mmarshall

I could be wrong, but I don't think this is a repost. For those of you who wonder what the super-wealthiest of business tycoons drive, here's your answer:

Kense

People who are not car people or never been car people don't care about wasting money on cars no matter how rich they are.

mmarshall

When you are a billionaire, "wasting" money on a car is almost a non-issue.

Kense

Tell that to all the billionaires who don't care about driving expensive cars.

mmarshall

I think this video shows that the billionaires involved tend to have quite a few different opinions on the subject, in terms of what they put in their own garages. But the point it that, if they want to, they could ALL afford to spend a lot of car $$$$$....some do, some don't.

I suspect Jay Leno and the Sultan of Brunei, with their vast private auto-collections, would have been on the list, except that they are not corporate CEOs.

SW17LS

Exactly, it just either is or isn't something that excites you.

Toys4RJill

I don’t think anyone really knows what motivates most people to buy an expensive car or a cheaper even if they can afford a more expensive car. I have always liked premium non luxury badges. Vehicles such as Land Cruiser, or 4Runner limited or Avalon have always appealed more to me than Lexus, and we have had a few. Other cars such as a VW Tourag or a Phaeton were really appealing. Recently I have found the new UX to be quite attractive. Same with the LS500. Buick Regal is really nice.

Anyway, who really know why these people drive the cars they drive. Maybe they don’t care. Or maybe they do and they might just appreciate older stuff.

I knew a self starter who was a customer of mine. Had quite a bit of money and a really nice home. He always had a FWD Lincoln Continental. Always used.

mmarshall

Some people, including billionaires, may just decide they want a certain vehicle, even if they can, in fact, afford something more expensive. For instance, when I was last shopping, two strong factors came to play....First, the LaCrosse, with a price in the high 30s, among several competitors, met my needs and wants the best (it was clearly the most comfortable), and, Second, I had not had a big Buick since college, and, like they say, you don't live forever. But price wasn't a factor for me...I could have had Mercedes S-class, at three times the Lacrosse's price, if I wanted one. I say that not to repeat my personal story (I've talked abut that several times) but to show that billionaires can, in some cases, feel the same way. Some of them, as this video shows, are happy with used Accords.

I understand what you a getting at, but one cannot really include the LS500 in the non-luxury category. Yes, the Phaeton was essentially an 80-90K VW, though its interior, in some ways, eclipsed that of its sister (and more upscale ) Audi A8. The LS500, though, is the sedan flagship of a clearly-luxury nameplate, though I'll admit it's slightly more sport-oriented and not as much of a straight-luxury sedan as its predecessor 460.




Sometimes it's driven by image or politics. Warren Buffet, for example, is generally a liberal (or at least a liberal by corporate standards), and tends to identify with environmentalists and/or those who prefer to spend their money on social or non-automotive causes. It would look somewhat out of place if he were to be ferried around in a Bentley/Rolls-Royce or Maybach....though I'll admit that his current XTS isn't exactly the cheapest car on the market.

Toys4RJill

I don’t think anyone really knows what motivates anyone to buy any car.

mmarshall

Well, I think some of us do. After all, in Car Chat, we spend at least part of each day discussing these and other issues. For example, Me, Josh (ArmyofOne), Steve, Bitkahuna, CorradoMR2, and a number of others have posted entire pages on why we made the recent purchases/leases we did, and what our next move could be.

Toys4RJill

They know why they bought their cars. Not you or I. That is the point.