This smart alecky one-up-man-ship is a problem in almost every parameter of owning a car. I bought a stripped 1967 Chevy II new, it didn’t even have a radio. A few years later, I sat down and examined the journal where I recorded all car expenses. I forget now the figures, but it must have been around 7 or 11 cents a mile. that was nearly 50 years ago and my memory is not perfect That included all expenses, and purchase price, minus resale value at the time.
The big heroes at work, threw a fit. “That must be a terrible car! My car doesn’t cost anywhere near that much!” And, they all had much more expensive cars, top of the line with all the options. And, most of them traded for a new one every few years.
The difference was, I had accurate figures, and they were dealing in Science Fiction. Their true cost per mile was probably double mine.
In the late 90’s, I had a big, old Pontiac wagon, around a 1986 model. If Parisienne was a Pontiac wagon model, that might have been it, not sure any more. I mentioned to a hero at work, that I got around 17 mpg at 70 mph on the highway.
He informed me there was something really wrong with that car. He had one much like it, and he told me he averaged well over 24 mph on the highway on long trips. Hohohohahahaheeheehee.
Over my lifetime, I have learned when I encounter one of these people, that I call sarcastically, heroes, that they are unhappy, pathetic non-achievers who will never do anything special in life, nor help anyone better themselves. So, knowing they are never going to rise to a higher level, they attempt to drag others down to their level.
(By the way, not to get into politics, but historically this was the profile also of those filled with racial hatred. They need to invent someone lower than themselves, and certain minority groups were obvious targets.)
The truly high achievers are almost always positive people willing to support those around themselves. A few years ago, when Nobel Winner Dr. Norman Borlaug died, I commented to almost anyone who would listen what a great man he had been, and he spent much of his life in Mexico, in the Valley of Mexico, with the double season for food grains.
Most folks here in Mexico never heard of him. But, we drove a few miles south to buy farm chemicals. The engineer at the Agrochemical store immediately said when he studied for his agricultural engineering degree at UNAM (in Mexico City and worked on the same farms as Dr Borlaug) that he worked with the good doctor. He said Dr. Borlaug was one of the most pleasant and friendly people he had ever known. If you didn’t know who he was, you would never suspect he is the only man in history credited with saving over one billion lives (and still counting.)