I’ve never owned a car on my own.
The last one I drove was a used Fiat Punto, back in 2017 (when I was still living in Italy.
And I was sharing it with my brother.
Fast forward 5 years and I just bought a $20k used Dodge Challenger 6.4L V8 with 470 hp.
King of muscle.
Thing is I work from home.
The only times I’m not home is when I’m with my girlfriend or with friends. Or for my 30 mins coffee walk in town around lunch time.
So why in hell would I spend $20k (cash, too) on something I don’t need?
It’s about subtler and more nuanced reasons than most people might think.
First, and most important is: if I can, why not?
I’m great at budgeting, I know exactly how I spend my money and how much I have left at any given time.
Second (which goes against what most of society would think), since I don’t need a car, why not buy the car I want, rather than the car I’d need?
When you’re commuting daily with a vehicle, you need it to be fuel efficient and convenient.
Or it will quickly turn into a bloodbath (or rather a petrol bath, with petrol spilling out uncontrollably).
In my case I don’t need a car. I can literally do everything I need, go everywhere I need to go, in a 15 minute walk.
You bet I’m going to get the car I really WANT.
Think about it.
Your car is not only something that takes you around.
It becomes a sort of sacred, private space, too.
You start customising it, adding nice gadgets etc.
I’d much rather do all of that on my dream car, instead of a shitty one I HAVE to buy because of its convenience.
Third, it’s about making a statement and being an interesting person.
Some people rent $200k sports cars to increase their perceived status.
Others (like me), spend way less, get a used but still awesomely-looking and driving beast and get the same effect.
And they get to keep it!
This car is not only going to be fun and cool to drive, but it will also create memories, shared with family and friends.
And at the risk of sounding like a douche, it’s going to increase my status in the eyes of society.
You might not like it, but it’s true.
Do I need an increase in status? No, I don’t.
But if I can get it while enjoying life I’ll take it.
Fourth, it’s about rewarding myself for the work I’ve done.
Pretty straightforward, trigger, action, reward -> more action.
This is also an incentive and motivation for me to work harder and better, because I know I’ll get rewarded for it.
There are probably more reasons I can think of but for the sake of this email let’s keep it at these.
A meta-point for you? Your prospects motivations, desires and fears go deeper than you think. And it’s your job to dig them out.
If you want to learn how I do it for my SaaS and eCommerce clients let’s talk.