Luxury/Exotic/Sports Cars... Safe in Nashville? (Brentwood, Martin: crimes, how much)

[phow]

Hello all,

First some background: My wife and I were born and raised in Chicago, IL. After 30~ years in IL, we decided to make the move to CA (West LA). We have loved our time in SoCal but COVID has really made us reevaluate our decision to live in CA and pay a premium for what I call a very high "lifestyle tax".

Yes, CA can be very expensive but we have always justified the high cost of living by pointing to everything we had access to and took advantage of that was absent elsewhere in the US. Well, COVID has not only limited access to many of the things we find unique to SoCal but the entire area appears to have really changed for the foreseeable future and we can no longer justify the added cost of living.

We have no interest in returning to Chicago, IL (seems to be on a similar trajectory as LA) and our research has lead us to consider a few cities including Nashville, TN. We both run our businesses remotely so we can really be anywhere.

We have spent a week in the city and explored a lot of the areas we would consider buying a home. We really love what we have seen so far. Among other things, having a downtown area you actually want to spend time in is something we have very much missed while being in LA

The main areas we are considering are Belle Meade, Green Hills, and Forest Hills. We were expecting to really like Brentwood but it was just a bit too suburban for us.

All this brings me to a rather odd observation and I really hope this doesn't come off as extremely pretentious... My wife and I are car enthusiasts and really enjoy our luxury/exotic/sports cars. The car scene is extremely prevalent in SoCal and seeing multiple super cars at the local coffee shop in the morning is a normal thing.

We definitely weren't expecting that here in Nashville but we were surprised at the overall lack of what we would consider somewhat high end in terms of vehicles. Seeing even a Porsche 911 or a Range Rover is rare here and makes us a bit uncomfortable storing and driving our vehicles outside of the neighborhoods we are considering.

I guess we could be reading way too much into this as I see there are fairly large car clubs and events like the Nashville Cars and Coffee. My main concern is being targeted for property crimes, etc. Back in Chicago, most areas I would feel very uncomfortable driving these types of vehicles but in West LA we have never felt that way.

If anyone on here can comment based on their own experience with owning and driving these type of vehicles around Nashville, that would be greatly appreciated.

Again, I realize this is a very first world problems post... Please be gentle lol

[Levi.Dunn]

You and everyone else is fleeing CA. Even Joe Rogan finally wised up and bailed a few weeks ago.

How much time did you spend in Brentwood? I spend much time in Brentwood and the surrounding area, and literally see nice cars every single drive I make to go shopping. Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Teslas are all over the place, I see many Range Rover and Porsche, and even see Maseratis on a weekly basis in Brentwood. I used to live in SoCal, and in my opinion there are as many nice cars here as there (San Diego).

[phow]

Originally Posted by Levi.Dunn

You and everyone else is fleeing CA. Even Joe Rogan finally wised up and bailed a few weeks ago.

How much time did you spend in Brentwood? I spend much time in Brentwood and the surrounding area, and literally see nice cars every single drive I make to go shopping. Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Teslas are all over the place, I see many Range Rover and Porsche, and even see Maseratis on a weekly basis in Brentwood. I used to live in SoCal, and in my opinion, there are as many nice cars here as there (San Diego).

Thanks for the response! CA is a beautiful place with a lot to offer and I hope it makes a comeback at some point. I just don't see it happening for at least a couple of years...

We honestly only spent a couple of days in and around Brentwood. We saw a number of listings and most of the neighborhoods had a suburban feel that was very similar to the west suburbs of Chicago (Brentwood definitely has better scenery). There is nothing wrong with this at all. Just not our vibe

We did notice a number of higher-end vehicles in Brentwood, Belle Meade, Green Hills but outside of those areas, it was very rare. That is our main concern that if we go downtown or in an area that may not be as affluent, we may end up being victims of vandalism.

Back in Chicago parking a new Aston Martin or Ferrari in one of the not so affluent neighborhoods would likely lead to being targeted. However, even in the not so great parts of LA you just don't need to worry about it as much.

[mattec]

Nashville has a big problem with car break-ins, even in supposedly secure garages. Most of the time its teens looking for guns/ammo left in cars, but they'll take anything of value.

[GWoodle]

Originally Posted by Levi.Dunn

You and everyone else is fleeing CA. Even Joe Rogan finally wised up and bailed a few weeks ago.

How much time did you spend in Brentwood? I spend much time in Brentwood and the surrounding area, and literally see nice cars every single drive I make to go shopping. Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Teslas are all over the place, I see many Range Rover and Porsche, and even see Maseratis on a weekly basis in Brentwood. I used to live in SoCal, and in my opinion there are as many nice cars here as there (San Diego).

With the mix of country stars they can drive anything they want. In the mix of makes you will find anything. Main problem with theft is idiots that don't lock their cars. There seems to be good repair shops around that can handle all foreign makes.

[BirdieBelle]

There are plenty of wealthy people here. But the exotic car scene is nothing like SoCal.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by GWoodle

With the mix of country stars they can drive anything they want. In the mix of makes you will find anything. Main problem with theft is idiots that don't lock their cars. There seems to be good repair shops around that can handle all foreign makes.

Not only do they drive what they want, Nashville's celebrities have a history of not flaunting their wealth. It's one reason Nashville, in spite of the tremendous wealth here, doesn't have all the luxury shopping of other cities its size. I mean, there IS a demand for luxury cars in Nashville or else there wouldn't be Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lotus, Maserati, et al dealerships. But Nashville's hometown celebrities have always been able to send their kids to local schools, eat out at local restaurants, and go shopping where everyone else shops without fear of being mobbed for autographs and pictures. (A lot of non-country celebrities enjoy that about Nashville and have made Nashville their home for that reason.) I think the lack of flashy/exotic cars is just an extension of that.

[alaskaflyer]

I agree (former resident here). People flaunt wealth less, much less of a car cult culture there. Besides, have you seen the price of a new pickup these days? Plenty of >$75k vehicles on the road there - they're called pickup trucks.

But in southwest Davidson County and northern Williamson County you'll see plenty of luxury brands.

[BirdieBelle]

Originally Posted by alaskaflyer

...have you seen the price of a new pickup these days? Plenty of >$75k vehicles on the road there - they're called pickup trucks.

Yep, and the area is very family-oriented, so the luxury vehicles are likely to be SUVs. I've seen more Bentley Bentaygas on the road than sedans - but still not many. Yeah, there are plenty of Teslas, but usually just the Model 3.

To see a Lamborghini out and about is a pretty rare event.

[Levi.Dunn]

Yeah, I agree about not seeing Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and such like. I actually see those more often in New England than in TN. However, the amount of luxury cars I mentioned above are far more plenteous in this part of TN than they are no matter what part of New England I'm in. I do still visit SD a few times a year, and the amount of luxury cars in Brentwood and the surrounding areas is on par with the wealthier areas of San Diego County.