(The people who questioned his artistic integrity re: the whole “Chooch” thing don’t count, right? Okay, cool, then no one, ever.) Continue reading »
cars
(An Indignant) Steve Rattner: Andrew Cuomo Is The First Person To Ever Question My Ethics Or Integrity
By Bess Levin
This morning we discussed the fact that after a torturous year of not being able to buy $300,000 cars because of how it would look, many of you are now feeling strong enough and confident enough to go for it without the fear of people calling you a tone deaf douchebag. Well that was just the tip of the iceberg, ladies. No longer having to worry about the “recession” or a lack of bonuses means the Mecca of the the DB, the Hamptons, is once again in style. Sure, it was there last year but it was a sad summer, what with having to dial down the enthusiasm and not not strip naked and roll around in a pile of hundos once you got out there Friday night. Now feel free to do just that, or light the money on fire just because you can, whatever you want, it’s now okay.
“It’s going to be a good summer,” Megan Ruddy said. “Everyone is sick and tired of holding on to their money.”
No longer forbidden fruit.
Ugh, the recession. How much of a bitch was that thing? People lost their jobs. Others lost their homes. You didn’t get to buy luxury cars for fear of looking like a dick. Didn’t see that private hell splashed all over the news but just because there were no rallies and only a handful of support groups doesn’t mean the pain wasn’t real. Oh god, those were some tough times. But guess what? Our long national nightmare is over! That Aston Martin Vantage Coupe? You can get it now!
Trader Craig Poler couldn’t hold out any longer. Browsing at the Miller Motorcars dealership in Greenwich, Connecticut, he spotted the $130,000 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe he had been dreaming about for months. “The second I saw it I knew I was going to buy it,” said Poler, 48, who trades oil and petroleum products. “I’ve wanted one for a long time, since I started seeing them in London when I went on business.” Poler, who chose a “deep, dark gray” 2010 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe, said although consumption isn’t back to where it was three years ago, people are becoming less reluctant to splash out on expensive cars and other luxury merchandise. “Some people were affected by the recession and others weren’t going to buck the trends in their social circles,” he said of the cutbacks. “Up until about six months ago you were an a-hole if you bought fancy toys.”
Now? You’re all good! You want a Ferrari? Go for it. No one’s gonna judge. Continue reading »
Looking for ideas on where to blow your bonus money? In the market for something fast, Italian, and super dirty? Consider Jeffrey Epstein’s 2003 Ferrari 575M Maranello. Cityfile reports the massage enthusiast is selling it, via a friend, for $159,000–gotta free up some cash, the girls who won’t talk don’t come cheap, and we can’t have anymore humiliating details going public (ixnay egg-ay haped-say enis-pay). It only has 5,000 miles and the price is presumably negotiable. Make him an offer!
Morgan Stanley vice-chairman Rob Kindler had the license plate 2BG2FAIL last year in an homage to the crisis. Now, Andrew Ross Sorkin reports, Bobby has swapped it out for the below because “no one is too big to fail,” and because Vikram offered him twenty bucks so the Citi CEO could get in on the joke.
Bloomberg reports that the 2001 Mercedes-Benz E320 previously owned by the king of the prison yard will be auctioned off October 23 along with a bunch of other vehicles seized by the U.S. Marshals Service. The suggested retail value is $13,727 to $19,530 and according to Tim Minoughan, the guy running this thing, the ride won’t go for much more than that, cause it’s not “a Bentley or a Rolls Royce or something really high valued.” Also? Because car itself isn’t really tainted by the scam which is what would up the re-sale value. Bernie wasn’t screwing investors in the back seat (I think we’re in post-Sheryl Weinstein years here), so really all you’re getting is the car Ruth used out in Montauk. Which leads us to the item you will want to throw down a significant portion of your bonus on:
After performing a victory dance through the streets of downtown Detroit, which onlookers tell us was quite the sight to see, Mikey sat down to write a list of suggestions he’s got for what to do with the place. Do we sense someone angling for a ride in Fritz Henderson’s sidecar?
So here we are at the deathbed of General Motors. The company’s body not yet cold, and I find myself filled with — dare I say it — joy. It is not the joy of revenge against a corporation that ruined my hometown and brought misery, divorce, alcoholism, homelessness, physical and mental debilitation, and drug addiction to the people I grew up with. Nor do I, obviously, claim any joy in knowing that 21,000 more GM workers will be told that they, too, are without a job.
Twenty years ago when I made “Roger & Me,” I tried to warn people about what was ahead for General Motors. Had the power structure and the punditocracy listened, maybe much of this could have been avoided. Based on my track record, I request an honest and sincere consideration of the following suggestions:
- Use the Bloomberg command
NH BLG_DEALBREAKER <GO>
to access Dealbreaker
