Low-profile rides for high-flyers

[JPFS1]

I find this extremely interesting that people in this position don't splurge more than they do. Maybe it is where they came from and did the hard yards that they are like this? Interesting Psychology behind this.

It's particularly close to home for me because this is accurate behaviour/trait for people that i am extremely close with, and i have a part in the whole scheme of things (i don't think i would be as conservative though when the time comes and is right). Income of 7 digits, value of 8 digits, and drives a nissan maxima

Low-profile rides for high-flyers

Richard Blackburn, drive.com.au, 29/09/06

The world's richest people don't squander their fortunes on flash cars, according to US magazine Forbes.

Bill Gates

The magazine has compiled a list of cars driven by the people who sit at the top of its annual mega-rich list and it is uninspiring, to say the least.

There are no Ferraris, Lamborghinis or Bugattis. Instead, there is a mix of garden-variety Lincolns, Dodges and Ford trucks.

Ingvar Kamprad, founder of the Swedish furniture and home goods company Ikea, takes the award for most questionable taste in cars. Kamprad, estimated to be worth about $37 billion, is the proud owner of a 13-year-old Volvo 240 GL.

The man at the top of the billionaires' list, Bill Gates (pictured), owns a Porsche 911 - but it's seven years old. With an estimated $66.7 billion in the bank, you'd
think he could afford to trade up.

Forbes speculates that for the super-rich, there is no need to drive a status symbol. Most prefer to live inconspicuously and a run-of-the-mill car attracts less attention.

Perhaps that explains why the No. 2 on the billionaires' list, investor Warren Buffett, drives a 2001 Lincoln Town Car, despite being worth $56 billion.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ($29.3 billion) also has a high-mileage Porsche - a 1988 959 Coupe that shares a garage with a 1988 Mazda B-Series ute.

Another Microsoft billionaire, Steven Ballmer ($18.6 billion), stays true to his Detroit roots by driving a 1998 Lincoln Continental.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud ($26.6 billion), nephew of Saudi King Abdullah, elevates the tone a bit with two Rolls-Royce Phantoms, other luxury cars - and two Korean-made Daewoo Matizes.

Wal-Mart heir Jim Walton is another who shuns Italian supercars for more practical transport. Despite an estimated worth of $20.9 billion, Walton can be seen about town in a 2002 Dodge Dakota pick-up or a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado. His sister, Alice, also on the Forbes rich list and worth $20.6 billion, prefers a Ford F-Series pick-up.