Contractors, Self Employed nice cars? You earn far too much!
Discussion
I'm guessing most of the contractors on here are of the IT/PM variety and were employed via an agency?
That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
9mm said:
I'm guessing most of the contractors on here are of the IT/PM variety and were employed via an agency?
That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
And why do extra curricular activities make any different to to an IT/PM contractors business acumen? That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
(Just interested, as I fit your stereotype of an IT contractor via agency)
I work for a property company as a consultant they call in when needed. They seem to be used to me turning up in an assortment of cars but i do make sure that when i go out to visit their clients I'm not driving anything to ostentatious. To be fair they never give me any grief and they are very good to their own full time staff with company cars.
I have been tempted to drive my 102 year old vintage car in there for a laugh one day though and see what they say.
I have been tempted to drive my 102 year old vintage car in there for a laugh one day though and see what they say.
Yep I have had the same.
I had a 1995 plate Lotus Elan M100 a few years back that was worth about £10k and was getting comments like "flash git" and "you must be loaded" from people who had just gone out and spent double that on a brand new reg family saloon.
I had a 1995 plate Lotus Elan M100 a few years back that was worth about £10k and was getting comments like "flash git" and "you must be loaded" from people who had just gone out and spent double that on a brand new reg family saloon.
Edited by Moonhawk on Wednesday 17th June 21:09
crazy about cars said:
Personally I just don't understand why people use cars as comparison of wealth anymore, after all it's not the 80s/90s.
I have no idea either - it's pretty bonkers.I may have a fairly nice car - but I don't have kids, rarely take foreign holidays, don't wear much in the way of expensive designer clothing etc. The car is where we do like to splash out.
I bet most of my colleagues who have kids or take regular foreign trips spend far more as a result than I do on the car - yet these things aren't seen in the same light.
One of my executive directors told a contractor not to park his V8 Vantage out the front of the building because "it sent the wrong message". It's a 2006 MY and cost him about 35k so there are literally dozens of BMW's / Merc's / etc that cost more in the car park every day. He also said "are you joking?" and shook his head when I first turned up to work in my M6 about 6 years ago. This exact same exec director drives a 991 Carrera S to work! 
130R said:
One of my executive directors told a contractor not to park his V8 Vantage out the front of the building because "it sent the wrong message". It's a 2006 MY and cost him about 35k so there are literally dozens of BMW's / Merc's / etc that cost more in the car park every day. He also said "are you joking?" and shook his head when I first turned up to work in my M6 about 6 years ago. This exact same exec director drives a 991 Carrera S to work!
I have been 'advised' that's it's probably not a good idea for me to drive my 09 plate Vantage into work for similar reasons.Again - not the most expensive car in the works car park by a long shot.
I've had this issue for over two decades 
I've now developed a keen sense of how to pick the right "stealth" business car
Currently I have a debadged M135i 5 door for work
I also have a personal Aston Martin that NEVER goes near clients or work (soon to be replaced with a 650S)
I've managed to keep an old Honda S2000 as well, that goes to work regularly and no one bats an eyelid
Unfortunately the "green eyed monster" lurks in too many British people
I've now developed a keen sense of how to pick the right "stealth" business car
Currently I have a debadged M135i 5 door for work
I also have a personal Aston Martin that NEVER goes near clients or work (soon to be replaced with a 650S)
I've managed to keep an old Honda S2000 as well, that goes to work regularly and no one bats an eyelid
Unfortunately the "green eyed monster" lurks in too many British people
Edited by mikey k on Wednesday 17th June 21:45
berlintaxi said:
Get you!
Can't beat a thread like this. Had many an eyebrow raised when people hear I drive a Maserati. People have no clue how much it's worth (not a lot!) and many will undoubtedly spend more on things that don't interest me. It's all to be taken with a giant pinch of salt and is generally meant in good fun.
Utterpiffle said:
9mm said:
I'm guessing most of the contractors on here are of the IT/PM variety and were employed via an agency?
That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
And why do extra curricular activities make any different to to an IT/PM contractors business acumen? That might explain some of it. I deal directly with the boss and/or Directors and we'll almost certainly have had a discussion about hobbies, cars, holidays and houses before any deal is struck.
(Just interested, as I fit your stereotype of an IT contractor via agency)
The OP should try working in the public sector.
My Mrs got loads of jealous behaviour for going to work in £500 worth of clapped our Mazda Eunos Roadster.
'Who does she think she is?' 'Does she think she's special?' and so on. Most of her colleagues were driving around in new ecoboxes on finance.
That's what happens when you work with a bunch of hormonally challenged, mentally retarded Marxist secondary school teachers. They're teaching your kids FFS!
My Mrs got loads of jealous behaviour for going to work in £500 worth of clapped our Mazda Eunos Roadster.
'Who does she think she is?' 'Does she think she's special?' and so on. Most of her colleagues were driving around in new ecoboxes on finance.
That's what happens when you work with a bunch of hormonally challenged, mentally retarded Marxist secondary school teachers. They're teaching your kids FFS!
pherlopolus said:
History being a pre-sales Solution Architect and Infrastructure Project Manager
Similar to me (currently a pre-sales Solution Architect working for a global tech company). Bored, and wondering what the next move is, as I'm really struggling to get excited about doing more of the same for someone different for the next 25 years.A mate contracted in web development for about 10 years and did quite nicely out of it, but has just gone perm after getting a decent offer.
It's not the risk that bothers me at all. No permanent job has any security nowadays. It's the lack of holidays, pension etc and having the discipline to do the right thing with the extra money. Logic suggests whack it off the mortgage rather than buy a nice car. But I'm rubbish and it wouldn't happen
When I first started working I was renting a room in a shared house, and running a 15 year old shed while trying to clear student debts.
One of our contractors was very late in, and apologised when he turned up. He'd been dealing with the police as his brand new M3 had been stolen overnight.
We were very sympathetic until he mentioned that he'd had to commute in using the equally new Elise...
...we were at very different stages of our working lives.
One of our contractors was very late in, and apologised when he turned up. He'd been dealing with the police as his brand new M3 had been stolen overnight.
We were very sympathetic until he mentioned that he'd had to commute in using the equally new Elise...
...we were at very different stages of our working lives.
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