[Tats07]

There are certain things in life which cannot be called 'priorities' or 'obligations'. I know of someone whose family suffered some financial setbacks during his youth. From early part of his career, he took up the responsibility of the family, bought a very small apartment and an entry level hatchback.

He lives in a different city today, married with a small kid. His parents are in a different city, so he effectively runs two families. In his late 30s now, earns quite well as per IT standards, but still hasn't saved enough to buy an apartment in the city he lives in. He drives a used entry level hatchback, and maintains a small car with driver for his aged parents in his home city. He talks about BMWs and Skodas and Aston Martins, and has enough knowledge on automobiles, albeit theoritical. He has been wanting to buy a Honda City for a long time, yet has not been able to do so owing to financial constraints. All his friends earning at similar level drive Civics and Lauras, and all he does is keep himself updated about all the latest entrants in the automobile segment.

He hasn't stopped dreaming about Aston Martins, though deep inside he knows even a BMW might never happen.

At times, one just has to do what one perceives to be right, and not necessarily what one wants. It is not only about holidays, or house loans, it is about the near and dear ones.

[athanedar]

I work in one of the IT bellweather companies. Since last two years we are only getting maximum 60% of our variable compensation.
We have a 8 storied parking lot which houses around 2000 cars on any given day.
98% of cars are sub 6 lakh car.
Once the family grows there is no way this IT joe can buy a BMW (unless he comprises majorly somewhere or he has won a lottery)
I love cars, I love to drive luxury cars but I can only dream of them when in India.
Whenever I am in States for assignment I make a point to either own a luxury car or rent it. In my last stint I had a Lexus RX 300. I fulfill my desire in this way.

To sum up I think 99.9% of regular IT joes cant buy a BMW in India.

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by athanedar

To sum up I think 99.9% of regular IT joes cant buy a BMW in India.

correct and even if they can they will not buy .

This can be due to

-he immediately attracts attention of neighbors and anti social elements .
-Office people starts to suspect him and they also jealously starts ,he can deprived of promotions and increment
-he is afraid what own family ppl will think and relatives think about him
-he is afraid of future , if some thing happens , he will start blaming himself , I should have not bought that car
-Finally hes concerned about maintenance of it .

I know of few who don't have, due to the above

[klassics45]

Originally Posted by Tats07

At times, one just has to do what one perceives to be right, and not necessarily what one wants. It is not only about holidays, or house loans, it is about the near and dear ones.

Very well said, cant put it better than this. This is the main reason than affordability. We put our family and their happiness about all other priorities and thats what gives us more happiness than what we love to have.

[Passiautonate]

I am a B school grad from a top 15 college and worked in both-big financial and IT. Comparison below-

Financial Companies-
Well I believe and seen that car buying for a reasonably enthusiast person is 50%:50% game, i.e I have seen people utilizing 50% of their yearly CTC in buying a car. For e.g a guy earning 12-14 lac will buy a Honda City. 25 lac will buy something like Cruze/Civic. Now these are mature married individuals buying the aspirational stuff.

For a young executive at the starting phase (<4 years, unmarried or recently married) of his carrier- cars of choice are Laura, XUV, Safari even SX4, Fiesta in 2009 & 10. Keeping in mind that the person's yearly earning is equal to the cost of car. I bought a Fiesta at the same stage-2009 ( 1.5 years out of college and my friend got Sx4-2010). When I switched the company (2011) and went to a bigger conglomerate I saw people of my age buying Laura's and bit older sane people buying Vento's and Rapid's. Not to forget company had a lease scheme in which entry/mid level exective had a range till 18-24 lacs. VP had 30+, so no doubt 1 out of every 5 had Mercs, Accords Beemers . Well North India it is

IT Company- Was I surprised? no, well more sad and disappointed on this carrer move. Costliest car I saw out of 3000 odd ones was in the range of Laura's and XUV, that too with senior people . Again the same 50:50 rule (CTC = 2*car value) apply here, but as 80% of the staff is below 3-4 years experienced, scenario was acceptable.

• Also career growth is slow with average increment of 8% so reaching upto 40-45 lacs (aleast) will not be possible for an average/ above average Joe.
• These comapnies work on margins and FTE budgeting so they do hire very few laterals at 40+ package.
• At around 40, enthusiast die from majority of junta and getting 1 more house and stuff take over
• For those who can afford wont buy, as they would be singled out in a crowd of thousands.

So for an average Joe in IT to buy a BMW (with own resources) is close to impossible. For me I have to move out of this comapny to realize my dream- For better lateral hike and to a company where BMW culture is promoted.

Regards,
Maddy

[Anandv267]

Originally Posted by black12rr

-Office people starts to suspect him and they also jealously starts ,he can deprived of promotions and increment

In my case during my first project immediately after fresher training i used to take dad's verna sometimes to office and used to park the car where all the senior managers/directors park their cars.

A few weeks down the line my lead walks up to me and says"Anand, avoid bringing your big car. If you bring it please park it where people cant see you getting in and out of it. The senior management guys are kind of jealous"

This was during the appraisal time and no points for guessing it, i was given the second bucket(average). When i asked why i got second bucket even after working so much the reply i got was "There are people in this office who need this pay raise more than you do." I was like @#$^%$&$%#$

From that day onwards i always park my car in the end of the complex and make sure people dont know i own a car!! And ya, i will never buy a luxury car as long as i work in a software company. What if they fire me because i have a luxury car??!!

(My mom and dad still travel in the stupid vista and alto because they know i cant resist driving a luxury car if they buy one. So we brought a plot of land instead )

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Anandv267

In my case during my first project immediately after fresher training i used to take dad's verna sometimes to office and used to park the car where all the senior managers/directors park their cars.

IMO - Not a smart move after you have just completed your training.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by black12rr

correct and even if they can they will not buy .

This can be due to

-he immediately attracts attention of neighbors and anti social elements .
-Office people starts to suspect him and they also jealously starts ,he can deprived of promotions and increment
-he is afraid what own family ppl will think and relatives think about him
-he is afraid of future , if some thing happens , he will start blaming himself , I should have not bought that car
-Finally hes concerned about maintenance of it .

I know of few who don't have, due to the above

I completely agree with your observations. Especially the second point about colleagues and seniors getting jealous about him. Personally I feel these morons shouldn't poke their noses in others' personal lives or decisions. I can choose to buy whatever I want with my X amount of salary. Maybe I have lesser commitments at a young age and wish to buy what I want. Whether I buy a house or a BMW is none of their business, just like I don't bother about whether the senior is buying a flat or visiting Europe with his wife or whatever. Each man's money to himself!

I work in a product dev company (I don't know if you can call that a regular IT joe), and have been faced with this question sometimes when I take the car to office - "wow man! you come to office in a car? Your lead comes by Volvo bus!", to which I said the same thing to this chap too "His priorities might be different from mine, what matters within the office boundaries is my work done here, not how I commute or what I buy with my salary". I care two hoots about these jealous guys. If I am able to afford a BMW and maintain it, I will buy it regardless of what society says or thinks. If my manager buys a LPG santro and an apartment when I buy a 320D, no reason why my life should be influenced by his lifestyle. I live mine the way I want, he lives his. Period.

What I worry more about is after buying a BMW, the morons on the road will damage my car when making their way through gaps in traffic, and I will be left cursing them while they speed away.Some indicab will try to squeeze out of my lane and brush bumpers. My repair cost (assuming a 320D) will be 30,000 while his will be 300 Rs (which he anyway wont repair).

Originally Posted by Anandv267

In my case during my first project immediately after fresher training i used to take dad's verna sometimes to office and used to park the car where all the senior managers/directors park their cars.

A few weeks down the line my lead walks up to me and says"Anand, avoid bringing your big car. If you bring it please park it where people cant see you getting in and out of it. The senior management guys are kind of jealous"

This was during the appraisal time and no points for guessing it, i was given the second bucket(average). When i asked why i got second bucket even after working so much the reply i got was "There are people in this office who need this pay raise more than you do." I was like @#$^%$&$%#$

From that day onwards i always park my car in the end of the complex and make sure people dont know i own a car!! And ya, i will never buy a luxury car as long as i work in a software company. What if they fire me because i have a luxury car??!!

(My mom and dad still travel in the stupid vista and alto because they know i cant resist driving a luxury car if they buy one. So we brought a plot of land instead )

My condolences to you, Anandv27 . I have been in situations like these and can relate to what you just said, but I don't care much about the prying eyes. Tell the leads to keep office work performance restricted to your work in those 8 hours within the office boundaries. How you reach the parking lot of the building is irrelevant in the context of the appraisal. It is extremely shocking to hear that he actually said those words during the appraisal meet. You should escalate such things to HR/management and sue him for that discriminatory remark (I think I would have done it if I was in your place). If hikes were to be given solely based on outer appearances (showoff quotient) and material wealth belongings, the D group staff who do the housekeeping need to be given the maximum percentage.

[Gansan]

^^If you buy a car bigger and flashier than the one your bosses own, desist from taking it to work. And allowing it to rub shoulders with their cars! Go to office by a cheaper car or some other mode! If nothing else, they may think during pay hike time "he doesn't really need that raise".

That is, unless you don't really need the job and it is just for "time pass"!

[KarthikK]

^^ I agree with what you said on the general mentality, but this is where I will disobey. I can jolly well go by car if I am not bothered about what others think. Whether I need the hike or not is immaterial to my boss. Hikes should be given based on job performance, not on which segment car I already have. What I do with my money is my business. If I am enjoying myself while staying within the limits (of getting burdened by expenses), I don't see any reason why people should poke their noses in my expenditure plans. Like Tsk1979 said before, some people buy flats with the same money. No offense meant, but living in fear of society and its inhibitions has never appealed to me.

Whether I need the job for financial stability, or whether I go there because I love what I do, or for timepass, is irrelevant to the higher-ups. During office hours, I am XYZ, the software professional, not XYZ the owner of ABC luxury car. They ought to judge me based on the software development work I do, not on how badly I need the salary increment compared to others. If he thinks otherwise, we can always escalate it to someone higher than him/her to intervene, and we'll get to see who backs off.

[aargee]

My thoughts goes this way...

Most IT professionals live out of their own town & there're few lucky blokes who live & work in the same city as they were born/bought up. Now, even if they do, there're even few luckier ones who happen to live inside the city AND have their own house (be it own or apartment). Having their own private (or more than one parking space) is really a boon.

Point is that most people live outside the city limits (in suburbs probably) that are blessed with broken, patched, potholed & slushy roads; can't really imagine a BMW with dirty tires, sounds to me!!!

Next important thing being, buying is one time affair, but maintenance is for lifetime. So maintenance is most important criteria after buying. Living in suburbs, especially in this country where any damage to our cars done by two-wheelers are legally pardoned (WTH), our cars are more subject to dents & scratches by them

Beyond all these comes the great NEIGHBORS, who always think they're better off than anyone in the street with ever ready to spread rumors through gossips. People in apartments are blessed with kids with curious eyes & attentive towards sizer boundaries marked by the most expensive car in the lot hehe

So the most important single factor comes to mind is - SAFE PARKING in our concrete jungle where a cent of land is occupied by 3-4 families, forget alone a parking space for BMW. So an average IT person is always keen on spending 45 Lakhs for a 1000 sqft apartment & parking lot rather than a 60 sqft of luxury mobile.

After parking & neighbors come the damagers...err...managers, colleagues & friends. We'll spare that discussion for some other day.

PS - Let's keep the uncertainty of IT jobs these days away from this discussion

[Anandv267]

@karthikk My lead was trying to help me out by warning me. It was the senior management guys i.e senior manager and managers who screwed things up. And there is no use taking such stuff up with the HR.

And i completely agree with you on the priorities subject. I dont need to buy a house or a flat or a plot , i dont have to pay of any loans right now so i spend my money the way i want. People are too narrow minded these days.

@gansan there is one more way to make sure they dont damage our appraisal. Take a big bad suv, with the complete works i.e bull bars , hellas , political flag and park it in such a way that your manager cant take his car out. In the evening see the shock on his face when you drive the car out! (I wish i could do it )

[abhi182]

This was during the appraisal time and no points for guessing it, i was given the second bucket(average). When i asked why i got second bucket even after working so much the reply i got was "There are people in this office who need this pay raise more than you do." I was like @#$^%$&$%#$

Sorry, although that's pretty unfortunate, think it's time you got out of a workplace where ppl have such stuck up mentalities..

I used to drive a battered Corsa while my DRs (direct reports) had far better cars than I did.. Never affected my ability to judge them for what their contribution to work was..

Got my BMW day before, my boss seemed happier than I to get a joyride (he drives a city)

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Anandv267

In my case during my first project immediately after fresher training i used to take dad's verna sometimes to office and used to park the car where all the senior managers/directors park their cars.

A few weeks down the line my lead walks up to me and says"Anand, avoid bringing your big car. If you bring it please park it where people cant see you getting in and out of it. The senior management guys are kind of jealous"

This was during the appraisal time and no points for guessing it, i was given the second bucket(average). When i asked why i got second bucket even after working so much the reply i got was "There are people in this office who need this pay raise more than you do." I was like @#$^%$&$%#$

From that day onwards i always park my car in the end of the complex and make sure people dont know i own a car!! And ya, i will never buy a luxury car as long as i work in a software company. What if they fire me because i have a luxury car??!!

(My mom and dad still travel in the stupid vista and alto because they know i cant resist driving a luxury car if they buy one. So we brought a plot of land instead )

I find it really strange,what has family back ground got to do with the appraisal if your performance in organization is good.
Its like declaring a student as fail,just becuase he turned up for exam in a BMW 5 Series.Its a free country,whether i drive a bajaj chetak or a Verna or a BMW should not hamper,what is going on in the organization.

[supremeBaleno]

A few posts above there was some discussion on regular IT guys and non-regular IT guys. Did not really understand what the difference is ?

Originally Posted by abhi182

Got my BMW day before...

Are you in IT ? Given the thread-topic, it would help to know. Ofcourse not that there is any doubt in the fact that it is very much possible for an IT guy to buy a BMW. And you can do this comfortably too (ie. without denying yourself the basics) - have given enough examples from my peer group in this thread.