How have you handled your wife regarding Porsche costs??
09-23-2018, 04:57 AM
#16
Instructor
My wife encouraged me to buy my Macan GTS, first Porsche, two years ago. Then she also encouraged me to buy a 991.2 GTS cabrio early this year, after having tested a GT4 which would have been a lot of fun at the race track but not so good for city cruising or the odd night out. She says I work hard so I should enjoy the fruit that the hard work bears. And who am I to contradict her? So between the two cars I convinced her to trade her BMW 2 Gran tourer in for a Cayenne S e-hybrid early last year, as a token for appreciation. So now she will know by herself what it represents to own a Porsche in terms of cost.
She seldom asks how much this was or how much that cost, but I suspect she doesn’t so I don’t ask about her shoes and clothes, either.
She seldom asks how much this was or how much that cost, but I suspect she doesn’t so I don’t ask about her shoes and clothes, either.
09-23-2018, 11:20 AM
#17
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
She knows not to ask and I don't volunteer anything. Ignorance is bliss.
09-23-2018, 02:22 PM
#19
My wife has this sixth sense. Since she works at an office and I work from home, I sometimes get to run out and shop during the day. I can bring something home, hide all of the evidence and bury the new purchase in one of 3 closets I have filled with clothes. It doesn't make a difference. Somehow within 2-3 days she'll say "you bought another Arcteryx jacket.... you know we live in Dallas"
Same thing with camera gear..... "New lens?" In the photography forums where I used to waste my precious time before Rennlist I had this as a signature
"my greatest fear is that I die and my wife sells off my camera gear for what I told her it costs"
Porsche costs are harder to hide and anymore I don't bother trying to hide but spend a lot of effort rationalizing it to her. She's great - I give her $500 to go the mall and she comes back with $420 and says "i bought 6 things" (but I do wish she dressed a little better) but if she was as bad as I am, we'd be broke in a few years. I'm lucky in that way.
Same thing with camera gear..... "New lens?" In the photography forums where I used to waste my precious time before Rennlist I had this as a signature
"my greatest fear is that I die and my wife sells off my camera gear for what I told her it costs"
Porsche costs are harder to hide and anymore I don't bother trying to hide but spend a lot of effort rationalizing it to her. She's great - I give her $500 to go the mall and she comes back with $420 and says "i bought 6 things" (but I do wish she dressed a little better) but if she was as bad as I am, we'd be broke in a few years. I'm lucky in that way.
09-23-2018, 02:31 PM
#20
Gentlemen you are doing this all wrong. How do I keep my wife from knowing what it costs to drive and maintain a Pcar? I don't. She loves driving her 987 CaymanS so much, that she pays for maintenance, tires, etc on "her" car which allows me to only have to cover the costs of "my" 911.
Yes, greatest wife ever.
Yes, greatest wife ever.
09-23-2018, 04:14 PM
#21
I dont care how she spends her money and she doesnt care how I spend my money. As long as we both put in our share into the house account once a month, we do what we want. It also helps that our best friends (the Husband) is a senior tech as Porsche.
09-23-2018, 05:04 PM
#22
Three Wheelin'
^^^ agreed. My wife and I do not have joint accounts outside of shared expenses and she is actually the breadwinner now anyways. As long as I am on top of my money situation, there isn't even a discussion. I am sure if I had a ask her for money, things would change but one big reason we are married is because she always supports my interests and I support hers. She even has encouraged me to get a GT3. We don't have kids though. DINK status here, which I know is a massive privilege.
09-23-2018, 05:40 PM
#24
Three Wheelin'
^^^ IDK if this is what you mean but what I was taking this for is, I also think my wife is VERY happy having a nice i3. She loves that car more than any other car she has had. If she was driving a beater, she might wonder why she was driving a POS while I am driving a really nice car regardless of if it is a 911 or some other car she perceives as nice (as a non-car person), so there is no weirdness there where I have the nice car and she has the beater...
09-23-2018, 10:35 PM
#26
Racer
First, I have been married to my wife for 43 years. We have always combined our incomes and shared our finances. Any large or unusual purchase is always discussed and agreed to in advance, so there are never any unpleasant surprises to either of us.
While I have always wanted a Porsche 911 since I was 12 years old, my priorities always put school, family, and career first. Each of us has been the primary bread winner at one time or another, and we had to mind our pennies for nearly three decades. I graduated from college, we had two children, she went back to school and graduated from college, while I got my MBA. We paid our way in every case, so neither of us graduated with any debt. This took years.
After our children graduated from college, we started our own business, which took all the available capital we had, including my special savings account which I had been building up to buy a 911 -- it became a state-of-the-art paint system. I placed a Porsche Crest sticker on the machinery to (a) remind me of my dream and (b) to make sure all employees understood that this system was my "Porsche" and by God they had better treat it accordingly.
Slowly, our business grew, even during the Recession. One day, a prospective customer dropped by our showroom driving a Midnight Blue 997 C2S with Sand Beige leather interior. I utterly swooned, and my wife was even taken in. Some day! I would occasionally relax checking out 997s for sale on the internet, and sometimes my wife would sit and look over my shoulder as we discussed each one. This cost nothing.
Finally, we thought we had enough money to replenish my 911 savings account, so I began looking in earnest. When I found a car or two in the vicinity, my wife and I would go to look and drive them. She got tired of spending so much time on this project after a couple of excursions, but supported my continued looking. She had confidence that I knew what I was doing because of all the homework I had put in, including learning a lot on this forum. I eventually found the car we would buy, a Midnight Blue 2008 C2S Cab with two-tone (black over Gray) full leather interior, and we bought it.
Now I was faced with potentially expensive maintenance costs (think "tires"), so I started my Tire Fund where I stashed all my left-over lunch money every week -- typically $20-$30. This strategy also helped me keep my weight down for the lowest possible "loaded weight." So far, this is working. The fund builds up faster than my tires wear out, so I can use it for pretty much all regular maintenance as well, essentially taking nothing from our normal family budget. It also helps that our 997 is essentially my daily driver.
Meanwhile, we ended up replacing her former DD with a brand new 2016 Macan S. Both of us have taken PCA's Basic Skills, so she drives the Macan appropriately. Porsche would be proud.
My advice is to build up a trusting, cooperative and collaborative relationship *first,* then the appropriate amount of money takes care of itself. Now, after driving a GT3 at PECLA, I am trying to figure out how I can increase our income massively so I can cooperatively buy one (new) without trashing our retirement. I pity people who can easily get everything they want right away without the extended pleasure of dreaming about it and responsibly saving for it for years. I have found that this process greatly increases its value and the amount of pleasure derived. At least, to us.
While I have always wanted a Porsche 911 since I was 12 years old, my priorities always put school, family, and career first. Each of us has been the primary bread winner at one time or another, and we had to mind our pennies for nearly three decades. I graduated from college, we had two children, she went back to school and graduated from college, while I got my MBA. We paid our way in every case, so neither of us graduated with any debt. This took years.
After our children graduated from college, we started our own business, which took all the available capital we had, including my special savings account which I had been building up to buy a 911 -- it became a state-of-the-art paint system. I placed a Porsche Crest sticker on the machinery to (a) remind me of my dream and (b) to make sure all employees understood that this system was my "Porsche" and by God they had better treat it accordingly.
Slowly, our business grew, even during the Recession. One day, a prospective customer dropped by our showroom driving a Midnight Blue 997 C2S with Sand Beige leather interior. I utterly swooned, and my wife was even taken in. Some day! I would occasionally relax checking out 997s for sale on the internet, and sometimes my wife would sit and look over my shoulder as we discussed each one. This cost nothing.
Finally, we thought we had enough money to replenish my 911 savings account, so I began looking in earnest. When I found a car or two in the vicinity, my wife and I would go to look and drive them. She got tired of spending so much time on this project after a couple of excursions, but supported my continued looking. She had confidence that I knew what I was doing because of all the homework I had put in, including learning a lot on this forum. I eventually found the car we would buy, a Midnight Blue 2008 C2S Cab with two-tone (black over Gray) full leather interior, and we bought it.
Now I was faced with potentially expensive maintenance costs (think "tires"), so I started my Tire Fund where I stashed all my left-over lunch money every week -- typically $20-$30. This strategy also helped me keep my weight down for the lowest possible "loaded weight." So far, this is working. The fund builds up faster than my tires wear out, so I can use it for pretty much all regular maintenance as well, essentially taking nothing from our normal family budget. It also helps that our 997 is essentially my daily driver.
Meanwhile, we ended up replacing her former DD with a brand new 2016 Macan S. Both of us have taken PCA's Basic Skills, so she drives the Macan appropriately. Porsche would be proud.
My advice is to build up a trusting, cooperative and collaborative relationship *first,* then the appropriate amount of money takes care of itself. Now, after driving a GT3 at PECLA, I am trying to figure out how I can increase our income massively so I can cooperatively buy one (new) without trashing our retirement. I pity people who can easily get everything they want right away without the extended pleasure of dreaming about it and responsibly saving for it for years. I have found that this process greatly increases its value and the amount of pleasure derived. At least, to us.
Last edited by JustinCase; 09-23-2018 at 11:03 PM.
09-24-2018, 12:47 AM
#27
Burning Brakes
First, I don't "handle" my wife of over 32 years. Second, I pay for all Porsche costs out of "my" money. Of course it's really "our" money, but we each maintain independent income streams. She has a vague idea what it all costs, plus or minus a hundred thousand or so.
Last edited by raspritz; 09-24-2018 at 01:24 AM.
09-24-2018, 01:31 AM
#29
Drifting
My wife and I both work, so all money is ours, not mine or hers. My wife used to give me a hard time about my car spending until I got fed up and added up what we’ve spent on her vehicles over the years versus what we’ve spent on mine. She gets new cars, I buy used. Her car is serviced at the dealer, I do most of my own services. She keeps a car just three or four years, I keep mine for much longer.
After the math was done, she saw that our outlay for her string of Lexuses and her last two Mercedes has racked up quite a total. If it was a balance sheet, I’d have a ton of equity built up on my side. She kept quiet about my spending for a while after that.
She does, however, have a short memory and before I buy my next car, I’m sure I’ll have to break out and update the spreadsheet again.
After the math was done, she saw that our outlay for her string of Lexuses and her last two Mercedes has racked up quite a total. If it was a balance sheet, I’d have a ton of equity built up on my side. She kept quiet about my spending for a while after that.
She does, however, have a short memory and before I buy my next car, I’m sure I’ll have to break out and update the spreadsheet again.
09-24-2018, 04:02 AM
#30
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by jamesinger
...We don't have kids though. DINK status here, which I know is a massive privilege.