[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

I know you did.

I always answer with lower than normal prices too. Like i'm a tight ass mofo. Don't want anyone asking for a loan or something!

Like if i were OP; i would have said i bought my wheels used from a guy getting a divorce and needed cash. Paid $100 a wheel!

In fact, all my suspension, exhaust, trunk lid, etc... all was used for super cheap. Only have $1200 in mods on my car.

This also helps reduce the stigma of only pricks driving BMWs.

Now that i think about, it i tend to answer any question about my car the opposite way i think the typical BMW driver would.

I tend to do this as well. If an enthusiast comes up to me and asks specifically how much the CP-E exhaust costs because they want to buy one, I'll happily give them the info. I would also tell a real estate agent how much I paid for my house if it came up in conversation. That's just industry talk. What I think is rude is when someone walks up to someone driving a nice car and just straight out asks how much it cost them. I just don't understand why they need to know other than to judge the person they are asking.

[Nate4641]

I had a mexican friend ask me how much something was earlier today and to be polite he started it with, "if you don't mind me asking...". I feel like thats a better way to ask about the price of something. It gives the person being asked the opportunity not to answer. In the case of the OP, if I saw carbon fiber wheels, yeah I would be curious how much something like that ran too, but I do understand his position. When I read his post one of the first things that popped into my head was "this guy probably wants to jack these wheels and sell them".

I also read the thread title and thought this was about hookers at first. In that case I would say it isn't rude because hookers aren't people anyways.

[direwolfM3]

Agree with depends on what they're asking about. I recently purchased a nice coffee/espresso maker. It makes a great cup of coffee but I'm a little embarrassed with how much I paid for it. So, I get asked, I usually give a much lower number.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by kits135i

To give more in site to my feelings. What I have found is most people do not like to be asked unless they are the type that love to show off. It is kind of personal. I feel its rude to ask people what they paid for things. I have a lot of answers to when someone asks what I pay for things. Examples: If someone asked what I paid for x, I will respond with... I will tell you if you tell me what is your wife or gf bra size is or say well, my wife is a porno star and she bought me this as a gift so I have no idea... The list goes on. I got like this due to the rude people who would say, well if you would not have bought a 10k watch you could have donated that to help people or I get to point a to point b on a car that cost 10k... Why do you feel the need to flaunt your money etc, etc. It's my money and I can do what I want with it and I don't need some person looking to stab me for it, or telling me how I "should" have spend it. As the saying goes... I spent 90% of my money on women, cars and alcohol and the other 10% I wasted!

Sorry but this is worse than the original offense in my opinion.

[kits135i]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

Sorry but this is worse than the original offense in my opinion.

Not in my opinion. If you want to get "personal" then lets get "personal". To me its exactly the same.

[g14classified]

First world problems

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by kits135i

Not in my opinion. If you want to get "personal" then lets get "personal". To me its exactly the same.

It's only the same if he bought those boobs the bra is holding up. haha

[P1]

I'm European but live in Texas currently. It's amazing how quickly everyone gives up what they pay for things, how much their yearly salary is, how much they paid for their house. Very private things I would think...

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I tend to do this as well. If an enthusiast comes up to me and asks specifically how much the CP-E exhaust costs because they want to buy one, I'll happily give them the info. I would also tell a real estate agent how much I paid for my house if it came up in conversation. That's just industry talk. What I think is rude is when someone walks up to someone driving a nice car and just straight out asks how much it cost them. I just don't understand why they need to know other than to judge the person they are asking.

I also have no problem when speaking amongst enthusiasts about specifics. However, the question I find annoying tends to come from completely random people. The question being, "how much does that cost you per month?" I was asked that question all the time when I first got my 135. I don't get it, do the people asking this question think there is a set monthly payment on a given car and are wondering if they can afford it? I guess they just don't understand that a monthly payment can vary based on the down payment, lease vs. finance, interest rate, or just no payment at all if the car is paid for in cash.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by P1et

I'm European but live in Texas currently. It's amazing how quickly everyone gives up what they pay for things, how much their yearly salary is, how much they paid for their house. Very private things I would think...

The price a house sold for is public record and can easily be looked up, so I suppose people may be more willing to share that info. I'm not sure why some people are so easy to divulge their annual salary though. Maybe to brag?

[MiddleAgedAl]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

If an enthusiast comes up to me and asks specifically how much the CP-E exhaust costs because they want to buy one, I'll happily give them the info. I would also tell a real estate agent how much I paid for my house if it came up in conversation. That's just industry talk. What I think is rude is when someone walks up to someone driving a nice car and just straight out asks how much it cost them. I just don't understand why they need to know other than to judge the person they are asking.

Exactly! That's the key right there.

For me, why they are asking makes all the difference as to whether it's rude or not.

If it's pretty obvious they have a legitimate interest in the car itself, and they are asking to learn more about it (not to learn more about me), then I'm usually honest and helpful.

If it's clear they are not a car enthusiast, but see something they think looks "expensive", and are asking what I paid to learn more about ME, then I'm not above answering with "why dont you tell me how much you make and I'll tell you if you can afford it".

[Mr Tonka]

I guess when it's obvious that someone is asking how much because the car looks pretty and shiny; i don't assume it's my responsibility to make them feel like an insignificant peasant by demeaning them with my response.

Ignorance isn't an excuse for lacking tact, but it is a reason. And just because someone has never had the luxury of looking into purchasing a 135, 335, X5, M3, etc... doesn't give me the right to make them feel even more inferior than they may already feel.

The majority of people who ask those random questions will likely never drive a car worth more than $10k. In my mind that sucks and if that were my position in life, i'd rather not have to key the pretty, shiny, expensive car that belongs to that walking penis.

Just my opinion i guess.

[Carmen SanDiego]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

I guess when it's obvious that someone is asking how much because the car looks pretty and shiny; i don't assume it's my responsibility to make them feel like an insignificant peasant by demeaning them with my response.

Ignorance isn't an excuse for lacking tact, but it is a reason. And just because someone has never had the luxury of looking into purchasing a 135, 335, X5, M3, etc... doesn't give me the right to make them feel even more inferior than they may already feel.

The majority of people who ask those random questions will likely never drive a car worth more than $10k. In my mind that sucks and if that were my position in life, i'd rather not have to key the pretty, shiny, expensive car that belongs to that walking penis.

Just my opinion i guess.

This entire post is exactly how I feel. Thank you for putting it into words better than I could.

[MiddleAgedAl]

I've had people at gas stations, driving rusted out 1974 Oldsmobuicks, ask about the car, and while they might be a bit ignorant, often those "insignificant peasants" are the ones who dont lack tact, cause they dont just jump straight to the cost. You can tell a lot by where people look when they ask you. Their gaze is often fixed on the car, not me, and they ask stuff like how fast it is, or how much power it has, and eventually get to the cost question, and it's obvious they are curious about the car, even tho they might never get to own one themselves. Five minutes later they couldnt describe me, cause there was no eye contact; but I bet they could describe the car in vivid detail! I got all the time in the world for those people, cause I was there once myself.

It's the folks who are all about impressing others that are the problem in my experience.

Then there are those who look at the car long enough to determine it's probably > 10K, then never look at the car again, and are glancing at my watch to see if it's expensive looking (sorry, it's a Casio, not a Rolex), generally giving me the once-over. When you try and engage them about the car itself, it's painfully obvious they couldnt care less how fast it goes, or how much power it has, or anything about it, except how expensive it is.

Usually they are not driving the 1974 Oldsmobuick, but often a newer model that they often know nothing about if you ask them, probably purchased for it's ability to impress others. Sorry, but if I'm being honest, I got no problem demeaning them...

[vastano]

I'm glad I started this thread, seeing as a majority of people think it's rude. I think it comes down to Joe Schmo judging you based on how much your property costs. I'm not out to prove anything or to flaunt. I like nice things, and I dont wanna buy stuff more than once so I usually go for the more quality parts.

In my particular case described above, the guy walks right up to me and asks about my wheels. I dont give him a number, but then he proceeds to say "i'll tell you how much mine cost." Suddenly it turned into a dick measuring contest. Total douche move on his part. I dont care how much you spent. If you have nice things, thats great.

If they have tact when asking, as in the example above of "if you dont mind me asking" or "would you mind telling me" then its a little better, but I mean, what does that gain Joe Schmo knowing I dropped $XXXX on wheels?

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by kits135i

Not in my opinion. If you want to get "personal" then lets get "personal". To me its exactly the same.

So asking someone what their wheels cost at a CAR meet... is the same as some random dude on the street asking what your gf bra size is? Mkay.

[ddk632]

Much depends on the context.

Fellow car enthusiast asking, thread on the forum, one thing. Not rude, perfectly acceptable.

Acquaintance or someone who you don't know well such as a coworker, or the attendant at your local gas station, another. They usually want to know if you paid cash or financed, and if so what is your payment, too. None of their business.

Sometimes it's a young kid who might aspire to drive your car one day, who knows. Tell them something positive and inspirational.

Hell, I've had people yell out their car on the road at a stoplight on my motorcycle, "nice bike man, how much?!" Literally in the same sentence. I'll never see the guy again, so not rude but kind of funny, and definitely not very tactful. Sometimes I tell them, sometimes I say, "they range, check out the Ducati website" and ride off

It depends on the context of the question and the intent of the asker. Usually it's not too difficult to use your intuition to determine this and answer accordingly.

[grimlock]

Some people are genuinely curious, or want to admire something (ie. the 'poor' people).. you can't blame these people for lack of tact, even if a european peasant wouldn't ask such a question.
But if a guy wants to measure his dick against yours.. or you don't want people looking at your dick..

[Vic311]

You know the only adage,

"If you have to ask, you can't afford it"

[Nkc]

Originally Posted by grimlock

Some people are genuinely curious, or want to admire something (ie. the 'poor' people).. you can't blame these people for lack of tact, even if a european peasant wouldn't ask such a question.
But if a guy wants to measure his dick against yours.. or you don't want people looking at your dick..

I thought we (BMW drivers) were ie the 'poor' people in HK lol.

The whole deal with asking how much really depends where you're from and what culture you reside in. I personally don't mind when people ask how much because I would always tell them a significantly smaller or larger amount just for kicks, that either represent a killer deal or a major rip off. Of course, this is when dealing with strangers that I don't give two shits about.

[M3 Pilot]

It depends on the context.

I personally don't find anything wrong with people asking "How Much" but I see it in 2 ways.

1) People who genuinely knows something about cars, enthusiast, or in the market for a BMW. --> No problem.

2) People who set you up for a trap that ends off with, "whats the point of having a 400hp car in a congested city" , "you're so rich", "Did your parents pay for it", etc. --> Eat a dick.

Some people are simply xenophobic.

[kits135i]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

So asking someone what their wheels cost at a CAR meet... is the same as some random dude on the street asking what your gf bra size is? Mkay.

The issue is NOT at a car meet talking with an car enthusiasts that might want the same thing on his car! Its some jack hole on the street trying claim his shit is better measuring his dong... At a car meet I would expect that. This context is different!

So you have never been told by someone who ask you what you paid for something and you tell them. Then the guy says well I could have got that cheaper or wow you could have bought this instead of that for less... or something similar to that? If you say no, you are a liar! Another good reason I just ignore or ask questions like bra size.

Here is one of my bra stories... I was in one of my Lotus cars and a jack hole M3 owner got out of his car with his dumb blond GF laughing and watching (assuming he must of said something about my car to her) going I can smoke you. What did you spend on that piece of shit when my car for half the cost can smoke you. Come on tell me, what did you pay for that??? I looked at him right in his eye and said "tell me your GF bra size and I will tell you." He got back in his car and drove away slowly.

Its all about attitude man... Be a dick and I guarantee I will be worst back.