I’m a car nut, and as such, one of the last people I’d ever feel sympathy for is the owner of an exotic car. At least, that was the case until this last week. This last week I was presented with a different perspective on the matter of owning an exotic car. I spoke with a gent that owns a Ferrari 430 and for the first few minutes we did what car nuts do, obsess about the intricacies of the car. However, a few minutes into the discussion he said that he doesn’t drive the car that much anymore. This guy is not one of those Ferrari owners that buys a car because its pretty or prestigious. This guy buys a car to be driven, hard. This kind of behavior begs the question, “why?”

So what causes a Ferrari 430 owner to not drive it?

Simple, fear. The fear that in a world where the loss of jobs and homes are commonplace, envy or resentment could bring people to commit acts of violence against those that are not feeling the crunch. Just think about those AIG execs that received death threats after the news about their bonuses leaked. I really hope our society has not degraded to such a state where we should be ashamed of our successes or fearful of expressing them. That is indeed NOT the American dream.

Not all Ferrari owners are evil exploitive bastards

Success is not a bad thing. We all strive for success in different ways. Once attained, we express that success in different ways. Most exotic car owners are not driving these amazing machines around to make anyone feel bad about their life. It’s got nothing to do with that. They’re just enjoying the ride, wouldn’t you?

cars cars, economy, ferrari