For my wife who is finishing up her residency. Would serve as kiddie hauler and ski car.
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I have a 2012 Q5 with the 2.0T engine, picked it up last fall. I test drove the X3, X5 was a bit bigger and pricier than what I was looking for. I thought the X3 rode like a pickup. Didn't look at the Benz stuff.
The Q5 has been great. Drove it through snow to bring it to SoCal. Drove it through a couple big rainstorms. Quattro has been great. 2010 the only engine option was the 3.2L V6. Its going away for 2013 and being replaced with a 3.0 supercharged 6. The old 3.2 and 2.0T have comparable performance, a bit better fuel economy from 4 banger. The 3.2 did have some problems with the water pump, that ultimately was taken care of with a recall. I've heard grumblings that that 3.2 FSI has a problem with excessive carbon build up. Personally, I'd steer clear of a 2010. I'd go for a 2011 or newer with the 2.0T or wait out the 3.0 with the blower.
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Add the new Infiniti JX to that class.
Thanks man. Good info. That 2.0T motor sounds really impressive. I love the fuel economy numbers.
We are probably leaning towards the Audi but will still test drive the others.
8
88845
Hell yes! 80s / 90s German iron are in a class of their own. I'd even add E39 M5 to that list - one hell of a car that will always be an icon - even if it isn't as tossable as its lighter predecessors. BMW, now, is just a shadow of its former self.
Some people spend money on cars, some on watches, some on guns, some on exwives. its all about preference. Nothing wrong with spending money you have on something you want. Maybe some day somebody will start a bicycle thread. If you took a picture of my garage, two of my bikes together are probably worth close to what you would pay for one of my cars.
I have a 2001 E39 (525i), and I had my car inspected yesterday. Another customer came in (not at the stealership) and he acknowledged the E39 being the best car of the modern era (he had brought in his 1994 540 - which looks like new).
When the audi R5 (baby brother to the R8) comes out... it's gonna be killer.
Or perhaps a TT given the once over by a Ricer...
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New wrinkle: My SO (about 6 months in) doesn't like the idea of having an expensive, flashy car. She likes my man-of-the-people Mazda... This is gonna be tough to win.
Gotta add the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8!
On that note, what are the thoughts on Jeep in general and specifically on the Cherokee, Wrangler, and Compass? Safety, quality, durability, etc. I absolutely love the new Cherokees but am not super familiar with Jeep.
As far as I can tell, Jeep in general tends to have some good engines but a spotty record with the reliability of the rest of the car (electronics, etc).
