If you had all the money in the world, what type of car would you buy? Would it be a $3 million Rolls-Royce, a $574,000 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, or a more subtle Honda Accord? While some multibillionaires have chosen to spend some of their wealth on expensive cars, others have taken a more modest route.
From million-dollar handbuilt cars to common roadsters, these are the cars nine of some of the wealthiest people in the world drive.
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos and a 1996 Honda Accord. Not Bezos’ actual car. Charles Krupa/Associated Press and GPS 56 from New Zealand/Wikimedia/CC 2.0 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/1996_Honda_Accord_%2816424638125%29.jpg
Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos owns a 12% stake in Amazon worth about $114.8 billion following his divorce from his ex-wife, MacKenzie. But despite his wealth, a younger Bezos in 1999 still drove a 1996 Honda Accord, two years after the retailer went public.
When asked about his vehicle of choice in a 1999 episode of “60 Minutes,” Bezos said, “This is a perfectly good car.”
The MSRP in 1996 was $17,890.
Source: Markets Insider, Bloomberg, NADA Guides
Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz and a Volkswagen R32. Not Moskovitz’s actual car. David Zalubowski/Associated Press and Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Facebook and Asana cofounder Dustin Moskovitz has a net worth of $13.4 billion, according to Forbes. Despite his 3% stake in Facebook, Moskovitz stayed frugal. A 2011 profile of Moskovitz in The Seattle Times noted that he drove a Volkswagen R32 at the time.
The MSRP for the R32 in 2008 was $32,000.
Source: Forbes, The Seattle Times
Jack Ma
Jack Ma and a Roewe RX5 SUV. Not Ma’s actual car. Jorge Silva/Reuters and Andy Wong/Associated Press
Jack Ma is the cofounder of the e-commerce and tech conglomerate, The Alibaba Group. The China-based group’s 2014 IPO was the world’s biggest public stock offering at the time, raising $25 billion.
With a net worth of $37.3 billion, Jack Ma is the second-richest man in China. However, he hs been seen in a Roewe RX5 SUV as recently as October 2018. The RX5’s infotainment system is powered by Alibaba’s YunOS operating system.
Source: Business Insider, CNBC, Architectural Digest
Larry Page
Larry Page and a fourth-generation Toyota Prius. Not Page’s actual car. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press and John Locher/Associated Pres
CEO of Alphabet and cofounder of Google Larry Page earned his spot as the 8th richest person in the world. Although he has an annual salary of just one dollar, his net worth is about $53.5 billion as of October 2018.
Larry Page drives a Toyota Prius, according to Reuters. 2019 base price: $23,770
Source: Reuters
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett and a 2014 Cadillac XTS. Not Buffett’s actual car. Dave Weaver/Associated Press and Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha” is well-known for his frugal ways. The billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has pledged to donate 99% of his net worth of $84.2 billion in his lifetime.
Buffet drives a 2014 Cadillac XTS. The MSRP for a new one was $23,500. Before his 2014 Caddy, he owned a 2006 Cadillac DTS.
Source: CNN, Forbes
Elon Musk
Elon Musk and the second-generation Tesla Roadster. Musk’s Roadster is not pictured. Mike Blake/Reuters and Alexandria Sage/Reuters
The intrepid billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is known to drive and ride in his own company’s cars. Musk famously swapped places with the first person to place an order on the Model 3, and launched his own first-generation Tesla Roadster into space.
Source: Business Insider
Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer and a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Not Ballmer’s actual car. Mike Segar/Reuters and Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft and current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has a net worth of $50.9 billion.
Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally personally delivered Ballmer’s Ford Fusion Hybrid in 2009. Ballmer is a loyal Ford customer because his father was a longtime Ford employee in Detroit. The MSRP of the Fusion Hybrid was $19,500.
Source: The Seattle Times, Forbes
Alice Walton
Alice Walton and a 2010 Ford F 150 King Ranch. Not Walton’s actual car. Rebecca Cook/Reuters and April Brown/Associated Press
Alice Walton is one of the heirs to the Walmart fortune and is the second-wealthiest woman in the world. Instead of working for Walmart like her two brothers, Walton decided to curate art, and reportedly has an art collection worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Walton spent part of her $51.6 billion net worth on her 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch pickup truck, according to a 2008 Forbes article. The MSRP for the truck that year was $40,930.
Source: Forbes, CNBC
Bill Gates
Bill Gates and a 1988 Porsche 959. Not Gates’ actual car. Toru Hanai/Reuters and Valder137/Wikimedia/CC 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porsche_959_1988_LSideFront_PorscheM_9June2013_(14825961500).jpg
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, has a net worth of $103.8 billion, allowing him to own several cars such as the 1988 Porsche 959. He supported the passage of the “Show and Display” law that allowed him to take possession of the 959 after it was imported to the United States.
The 959 debuted in 1988 at $300,000 and was once the fastest car in the world.
Source: Sotheby’s, Forbes, NHTSA
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg and a Pagani Huayra. Not Zuckerberg’s actual car. Charles Platiau/Reuters and Norbert Aepli/Wikimedia/CC 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015-03-03_Geneva_Motor_Show_3249.JPG
The Facebook founder reportedly purchased a Pagani Huayra in 2014, although he has also owned an Acura TSX, Honda Fit, and Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The MSRP for the 2014 Pagani was $1,400,000. Not a huge outlay for a man worth $74.4 billion.