I already have all the wine I need and we’ve been talking upgrading to a larger car from my 2008 Mazda3 for when Arnold drives his parents and sometimes their friends around.
We recently saw a demo of the Tesla SUV which is way cool but way out of my price range. So if someone was just handing me the money I guess I would, much to my own surprise, take the car.
I’d take the money for my upcoming bathroom remodel first since that thing keeps getting put off but that wasn’t an option.
With a hundred grand, I’d retire… ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
I don’t have a car but if I did I would sell it and spend the money on wine. That doesn’t seem to be an option…
Such choices depend so much of multiple factors that every answer is very personal.
I was the CEO of a group of companies belonging to two groups having 50-50 shares installed in two different countries of Europe and not in France. My management in a not growing market was to make external growth in buying competitors. One day I presented to the board the investment in two companies on which I had worked more than 5 years. The president of one of my shareholders phoned me and told me : I want to force the other shareholder to buy my shares. So, to force him, I will refuse your investments. It is not against you, it is to force him.
More than 5 years of approaches for strategic investments were ruined in one second. I was so desperate to lose such an opportunity, I thought that I worked too much for my shareholders, and as a compensation, I bought a Ferrari. One hour before I would have said that I do not need a Ferrari but I did it. I became a member of the Ferrari club in France, I drove on many circuits in France, in Belgium and in Spain and was excited to drive on many circuits. I bought a bigger Ferrari, an old Rolls and so on.
And when the government decided that if you drive at 50 km/h more than allowed, the State could take your car from you as a punishment, I decided to stop, because to lose my car just because of a speed excess would be crazy. I have now only normal cars and I consider that this passion for cars which appeared by pure hazard is gone now.
All that is finished but I consider very positively people who love to have great cars. I have met very nice persons. One day I made a dinner for several owners of Ferrari GTO, the dearest cars in the world. There were people of Japan, USA, India, Brazil, England, Singapour and probably other. The atmosphere was so friendly that they invited me to visit Vega Sicilia in Spain with them. They had very rare cars and one of them had a truck following his car, ready to change any piece which would require help, with two mechanic guys. And when we had a lunch in a restaurant, some of them, immensely rich, thought that to pay more than 200 € for a bottle would be too much.
So there is no definitive answer to the question raised in this discussion.
Yes, but of all the expensive things mentioned here, only the fine art can be enjoyed and still likely to retain or increase value (assuming the buyer knows what he or she is doing).
No doubt, most of my pieces have escalated, especially during the run-up in the economy these last several years. My buddy’s vintage cars are likely appreciating as well. I’d like to think my wines appreciate too - actually, take that back, I don’t care, I drink them. I’ve only sold one wine in my entire life: Maya. My buddy did comment on how much he enjoys art as well, and how much of a pain having five collector cars can actually be, given the time to maintain them and drive them with some regularity. That is the one commodity that I do not have: time.
I’ve had SUVs almost my entire life. Even my first car at 16 was a nice SUV, a big Chevy Blazer. Me and my homies used to sneak it out on the beach with girls, run it up and down the dunes while . . . . [I will refrain from reference to any illegal substances like herbs or booze . . . .]. I had a Supra in law school that was pretty cool, and then a Snob (SAAB) when I graduated, but eventually went back to SUVs. I’ve had 4 Grand Cherokees, they remain a classic. The high-end SUV models, Neal, drive so exceptionally well and offer so much versatility - cargo, rooms for couples dates and family trips, towing, safety, etc. I really like the Cayenne but the body is a bit outdated now. Rover comes out with a new model next year, which is pretty cool and urban: The Velar. I love the RR Sport and the biggie. The Sport rides like a dream, has great snap, too. The biggie rides like a dream on the highway but is a bit cumbersome in traffic and in tighter local streets with a lot of turns. The interior details and appointments are quite elegant, but to be candid, not sure the extra 25k over the Sport makes sense to me. The added size and cargo is not that significant. I could see you in a Sport. Porsche is for old divorcees or guys going through a mid-life crisis. ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
PS. I should have said, this thread ends after Francois! 
I buy luxury cars, but wait for them to be about a year old so that they’ve depreciated ~30%. This is akin to buying wine 2nd-hand or @ auction, at a discount! First world problems: solved.
Lots of merit to that. I’ve done the exact same thing we the last 4 cars for my family. All with 1 year or less and minimal mileage. The other key is buying it from the manufacturing dealership through their certified used car program so you get the extended warranty plus bonus financing. All of my cars got the 100k extended warranty and 1.9% finance, which is like stupid money. This is better than buying new, get a material discount and a better, longer warranty. And like many luxury cars, you want that extended warranty, lol.
“Land Rover Velar . . . Predicted Reliability . . . 1/5. Worst score possible.” No thanks, my friend!
Neal, you want too much perfection. Your pretty, perfect Bordeaux, so elegant. With Rover, like a good rustic Chinon or a classic Cornas, you get something that can be beyond awesome and sometimes frustrating, beautiful and sometimes annoying, stunning and sometimes crash-inducing. It’s like a great marriage. 
I’m not sure how it can have a 1/5 rating since it’s not even on the street.
My Sport gave me some annoying problems first two years of life, but then it started to sing. Think of it as a wine that needs to open and breathe. The new 2016 Rover has been perfect. Well, the doors won’t lock right now, but . . . .
Flawed poll – where is the option to get a $30k car and spend $30k on wine?!
Actually, considering that my wife and I own a total of one car (we take the metro to work) and it’s seven years old, it’s safe to say that my annual wine spending exceeds my prorated annual vehicle spending by more than several times over.
Velar does look cool and is on my wish list, currently drive Escalade which is nice but just to big and unwiedly
Appropriately, I grew up in a multi auto dealership family BMW, VW and Ford and have been in the wine biz for decades.
From Dad: Let someone drive a car off the dealer’s lot and take the financial hit. More recently, I have purchased used Japanese cars(Lexus 400 SC, Avalon, Acura) as the quality of German cars has declined and maintenance costs increased.
I have alway been a point A to point B in a comfortable, safe, uncomplicated car and as a result we are happy my cellar contains lots of seriously good wines(many of which have appreciated radically).
You may want to consider renting high performance, or luxury cars when you need/want them–convenient and relatively reasonable.
I neglected to mention, I think buying a British car is a very effective way to reduce your wine budget. Neal is right on the money with Range Rover being one the lowest rated luxury cars for quality and maintenance.
Guilty as charged Brian!
Our Camry is old enough to drink (1995) so I have to buy wine for it, too (we do not let it drink and drive).
I live in a city where all the places I need to go are max 15-30 minutes away by foot and dirt cheap via cab or uber. I have a very old Nissan with almost 200k miles on it that I paid next to nothing for that gets me around further than that when I need it. I did the math, and realized that I spend somewhere between 10 and 120 minutes a week in a car, and that spending much, if any money on it was silly.
I totally get cars as a hobby. I have crazy enthusiast friends. It’s low on my personal list.
This. I bought a Jaguar XKR with ~20,000 miles on it for half sticker and proceeded to drive it for 13 years with minimal problems. Now I have an old man Lincoln MKZ with a proper back seat (and 400 horse).
My answer is: if you all buy the $100,000 car, then I can afford more wine. Thank you in advance. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}