Whats something that is only worth getting the expensive version of?
I grew up with $20 walmart blenders, and hated anything that required a blender.
Recently bought a ninja and there is no going back. I'll never use a crappy blender again.
Anything else like that?
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Safety equipment, especially SCUBA. Also clothes, shoes, your bed, and your computer chair.
If you drive a lot, a "low-end" luxury model that isn't fully equipped will likely drive better, be more comfortable, and every feature it does have will be at least a little bit nicer than the equivalent in the "normal" brand.
You might even get a lower sale price on a used luxury car vs buying a new Toyota or something these days.
Maintenance will definitely cost more, but the experience of having that work done is a whole lot better than how it used to be on all the shitty cars I've had.
Not everyone will agree with this one, but I pay more for better seats on planes too, and tend to fly only with Delta for status. That's because I have extra blood clot risk and need the wiggle room, and because I have beef with most of the other companies due to many years of experience.
My travel curse has largely been managed after getting all the stuff that gets you through the lines faster, including global entry.
Recently we were about to miss our transfer and there was a dude waiting at the gate when we deplaned who loaded us into a Porsche and drove us around the runway directly to our next gate. That was probably random, but there's a 0% chance Southwest or Spirit would do that.
Also treat yourself to some fine dining if you are able, even if it's just once every year or two.
Maybe get someone to deep clean your place (even once a year) .
Note that I am in no way a baller when I say these things. I always thought you had to be rich to get anything cool like that, but it's not attainable than you think, assuming you're not in a paycheck -to-paycheck situation (which many are and I certainly was for like all of my 20's and a good chunk of my 30's).
What is this computer chair you speak of?
A true quality office chair, like the Herman Miller Aeron, and not one of those awful "racing chair" game streamer pieces of junk.
Doesn't even have to be brand new. I bought both of my Aerons used, and I think their manufacture dates are like 2008 and 2013. I've had them for many years, sat in the 2008 one every workday for the past 10 years, and it might as well still be new. I see no reason that I won't sit in it for the next 10 years. I could have gone through a bunch of crappy Office Depot chairs in that span.
$1,400!? That must be one hell of a chair to justify the price.
High-end office chairs (Steelcase is another popular brand) can be found used for $500ish. Been thinking about making the jump myself lately but I'm insanely picky and I don't think I'd know for at least a week if I've found a good match (dunno about returns at that point).
In my experience, you cannot form an opinion sitting in a showroom for 5 minutes, it's really necessary to try it by working/gaming in it for a few days. The official store offers 14/30 days returns, but for used chairs it could be less of course. Worst case, you could just resell it, as they keep they value quite well.
I wrote a small review in a comment down in this thread if you are interested in my experience with it.
Yeah, I figure the best a showroom is going to do for me is just quickly eliminate a couple options.
I've heard they are worth it, though I have never sat in one. IKEA also makes surprisingly good office chairs, those I know and recommend.
I got one Aeron a few years ago. Black Friday deal for 1.200 euros, the fully kitted version which costs 1.600 normally. My IKEA Marcus fell apart after years of good service and the IKEA jarvfjallet or something like that was giving me butt and back problems, so I returned it.
The Aeron is very good, but if sit in it for 5 minutes it's just a chair. It doesn't even have that many adjustments. However over time you notice some things. First, it doesn't let you sit incorrectly (like with your leg folded under your butt). Second, you can sit in in for hours (covid work from home situation) and be perfectly fine. Third, after 3+ years of ownership, it's immaculate. Mesh is like new (and I'm a big a heavy dude), everything is just perfect. They do come with 12 years of warranty after all.
That being said, the price is just astronomical. In my case I can offset the cost from my taxes, since I use it to work from home, and l could sell it after 10 years used for still half the price (so it's kind of "free" almost), but if you expect some ridiculous luxury just because it costs 8 times more than a Markus, you'll be disappointed. It's comfortable, it remains comfortable all day and it doesn't break, but it's just a chair at the end of the day. I don't regret my purchase, for what it's worth, I fact I'm quite happy with it.
This right here. People expect to sit in an expensive chair and get a soft, plush, "comfortable" feeling. No, that's not what a quality chair is for. A quality chair's purpose is to let you be 40 years old, sit in it for an 8 hour workday, and get up at the end of the day with zero back pain (at least, none from sitting in the chair).
I forget how uncomfortable chairs can be until I travel for work and have to sit in something else for a whole day.
I feel like 1500 for THE premium office chair really isn't much when you look at, for example Smartphone prices. And lots of people spend nearly as much time in their computer chair as in their bed. And I don't think 1500$ is a lot for a bedframe, mattress, pillow and blanket.
It better be made out of gold with massaging purple ass cushions, at that price.
I spent $300 and $400 for my two used ones.
I got a Steelcase Series 2 like 3 years back. I work from home and usually am on my home machine the rest of the day because I've got a problem. This chair is going to add years to my back I'd be losing if I got cheap or "gamer" chairs. I was hesitant to drop that kind of $$ at the time but I'm a convert now, only the good shit for me
Funny and true:
Porsche consistently has the second best brand rating for reliability of all major makes of vehicles on the market in the west. They take second place to Lexus. Some years they manage to beat Lexus (although not often). Yeah, repairs are expensive when you need them, and maintenance is too (IIRC oil changes use a lot of oil, and be a hassle to do on some models). On the other hand, they're actually more reliable than Honda, which sounds crazy. Conversely, VW--and the VW Group owns the Porsche brand--is not very reliable. When I looked up TSBs on my 2012 GTI, it was... A lot. And a lot of them were pretty bad, things like the time chain tensioner failing and needing to be replaced as a warranty item.
Which company is almost always dead last on the reliability lists? Land Rover. Do not buy a Land Rover, unless you can afford to buy two.
I drive a 2018 Mercedes GLA, and that thing is a tank compared to other vehicles I've owned. Last year I was involved in an accident with a semi, a convertable SLK, and an older Toyota land cruiser (I think).
I was the first one hit, but was able to immediately regain control (because AWD) and only had about 5k worth of damage (wheel, front quarter panel, side view mirror, headlight, and a couple other dents).
The Toyota that hit me (to avoid the semi) lost control, hit the semi anyway, then barely the SLK, (which lost control and hit the divider), then spun around and almost hit the divider too.
Those other two cars were totaled.
Granted the SLK was also Mercedes, but convertable and not AWD. Potential skill difference from the Toyota side since it was a younger driver.
Either way, all my previous cars would have likely been totaled. Drove a 2007 Ford focus with crank windows up until I got this car a couple years ago and it would for sure have gone flying.
Maybe the main takeaway is spring for AWD before the other bells and whistles.