The Aston Martin DB5 has become one of the most coveted and recognizable cars in the world thanks to fictional agent James Bond.
But it turns out Bond wouldn’t be able to afford his DB5 – he would even save several lives to buy his ‘company car’, new figures reveal.
AA Car Finance has discovered how long infamous on-screen characters would have to save up to afford some of their most famous wheels.
Unfortunately, 007 is not doing as well financially as other legendary characters such as Bruce Wayne and Charlie Croker of the Italian Job, with an MI6 income that pales in comparison to Batman’s billions and Croker’s stolen money.
The Aston Martin DB5 from No Time To Die – Daniel Craig’s final appearance as Bond – is worth £2.75 million, which is unfortunately out of reach for 007 with his MI6 secret agent salary
Bruce Wayne – last played by Robert Pattinson in 2022 – can easily afford his hugely expensive Batmobile thanks to his billionaire bank account, AA Car Finance has detailed
Barbie, the highest-grossing movie of 2023, was a box office hit and an award showpiece — but that wouldn’t have meant Barbie could afford her C1 Corvette without saving
It would take 007 almost 250 years on his £125,000 MI6 salary to have enough savings in the bank to buy the Aston Martin DB5 he drives in No Time To Die.
To calculate each fictional character’s car expenses, AA Car Finance experts suggest that motorists spend between 10 and 15 percent of their net income on a car.
If people keep an average of 69 percent of their gross salary after taxes and national insurance contributions, then someone who spends 15 percent of their net income would pay 9 percent of their gross income on a car.
Based on paying 9 percent of his income, if Bond were paid the average secret agent MI6 salary of £100,000 to £150,000 per year, Bond would have to save for 244 years to earn No Time’s £2.75 million DB5 to buy. Die.
The Aston Martin DB5 made its first Bond appearance in Goldfinger and has now become synonymous with the franchise. It played a starring role in No Time To Die, but Bond would be long dead before he could afford his classic car in real life
The 2022 Batmobile will cost £7 million, but AA Car Finance has revealed that it will take Bruce Wayne just 11 days to collect enough interest on his £7 billion fortune to buy himself a Batmobile.
However, Batman fans will be relieved to discover that billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne – aka Batman – would do a much better job than Bond.
Bruce would only have to use eleven days’ worth of interest on his £7 billion fortune to pay for a new Batmobile, which would net him a measly £7 million.
The classic Barbie – played by Margot Robbie in the big 2023 Barbie movie – drives a pink C1 Corvette that is likely to cost her £89,429.
If Barbie didn’t party and instead sensibly saved 9 percent a year of the average American woman’s salary of £37,742, it would take the plastic sensation 26 years to buy her Corvette.
Other well-known characters joining the savings car club include Doc Brown and Frank Bullitt.
The new Barbie movie with Margot Robbie (photo) was a box office hit. In real life, paying for her C1 Corvette isn’t as easy as in Barbieland, as a pink C1 Corvette would likely cost her £89,429.
Doc Brown’s DeLorean DMC-12 from Back To The Future is one of the most recognizable Hollywood vehicles. In 1985 Doc would have cost around £19,725.
It is impossible to know how much money the Libyans paid him to make a nuclear weapon, but even assuming he earns £38,820 a year from a role as a university lecturer or by reselling his inventions, it would still only be five years to pay the costs. futuristic looking car.
Doc Brown’s DeLorean DMC-12 from Back To The Future is said to have cost Doc around £19,725 in 1985. The time machine would have to save Doc for five years to pay for it
The cinematic award for all-time great car chase has to go to Steve McQueen’s Mustang scene in Bullitt. Frank Bullitt raced through the streets of San Francisco in his 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback.
Still, it would take Mr. Bullitt another three (2.9) years to save up for his ride to avoid the bad guy.
Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in his 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Fastback is perhaps the most instantly recognizable cinematic car chase of all time
But Bullitt would have to part with three years of savings if he wanted to buy his own Mustang
The A-team – a group of ex-Army Special Forces Vietnam veterans – can combine their salaries, making it much faster to save for their GMC Vandura.
Hannibal (John “Hannibal” Smith) might have made $60,000-$100,000 a year for military advice and consultancy, while Face (Templeton Peck) could have pulled in about $50,000-$80,000 as a skilled conman and scrounger.
Add to that the BA Baracus stalwart’s likely mechanical salary of $40,000 – $70,000 and Murdock’s (HM Murdock) stunt flying pilot income of about $50,000 to $90,000, and the A-Team’s predicted annual combined income would be somewhere between $200,000 and $340,000 in the the 80’s.
If the team saved for a year and a half, Vandura would be fully owned.
Scammers have it easy when it comes to saving cars, with Charlie Croker’s Italian Job Mini Cooper being just pocket change for the criminal
The Italian Job used three 1967 Austin Mini Cooper 1275 Ss, each costing £777. It would take Charlie just four hours to pay for the Mini Cooper if he managed to pull off the £1.6 million gold heist
For some characters, purchasing their vehicle is a piece of cake.
Charlie Croker from the classic 1969 film The Italian Job makes an estimated £1.6 million from the gold heist he plans, making short work of affording three 1967 Austin Mini Cooper 1275 Ss costing £777 each. It would only take Charlie four hours to pay for the Mini Cooper.
Ghostbusters got their car cheap – a used 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor – and the characters were able to snag it, so they only had to be patient for 61 days to pay for their car
Even the Ghostbusters from the original 1984 film should have no problem buying Ecto-1 – a second-hand 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor limousine that would have cost them just £3,383.
Based on the $5,000 fee they mention in the film, and assuming they’re in business for a full year, the team could earn a combined £225,564. 61 days is not a long wait for the three parapsychologists.
In contrast, the average British motorist earning the national average salary of £34,963 would need to save just under five years to buy a second-hand Nissan Qashqai costing £15,077 – one of the most popular cars in Britain.
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