Car and Driver

When I was in high school, my best friend told me, a man is usually remembered by what kind of car he drives, for example, when one asks another, "who is tony?", the other might answer, "the tony who drives a beemer". The same friend also told me that I should get a NSX that is half destroyed and rebuilt after accident, although not really safe and sound, as long as it looks superficially fine, I should get it. Why? Because other men will respect you, and women will like you...

Although I didn't agree with what he was thinking, I have to say I was intrigued by the way he thinks.

Girls have their bling bling jeweleries and boys have their bling bling cars.

My dream cars have always been modest at most, my high school dream car was a 1993 Honda Civic Si hatchback, preferably blue. I could never imagine myself driving a bmw, I didn't know why, maybe my dream was a little smaller back then.

My first car was a family bought red Suzuki Sidekick Sport, a SUV, back in 1996, Toyota had just released RAV4, and Honda was no where close to releasing CRV. It was cool for a while, until a bunch of its electrical problems started to show, and then, a few months after its warranty had expired, one of its piston collapsed, it meant a $8000 repair bill when another engine installed. "Driving is believing", like Suzuki's slogan at the time, "...believing how much it sucked!"

When I got my first real job, I traded in the Suzuki for a yellow Mazda Protege 5, yes, it was yellow, I couldn't shake the commercial with the kid and "zoom zoom". But it was my baby. And the key, in many ways, symbolized freedom and responsibility. It was the "real thing" that I owned.

Although financed, I drove it for 4 years before handing it to my brother, who treasures it as much as i did.

As an investment advisor, there are some expectations on what kind of cars attach to us. Look at my co-workers, 3 bmws, 1 benz, 1 nissan and 1 toyota, even the assistants are driving german cars.

That was when I decided to lease a bmw, something I never really imagined as a reality in the last millennium, and early years of this millennium. Bmw is fun to drive, responsive, and fast. Even though it costs over a thousand dollars a month to drive. (lease payment plus insurance plus gas) Not very environmentally friendly either.

Now it comes another time I have to make a change, my Anna, the BMW, will cease to be mine when its lease ends next month.

Considering I am still in the early stage of my career and how much I wanted to purchase my own place in 5 years, maybe, it is not a bad time to consider something a little more modest.

However, on the other hand, I wonder, I wonder if others will see that imagine as unfitting to a successful investment advisor, what would others think? Then, I wonder, maybe I am not strong believer in myself that I will be successful enough to afford bigger payments on a car.

Or, maybe, I just think, cars are depreciating assets which are not good for our environment.

The fine balance I need to look for, somewhere between image and personal goal, both are inter-related somehow.

Maybe, you can help me ease my headache. Here will be my final list:

2007 Nissan Altima
2007 Subaru Impreza
2007 Jeep Compass
2007 Mazda 3 Sport

For now, the headache persists...