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Uh oh... at this rate, I may need to disqualify myself.
TM
In car terms the Zenith would be an R8, the J-L is more of a Rolls Phantom Drophead.
or wears a watch. It's gone the way of the briefcase IMO. That's what the mobile is for. I've been to many posh events w/foreign dignitaries & wristwear never trumped the latest mobile.
TM
If I know our friend Dada, he had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when talking watches, I'll bet his nicest watch has the Tasmanian Devil on it
For my HS graduation, my father presented me with a lovely Seiko Automatic Chronograph engraved with the graduation date. I wore that watch almost every day for about 16 years before buying my first Swiss Automatic (the Tag Heuer SS/18k gold). I doubt that a mobile device presented (if they existed oh so long ago) would have had the same sentimental affect. Not to mention still being in my possession a lifetime later...
Remember, to each. Many here wax poetic regarding audio systems, cameras, cigars or fine liquors. Yet, amazingly enough, there are those who do not share such passions, possibly not even an understanding of such. That makes neither party incorrect nor worthy of disdain.
Using your mobile to tell the time? Yes, that is functional. Yet, I would imagine that to some, that would be like having a photograph of the Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre rather than the original. Hey, it looks the same! But, it is not the same effect nor as pleasing to those that truly appreciate fine art.
And there are those that actually consider a car an appliance! Or, in the case of the EW, a closet on wheels. :mad: There are those who for the life of them will never understand why one would pay the price for an R8 or XKR when a Corolla or Accord Coupe will get them where they are going for a more rational amount of money.
Yes, there are many ways to tell the time. But time is too valuable to be measured by a cheap instrument!
If we're defining luxury, I believe there has to be an element of whimsy involved. A whimsy not understood or valued by the masses.
Clothes? Meh. I do like Ralph Lipshitz, when on sale. Good quality, conservative New England style.
Oh, yeah. I've got a Homer Simpson watch from Burger King, too!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Remember, to each. Many here wax poetic regarding audio systems, cameras, cigars or fine liquors. Yet, amazingly enough, there are those who do not share such passions, possibly not even an understanding of such. That makes neither party incorrect nor worthy of disdain.
Absolutely! My Nokia E90 tells the time. So does my wife's flip phone. For those very special occasions though, say dinner at Le Bernardin, the phones are put away. She's wearing her Cartier, and I'm wearing my Jaguer Lecoultre. Spending thousands of dollars on some trinket like a diamond encrusted iPhone is a ridiculous waste of money, and I don't know anyone who would be impressed by that. It will fall apart in a few years just like any other iPhone. A properly maintained Swiss Automatic on the other hand can last a lifetime, or several lifetimes if it is passed down, as many are.
A Swiss Automatic can be used only in those situations, or every day as with my Zenith. They aren't for everybody and I can certainly appreciate that for some a Casio is more than sufficient. In many ways a Swiss watch is like a reference caliber turntable. There's no need to spend thousands on a Basis, AVID, VPI, etc. A $100 piece of plastic is perfectly capable of the physical act of playing a record. The beauty of the $20K AVID Acutus Reference is that its a precision masterpiece, and it takes a certain type of person to be able to appreciate that.
Hmm, so my lowly print will not suffice & I must find the original Dog's Playing Poker to hang over the mantle. :P
What's up with that?
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
A personal quirk, I guess, but I almost feel naked unless my left wrist is adorned with a watch!
Other than watches, I wear no jewelry as I've had a long standing distaste for it (wathces are functional!). Of course, since I got married, I've had to learn about diamonds/jewelry and waste perfectly good money on draping the EW in the shiny stuff...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Then again all I have are a nice Seiko kinetic piece given by my ex (is it still proper to wear it?), and a Tag Heuer (my favorite brand so far, pricey as hell but worth it). Given this year's bonus I wonder if it's time to reward myself with another one. A jaeger lecoultre will be on top of my list. Wait, maybe a Bulgari or VC first..... or wait, Panerai's Luminor is a good one too. darn it now I'm confused :P
Hey am I the only one liking Panerai? I find the styling simple but when touched one can simply feel the quality of materials used. I'm definitely no fan of Rolex and anything with gold color (be it real or not), makes me feel just old. VC is delicately decorated but nice, Movado otoh... gross (imo).
The right watch, the right house, the right av system, and the right car. Life will be perfect by then :shades:
..... ok, maybe the right wife as well???
It does... but let me add that there are guys like myself that do indeed appreciate craftsmanship, precision, talented workmanship, and innovative design... among other things... but do not feel that ownership or a lack of ownership is a prerequisite for appreciation.
IOW, my choice to not own any of those finely crafted masterpieces doesn't mean I don't have appreciation for them. Same goes for precision and stylish writing instruments, which I do not need to own, but I still appreciate them.
While in NYC I spent a little time in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Straight to bottom line... I was intoxicated by the splendor of it all.
I guess another way of saying all this is that while many, if not most, or even all of us might indeed marvel at (and appreciate) what are considered marvels of construction... the desire for actual ownership of these wonderful works is an entirely different matter altogether.
So... LG, it isn't about appreciation. And, while you might ,or might not understand this... to be honest... I just can't stand the physical sensation of wearing a watch... I've never been able to get comfortable with it. I can't even wear my own wedding ring... so I tell my wife I wear it in my heart, because that is the truth for me.
TM
But, no watch on my wrist? E gads!
And I can certainly understand appreciation without the desire to own. But, ya gots to spend your money on sumptin'!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
You aught to go hide your collection right now so you aren`t given one for the Big Day Tony
TM
I marvel at the Sistine chapel, yet even if I can afford to buy it I sure as hell wont. Imagine how delicate and costly the maintenance can be :P
Add my ex to the mix, she's somehow capable to spending enough sum for a Honda Fit on clothes, shoes, wristwatches, perfumes and other girly stuffs. The record (as far as I know) was $13,400 in one day :surprise: , no kidding. I was lucky enough never having to spend much on her, as she's from a very wealthy family and was a very capable entrepreneur herself. Otherwise..... ah, I believe you know the next sentence :sick:
I still maintain good friendship with her, and I'd gladly give your EW her phone number if you're inclined :P
Jaguar: Any modern, 2004 and later Jag is a good deal. Good mileage, good performance and superb build quality when coupled with lousy resale make for a good deal. Probably the Jag S Series will be the biggest bargain as the XF eclipses it. The XJ, the big sedan, will be the best overall deal though.
Mercedes: The E Class doesn't have the cache of the S Class nor the low price point of the C Class. Moreover, late model E Classes are essentially all the same, although the 2006 and later models have the better 6 cylinder engine and don't have the electric brakes. When I say that they are essentially all the same I mean it. They have the same power train (they sold very few diesels or E500s; the 4Matic while popular probably is a regional thing), there are few options, and most are silver, grey or black. This uniformity means to me that you could drive a hard bargain on a used one. If they are all alike as peas in a pod, only price can differentiate one. This is similar to buying a pre-owned condo in a complex where they are all the same AND the builder is busy building more and subsidizing their sales. The poor guy with a used one has to face facts and discount it if he wants to sell it.
Maserati Quatrroporte. When this model first came out they had major problems with their Duo Select transmission. Major problems. Later years did not have this problem. For historical reasons the resale isn't good. The resale on a leased 08 with an MSRP of say 130K is projected by Maserati to be 50-60K three years down the road. Look for an 06 for about the same price as a new E Class and you would have a deal on a real stunner.
BMW 7 Series. A decent 2006 750i is now well under 40K. This is a good deal on an exciting car. This is the first year of the 750 series, the much feared I Drive now has voice recognition on the 2006, the short wheel base 750i is hard to tell from the 750iL but is about 4K less when used, and by now the tires should have been replaced and the bugs worked out. Helping drive down the price is the absence of AWD on the 7 Series. But go for it! Get a set of winter tires and wheels from the TireRack and whip by your neighbor who paid more for his oh so boring and much more pretentious S Class 4Matic.
Saabs. Used Saabs are always good deals because they depreciate like a stone tossed into a mill pond. What is bad for the General can be good for the rest of us.
Any other additions to this list?
Audi A8L.
BTW, I drove the family in the Jag XJ VDP earlier this morning. Absolutely wonderful car. I have had such great luck with this car. Gas mileage last time was near 30 mpg. This time mid-twenties. In the past, I've detailed at great length the long list of virtues of this car, so I won't elaborate again... but the '04, preferrably the '05 and up, XJ (L, R, or VDP) is a deal near impossible to beat, and the car is so enjoyable. Now that we see what direction Jaguar might be taking, the XJ's classic lines might be legendary in the long run. I've come to realize that, in a pinch, I'd sell everything other car before I'd ever sell my Jag.
I've posted these pics in the past...
Little peak at the interior...
TM
Mr. Cow: Along with the Aztek, BetaMax, GW Bush second term and New Coke, that is one colossus of a bad idea! Neither my EW nor I come from a very wealthy family nor can we any longer consider ourselves a very nearly, almost, if the market keeps rising and house values don't crumble, might be upper middle class wealthy in a few years family... :sick:
Unless, of course, your Ex is offering to pick up the tab. Then count me in!
Snow today, mucho. In fact the lovely white flakes continue to negate all my front walk and stoop shoveling. All I really have to show is some kind of pulled/strained muscle in my left arm. My EW has asked me to keep the winces and groans to a minimum as I string the lights on the Christmas tree. Sorry, dear. I shall continue to keep my physical, as well as emotional, suffering to myself. 'Tis the season!
Took the snow shoe-clad TL for a grocery run. Still probably the least confidence inspiring car I've owned in the snow, but with the aid of traction control, the Dunlop WinterSports got me up the steep hill that is our little road. Alas, a Honda Oddity had a much more difficult time of it. The EW noted her RX300, with its magical "Snow" button continues to conquer all snow covered hill and dale.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Although I'm not a big fan, I'd add Cadillac Escalade to the value list. Thanks to our current state of the economy the resale of these bling machines have been ridiculously low. Those interested in huge vehicle with amazing towing capability should consider it.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong but doesnt the current Lexus GS have poor resale as well? A good choice for those concerned only in comfort and need no sport in their vehicles.
Other than watches, I wear no jewelry as I've had a long standing distaste for it (wathces are functional!). Of course, since I got married, I've had to learn about diamonds/jewelry and waste perfectly good money on draping the EW in the shiny stuff...
I know exactly what you mean. Gold rings and such make me feel like some kind of mobster. The J-L is the one shiny thing that I allow myself to wear. The Zenith (despite its considerable price tag) is pretty much the opposite of a typical flash watch.
I understand. I personally can't wear any watch with a metal band, they bother my wrist.I also agree that precision instruments can be appreciated without needing to actually own them.
For bling, I have been buying Chinese knockoffs of the Panerai, IWC and the Rolex GMT. They cost about $240 delivered, run forever, and feel and look like the original. My jeweler just fixed a link in the GMT and couldn't tell the difference. Again, if stolen or scratched it is no big deal.
Do I feel good about this? Yes and no. I feel a lot better than I would feel if I paid a cartel's list price on a fine watch. OTOH, I don't feel good about subsidizing Chinese industry which is slowly burying the West.
Yes, the XJ lines are classic. To my mind though the car (and lines) say to me: summer weekend use only, preferably in the Berkshires. It is a phenomenial car but it just looks too classic for the cut 'n thrust of every day life. I mean could you really consider doing laundry pickup duty, a trip to Home Depot for a shop vac, and running the Lab to the vet's in one? As I recall, you can get either a black interior (too dark for me) or white (aka Oatmeal), not even a beige interior. A white interior wouldn't make it for me.
Get the J-L, trust me on this. As much as I like Zenith, there is nothing like a Reverso.
The right watch, the right house, the right av system, and the right car. Life will be perfect by then
So I've heard
Only the S-type R is worth a look. The standard range was pretty lousy. In general I would say those looking at used Jags should stick to the XJ and XK. Used Es make me nervous, especially pre '06. CPO should be considered mandatory on those. As for the Maser QP, I would stick to cars with the ZF autobox.
I don't think just cheapness is enough to redeem a 9-3 or 9-5. There are good cars with massive depreciation like the Jags, and then there are bad cars with massive depreciation in part because they are bad cars. Saabs are in that latter category. If you want a bit of boring Swedish-ness on the cheap, try the new S80 instead. They become worthless almost instantly, and at least there you can get a new design, a V8 and AWD, instead of a design that's 800 years old, a 4-cylinder, and FWD.
Another bargain is the Infiniti M. '06 M35s are now available in the low $20s. '06 GS430s are also pretty cheap if you can actually find one, but they were terrible to drive. Stick with the M.
For bling, I have been buying Chinese knockoffs of the Panerai, IWC and the Rolex GMT. They cost about $240 delivered, run forever, and feel and look like the original. My jeweler just fixed a link in the GMT and couldn't tell the difference. Again, if stolen or scratched it is no big deal.
I wonder, how did you get the Chinese immitations? I've never seen nor heard of any of them sold in the US. It'll be a good choice for daily use watch, as wearing my Tag feels kinda unsafe nowadays.
An additional $240 won't bother me much
Incidentally, I had thought that the Audi A6 would depreciate quickly. Apparently not. They seem to hold their value as well as a 5 Series. So, Lexusguy, which would be less of a headache to own, a used E Class, A6 or a 5 Series? Assuming you bought an 05 (wasn't MY05 the first of the banglesdized 5 Series and the first year of the current version of the A6?) or newer.
I'm not a fan of the E, and I think those are the most likely to have serious troubles. The current 5 was introduced for 2004, the A6 for 2005. For the A6 I would recommend an '06, I think the first year '05's are known for having MMI teething issues. Around here an '06 CPO A6 3.2 can be had for $27K, which is about the same as a CPO '06 530i/xi. An A6 4.2 is $30K, whereas the BMW 550i will cost you a lot more, $37K+. Provided you have access to a good Audi or BMW dealer, I don't think either is a bad choice. If you are interested in the Audi, look for examples with the sport suspension. The standard setup is a bit dull.
Jose
PS: Another member who usually wears a wristwatch with leather bracelet but not other jewelry. Not even the wedding ring—as agreed with my wife for both of us because of our fear of suffering hooking accidents as bad as some we have seen/repaired!! :sick:
BTW, I cannot stand to wear any jewelry either. I wear a wristwatch only because even seconds are important in my line of work. I often remove it at home. I have not worn our wedding ring since about the second week after we were married (many, many moons ago). Not wearing a ring does not mean that you care less about your wife. My wife does wear some jewelry, however, and in fact, I have purchased quite a few pieces for her over the years.
On a side note, I just walked past Bvlgari yesterday and found myself eyeing a very nice piece, with metal bracelet and steel blue dial. Very classy. Meanwhile, the SLR series from TagHeuer caught my eyes as well. So many choices, I'm seriously gonna have a hard time choosing mine......
feliz Navidad y año nuevo próspero! From the Bailout capital of the World!
Regards,
OW
It's blckislandguy who mentioned the knockoffs. There are a few websites that sell them, but you won't see them on places like Amazon or eBay. From what I've seen, you can get a knockoff of my previous Zenith, the Grand Class Open, for around $218, with similar prices for a basic Port Royal or even the Titanium Defy Xtreme Open, though I seriously doubt it does 1000M like the real thing. The bottom of a swimming pool is probably closer to its maximum depth. I have not seen any replicas or Zenith's more elaborate Concept or hyper expensive Tourbillion watches.
Fake J-L Reversos seem to run from $215-235, depending on the complexity. I'm astonished that you can get a cheap knock off of the Platinum Number One & Two - the real thing has a manual tourbillion movement and costs around $75K.
I'm not much of a Bvlgari fan. The way they plaster the name on most of their watches seems to make the primary function of the watch to show people that you have a Bvlgari, not necessarily to tell you what time it is.
Meanwhile, let's have some seasonal cheer. We have punch and cake on the table in the corner. Please enjoy, but do not drink too much punch unless you have a designated driver to take you home. :shades:
Happy holiday season to everyone and thanks for providing one of the most interesting, lively and respectful discussions in all of our Forums!!
I'm loving my GL450 so far, and I just paid a meager 1.75 for 93 octane to fill it up. I've gotten 18-19mpg on highway driving so I'm quite satisfied with that.
Wishing everyone who celebrates a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy happy and prosperous New Year.
Jose: Que digo OW. Feliz Navidad y nuevo ano prospero... (again, forgive my high school espanol).
And, Pat, regarding the wathces. It's about time! (Not really, I think the two topics do so intertwine, especially here in the Luxury Lounge. Time is a luxury. But, I move on...).
Happy Merry to all! Let's hope that '09 is not nearly as dire as the pundits make it out to be...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I talked a buddy out of buying oil at $50 and he's very greatful right now. IMO the only way you see oil at $75 anytime soon is if hedge funds start to inflate it again. Demand is very low, the cutbacks from large trucks hasn't even registered yet and you've got the usual profit taking whenever you get a bounce. Folks were scrambling to find storage facilities for oil last week at the close of the January contract instead of selling out at $33. From what I've heard they had a hard time as many storage sites are nearly full. IMO we are in an oil glut right now and it's building every day. A friend who follows oil a lot closer than me told me he expects oil to hit $25 toward the end of the February contract when the same rush to find storage resumes. His opinion is that hedge funds are still looking to get out (about 1 in 4 funds are still in oil vs 9 in 10 back in July), but while they are still in they are propping up prices. Personally I hope oil doesn't fall under $35 but I think it's inevitable, especially if a warm January is on the horizon.
Indeed.
Happy Christmas to all.
This was a great story in the NY Times a few days ago in case you guys didn't see it. I will always find it amazing that folks pay commissions and bonusses on vast amounts of paper that will not generate real cash for 8-10 years in many cases. My business is a realtively small company and we pay only on cash receipts. I usually have to defer bonus expense to match revenue recognition as we have a subscription payment business model.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/business/18pay.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Wall%20Stree- - - t%20profits%20were%20a%20mirage&st=cse
I hope you were long the JPY vs. the USD for a nice gain these past 2 months. I'm now officially out of there. Japan has finally seen the light that a strong Yen severely hurts their American automobile profits-case in point-TM recently posting their first ever loss. Honda isn't doing much better. A very profitable trade for me, while others were wringing their hands over the sharp decline in American equities. However, for me, that trade is now over.
There's always a bull market somewhere Tony, if you keep your eyes open.
It will be 80 degrees here in Tampa on Christmas day. I guess I will just have to close my eyes and fantasize about cold, northern winters, slipping on ice, cracked skulls, award-winning swimming pools unusable for six months, snow tires, gloves and knee high boots. Should be a very short fantasy!
Regards,
hpowders
Regards,
Jose
Without exception, everyone has made valuable contributions throughout the year, and we've seen some changes to some of our vehicles... And, yes Len, it's true I own a new F-150... LOL.
I am out of town for Christmas, so I'll be brief... Best holiday wishes to all, and prayers and hopes for a good 2009 for all.
You guys are some of the best, and I can only imagine what it would be like to have a big celebration one day and we were all together. That would be hilarious.
My best regards and heartfelt thanks to ALL of you,
TagMan