News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Nov. 19, 2013:Warren Buffett is one of the wealthiest people on Earth, considered by many to be the greatest investor of the twentieth century. Forbes Magazine puts his net worth at $60 billion. His hourly income, based on a 40 hour week, is more than $3 million bucks. Yet, despite his unimaginable wealth, he drives a seven-year old Cadillac DTS that cost him $42,000. He makes that much every 44 seconds or so. GM discontinued the DTS in 2011, but auto aficionados considered it the height of luxury and performance among American cars.
Photo by Alice Schroeder via Wikimedia Commons
You’re 29 With a Cool $19 Billion in the Bank, So Where’s the Bugatti? The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is the fastest production car in the world (268 mph), puts out 1200 horsepower, and costs $2.5 million. A new set of Michelins runs about $400 (installed). Young genius Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, certainly has the wherewithal to own one (or two or ten), but his bewildering choice of cars is an Acura TSX, worth about $30K. That’s lunch money for this guy. Make no mistake, the Acura is a fine vehicle. But really, a 29 year-old dude with billions is driving a used Acura? What’s wrong with him? Well, at least he’s married, so he doesn’t really need a cool set of wheels to impress the chicks.
Photo of a Acura TSX by IFCAR via Flickr
Multi-Billionaire with a Used Ford Hybrid
If you have the most prestigious job in America at one of the most respected companies in the world, and you’re worth upwards of $18 billion, you deserve to drive the finest automobile the industry has to offer, price be damned. So you’re mulling it over, browsing the car manufacturers’ websites, not paying any attention to prices. So what’s it going to be Steve Balmer — the Bentley Mulsanne $330K, the Maybach (Rolls-Royce) Landaulet $1.38M or a used Ford Fusion Hybrid for $19K? You guessed it, he chose the hybrid. To be fair, he did actually buy it new for about $30K. The Fusion gets about 21-24 MPG and surprisingly puts out over 200 HP. It just doesn’t quite have that Bentley charm.
Photo by Stradablog via Flickr
Sam’s Billion Dollar Beer Drinkin’ Truck Drivin’ Girl
The second richest woman in the world was caught drinking and driving in her 2006 Ford F150 King Ranch pickup. Alice Walton is the daughter of the late, great Sam Walton, founder of the world’s biggest company, Walmart. Sam was, at the time of his passing, by far the richest man on Earth. He left the majority of his self-made billions to his wife, Helen and three surviving kids: Alice, Rob and Jim. Forbes estimates Alice’s net worth at around $35 billion. She could buy a fleet of Rolls limos with just a month’s interest on her money; however, she prefers to tool around in her seven-year old, $40,000 pickup truck, drinking cold ones and lookin’ out for the man.
Photo of Helen Walton by Walmart Corporate via Flickr
Rich Widow of the “iMan” Drives an Economical Audi
Laurene Powell Jobs, the wealthy widow of world famous entrepreneur Steve Jobs, can easily afford to be chauffeured around in a stretch limo from Limo Find if she so chooses. Nevertheless, whether it is her statement of austerity in an excessively consuming world or simply her lack of interest in automobiles, she decided to drive a relatively inexpensive Audi A5, for which she paid about $37,000.
Photo by Rec79 via Flickr
If you would like to drive the cars the billionaires do, chances are you’ll find one of the above at Drivetime in Las Vegas, one of America’s premier pre-owned dealers.
