Which material objects are stereotypical status symbols in your country? In the UK, we have Range Rovers (with personalised license plates) which can barely fit on our roads. They are colloquially called “Chelsea Tractors” because they are seemingly essential vehicles for rich people from London.
https://i.redd.it/vcgugv96zrld1.jpeg
by Odd_Fix_1250
45 comments
Ah yes Chelsie tractors
People usually don’t spend lot of money on their cars here. Rich people will likely own a decent middle class car that is relatively new or a Mercedes etc., but the actual outlier item, for the middle and upper classes, are designer lamps worth tens of thousands of euros, and other designer furniture. This is probably why the burglary rate is so high in Denmark
In Serbia(and the whole Balkan region) is the same – BMW, Audi, Range Rover or some other “prestigious” car brand with personalized car plates. You can find them parked on spots reserved for handicapped people. And of course, some of them have “handicapped” stickers, because that way car insurance and road taxes are much cheaper.
Then you have people who pretend that they are rich, and are showing their “wealth” with branded clothes and the latest flagship phones.
Having a BMW or a Mercedes and a villa is basically peak wealth. Eating octopuses meanwhile is usually a sign that wealth is going in over your head.
I thought only my Albanians did this thing with range rovers and personalized plates.
Am an expat who visited the UK a while back,
Those range rovers are fucking everywhere,and it seems like even not so well off people have them too because they want to appear rich.
In Romania we have BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Those are the status symbol of “rich” people. The bigger the car, the less taxes you could expect that person to be paying. Before you get angry at them, I regret to inform you many of them are unfortunately physically disabled, at least that’s what you would deduce by how often they park on parking spots reserved for people with disabilities or pregnant women. We can’t see it, but their cars have a personal aura, many times larger than the cars itself. That’s why they to occupy multiple parking spots at once.
On the lower end of the wealth spectrum there’s the VW and Skoda wielders. We joke about owners of the VW Passat, saying they have a Passerati due to how they act in public and on the roads.
Hello everyone from Ukraine.
we have, if I’m not mistaken because I’m not rich, a Tesla and the same Range Rover. but 2-3 years old.
In Holland we name them PC Hoofttractors, named after the expensive shopping street in Amsterdam, where these cars block the road all day (used to block, haven’t been there for a while)
Burberry in Varna, Bulgaria. You can see men and women dressed for the beach in the Burberry plaid from top to bottom – hat, swimsuit, towel, T-shirt/dress to the flip-flops. The rumour is as there is no official Burberry store and the city is not so rich, but a port, that most are Chinese or Turkish counterfeits.
Looks like this Range Rover is fitting perfectly well on the road
Bad bot
I think cars are still a thing here, but more of the older generations. Young people care much less. For people of Milan specifically, owning a flat in the city center and multiple houses or villa around the Lakes, Alps or sea town is still a thing though. Specifically Courmayeur or Bormio for a house on the Alps and Alassio or Sestri Levante on the Ligurian Riviera. Tipical Milanese towns.
In Poland it seems to go one of two ways, either used BMW imported from Western Europe or like a new Toyota Camry/Skoda Superb
In Georgia, we have Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Most of the corrupt people drive it. But corrupt church officials are in special love with that car. So we call it “Mgvdel-cruiser”, which translates as “Priest-Cruiser”.
What an interesting idea to call them tractors of people who made it. Yes yes very same in Lithuania, expen$$$ive car and custom number plate and terrible parking apparently on purpose because what you peasants with normal cars and plates going to do muhahahha 😂
In Hungary G Mercedes became the symbol of Orban’s system beneficiaries recently. When you were poor / simple minded but you get tons of money in a few years, it is one way to spend it I guess. Kinda funny parallel that in Russia this has been the symbol for quite a long time, I guess we are catching up lol (in terms of corruption and wealth distribution to the friends of government)
It is kinda hard to justify a G when you are working hard for your money. It’s really the type of ‘in your face – I am rich’ car
iPhone. In Ukraine it is often stupid, how a poor girl buying a modern Iphone.
Or when each manager on a business meeting puts his or her iphone on the table to show his or her Status.
We like number plates. TH1CK0 or D1MB0 really looks amaaaazing!
Same thing in Portugal. We associate Range Rovers with building developers.
Speaking of those narrow roads, I recently watched a video from the Late Brake Show with that massive car and I was extremely astonished how narrow the roads are and how high the speed limit is given the narrowness of those roads. I then remembered going through the field of Ireland, on an impressively narrow two lane road that the speed limit was like 50 km/h or so with turn without any kind of visibility. I was petrified and I wasn’t even driving. We almost crashed with a caravan because of course the caravan was like 70 % of the total pavement width.
I remember when Range Rovers were actually decent off roaders.
Tesla used to be such a symbol of a green and wealthy person.. but now they are just everywhere. I drive to work and every third car is a Tesla.
That’s odd, a Range Rover doesn’t strike me as a status symbol tbh.
Having a house as young as possible in Germany. 25-30 year olds that already finance their own house will get lots of “ohh”s and “ahh”s. Not really a fake status symbol I guess though, because even shitty tiny houses can be super expensive in many areas.
In terms of cars, it’s not really that big of a factor anymore. That tide of “big SUVs” and expensive luxury cars has already passed us and has become the new normal. Doesn’t really impress anyone anymore.
Leasing a car and rent for your apartment taking up 80% of your monthly income? That’s reality for many, many people, and they see absolutely no problem with it… Even ones that are seemingly “educated”.
In the Netherlands you could say some fancy type of city bike is a minor status symbol. Prior to the bankruptcy, Van Moof bikes were a must have for any self respecting manager.
Interestingly, it’s sort of reversed based on class. Being able to get around by bike means you have life sorted out, as you can afford to live close to work and live healthy and sustainably.
You know the difference between a Range Rover and a horse?
With a horse, the arsehole’s in the back.
In romania I’ve seen people with a 500 euro salary, buy a flagship iphone that’s double their salaries in cost with credit cards. Nothing screams rich than paying interest on a fking phone. Dunno why so many people have this disease of wanting to appear rich instead of trying to be rich.
In hong kong, expensive watches, not unusual to see a secretary sporting a genuine rolex
We have also Range Rovers from Turkey 🇹🇷
I can’t wait to get my black Range Rover with tinted windows. I’m going to drive it aggressively and park in disabled spots, where everyone can read my personalised plate: SM41 DIK
In Italy, retirement!
In Ireland it’s the absolutely beaten land cruiser that means you’re an old farmer who bombs around the back roads and has never ever ever washed their car
We call old BMW-s gypsy cars in Hungary
In the US we have soccer moms driving gargantuan Ford Expeditions, Lincoln Navigators, Cadillac Escalades all the while putting makeup on while tailgating the car in front of them and flipping off anyone that dares call attention to their horrible driving habits.
Yes, Range Rovers and BMWs or some other luxury vehicles but the Range rovers do seem to be the current “in” item, except they are always used/second hand and owned by people unable to afford or understand the maintenance required on them.
[Swedish version](https://www.mestmotor.se/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/MF230314-2U6A0684-2048×1152.jpg)
Can’t speak for all of Germany but here in the Mannheim area it’s all sorts of expensive German cars. AMG Mercs, X6 X7 Bimmers, Audi RS6 and R8. All of them obnoxiously loud in the city centre and driven by tattooed Middle Eastern men in their early 30s for some reason.
Buying the last iPhone model, when you already have a recent one.
Lol y’all talking about all these cars meanwhile in the Netherlands a status symbol is a Van Moof electric bike 😂 people driving cars were always considered lazy assholes
In Japan nearly all cars are Japanese, usally small in the countryside. But in the wealthier areas of Tokyo about half the cars are German, and a few other European makes.
In France, US pickups with great big V8 engines seem to be the up-and-coming status symbols. They’re pathetic, when parked they’re too big for the parking spaces. Real “screw everyone else” behaviour.
in Georgia its same, just expensive cars with custom plates, car of choice is often a blacked out G wagon
Porsche in gemany.
German cars, full stop.
Every time I find one on the road, driver’s an asshat violating like half the traffic code and getting angry at people who stick to the rules.
Huge cars are cringe