<p>I’ve never had a BMW, nor have I driven one. But I’ve heard as performance goes, they are pretty hard to beat.</p>
<p>I just wrote this whole long thing and then it said I need to log in. omg. Well all I can say is theres way to many jobs and I think I want to get a limo and drive famous people around. And I forgot everything else I typed and don’t want to type it all over.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My DH is an incredible salesman. 200 people can slam the door in his face and he still keeps his great attitude and keeps on trucking. You should have seen him at our garage sale. 
He just has a gift.</p>
<p>I almost lost it at a neighborhood party when I met a regional sales guy for a company that makes - I kid you not - the plastic discs that seal soft drink caps. And this punk is all excited about the new line of products he will start selling… The little plastic condiment containers you use at fast food places. </p>
<p>Btw, big pharma is about dead jobs wise… Whether sales, r&d, manufacturing, etc…</p>
<p>
You just drive one! </p>
<p>One you go BMW, you never go back. We just got a 2013 and, man, is that a smooth ride! </p>
<p>
Thought the same exact thing.</p>
<p>Actually, having owned a BMW for over 5 years, I can say that to me, it was just a car with very expensive repairs and maintenance. I am not interested in owning another. My Caddilac had a smoother ride than the BMW.</p>
<p>I still know some folks in pharma, as well as several who have lost their jobs in it. It’s a very tough time.</p>
<p>Looks can be deceiving… My dad used to work for the newspaper in the nearby city where part of his job was to write a column reviewing cars. Every week he would get something new (BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc.) The neighbors thought he was a drug lord or something! But this anecdote just goes to show that there is often much more to the story than it first seems.</p>
<p>@everton LOL I could imagine! :p</p>
<p>@HI Cadillacs are ugly.</p>
<p>Yes, and the folks who test drive cars for consumer reports and other companies doubtless have their neighbors envy. </p>
<p>Have driven Mercedes, Lexus, Acura and others. For the short drives I do, they’re pretty similar to me and I’d rather spend my money on things I value more instead. I know many love new and lovely cars but I’m happy with something safe, reliable and low maintenance. If thieves aren’t interested, south the better!</p>
<p>Cadillacs have a very cushy ride, which is nice with all our roads being in such a constant state of disrepair. They’re also pretty safe in collisions and most mechanics could repair before they got highly computerized lately.</p>
<p>I don’t follow why BMWs are linked to this thread. An Experian survey found that 61% of persons with $250k+ incomes drove a Honda, Toyota, or Ford – the same makes that are most popular in lower incomes. A search on cars.com shows a used BWMs from 2007 with ~60k or less miles start at ~$15k. Using the same parameters, Honda & Toyota start at $9k, and their luxury brands start at ~$15k, like BMW. One does not need to be wealthy to own a BMW, and most wealthy persons in the US do not drive the German makes listed in this thread.</p>
<p>Personally, I find all of these cars similar… imitating each other, with similar lists of features and stats. I’d rather own something more interesting that has a takes a unique approach and is not like everything else. For example, I have a performance focused car. Less than 200 cars of that make are in the US. I belong to a club of exotic car owners that go on group rides on desolate, stellar roads in the area. Most persons in the club do not appear to be what I’d call very wealthy. Instead they appear to be people who are really into cars and are the type would rather spend money on a particular car than on various other things, such as shopping, vacations, or investments. This fits with the Experian survey I mentioned. I’d expect most higher income people own common car makes because they are not especially into cars and would rather spend money on other things.</p>
<p>The OP started the thread with BMWs as a sign of wealth and “the good life.” In our experience, it was just another car and somewhat of a money pit. Wealthy people in the US drive what they prefer. I know some who favor Hondas and Toyotas while others favor BMWs, Mercedes and other brands. Some get new cars often while others but used and run them into the ground.</p>
<p>Hopefully, what OP described will be my future lifestyle. I grew up in several classes; my family and I have moved from lower-middle class to solidly middle class during my seventeen years here on Earth. Since my mom is a single mother with four children (including me! :D) who had me when she was eighteen, I have not had a chance to live such a lifestyle. I have several friends who live that way, which used to make me super jealous. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in a huge house in suburban Philadelphia and take trips around the world each summer? I’m so glad I’ve ditched that old attitude! I’m proud to be where I am right now because I’ve endured a lot worse. When I become a neurosurgeon in the future, I will be moving up to the upper-middle/upper class; however, I will not forget my lower-middle and middle class upbringing! I can’t wait to go swimming in my pool and drive my brand new 2031 BMW around ;)</p>
<p>I have known many very wealthy people over the years, from senior management to bankers to sports stars. I don’t count but a couple of lawyers or doctors in the mix, and they got wealthy from owning businesses or class action lawsuits, not hourly billing or seeing patients. It is an absolute myth that all these people work harder than the rest of us, though it is true that the rich are different. There are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week for Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and you. An unusually big ego and uncompromising attitude are typical character traits. True friendships are rare among this set; it is indeed lonely at the top.</p>
<p>Many of these people are golfing on Fridays, coach school sports in the afternoon, and spend summer months in Jackson Hole, Aspen, or Nantucket. A few of them I used to envy in my youth are in prison and you would know their names. Most went to schools that the posters on CC would never consider; none went to the Ivy League or the like except for graduate school, and that is still just a few. More than a few are amoral or unethical, using their charitable foundations to create a favorable public image though those in the know see lipstick on a pig. A few are genuinely down to earth people who rose up the ranks and are essentially just normal people with a lot of money. They are the only ones worth knowing, and not because of what they can do for you.</p>
<p>I already made my first million.And no i haven’t gone to college yet. I would say the reason I managed to do so was just a bit of luck. I had gone to prayers, was bored as hell;kept thinking what I would do if I had tons of cash, suddenly got an idea , materialized it and sold it for tons of cash</p>
<p>P.S I neither own a BMW nor a huge house nor a pool ;)</p>
<p>Sara Blakely, the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire, made her money by hiding panty lines.</p>
<p>[Spanx</a> owner makes elite Forbes billionaire list - CBS News Video](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401361n]Spanx”>http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401361n)</p>
<p>The real answer to the OP is that in a capitalist society there are many ways to make money. If that is your ultimate goal then it is up to you to discover how to go about it. In some posters eyes it might seem that some achieve this through unmoral or criminal means, but as for now it is still NOT a crime to be wealthy in this country.</p>
<p>If at all possible put away a good percent of what you make from the first day of your first job, hopefully in high school. Get in the habit of living on less than you make. Start with a 401k (if available) immediately and auto-increase by 1% a year to the cap. You won’t miss money you never had.
Take calculated risks but never spend what you don’t have in hand.
Learn to live with less, it was years before we spent anything measurable on a nicer car or a top-notch vacation. Even at that, what is high end to one person is not the same to all.
Easiest way to lose money is to let people know you have it.
Work. Hard. Long.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I also know/have known some very wealthy people, and I can absolutely say it’s no myth that they work much harder than I do. ;)</p>
<p>Chinese proverb: “Man who waits for roast duck to fly into open mouth must wait very, very long time.”</p>
<p>Gotta do something to get something!</p>
<p>What AlmaPater wrote - my friendly neighborhood CEO lived 5 minutes away from work (as his wife put it, to be near his family). At 5:05 pm he was at home, at 5:10 he loaded the golf clubs in his (of course) BMW convertible and was off to the course. Lawn service, maid, nanny, etc were all for convenience, not time.</p>
<p>Likewise the orthodontist, lawyer, etc. Nearly all houses in my neighborhood have a street facing office with wood paneling, executive desk, chair, etc. Nobody seems to work much in the evening, tho the computer is on and running screen saver.</p>