EXACTLY. But I have a 3 car collection. Unfortunately, 1 of them is a 2014.5 Toyota Camry LE. And no, I don't feel the need to hide it... Kevin
no one knows I have the cars, besides others with cars I race with and wife. There is no net benefit to telling other people in my experience.
My cars are a closely held secret. Only one of my long-time friends from college and high school has any clue. These are friends of 30+ years in some cases. I see no benefit to sharing that part of my life with them. The one friend who knows shares a passion for cars (he bounces from Porsche, Ferrari, and Lamborghini) and respects my desire for secrecy. It might sound odd, but I do not want to do anything to color my friendships. Most of my friends are successful, but many are solidly middle class, and there is a stark difference between my lifestyle and theirs, and I have zero interest in accentuating those differences. My ego is super small, and I have never needed to be the “big shot” with my friends. I’m completely dark on social media. Always have been. Automotive forums are my only “social media” like experience. At my primary residence, I keep two cars, the other three cars are at a vacation home that is about an hour away. Obviously the neighbors see me driving in and out of the area, but I keep to myself with my neighbors. None of my employees know about my cars. No benefit to highlighting our differences. My extended family knows, and that has been a pinch point in our relations ever since. Sadly, my car habit has created some jealousy with siblings and in-laws. That’s unfortunate, and largely unavoidable. It has also emboldened loved ones into making unusual requests (for example, we were asked to install a pool in a family members backyard). For me, the change in the family dynamic is easily the worst part of my ownership experience. Part of my secrecy is for personal security. I am big believer in home defense, and good security starts with not making it easy for people to know what you have, and ends with ready access to multiple guns with high-capacity magazines. I am quick to concede that I am weird, and that my admittedly over-the-top secrecy is not for everyone. However, it works great for me.
I think you’re wise. The more wealth you have, the more it makes sense to keep a low profile, and that includes the Internet. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
In contrast to those you meet at the club or an event who spend most of their time talking about all their toys, vacations or whatever, and invariably include price tags of each. My wife likes to set up small dinners with other couples, some at our home, some at the club, others at restaurants. We went through one (thankfully at the club) that the couple talked for over an hour about the things they owned. The husband even decided he should educate me on Ferrari’s - which he did not own. I simply nodded and said “That’s great you guys have done so well”. After dinner I told me wife to never, ever set up an evening with them again. While I no longer have exotics, I never did talk about them, never posted them on social media (well, ok I did post a 911 once) and never took them to the office or a client. I made the mistake once and took a 360 to an industry golf event. That was 15 years ago and still gets brought up to this day. The reason I no longer have them is the unwanted attention they bring - both good and bad. I prefer my privacy.
The only thing as I read through all these posts is I can't understand how family and friends don't know you own a Ferrari. I can see maybe casual friends or business associates may not know, but we have close friends that come to our house, or we go to their house, or we go out and meet them at places. There is no way I could hide my Ferraris from family and friends. And as far as anyone getting upset over me owning Ferraris, that's their problem, not mine. I'm not losing any sleep over it.
I have my friends over all the time. None of them ever come in my garage. My cars are like your investment holdings. I am sure you can easily keep your friends from knowing how much crypto and real estate you own right? It’s not that hard. I just don’t talk about all the <blank> I have. They don’t have nearly as much <blank>, and I would rather be respectful and simply downplay my good fortune.
I can understand that, you certainly don't want to appear to flaunt what you have. On the other hand, if you earned what you have you shouldn't have to keep it secret from others. But I can understand your approach. However, I can't help but think what would you say if years later a friend discovers that all this time you had a Ferrari and never told him? That could create a hard feeling on his part.
Limited Edition should always be hidden, Camry or not. My first car was Nero DS Camry V6 LE. For real..
I drive a BMW 3 series and that's all. You would think you would make more friends just by the opportunity of the cars you've been able to be in contact with, but nope. Too much envy... Hide your success.
I daily drive my 458. I own no other vehicle. Could not possibly care any less what people think as I bought the car for me, not the general public. I understand not having social media and advertising that you own a Ferrari, but It is quite sad so many here go out of their way to keep their Ferrari a secret even from their own friends and family. It is always funny to me how the public associates Ferrari’s with being wealthy. Having a Ferrari does not In anyway indicate wealth, it may indicate where your priorities in life are, but certainly not wealth. I’ve met far more Ferrari owners up to their ears in debt with 10 year long Woodside loans on a sub-$100k 360 Modena with an F1 tranny than I have met Ferrari owners who I would actually consider wealthy.
Not all Ferrari owners are “wealthy”, but the average Ferrari owner is far more “wealthy” than the average non-owner. We can probably agree on that point. And it’s that well-founded disparity that causes people like me to lean in on discretion.
I think that when I get mine that will be the point to get off social media, as one person above aptly put that there’s an association with success and portraying that success. I don’t own a Ferrari, am I close, yes but I have other priorities now. There are so many of my immediate school friends who have Porsche, BMW M cars, Range Rovers etc but are in debt for it. I see that on social media and it drives me to do better, I won’t put my Ferrari on there because you never know the pressure you might adversely put on someone. I imagine my collection day will be mine and my Father’s Day in the sun. Grew up poor but taught good life lessons, he will be the first to know and drive. Good luck all and I hope you enjoy them as life is too short not to but again each to their own and I think this site is great for motivation when I’m working from home
This statement could not be any more accurate, I would call it a stereotype that does not apply to all people. What I will say is more in line with your "average" Ferrari owner is that the capitol that is used for the purchase and upkeep for these cars is considered to be "disposable income", which again does not make that person wealthy. It just means that the priorities of that person differ from others who may think spending that kind of money on a car is foolish.
An excerpt from my quote in post #13, based upon $$$ values of the early 90s (i.e.: adjust for PV): ....Step back a couple of decades to when I was a partner in an offshore powerboat dealership and race team: Even among others who had their own $150K+ boats, a non-boat guy with a $20K 308 was obviously the rich one. Similarly, the general population at events regarded the guys with a $200K+ twin monster-engined offshore boat (Cigarette, Fountain, Donzi, PowerPlay, Baja, etc) was just a neat guy with a nice boat, but his genuinely nicer buddy who preferred cars was a "rich prick" because he had a 328 that cost him significantly less than the engine/drive package of many of those boats.....The general population's Conditioned Perception is pretty skewed, and they don't even know it, without even touching on our own Individual Priorities.
Dealer (and supposedly, Distributor for everything West of the Mississippi, but that's another story) for PowerPlay, but we also dealt in some trades, and serviced the full range of those noted above, plus others, including building engines. We were the drive package half of the factory Powerplay B-1 team that swept the final 4 races of 1992 as we sorted the boat, and won the 1993 championship. Definitely some interesting times and lessons, and definitely some interesting clients (and the experiences they brought - I once rounded a corner into a photoshoot of a cute girl with everything spread for the camera).
I wouldnt hide it from my friends As ive gotten older ive gotten pleasure from sharing things with family and friends Experiences mainly Its not done in a manner to show off either and they appreciate it
I think it depends on the type of sales - high-end real estate, jewelry, auto, pharm, wealth mgmt, software sales, 7-figure+ contracts? I think people like buying from successful sales people (many aren't exactly hiding their $2k suits, $10k watches, $800 shoes) and it's nbd. Other arenas, yeah, customer might think you're ripping them off if you're doing that well. One idea if someone catches wind is to say it's an investment. Depreciation hit, interest rates are low, and you think the car will do well long-term, you just wish you could afford to actually drive it. Say something about the stock market being a bubble, real estate too expensive, inflation getting out of hand, precious metals market manipulated, you want something you can have possession of, and it actually costs less than <insert regular/common car here>... lol, something'll stick as a reason. It may not be any of their business, but their business is your business and I think it would be recoverable in most any situation.
Wow, maybe I’m desensitized to the whole exotic car vibe cause I live in Vancouver, but Im not sure why you should feel ashamed about admiring the fine craftsmanship and work that’s put into producing such a fine machine such as a Ferrari. I only own a Maser GT atm, but the artwork and engine note is just an experience every time I step into it, and I have no shame enjoying it! Will be the same with my Ferrari FF when the time comes.
I've owned a few desirable cars over the past 20 years, culminating with the 1966 S1 E-Type I've owned for 17 years and a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS I recently sold. I owned the Ferrari for about 8 years, and near the end of my ownership, I started to become "shy" about taking it out. I really never liked people qualifying me, so I always went against stereotype. Driving the car made me feel like I had a target on my back - not for bad things like vandalism, but opportunistic people looking for a handout. Don't feel the same in my E-Type, but not sure why. I'm still thinking of getting out of that car and getting a 4C, but I worry about the "shyness" again.