As the D5 gets older, I feel that this community has transitioned from actual car advise or Q/A over to more of a social club. Someone wrote a few months ago that they don't even have a D5, but they like reading and participating here and that comment stuck with me. Car ownership forums have a wide variety of theater that goes with it, but this community has been the best I've been part of!

So I've decided to start this thread. It's meant for anything other than A8/D5 stuff. Any other car is fine, or any other topic on the planet is fine! We'll see where this goes

 

I'll kick things off. I have been pondering this lately and I don't know where to turn to for this question. I feel this community is best for me to ask so here goes. I have thick skin, so I'll post the question, "deploy armor" and see what comes my way

As I get older, I've realized that as much as my younger self may say "I don't care what people think" - I've started to realize that I am human and I do somewhat care. A recent string of health issues (not terrible), have made me realize that hoarding money is stupid. I've been all over the World, done interesting jobs and have managed to put food on the table. My reckless spend as of late has been expensive cars and that's just because I'm a homebody and it's an incredibly easy way to light a lot of money on fire. I also don't have kids and don't plan to leave anything left to my estate. My spouse and I plan to die with 0 (hopefully far far in the future!).

My situation is this. I have always abhorred the concept of "paying for a brand". My spouse is the same way. Gucci bags? Nope. Canali suits? - well, ok, I have 1. Hermes ties? Nope. Eton shirts? Yes. Christian Lou Bouton shoes for the spouse? No. | I hope this sort of shares my purchase patterns of "buy for quality" but don't "pay stupid money for a brand".

So when one of you shared that I should perhaps buy another D5 as opposed to another Rolls Royce, it ...stung but in a good way. It made me question why I ended down this path. I refuse to 'pay for a brand', but what is Rolls Royce to people? What does it mean to you?

I ask this because - I do wonder what people think. I've ALWAYS been into buying quality products, but RR's EBITDA is only 20%. That's A8/S class territory margins for Audi/MB. To me, RR has been about a high quality product and not about being a brand snob. I guess that it could also be "buying a status symbol" or "a way to be obnoxious". When I first started down this path, I truly viewed it as a "the best that money can buy", but I'm starting to get the feeling that it may be so out of reach that people resent it or people who have it?

I'm not entirely sure. This group, I think is well positioned to opine on this because a Ghost is 2.5x-3x the price of an A8. An A8 is...3x the price of a Camry. So to Camry owners, Audi A8 owners are out of touch. To Audi A8 owners, Rolls Royce owners are... ___________ (looking for feedback here).

Be transparent - my armour is deployed .

I am thinking about my next car and for whatever reason this topic is swirling in my mind. Bentley is off the table. It's too sporty for my liking

 

Personally, and take that with a grain of salt, I believe spending money on a Rolls Royce is just out of the question. I do not take into account what other people think of the brand of car I have, nor what the EBITDA of the car company is, nor what the best money can buy; I buy cars because I like to drive them and not just store them. I put a lot of miles on my cars, but I also trade them before the factory warranty expires. I have had several cars that I kept way past the factory warranty, but with today's rolling computer cars, there is just too much **** on cars to go wrong and keep them past the OEM warranty.
So back to your question of the "perception" of Rolls Royce owners, it really does not matter what anyone thinks about Rolls owners, and frankly, I do not care as to each their own. Personally, I do not think that you get value for your money with a Rolls Royce. All you get is the statement it makes with its presence.

Angry, you sound as if you are bored. You need to get a hobby or join a health club, a charity organization, a chess club, the Rotary club, a travel club, or visit family you have not seen in a while. Or just get in your car and drive all over North America and explore the continent we are living on. There are lots of ways to spend your money to make you feel good lol...

 

I still enjoy visiting 'modern classic' car shows for their nostalgia, and take my late 90s Subaru Impreza Turbo along for the ride. It is still a sub 5 second 0-60 car and embarrasses people who drive to close😁 . In the UK, we have the 'Festival of the Unexceptional' which celebrates mundane or unfavourable cars that have survived when the rest have been scrapped or rotted away. You turn up, chat to like minded , friendly people and go home. The next day I'm back in the A8 and enjoy the serenity just as much as the raw mechanical connection of the Scooby...

 

You know this website started as A4.org and it coincided with the return of Audi after VW's acquisition, after which the brand has seen an unrelenting ascent up until recently. My first German car was a B5 V6 Quattro manual.

Back then this was the only community where we talked about the Quattro technology, the hidden features and the stout German Engineering behind these cars. There was no other forum like it, not even for MB and BMW. It was almost as fun to see other users posts about their cars and the fascinating progress from tuning these machines and taking down much more potent M cars and AMGs in straight drag races.

AWD, Turbos, interior quality, aesthetic design, there was a lot to be excited for. If it weren't for a super bad dealership experience when I went to buy a C7 A6, I would have never migrated to BMW (5 and 7 series). I still feel the camaraderie on this form and even though the members split between here and Quattroworld. I might be the oldest account in the D5 forum!

What better way to enjoy our passion for these machines, than with other like minded folks that appreciate the ethos behind the four rings.

While not a Rolls Royce, I still feel most of my German car purchases have well justified their price/performance ratio. Especially when compared to what's on offer from the domestic, and Asian manufacturers.

 

Age in general brings with it a lot of wisdom. In this case, I am solely referencing 'account age' on AW. It never dawned on me how experienced of a member you are, and yeah, your comment here hit me like a 1000 bricks. An A8 is 3x the cost of a Camry but it's 3x the car. Once we go past the German flagships, it's an incremental increase at an insane price delta. I think this is where most people turn on their sanity blinkers and say "no". It's good food for thought for me.

I was driving my Range Rover to the golf place the other day and I saw a post FL D5, and I lost my sh**. But I said to myself...that car has like 0 presence. I opened my garage today and saw my Monsoon Grey D5 and went...damn he's handsome.

Selection and personal bias, sure, but it's moments like that that make me wonder why I'm lighting money on fire. Like @pcc125 said, I need a hobby, and right now it's clear my golf game sucks.

 

LOL...Your game does not suck. I have done many stupid things in my life and spent money foolishly. It is part and parcel of getting experience and learning how to set your priorities in order. Simply, live and learn from my mistakes. Education is expensive...

 

K22- I've been around for a day or two myself I joined in the early 2000s when I bought my 1997 A8. I had a 5000CS before that, but never found this forum when I had it. I bailed out to Quattroworld when AudiWorld changed the forum software, and stayed there until I bought my '14 S8. I came back here when it became clear there was NO activity on the D4 forum there. I still follow the D2 forum there though. Although I could afford a new car, I've always bought my Audis used with low milage. I'm too frugal (cheap) to absorb the exorbitant early depreciation on these cars- I think there's better things to do with my $$. I have been a car guy for a very long time, and I wrench on all my cars. I have restored an old Jag that I enjoy driving and showing. Angrypengu said how much he appreciated this forum, as do I, but the civility and depth/breadth of knowledge on the Jag forum I frequent (JagLovers) is unrivaled.


(The driver's door wasn't fully closed so that's why there's a discontinuity in the reflection.)

 

I remember your handle Skiracer! Thanks to Angry et al for making the most active D5 community online, which is the reason I came back here as well.

Are you and A8Bill cousins because I think he tinkers with classic Jags as well! Beautiful cars and something that I’m drawn to more and more each day. The new offerings from all brands are becoming annoyingly homogeneous and characterless.

 

Gorgeous Jag! One of the most beautiful designs I have ever seen. Enjoy it!