“But for me, a car is something more. It is a public statement of how I feel about myself, the pride I take in my accomplishments, and the presence I want to project to others on the road.”
And you think a car demonstrates this to others? ....Fascinating. A car can be useful, or a car can be fun. But it tells us nothing about the person inside it.... and I mean nothing.
I suspect the same is true of their impressions of me.
And in any case, it's a personal choice. I prefer to put my money into fine automobiles rather than econoboxes. I had enough junkers and crap cars when I was growing up. Once I started to make it on my own, I said "Never again."