<p>can engineers ever afford cars like mercedez benz or bmw's? does anyone on this board drive in those kinds of cars.</p>
<p>Yes. Many engineers become sought after specialists or go into management and can make quite a bit of money and drive whatever they want.</p>
<p>i know that management positions can offer luxurious lifestyles but i am asking just being an engineer, earning about 60-70k.</p>
<p>Well, ballin, it all depends on your lifestyle. Plan on eating?</p>
<p>lol. i think you're right. it does depend on lifestyle.</p>
<p>i'd rather have something like a bugatti...but I guess that means I'll have to be making quite a bit more. :(
hehehe
lifestyle is all of it, I think...you could have a hot car, but you could also have a really nice house</p>
<p>Mercedes and BMW's don't cost THAT much. Of course engineers can eventually afford them.</p>
<p>thats ok, i can live with nice bmw. i dont have dream of buying a bentley or anything like that i can never afford.</p>
<p>I'm an engineer who is not in management and I can afford them (but I don't want them. My current car is a used Mazda.)</p>
<p>i'm not a big bimmer fan anyway.</p>
<p>i m not saying one should buy a $100,000 car. a car worth $30,000-$40,000 would be pretty easy to buy with an engineer's salary.</p>
<p>You could buy a $30000 to $40000 car, but no it would not be easy. Rent, 401K(make the most of your company match while you are young), eating out(you are an engineer, you don't cook), school loans to pay back, utilities(heat, cable, cell phone).
And then the first day you drive it to work, and the guy next to you opens his door into your door. Ding!
(we have a Honda and a Ford with many dings thanks to the engineers parking lot)</p>
<p>I AM interested in the managing side of engineering, so would they be able to buy a nicer Beamer lol (like a 40-45k one) on average?</p>
<p>of course you could get a mercedes or BMW as an engineer. i plan on getting one myself. you could even buy a 60grand car if u really wanted to (who knows maybe even more expensive). like someone earlier said they're not THAT expensive. its not like ur gonna fork out in the hundereds of thousands to buy one. and an engineer's salary is way above what most ppl make. and u even see ppl who only make around 30grand driving nice BMWs. </p>
<p>it justs depends on your personal lifestyle. are u single. whats ur rent. where do u live. etc... and yes im talking about regular engineering. not a manageral position.</p>
<p>As of right now my "dream" car is the Pontiac GTO with the V8 6.0L 400HP and 400 lb-ft of Torque! Pure American Muscle! And only costs 33k 2006 no miles!</p>
<p>Oh im drooling!</p>
<p>all of you current engineers in here, what are your living lifestyles (single, married, kids, apartment/rent, house/loan), where do u live, and what kind of engineering do u do and what is your pay?</p>
<p>i just feel that engineering is high-level profession. i'll even put them up just below doctors,lawyers and CEO's. Those people drive nice cars. So, Engineers (given their salary about 50,000-60,000 & thats only starting) should also be able to afford & drive nice cars.</p>
<p>lol ohnonomiss, you want people to reveal their entire life on a public internet forum?</p>
<p>Ohnono, that information wouldn't really help you anyway. Everybody's situation is different. Marriage and/or children are the biggies. I would suggest you get your 'dream' car before you have a family if that's what you want. That is certainly in the realm of possiblity for young engineers. </p>
<p>And whoever said something about door dings - yep, within 2 weeks of getting my current car, I got a major door ding (very windy day) in the parking lot; I was mortified, but at least I felt glad I'd gotten a used car which had already had some blemishes.</p>
<p>Of course engineers can afford sports cars and other high end automobiles. </p>
<p>As an added bonus--we have the training to modify them too!</p>
<p>Can you say Twin Turbo V12 engine swap? :-D</p>