Stop Acting Rich: . . . And Start Living Like a Real Millionaire

Chapter 7. The Road to Happiness

	See the USA in your Chevrolet.
	--1949 jingle

Tony D. of the Washington Speakers Bureau called me shortly after my first book, Marketing to the Affluent, was selected by the Best of Business as a top-10 business book. He had two questions for me: first, would I speak at two of BMW's North American dealers' conferences, and second, if I preferred to be paid in BMW currency (use of a BMW for a year) or in U.S. dollars.

No doubt, BMW thought (hoped?) that I would be thrilled to drive a BMW. Perhaps they were surprised when I opted to be paid in cash. Why did I go for the dollars and not the barter deal? Several reasons: Driving a BMW would make me uneasy. It is at odds with my family's consumption patterns and beliefs. It could also have proven a slippery slope: Drive a car for a year and next thing you know, I just have to have one—that I would have to pay for—which would be harmful to my wealth. Most important, I know what a car can and cannot do for a person.

You can't drive your way to happiness. Yet some people believe otherwise. They may see some fellow driving a fully accessorized BMW, Corvette, or Cadillac and assume something about him. They whisper to themselves, "There goes a happy guy. If I had that car instead of my Toyota, I would be off the far end of the happy scale."

But ... just what is the relationship between the car you drive and your level of satisfaction with life? According to my research:

There is no significant correlation between ...