The BMW Analogy

I’m going to this information thing this evening on travelling/working in Australia and New Zealand. I did this not so long ago, with two other people who just went and did it. But no, not me. This has to be dragged out of me. I always go for the more comfortable option. But what I’m coming to realise is that I’ll never have things as easy as this again for a long time. I’ll never have guaranteed meals, laundry service (unless I go and buy a Shakira album), a tidy house, a steady, reliable job, a family around me; I won’t have this life again if I decide to go through with this. It’s hard to relate to you just how unlike me it would be to simply up and leave. Mam and Sis were sat at the table today talking about what Sis might do after her Leaving (final school exams) in June next year. She just brought up the possibility of making a UCAS application; in other words applying to a British college. That was simply never, ever raised with me. They just knew the idea of me going abroad to study was a non-runner; I’m just too content. To give you some idea of my way of thinking in this regard, I will now use an elaborate analogy based on the pretence that I’m a yuppie, greed is good and the bigger BMW you have, the better.

Now I’d be quite happy in a 3-Series, say a 320i. I mean it qualifies as a yuppie-mobile, it’s reasonably swift, quite posh and gives all around the impression I’m loaded. But as the years pass, I start to notice the leather trim becoming outdated, my stereo isn’t what it used to be and the posing credibility I had in the car has now all but evaporated. I need a new Beemer. But instead of moving to the next biggest BMW, the 5-Series, I’d buy a 328i. Bigger engine, more toys inside, more everything. But it’s still essentially a 3-Series, same size car and there’s no hiding that. Yes, it may have a bigger engine than the 520i, but at the end of the day the 520i is a 5-Series. It’s a statement; it’s saying I’m stepping up to the next stage in my life. It’s saying let’s move on, even though I’m losing the power seats, satellite navigation, alloy wheels, six airbags, traction control and of course the bigger engine. I’m going to be above all those petty concerns. I’m going to sacrifice all these luxuries because I’ve always wanted to drive a 5-Series. I’ve just got to make that leap.

My life right now is a BMW 328i. It’s still the basic set-up, with a lot of added luxury. It’s the pinnacle of what I can achieve within the boundaries of home. Australia would be the 520i; it’s new to me, bigger, better, the next step in an evolution. And if it works out, maybe I could reach the top and buy a 7-Series.

Or maybe that’s taking it too far.

j