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Just wanted to say hello and say thanks to the folks in this forum for all the informative posts. It's helped me decide on my new Cayenne (almost went with the new Macan S) -- Just picked it up on Wednesday. Well, not quite brand new, it's a demo that's 9 months old with 8k km (5k miles).
Gotta say, it was hard to pull the trigger to purchase it... not that I had doubt about it being a fantastic car (it's such a HUGE HUGE HUGE upgrade to the hard-riding, heavy, loud, tank of a 2012 X5 35 Diesel that it's replacing) but as being an American now living in Europe (Poland), these cars are crazy expensive here vs. in the States... something I'm not yet used to. For perspective, I can buy I really nice apartment or build a small house for that price in this little city here. My relatively light optioned base Cayenne retails for $120k USD here (taxes included)... picked it up the my demo for $106k USD. But it hurts to when you see it costs about $85k USD new (pre tax but also before any any discount) in the US. And paying cash makes you really feel the hit to your bank account.
But the cash is gone, the car is here, and my wife tells me to not forget that just the few years of saving on Bay Area (California) rent/mortgage paid off for the car... so trying to enjoy the purchase now. Already took it up 140 MPH on the freeway on the way home (225 KM/hour) and cruised for a steady three hours at 110 MPH or so, and it's so incredibly smooth. A really fantastic ride. Love it!
Money is money. Now that it's gone, rolling around on four wheels, enjoy your car. Sounds like that won't be too difficult. That's a beautiful home you've got behind your Cayenne, too, Mr. Expat!
Thanks everyone!! And congrats to all who have or are awaiting one of these
Re: Scott Cowan -- Black tips would look sweet. Any recommendations where to pick up some nice ones?
Originally Posted by JCWLS3
Congratulations!
Money is money. Now that it's gone, rolling around on four wheels, enjoy your car. Sounds like that won't be too difficult. That's a beautiful home you've got behind your Cayenne, too, Mr. Expat!
You're right... we all just have one life to live. Feeling lucky to be able to afford one of these machines at a "young" 36 years of age. Now we'll see how long it'll take the kids to destroy it.
Actually, here's the Cayenne's new home now... anyone ever dreamed of living debt-free, corporate-rat-race-free, and at a fraction of what it costs to live on the west or east coast, it's totally doable as an expat working remotely in so many places around the world. Dream big!
@BlackerFriday Congratulations! We definitely only live once, so I applaud you for the choice, and your wife for being so supportive. If you don't mind me asking, what took you to Poland? I'm always curious about American expats. I'd really like to do a year or two abroad...if only I could convince my family!
@BlackerFriday Congratulations! We definitely only live once, so I applaud you for the choice, and your wife for being so supportive. If you don't mind me asking, what took you to Poland? I'm always curious about American expats. I'd really like to do a year or two abroad...if only I could convince my family!
yes, I’m curious as well. We moved to TN from Colorado and feel like expats here. Lol! No state income tax and .45-.50 property tax is great. Sales tax stinks at 9.45% but no retirement tax. 🤗
yes, I’m curious as well. We moved to TN from Colorado and feel like expats here. Lol! No state income tax and .45-.50 property tax is great. Sales tax stinks at 9.45% but no retirement tax. 🤗
Nice! At least they still speak some form of english in TN
OK, so a number of factors lead us to our move. I'll mention that my wife is originally from Poland (her parents live close by... 20 min drive from us) and I have some Polish background so the move maybe wasn't extreme as moving to some other random non-English speaking country half-way across the world you've never been to before where you're totally lost. Here's our scenario:
- Both of us burned out, stressed and working long hours in our corporate jobs (wife was an auditor at one of the Big 4 accounting firms and I was responsible for a direct-sales global affiliate marketing program at a large tech company)... both of us looking to slow down, have more time for each other, and bring some work-life balance.
- We were at an age where we could still try something new (early 30's), take some risk, and return to our corporate jobs if things didn't work out.
- We had a new baby born, no family nearby. We didn't want someone else raising our kids and we wanted our kids to have grandparents in their lives (I didn't have that and felt that I missed that growing up).
- The 2008/2009 financial crisis instilled some fear in us - watching so many friends and colleagues getting laid off showed us how easy you can loose everything you worked so hard to make. Everyone is replaceable.
Now as an expat,
- Generally, The USD goes a long, long way here (at current exchange rates), and the internet has made it that you can still make dollars while working remotely, regardless where you live. So even though I earn less as an absolute sum, the amount saved on California rent, food and living expenses more than makes up for it... most of what we make is saved and can be reinvested. As I reference, I would say everyday grocery shopping is 4x less for comparable products.
- I'm now self-employed and work in a very flexible schedule from home. I now have the "time" that I didn't have. My wife only works about 10 hours/month (also remotely from home). We have time to raise the kids, travel, eat out, watch tv, etc.
- .Cyclenut1 mentioned his 45-.50 property tax... here I'm paying about $150/year property tax on a newly built 5000+ sf home on a 1.5 acre lot (which we had designed and built for us... exactly how we wanted... something I couldn't even dream of in Cali).
- Totally debt-free now. No mortgage, no loans.
- Generally a safe country. Nobody has guns.
- No California wildfires, earthquakes, droughts. My house is made from brick and concrete and won't burn down. Can water the lawn as much I want.
- Dr. and hospital visits are free. No co-pay. No bills. Everyone is insured.
- As a single-person company here, I pay a flat 19% income tax rate regardless of income.
- You can drive really, really fast on the freeways here And although you have to pay tolls, they are mostly smooth and pot-hole free.
- So many places to see and travel nearby... Europe isn't that big.
But the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence... there's always some downsides...
- I'm a foreigner here... and it's not as common as being a foreigner in the U.S. so you sometimes feel out of place. Can speak the language but haven't learned how to read well yet.
- Winter's are cold and gloomy (although not as extreme as winter's I've experienced in Chicago). Winter home-heating pollution is nasty. Miss the year-round mild California weather, sunshine.
- No steady paycheck, ESPP's, bonuses, corporate credit card, and free lunches.
- Miss the Bay Area restaurants.
- Cars, clothes and electronics are significantly more expensive in the US. Extra duty applied to cars with engines larger than 2.0l.
So that's it in a nutshell!! Overall a good move for us...
[QUOTE=BlackerFriday;15781177]Nice! At least they still speak some form of english in Tennessee.
Thanks for the detailed response. When you said “Grandparents” I knew right away that was the big draw and it would have been for us as well. Having family nearby with kids of your own is wonderful, especially grandparents who can spoil them with love. I also used to live in a California(Sonoma) “fourth generation”. We have a lot of friends and family there but the taxes and cost of living are just ridiculous as you well know. Colorado started getting a little nutty for us and the move to Tennessee has been great. I have encountered a few deep southern ascents that remind me of the movie “Waterboy”.lol The clean southern language is lovely and easy to understand though. Just love it! People are much nicer and move at a slower pace. Very reminiscent of eating at a restaurant in Spain, we’ll not that slow. Lol
The healthcare here is fantastic. What I have noticed, is many folks here live well below their means, not like California at all. We have a lot of house poor friends in a Menlo Park and few not house poor in Atherton. I could never buy a house there, that we have here.
Good for you quickly realizing that the corporate life is a family drain. Having both parents working full time is not healthy for kids or relationships. I have been there and almost got divorced because of it. I quit my day job and started a lending business giving me the freedom to work from anywhere and never have to leave the house for work.
Excellent job on the beautiful home. That is my style as well...very California 😉
BlackerFriday: Fascinating post, thanks. Cheers to you and your family doing what you want, when you want at such a young age. Very impressive and rare to see someone with your combination of youth, professional savvy and financial smarts. It sure sounds like you are doing it the right way.
Sorry I was confused about your house in your first posts. I'd have been more than happy with that one! Your new, actual house is quite the stunner.
@BlackerFriday thanks for the detailed explanation and thoughts. Good for you for setting your priorities and then voting with your feet. I wish we had that kind of family pull to nudge us in one direction or another...
Re: Cyclenut1 — Tennessee sounds like a great move too! I’ve never been there but hope to someday take the kids on some summer road trips once they get a little bit older. And congrats with your business — That’s awesome!
Re: JCWLS3 — Thank you Maybe in 20 years I’ll be able to upgrade to a Turbo like yours… it looks like a sweet, sweet ride.
Re: pokingaround — You live only once. If you can leave a backdoor open, then it’s all doable… and just a flight away if /when you need to return after a few months/years. It might help persuading your family by proposing a place like southern Spain or the French Riviera… who can say no to that?
04-12-2019, 05:30 PM
New to Porsche - New Cayenne
Well, not quite brand new, it's a demo that's 9 months old with 8k km (5k miles).
