[MLJ]

Miami for eye candy! Family is the hardest part for me. Some of our family members have made poor decisions in life and are not financially well off. Driving a car to a family function that costs more than some have in savings is a little uncomfortable. But, they made the decisions that put them in their situations, not me.

 

[Yipekiye]

I definitely have felt the same discomfort. I don’t tell my customers unless they are absolute car nuts with their own fancy rig. I do drive it to my business and have to deal with some envious comments and conversations. (we don’t sell locally, so no customers, just employees and vendors). I used to take it to my old church occasionally, but we are in mid-change and I have purposely avoided it so far at the new church. Once I feel established, I won’t hide it.

 

[nineball]

my Ferrari 328GTS was an '88 with 3.2 n/a V8 rated 260hp.

i bet 30 years from now the 718 won't be nearly as valuable in modern terms of money as the 328 is today i am still kicking myself for not picking up a 308 8 years ago... guy only wanted $25k for it...

back to the topic - i drive what i drive because i like it. i have my 718, an '83 911SC and a 74 911 currently from porsche. had many more over the years but they have all been sold or traded. sitting next to them in the garage is my '86 CJ-7 with an almost full resto and my '06 Ultra Classic. i frankly don't care what most everyone else thinks but i don't flaunt what i have either. i have worked very hard and took a lot of big chances to get where i am today and if anyone has a problem with it, or my cars, it is their problem and not mine.

 

[aeronca65tl]

This is a fun question to consider.

I understand the point and I don’t think it has anything to do with worrying what other people think. I can walk to three other neighbors who have Porsches. There’s also Bentleys, a new Corvettes, etc. in the ‘hood. And our local Cars & Coffee is pretty amazing, so a Cayman isn’t a big deal around here. Honestly most of the full-size SUVs around here cost more than my base 718.

I do have a slightly annoying acquaintance who bought a used Boxter a few years back and wouldn’t stop talking about it. So yeah, there's people like that but we all do our best to avoid them.

I own three MG s and a tatty Lotus 7 replica. All working-class British sports cars. My street Midget was built up from spare bits and pieces I had laying about. After fetching a free engine and attaching all the various coloured panels (from various cars), I painted it with a brush (red Rustoleum) .
Total cost of my street Midget was about $100 (and it runs great…..my brother took it on an 8 hour trip last Summer).
So my new Cayman is like the polar opposite of my other cars and sort of an unexpected purchase for a guy like me.

Most of my friends are Brit-car guys. They all want me to bring my “souped up Volkswagen” to our next club meeting so they can make fun of me. I’m actually looking forward to it since I would do the same to any of them. In other words, there’s no way I could get “too big for my britches” over this fancy new Porsche because my friends would eviscerate me.

I just retired after working for 50 years and most of my family, church friends and social friends say things like: “You deserve it”. Works for me.
I don’t hear anyone getting pissy over my new car.


BTW, here’s one weekend from local Cars & Coffee. These events bring to mind Janice’s line: “My friends all drive Porsches. I must make amends.”
One time we had a LaFerrari, a Koenigsegg and 2 McLarens in attendance.

http://vintageracer.tripod.com/cars-croissants-aug-15.html

 

[Filoup]

Most friends know I’ve had Porsches for 20 years, but I don’t focus on this in conversations, and I do not post pictures on facebook, etc to avoid attracting attention and attract potential people with bad intent...My car is always garaged, and keys are hidden in the house, they’re not sitting in the same drawer as other car keys...

 

[Semitone]

they’re not sitting in the same drawer as other car keys...

Hmm..that's a bit paranoid.

Did you make your dog sign a non-disclosure agreement in case he is dognapped?

 

[charlotte]

Honestly don't see a need to hide and some may even go unnoticed depending on where you live. Ferrari, Lambo, Alfa Romeo, etc are pretty common around the are and it probably desensitized people to high end brands.

 

[photonscience]

I live in Bergen County NJ and there are lambo, maserati, mclaren, m-b, multiple Porsche dealers within <20 mile radius. Nobody, but nobody gives a Boxster or Cayman a 2nd look and I am the poor relative at the local car & cafe.

Anecdotal experience: We sold one of our private companies to a much larger public company. When you are being seduced to sell your little company, you get to meet all the senior management of the acquiring company and they treat you like gold. Once the deal closes, you are just another small part of the larger company and the "big shots" disappear. Me and my merry band reported into a group in Australia. Not only was I twenty years older than my new "bosses", but I was driving a R8 and their divisional president bragged about his 5 series bimmer. I found out that the price of a R8 (at that time I had a V10 Plus - thank you Big Company owners) in Australia is a gazillion dollars. I used to love to see the faces of my new young "bosses" when they came to the U.S. to visit us and I pulled up wit my snarling roaring V10. I didn't get to many raises though, lol for the 2 years that I had to stay with them.

 

[Ian718]

I found out that the price of a R8 (at that time I had a V10 Plus - thank you Big Company owners) in Australia is a gazillion dollars. I used to love to see the faces of my new young "bosses" when they came to the U.S. to visit us and I pulled up wit my snarling roaring V10. I didn't get to many raises though, lol for the 2 years that I had to stay with them.

Haha that is a pretty funny story

And yeah, Australia definitely has a much lower proportion of high end cars on the streets

I love walking around the big cities in the US and UK because of all the automotive eye candy I get to see

On top of all the usual taxes/stamp duties, there is a luxury car tax which is 33%, and kicks in for every dollar above the price of a VW Golf R.

In answer to the original post's question: I won't hide it. I wouldn't tell most people unless they asked. I would tell friends and family that are known 'car aficionados' that would get upset if I didn't tell them.

 

[Cinnamon]

Fun to read the experiences and thoughts... It reminds me of 1991 when I owned an apartment complex, sold my 1100 Yamaha and bought a used bright-red Toyota MR2 (mid-engined, kinda like a lower-end Cayman). I lived in the complex but didn't want the tenants to see it. Might affect their attitudes at rent-raise time! So I parked it off-site temporarily while I cleared stuff out of the garage. Then I would scope the area before driving it in or out to be sure the coast was clear, so to speak. Eventually it was spotted a few times but it never actually became an issue as far as I could tell.

We live in a small town, and seeing anything very exotic is rare. So the Cayman is noticeable, and I do see that it draws some attention. And often that's not at all bad, since in various places it's a conversation starter. My wife's Mercedes AMG sedan sparks conversations too, but she's a bit jealous that the Porsche draws more admiration. I'm not used to that, as my previous BMW M3 only seemed to get noticed at club events.

On one part of the question, I try to be rather low-key in talking about owning a Porsche, and only if the subject comes up naturally. But acquaintances and family are used to seeing us in more interesting vehicles, thus not too surprising!

Doug

 

[starweb9]

Some times its worse to stay quite. When I got my Porsche Cayman, I drove to work and kept quite about it. 4 hours into my work day, there was a a lot of commotion that the president of the company was asking around who's Porsche was in the parking lot. He owns a 911. Pretty soon everyone got into the act and were asking around who owns the Porsche. Finally the receptionist asked me on my way to lunch and I said its mine. So much for keeping it down low. It would have been less discreet if I just announced it over the speaker phone.

 

[Beardy]

My mum knows I have one Porsche but haven’t told her about the second one. She would just say it is a wicked waste of money lol.
In general I am pretty discreet about what I have. I don’t hide it from people but certainly don’t flaunt it. I own a Porsche for the pleasure it gives me not as a sign of wealth or success. I don’t measure people that way and don’t like it when people try and do so to me

When I bought my Cayenne the dealer tried to gift me a jacket and cap, I gave it back to him as I would never wear it.

 

[Mozella]

To answer your question, neither. I've never given this any thought, but since you asked I did think about it and to tell you the truth, I find some of the answers in this thread slightly bothersome and a little bit sad.

I don't hide the fact that own a Porsche nor do I necessarily talk about it by trying to weave that fact into a conversation which is not about cars. In other words, I might say "I'll pick you up" but I would not normally say, "I'll pick you up in my Porsche".

Thinking back, I suppose I have often owned a fancier car than my boss, my associates, or my customers but I would never go out of my way to hide the kind of car I own by not driving it to work, for example.

I'm not defined by the kind of car I own any more than I'm defined by the up-scale nozzle on the end of my garden hose. My car-oriented friends know I drive a Porsche of course, but few other people do unless the subject of cars happens to come up in normal conversation. I don't bring Porsche ownership up, but I'm certainly willing to talk about my cars when appropriate.

Likewise, the hose nozzle I use is great and if somebody is complaining about the crappy nozzle they own, I might advise them to use the fancy one I prefer. Things like shoes, guns, underwear, watches, cooking utensils, bird feeders, and 3d printers all fall into the same category. The examples I use are nothing real fancy, but they are usually pretty nice. I don't ever introduce myself as a Prusa printer owner.

 

[chester7]

Things like shoes, guns, underwear, watches, cooking utensils, bird feeders, and 3d printers all fall into the same category. The examples I use are nothing real fancy, but they are usually pretty nice. I don't ever introduce myself as a Prusa printer owner.

This. I buy quality things because they tend to be easier to operate, more reliable and last longer than cheap things. But more than that, a quality item gives me joy. I learned early on that buying cheap means buying twice.

 

[JazzCatGab]

Not an issue for me. I live in a nice condo and there are many nicer cars in our underground garage. Most of my neighbors are older (I'm the 67-year-old "kid") and about half couldn't get in or out of my Cayman, so I hear a few jokes about that. It isn't a DD so if it isn't in the garage, it is just an agate gray blur on rural roads.

 

[DriveInHouston]

There is a Maserati to the left of our parking spots in the condo and another Cayman on the right. I didn't venture to check the rest of the garage (we are new in the condo).

I will never forget though, we were looking at another condo with the realtor and the receptionist was out on an errand, so they gave us the code to enter through the garage.

First car on the left a 911 with really large haunches. Second, an unidentified (to my wife) sports car. Third an Audi R8, right across another R8. Then a Porsche Cayenne....

I turned to my wife and said, if we buy this, we will be the poor relations of the building... She replied, looking at the 'sports car',

"Oh well, is this any good"?

This, was a Ford GT!... The early 2k incarnation of the fabled GT40.

The I took a closer look at the 'Cayenne'... Nope, it was a Lamborghini Urus.

Anyway, the condo was a flipper and it was way too expensive for what it was...

 

[jimmuller]

This is an interesting thread. I'm glad it came back to life.

My family members would not be surprised at my Cayman because I've driven sports cars all my life. My twin brother and my next door neighbor (and I suppose folks at the dealer) are the only people who have driven it since I bought it. When my twin first punched the loud pedal and it kicked us in the back he let out a laugh, said "Yow! And I didn't even floor it!"

When it first showed up at work the word spread. The site director commented jokingly that maybe they paid me too much, but then admitted that his wife insisted they buy a Cayenne, not his preference. After a few days one person, whom had I been 45 years younger and single I would have loved to get to know a LOT better, asked if I intended race it. Ah, well, um, for you, maybe! Nah. Another guy who is an Audi enthusiast had been trying to get me to buy a 4WD Audi. When I told him what I bought he said "A Porshe!!" He's a car guy through and through, drives what is essentially an A4 with a bunch of performance mods.

I don't mind if other people know about it. The nearby neighbors seem to think its cool that someone in the neighborhood has such a nice car. There are several Alfa Guilias and quite a few high-end sedans and coupes and SUV's, one really nice newish Mustan convertible, one lovely red Miata, one older Boxster which to my eyes just looks tired. Nothing looking as inherently fast as the Cayman. I suspect they have no idea how much it cost; it just looks fast. When I first drove it home the couple across the street ran out and my sweetie said the guy was mouthing "Oh, my Gawd!", which of course we couldn't hear.

 

[MLJJ]

I don't bring it up. But, recently a neighbor I haven't met felt it necessary to let everyone on the community FB site know. He was being an a$$ because I suggested we get together to discuss road maintenance needs (I live in a rural, 5-acre-per-lot "subdivision" with unpaved roads). "I'll bet your Porsche would like road improvements" Whatever. Only those 6 houses I pass to exit/enter probably know, the rest likely didn't.

 

[don]

My side of the family all live on the other side of the country so I don't think they would know I have a Porsche as they rarely visit and I didn't feel the need to spread the word when I bought it. I would have mentioned it to my brother-in-law in passing but not sure if he would have mentioned it to anyone.

My wife was probably more excited/told our friends about our Porsche purchase when it happened. I guess for most people it is an unusual purchase and I'd rarely talk about it unless someone is really interested or a car enthusiast. My car is also not a daily so usually has a cover on it in an open carport so you'd have to be familar with the curves to know what it is.

My daughter's school teacher drives a new Mercedes GLC 63 S AMG which she often parks out the front of our house, worth about $160k US in our country. Now that car probably gets more attention/discussion. She is a young attractive lady whose husband has done very well in his business but it is also a real beast of a car so stands out quite a lot!

 

[RobbieAZ]

I'm not one to go around bragging about it, or posting pics on social media. But I'm not about to feel bad or ashamed or whatever for driving an expensive 'status symbol' type car. It took 40 years, including 20 in the military, to work my way up from food stamps brought on by bad decisions to being able to buy expensive cars (with a huge assist from a hard-working wife of course). Nothing was given to us; we earned everything we have. I'm quite proud of us. Now we're going to enjoy the fruits of our (continuing) labor. If some petty, jealous, woke, whatever has a problem with that, screw 'em.