Drive a Luxury Car for Less

Want to drive a luxury brand automobile but can't afford it? You might be surprised to find that many luxury brands (like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lincoln) offer vehicles that start in the low 30s. Just by foregoing a few extras like a bigger engine and built-in GPS you could be driving a new luxury car for about the same as you'd expect to pay for a nice Toyota or Honda. It really comes down to deciding if the term "fully loaded" is really that important to you -- do you have to have that gas-guzzling V8? If the answer is 'no' then you suddenly have a lot more options.

Via Luxist

Chicago Pinot Days Tasting is Coming Up!

It seems as though wine enthusiasts either have to live on a coast (East or West) or be willing to travel a great distance in order to enjoy premier wine tasting events. Chicago is widening the field by offering its own tasting focused on California Pinot Noir wines on November 15th at Chicago Pinot Days Tasting. For $50 you can enjoy great Pinots on Navy Pier. In addition to Saturday's Grand Wine Tasting there is a Friday night winemakers dinner at Bin36. Looks like the perfect way to expand your wine knowledge, enjoy great wines and maybe even impress someone of interest by bringing them along for the event.

Via Luxist

The New T@B XL Luxury Trailer

The T@B XL is different than its predecessors in that it's a little bigger and a lot more expensive. It's large for a teardrop trailer, measuring in a 22ft, but if you're worried about towing safety it comes with options for improving stability and reducing snaking. And the exterior may be simple but the interior is loaded with extras, like fine leather and teak wood, optional underfloor heating, and a 23" flat screen tv with built in cd/dvd. All that and it looks more like a miniature mansion than a camping trailer inside. Available in Europe for £35,000/$62,000.

Via Luxist

The Skybar Wine System Does It All

Wine connoisseurs come in all shapes and sizes, from the old-fashioned purists to the cutting edge trend setters, and this product would definitely be for the latter. The Skybar Wine Preservation & Optimization System is designed to do it all. It chills up to 3 bottles of wine at once (all in separate compartments with individual temperature controls), dispenses the wine smoothly and without disturbing the natural sediment, preserves open bottles of wine for up to 10 days with vacuum technology, and displays the bottles attractively with LED lighting.

I don't know which type of wine drinker I am (old fashioned or trendy) because although I think this wine system is great I also think I would miss pouring the wine from the bottle. $999


Via Luxist

Introducing: The Urban DINK

What is a "DINK" you ask? Dual Income, No Kids describes a market segment consisting of two-income couples without children. DINKS are considered a relatively affluent group with a greater percentage of discretionary income than other segments. DINKS are often targeted for luxury item promotions including vacation travel, luxury cars, gourmet foods, electronics, and personal services. My focus of this blog will be to explore these subsets. That way, we can offer comments and discoveries that are of particular interest to those groups.