Is your wardrobe more expensive than your car?

[unbelragazzo]



it's crazy that most clothing and accessories have more resale value than cars.

Not really...asymmetric information problem is much more severe for cars.

 

[The Noodles]

I live off of a parkway. Meaning once you exit my neighborhood, cars are whizzing by at 80 mph. My only solution was to get something that was fast and affordable.
2010 Nissan Maxima. 290 HP

.

When I move back to Seoul, I'll have no use for a car as their transportation system is very convenient.

 

[jcmeyer]

Sounds like you may have netted out to zero based on the opinions in this thread, Clags, except no one seems to like the VW Bug - I definitely like the squatter design of the current bug better than the older-new one.

But FWIW I don't find the Fit to be underpowered. Compared to anything with a six or a turbo under the hood sure, but unless you're rolling with four adult-sized people or a lot of stuff it moves just fine in my opinion.

Brand new my bike cost more than any of my suits, but like so many things I bought the bike on ebay too

 

[ShawnBC]



Sounds like you may have netted out to zero based on the opinions in this thread, Clags, except no one seems to like the VW Bug - I definitely like the squatter design of the current bug better than the older-new one.

SF-approved or not, I definitively like the new Beetles, especially with the Turbo engine! They made it look more sport-y and less girl-y this time! Fitted with some BBS it'd look pretty awesome if you ask me!

 

[ShawnBC]

And now this thread brings me yet to another question (sorry OP for the hijack) I've been meaning to ask SF for a while now (seeing as many posters on SF would rather have a elaborate wardrobe than a nice sport car):

(PS.: note that I write the later with great respect to both/all types of guys, and despite the use of stereotypical images, I hope I offend no one - if so, please let me know and I'll edit/delete)

Would I be in the wrong when hypothesizing that most guys that are attracted to the fashion business are also the kind of guys with propensity for the 'fine, elaborated' things (wish I could come up with a better, more scientific term), for example arts, classical music, higher education, jobs that are more aimed at desk-work and/or less physically-challenging jobs? As opposed to guy's guys, 'rough' guys (again, sorry for the lack of better term) who are into sports, cars, building/tearing down, construction, etc.

I realize this sounds cliché and stereotypical, hence my interrogation. My wife always pokes fun at me because of my so-called feminine-masculinity: despite my 6' 240lbs frame, I tend to be attracted to arts, style, am less inclined in team sports (in favor of cycling and jogging), couldn't build a house or repair a car if my life was at stake and have a pencil-pusher-type job.

So, this got me thinking; except for the cool dudes like @UrbanComposition and a few others who are fortunate enough to be 'manly' guys AND have a great eye in the #menswear department, do our propensity for this hobby is influenced by our personality type?

 

[Louys]

I think your wife needs a new concept of masculinity. When you get down to particular cases, you'll find it very hard to make a consistent and meaningful distinction of the kind you are trying to make.

 

[Claghorn]

Except for my love of sports, I definitely fit into what you describe, Shawn. In college I played basketball (not for our team, of course; I was good enough to play small forward with our girls team though...my schedule often aligned with their scrimmage times, and if they were short I'd often step in. I remember a friend and I once playing and getting invited me to join. After a play, he criticized me for playing rough with girls. The next play, a girl tore a rebound from his hand, posted him up hard...and he wasn't a small guy...and easily scored on him. Then he understood...athletes are athletes) 8-10 hours a week. My first two years in Korea, before I started working weekends, I played basketball 10-14 hours a week...just on weekends (up to 8 hours a day). Sometimes more if I played Friday night. There were sort of informal teams that were always there that would often play against each other round robin.

I played with one group for about a year. I was fast back then, and another guy I played with was also one of the quicker guys on the courts (there were about eight in the park we played at). Any time one of us grabbed a rebound, we would sprint to the other side. By the second half, the two of us had run the other team ragged.

It was asphalt and I played pretty hard. Got banged up quite a bit. Still have some injuries from college (I have to do push ups on my fists after a wrist injury my senior year; I have back issues after falling on it a lot, and my legs, hips, and forearms have a number of scars from playing on asphalt).

****. Got all nostalgic. Basketball is the one thing I love more than clothing.

A picture from 2009, where I'd play:

I worked in the building second from the left.


Edit: Koreans play tons of zone; not something I've ever been terribly adept against. But way more satisfying to play than man-on-man as it pushes the team element of the sport, both O and D.

The first Korean I learned, besides the extreme basics, was all basketball related.

The first time I got dunked on was in Korea.

****. I miss basketball in Yeouido.

 

[ShawnBC]

I think your wife needs a new concept of masculinity. When you get down to particular cases, you'll find it very hard to make a consistent and meaningful distinction of the kind you are trying to make.

Well, I meant 'masculinity' for lack of a better word - I am no writer nor philosopher. What I meant was, despite my relative physical appearance, no one would guess I take interest in such hobbies. Nor am I trying to fit some personalities or hobbies into 'masculine' and 'un-masculine' boxes; just a general inquiry.

Except for my love of sports, I definitely fit into what you describe, Shawn.

Cool story Clag! As much as I would love to be a good at basketball, I just plain suck - hell, I can't even touch the rim (ring?).

 

[Claghorn]

I can't wait to start playing again. It sucks that I won't ever be as good as I was on things like defense and driving. Just means I need to dedicate more time to shooting. I spent one summer in college, three days in the gym, alternating between free throws and weights. Had to make 800 free throws before I went home. 200, then weight room, 200, weights, 200, weights, 200 and then I'd go home, stopping by McDonalds for some sweet sweet fast food and I'd smoke, relax, watch TV or read a book. I think I was going through a Murakami faze. **** that was a good summer. Maybe best summer of my life.

 

[in stitches]



Why?

Because the Fit is a snooze-fest and Coopers are awesome fun cars.

And perhaps we should take adjusted dollar values for all purchases ^_^. So a 2000 Camry purchased for 24,000 in 1999 counts as 27,000 in today's dollars ^^

I thought you meant value of car, not purchase price. In any case, my wardrobe still well exceeds the purchase price of both of the stitch family cars.

With all this talk of Fits and Mini Coopers I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one around here who drives a full size pickup. 

Id guess you are in the minority, yes. Lol.

Would I be in the wrong when hypothesizing that most guys that are attracted to the fashion business are also the kind of guys with propensity for the 'fine, elaborated' things (wish I could come up with a better, more scientific term), for example arts, classical music, higher education, jobs that are more aimed at desk-work and/or less physically-challenging jobs? As opposed to guy's guys, 'rough' guys (again, sorry for the lack of better term) who are into sports, cars, building/tearing down, construction, etc.

Interesting question. For me:

Art - Marginally interested
Classical Music - Love it, but rarely seek it out
Higher Education - Appeals to me, but but due to life circumstances I never went beyond my Bachelors degree. I hope to remedy that some day.
Desk work - I certainly would prefer that to manual labor

On the other hand, I also love rock and roll, cars, sports, both watching and playing, and enjoy some of the "rough guy" stuff in life. I would guess most people here are a synthesis of some sort, between guys guy and monocle wearer.

 

[sugarbutch]

E36 maintenance is hardly expensive at this point. Tying into Shawn's question a bit, I was a BMW mechanic for five years, so I can reduce the cost of repairs by doing them myself. Part of returning to my current career path, though, was getting burned out on fixing my own car after a day at work.

Stitchy, if the Fit is a snooze-fest, you clearly aren't driving it correctly. Next time you're in Cali, I can give you some pointers. Seriously, though, Minis are a lot of fun, but they aren't 50% more fun than a Fit. And once you start getting into an optioned Cooper S, the price/performance ratio gets seriously out of whack IMO.

@mxgl2810, you've sort of tipped your hand a bit, no? I guess I can see someone at Ford or Toyota buying a CTS, but it seems more likely that you're putting in time with the General.

CM, I would happily own a pickup (as a tow rig) if there were any place to park it here.

 

[poorsod]

I think there is ample interest in the car thread, demonstrating that many people here like clothes and cars. It's just really expensive to do both well and often people have to compromise.

 

[mxgl2810]

@sugarbutch Pretty easy to figure out yes. I just didn't want to come out and say it. I don't really concern myself with brand loyalty though- if something else is better, that is what I am going to go with. My next car will likely be a jaguar.

 

[Louys]

Well, I meant 'masculinity' for lack of a better word - I am no writer nor philosopher. What I meant was, despite my relative physical appearance, no one would guess I take interest in such hobbies. Nor am I trying to fit some personalities or hobbies into 'masculine' and 'un-masculine' boxes; just a general inquiry.

Fair enough.

If it helps, I'd fall pretty cleanly into the former category. I'm over-educated, scrawny, have little interest in what men's men are supposed to like, and will most likely work a desk job all my life. That said, so are most of the folk around me within academia. Well, not all of them are scrawny. However I'd say the odds of anyone being interested in clothing in most of the academic settings I've been in, and I mean professionals, grad-students and up, are much lower than average.

 

[Caustic Man]

I would guess most people here are a synthesis of some sort, between guys guy and monocle wearer.

What's the difference? When it comes down to it, wearing a suit and tie is one of the most masculine things you can do. Sure, you can look effeminate while doing that, and some purposefully do, however there is no question that the suit is originally a masculine garment.

I saw a shirt once that said "A man can never have too much whiskey, too many books, or too many guns". This, of course, says that a man should be able to handle his liquor, should seek knowledge, and should know how to fight. This is a very Teddy Roosevelt/Ernest Hemingway view of masculinity, and there are many other views out there. It's the one I like the best, though, because it acknowledges that a man is neither an unthinking brute nor entirely cerebral.

CM, I would happily own a pickup (as a tow rig) if there were any place to park it here.

Yes, big vehicles do not park well, especially in big California cities. Knowing I can take off and drive down a rocky trail, or power up a hill, is worth it to me, though. There are times when I just feel the need to take my dog and get away.