This is the story of Tanner Chidester, a rich college kid who sold his Lamborghini and bought an old Nissan El Camino to go on a cross-country trip.
How did he do it? What drove him to make such a bad decision? And why isn’t he regretting this decision now that he’s nearly halfway through his journey with only one working car left in the world?
Tanner Chidester had a stunning matte red Lamborghini Aventador that he acquired for roughly $500k from a former professional baseball player. You’ve probably seen it because the businessman utilized it in his marketing whenever he could. At the very least, he was forthright about why he paid half a million dollars for it: prestige. Tanner was raised in a large household. He was the youngest of seven children. Money was scarce since dad was a teacher and mom remained at home.
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Tanner says, “I’d watch my parents basically constantly budgeting.” “They’d get into arguments over it now and again.” Nothing out of the ordinary, although there were certainly disagreements and talks, and my mother would sometimes purchase items that my father would not approve of. And I remember thinking as a kid that I didn’t want to live like that. I didn’t want my finances to get so tight that I couldn’t afford to purchase anything. I simply wanted it to appear that I didn’t purchase the items because I didn’t want them.”
“When I first started my company, I walked out of school with approximately a year remaining of engineering and returned back home to live with my parents. And I recall printing out a red Lamborghini Aventador off the internet and sticking it straight on my wall. And I believe the most important thing it symbolized to me was riches, correct? If I could buy a Lamborghini, for example, it would symbolize that I had made it. So I went through it, I began generating a lot of money, and last year I purchased it.”
He spent $550,000 for the fiery 2019 supercar, to be precise. This was in the year 2020. He just got it secondhand since they’re in such great demand that finding a new one that isn’t already taken is practically impossible. Fortunately, the one he acquired had just a few hundred miles on it, so it was almost brand new. It was such a weird moment when he finally got his hands on it because of what it signified. The irony is that the sensation passed swiftly. He quickly became used to it.
Even so, he enjoyed all the stares and attention it generated everytime he brought it out. People would rush him as he parked it, asking what he did for a job and if they could take a photo in front of it. Plus, he was unmarried at the time, so it helped him attract attractive women, which didn’t hurt either. There was a lot of pleasure, but no enduring happiness. “So I’m doing all of that, and then I went to Puerto Rico for tax reasons last year, 2021,” he continues. “I’m attempting to avoid the 40% tax; instead, I’d like to pay 4%.”
Tanner’s initial impression when he landed in Puerto Rico was that having this automobile here would be ridiculous. In Puerto Rico, people aren’t nearly as flamboyant as they are in Miami. There aren’t many good cars there. It’s simply not as significant. Furthermore, the roads are in poor condition. Bumpy, tiny streets aren’t the type you want to tear through in your half-million-dollar exotic, are they? Then it’s like, are you begging to be stolen by displaying your wealth to everyone there?
Then Tanner was tethered, well, that was the last straw. The Lambo had to be retired. So he sold it and bought, of all things, a Hyundai Elantra beater. Isn’t that a refreshing change of pace? Tanner is OK with his choice for the time being. He’s not saying he’ll never purchase another Lamborghini, but it’s unlikely in the near future. The most important lesson he learned was that everything enjoyable is ephemeral. A short-term high that fades away. Instead, concentrate on yourself, your relationships, and completing difficult tasks.
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Katie Smith: Watch this brief video if you want someone who will tell it like it is, respect your time, and show you a company that could really work for you.