Karl encourages you to ignore what people...

Karl encourages you to ignore what people think and just enjoy the car you drive. 

Men strive for it. Women lust after it. Kids are brought up to reach after it, almost at any cost. It’s intangible, but somehow it’s used like currency. It’ll let you in to upper-crust events with no invitation, yet it’s as fleeting as a midnight breeze. What is this magical thing? Status. But here’s the thing – it’s not magical at all. Why are we so obsessed with having status? Does it lengthen our lives? Does it enrich our relationships? And does it really make us feel that much better about ourselves? Ask the guy who’s just overreached so he can purchase the latest German vehicle and he’ll tell you that driving that BMW, Merc, or Audi is wonderful. But as the payments add up over time, ask the same question later on and likely the answer will be very different.

There’s no doubt that the Teutonic Trio make some very nice machines. Badge aside, the interior quality and drive experience, of Audi and BMW respectively, is very good. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, I’m not quite so sure. Take the C-Class, for example. Sure, it’s well screwed together – there aren’t any squeaks or rattles to speak of – but the interior plastics aren’t that special (especially by Audi standards), the leather is quite coarse and the metal finishes are a bit ho-hum. Compared with the Bimmer, the steering is dull, the handling is okay and the engines are middle-of-the-road. So what is it about the three-pointed star that everyone lusts after? That’s right – status. Here’s what status brings – a massive loss of cash when it comes time to trade that car in. Two of the worst vehicles on the road for depreciation are the BMW 7 Series and the Merc S-Class. After three years, you could be looking at a third of their original value. One third! That’s an insane amount of money to just throw into the street. And if you did that literally, I’m sure life would be more fulfilling. You’d actually be helping someone else out. You have to wonder whether it’s really worth having a car like that when it drops in value that much. I spoke to a dealer recently who had a six-year-old Rolls-Royce Phantom in his showroom.

It was being sold for literally half what the original owner paid for it. Thing is, with a car like a Phantom, the owner would have enough money not to have to worry about his fiscal write-off. Which brings me to my point. If you can afford to have a car depreciate like a sinking stone and you enjoy the car, then great – more power to you. But if all you’re buying a prestige vehicle for is to have that logo on your keyfob and the debt collectors are circling like vultures, it’s time to have a good, long look at yourself in a mirror. Let’s think about the reason why we want that particular vehicle. Going racing? Sure, buy that Porsche GT3. Heading off-road? Yep, grab that Range Rover. But status is like fashion. Here one minute, forgotten the next. What we drive really doesn’t make any difference to anyone else, so ignore what people think. Just enjoy the car you have. Life is much more meaningful than simply showing off your means of life.