What do you think of people who put alumni license plate frames on lousy cars?

Sounds overthought to me. They’re just proud of their university, even if they’re not at a financial status yet where they can be proud of their car.

I think that no high school student with half a brain has ever decided what college to go to on the basis of a license plate frame.

I think that a Baccalaureate degree doesn’t equate to immense income or wealth, and that the person driving the Nissan or Ford is doing something meaningful with his/her life.

So many people buy/lease expensive cars that they can’t afford and live deeply in debt. I’m never impressed by a Mercedes.

When a kid sees a Porsche with a UCLA license plate frame it makes him want to go to UCLA. A Nissan Versa with a Chico State frame doesn’t make him want to go to Chico State. The shitty car definitely devalues the degree.

No. It makes you want to go to UCLA due to your shitty value system which you have exhibited here ad nauseam.

Putting aside the university thing, these kids know their cars are crap, but don’t care.
Everyone’s first car is remembered fondly, not for how it looks or performs even, but just for what it is, anything else can be passed of as shallow.

No, alumni need to wait until they’ve done something with their life before they break out the license plate frame. The point of going to college is to earn more money. They look ridiculous having graduated from college but can’t afford a good car.

What do I think? I think you’re shallow.

You don’t get rich the instant you graduate, and some people prioritize other financial choices over cars.

^^^ Yes, you’re so right. I spent too many years working for national and regional CPA firms. Newly-hired employees, who’d just recently graduated from college and started their first jobs, would buy fully-loaded luxury cars. They were saddled with student debt and making $40 – $50K per year, yet they thought that $60K vehicles made sense. I could never comprehend that way of thinking.

Nothing. I think nothing of it. It’s never crossed my mind until now.
My guess would be that it’s parents of modest means that are proud to have given their child a decent education. Deservedly proud.
They are driving a lousy car because they have made sacrifices for their children. They’re proud that their child held up their end and made those sacrifices worthwhile.

Maybe their education taught them to appreciate things other than car status perceptions and biases.

@rem1981 “When a kid sees a Porsche with a UCLA license plate frame it makes him want to go to UCLA.”

Not, it doesn’t. At least not if he has half a brain.

“The point of going to college is to earn more money.”

No, it isn’t. Making more money is sometimes a byproduct, and it is often a motivation, but it isn’t the point. (And if you don’t understand the difference between those things, you need a better education.)

P.S. The president of my university makes nearly a million dollars per year and drives a Chevy Spark. Car choice is not indicative of success, and only an idiot uses it as a metric for anything.

I went to a prestigious East Coast school – not Ivy League – but very well regarded in the mid-70s as a top non-Ivy school.

I drive a pick-up truck with a Univ. of Georgia license plate holder on the back.

Anyone drawing any conclusions about me or my education or just about anything else based on the license plate holder is a fool.

When you said lousy cars I assumed you meant old, broken down cars. Are you talking about average cars that might be brand new and in good condition? I don’t think anything. WTH?

Read The Millionaire Next Door and you’ll see what a waste of money cars are. My Porsche gets me to the same place my Honda Civic did. I have an Accord now.

Judging someone by their car is not a good plan.

My dad has a PhD from Penn and he had a Dodge Colt for ten years. Then I think he got a Kia? Now my parents just bought a Suburu. They also traveled to Paris, Hawaii, Italy, and China the last several years, just to name a few places.

Don’t be so superficial. It’s a mistake.

Everyone spends their money in their own way. Some people love cars, others love experiences. Some spend it on a fancy home. Some don’t spend much at all.

Being a student whether at college or university is tough, and with all the studying you usually need a part time job to make ends meet, even with loans. Of course most students have shit cars, and many have none at all.

My second guess would be that the beater car they drive back and forth to work has no bearing on the car at home in the garage. The Lamborghini they drive to the vacation home on the weekends. Cities are hard on cars. Take a couple zero’s off the property value at risk.

The most successful realtor I know drives a tank of a car to show houses. Like a Continental when they were still boxy? It accommodates nearly anyone, and is a conversation piece for nearly everyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s also sporting Harvard or Yale license plate covers. lol Now I wish he was on my Xmas list. I could get him a Harvard for the back, and a Yale for the front!