Market President - Washington, D.C. | CenterPeak, LLC | Advisor to the World’s Leading Lawyers and Law Firms
The Maserati My 27-yr old son shot me a text yesterday with a link to a 2016 Maserati Ghibli S with 69,000 miles and the following note: "What are your thoughts on this deal?" The text was notable for two reasons: 1) he was asking me for advice, and 2) he was asking me for advice about cars. So this would bring the total number of times he's asked me for advice to approximately three times (slight exaggeration), and the total number of times he's expressed interest in owning a car to approximately one time (no exaggeration). Anyway, if you have teenagers or adult children, you're thrilled when they ask you for your opinion about anything. Thrilled. And as a car guy, I was also mildly panicked that he was seriously considering this particular purchase. So I called him and said, "Son, there are three reasons why I don't think you should pursue this: 1) it's a Maserati, 2) it's an old Maserati, and 3) it's a Maserati." He laughed and said he thought that was probably the case, and then we had a delightful conversation about possible alternatives. Our call only lasted five or ten minutes, but it made me happy. Why? Well, apart from having the opportunity to chat with my son, whether you're a parent, a mentor, a friend, or a colleague, it's always nice to be asked your opinion, and it's even nicer when you feel you bring real value to the discussion. My apologies (and condolences) to those of you with Maseratis, especially old Maseratis ;)
Dan Anixt
1y
When I was young I had the family 1976 LTD Country Squire as my ride - yellow with fake wood paneling. I’d have been over the moon to have a used Honda Accord. Perhaps my expectations were different back then. I can afford a Masaratti now but I would not relish the prospect of it spending more time in the shop than my garage. My M550 BMW is doing that enough ;-) Anyway nice that your son is asking for car advice. My dad’s response would just be to laugh in my face so I knew better than to ask.
OK, I confess to having one for awhile. You gave him very wise advice! Ours was new and still had a ton of mechanical issues. Also, my wife swore that she received an increased number of speeding tickets when she was driving it. I said that this sounds like blaming the car instead of the driver … yet she has not had a single speeding ticket since we turned in this car. Coincidence?
Brian C.
1y
Jeffrey Lowe What cars did you recommend?
Tali Green
1y
I know nothing about cars but the dad-son reflections are hilarious and touching. Thanks for sharing.
As they say, if you can't afford a new Maserati, you most certainly cannot afford a used one.
Scott Miller
1y
I've had 3 Maseratis. Loved each one more than the last! But that's of course beside the point! Love the post 🙂
Ed Ryan
1y
Great story, Jeff.
Katie White
1y
What a refreshing post Jeff. There is zero training to be a parent of adult children. You handled this well!!
Not to be rude but you missed the mark. A teen or young adult driven by reproductive urges sends you a car above his price range not because he wants your opinion. He can’t afford it and hopes his generous wealthy grandpa will get the message and give him $5000 to lower his purchase price. As for this car, it is very likely to get him so action, the mechanics here are secondary.
In 1968 I was about to enter my last year of college and was going to manage a ski lodge in Vermont on weekends in the winter so needed a car. I always wanted a Porsche. I found an ad for a 1956. 356A for $1,000, a beat up but a dream I could afford from my summer job. My dad went with me to look at it and said OK. With its rear engine and perfect balance, it hugged the road like a spider. I didn’t mind that the rocker panels had rusted out under the doors so that the heat from the engine could not enter the car or run the defroster. But I loved it. It lasted through the summer after graduation, when I sold it for parts for $400 and bought a new BMW 2002 with earnings from my first job. My dad was a quiet, self-contained, and modest person who ran a small machine shop in New Jersey. He was not allowed to go to college and joined the Navy in World War II, where, after a perilous crossing of the Atlantic in a troop ship, a major target for U Boats, he managed a munitions dump in Ireland and refitted landing craft for what turned out to be the Normandy invasion I got to know him well when he drove me delivering newspapers every Sunday morning on my paper for 4 years in high school. I always had his full support.