WeLoveAnyCar.com highlights a dramatic decline in car ownership in cities. Rich singles are adopting new age status symbols to let people know they are not missing the Maserati.
Top ten new age status symbols for flashy singles
Diamond and gold encrusted iPhones, a new status symbol Ring-a-Bling – diamond and gold encrusted iPhones- Black Beauties – Unlimited ‘black’ credit cards
- BOB’s – Big Outrageous Bags
- Fitted Up – Designer ware, made to order
- Elton Extras – Glasses from Gok to Gucci
- My Club – Membership of a Private Members Club
- Wealthy Watches – One for work, one for rest and another for play
- Work – Nose, boobs, hips, pecks, tummy tucks and pimples
- Wine and Dine – by price, not taste
- Doodle Poodle – obscure cross breed dogs (or a pooch in a BOB)
According to Buckingham University research, car ownership in cities has reduced from 30% to 26% in a trend supported by increased city dwelling and greater access to public transport.
In the past, a Porsche parked outside a pub or a Bentley key fob placed strategically by ‘ladies who lunch’ was enough to convey status.
Flashy singles and younger couples are increasingly unlikely to own a car but still have the cash, and the need, to show they are one place above their friends and colleagues by adopting 'New Age' status symbols.
According to the Max Planck Institute of Economics, the wealthier the individual, the less likely they will be to see status symbols as luxuries and more as necessities.
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| New status symbols to let people know they are not missing the Maserati |
Nevertheless, when someone slaps down their ‘Black Beauty’ (an unlimited credit card) or walks an expensive ‘Doodle Poodle’ (a rare and costly cross breed dog), they are sending out signals to others that they have a position – quite possibly better than others.
Cities in all developed countries are becoming more populated with the wealthy, car-less, young. This trend would seem to be temporary. Eventually many singles become couples and, although new parents are getting older, new families face reality and move further away from city centres and buy a car to suit their new lifestyle.
For over 100 years the car has been a status symbol and not only for the rich. A neighbour with a new Ford Fiesta in a run-down area is displaying his status just as much as someone who spends ten times more on a Ferrari to show off to their friends at the golf club.
The WeLoveAnyCar car review site shows Alfa Romeos as some of the worst rated for reliability and they are not inexpensive. However, the same models are rated some of the most ‘fun to drive and great to own’. Cars will always be about taste, style, status as well as safety, reliability and economy.
No matter what car someone owns, the likelihood is that they will keep more value than a 'BOB' and could cost a lot less than the 'Black Beauty' credit card which will eventually have to be paid off.
Image source: Weloveanycar.com Gallery and ibnlive.com
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