Are we really that stupid

I was driving by a Chevrolet/Cadillac dealership in Greenville, SC today and there on the front row was what I presumed was an Escalade. Written in big numbers of the windshield was the price of $70,xxx. I'm not real sure it was new! Really??? Who buys these things?

I feel like I did right before the whole housing market bust.

Cue the music for the GM = worldclass folks to drop in.

Right before the bust I was wondering if I had been wrong for not leveraging more rather than having 60-70% equity in our home. The thing with the bust - it was a big pyramid scheme. Last one out gets screwed. My neighbor's son was investing in real estate and highly leveraged. Tried hiding the losses from his family - eventually borrowed from a group of Russians to try to float things until the market turned around. The Russians were not pleased when he couldn't pay. They suggested some family members' health might be in jeopardy. So he cuts his own throat (he survived after a 2 month hospital stay). Moral of the story - people do stupid E36 M3 all the time. On the face of it, they look like intelligent, successful people. He drove one of those. Many are an instant away from disaster.

Yup, they are charging that much. You wanna laugh even harder?

Go look at the new Jeep Grand Cherokees fully loaded coming in at $50K

Range rovers are $80k-$140k too.

Travis_K wrote: Range rovers are $80k-$140k too.

Scariest part is that you can buy a 10 year old Rangie for less than $4000 in "good" shape.

New Range Rover customers have to be the richest mothers on the planet.

The escalade is world class in that segment. We had a Denali that had a 55k ticket in 2005 and the newer ones are actually nicer. I wouldn't buy it but plenty are roaming the streets.

Really?

How much did you think they cost?

It's like wearing a expensive jewelry. It serves no real purpose, but what it implies is: "I have sooooo much money coming out of my butt, I can blow huge amounts of it on crap like this"

But more commonly it is: "I want people to think I have soooo much money coming out of my butt that I can blow huge amounts of it on crap like this"

In reply to bastomatic:

Point me in the direction of a $4000 2002 Rangie, please. I will buy today!

Uh, have you priced new mid-size or full-size PUs (since no one makes a compact anymore)?

2002 Range rover. $3200. http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2002-Land-Rover-Range-Rover-4-6-HSE-W0QQAdIdZ434559133

It took me longer to type this post than to find it.

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2001-range-rover-se-W0QQAdIdZ408337408

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2001-Land-Rover-Range-Rover-SE-SUV-New-Price-W0QQAdIdZ424484518

I've been looking at RX8's lately. 2004s have fallen to the 4-5k price point. That's a long drop for a car that sold for over 40k here.

bastomatic wrote:

Travis_K wrote: Range rovers are $80k-$140k too.

Scariest part is that you can buy a 10 year old Rangie for less than $4000 in "good" shape. New Range Rover customers have to be the richest mothers on the planet.

Unless they win one.

We are not that stupid. People with too much money are that stupid.

Yep, know a guy who works for Apple in Silicone Valley. I would describe him as "prissy" at times. Many think he's gay, but i guess he's really metrosexual if you think in such terms. He has a big red Escalade and between complaining about gas prices or it getting hit/curbed when he goes on drinking binges in San Francisco, I ask him why he still has it?

He can't explain it, but he just loves it. I think it allows him to compensate for certain things in his life and its "style" over substance. I think it's a gaudy monstrosity that isn't a good luxury vehicle nor is it a good truck (since it isn't as comfy as it could be nor can you get it dirty). A good wagon would haul as many people and be easier to park, yada yada yada...

Many people buy things based on emotions, the car industry is built around this and will try to leverage it whenever possible.

turboswede wrote: Many people build things based on emotions, the GRM community is built around this

FTFY.

Face it. We all love the crazy builds. The ones that make me cackle or gasp are the best

I have no idea what the new price of an Escalade is. I guess I was just shocked that a used one is $71k.

I know that I have had an early model escalade a foot off the ground going over a bump. It landed like a champ, but I would never want to own one. I can think of so many other things that I can do with 85k.

I just cannot believe those things cost so much.. how much are they making in profit per?

Base sticker on a 2WD model with no options and no taxes is around $65,000. The lowest I can get the Suburban base 2WD is around $45,000.

I have a customer who owns a business that is on his second one. He can deliver pump parts or take mechanical contractors or engineers to dinner. His brand new one is really nice. Most people at his level are driving Mercedes or BMW. He likes the American car angle.

I don;t hate on people who can afford them.. in all reality they are nothing more than a raised up 7 series/S-class/A8 for people who want an SUV more than a car.

They are nice, and my pickup cost just as much. Why the griping? If you want a nice high end vehicle with lots of bells and whistles you have to pay for it. Personally I like my leather seats, DVD player. Nav system etc. I work my but off and I want to drive a sharp vehicle.

And the reason the car lots are not full of base models is that no one wants them. I would argue that people buy low end because of economics, not because they do not like the higher end vehicles.

Sticker on my '04.5 2500HD Duramax with sweet options was $58k. I paid $19k with 74k on the odo in 2008 or thereabouts... so that Escalade really costs... like... a billion five (quick mental math...) when you account for depreciation.

Who the hell looks at one of these SUVzillas and says Oh YEAH! I gotta have that? It won't even pull my race trailer and the box is a rumble seat.

Grumble, grumble, grumble... get the berkeley off my lawn

Not related, but where I ride, halfway through the hare scramble loop, there's a pearl white one upside down and stripped marking one of the turns. It's not the only one out in those woods. I laugh every time I see it.

chandlerGTi wrote: The escalade is world class in that segment.

The term "world class" is used almost exclusively to promote things that aren't.