Agree with Magnifico. Reacting to those opinions or reactions might suggest that they affect you, though the longer people stay in China, the more likely they actually start considering those.

"You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world."

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need."

[advertising... and the opinions of people around you]

― Fight Club

You are right, we are not those things. But we all make judgements. How many of us are judged by our forum posts, for example.
Another example. How many really good teachers would not get a job if they turned up for interview dressed a certain way.
I am not my forum posts, I am not my clothes, but I know that I am being judged, even as people read.

your forum posts reflect who you are, to some extent. your car only reflects how much money you've accumulated. and sometimes people hate you or judge you for all the wrong reasons. envy...

and no one bothers to ask "how did that person acquire that Audi?" with the shit i've seen people doing, there are different ways of acquiring Audis, some of them less 'equal' than others. if you don't think this defines a human being, then (or is it than? CAMPO, help!) you and i don't share the same spiritual beliefs.

Many people who drive luxury cars in China, don't own the car or don't actually plan to own them. They take a bank loan and pay monthly until they get bored and then return the car.

Forum posts do not always reflect who people really are irl. Some opinions posted online, negative or positive, aren't necessarily what the author believes in.

The car you drive reflects more than just the money you have accumulated. Other life values are reflected in the brand values that car makers have built. A person who drives a Volvo is expressing a different set of values to the person who buys a Cadillac. Even though the price may be the same.

Another lifestyle choice is not to use a car. This reflects another set of values. It allows some people to try and claim some spiritual high ground. Which in itself if an egotistical position.

Even if people don't own the cars, the choice of ride is based on the values that the driver wishes to display to the world.

@does indeed allow some people to make the claim you mention, which is indeed egotistical. Also eliminates unnecessary cars.

yeah, i guess making the decision not to drive can be considered egotistical.

but not more egotistical than a bunch of people sneering at other people who drive less expensive cars. sorry, but to me that's rock bottom human trash behavior.

and also not more egotistical than the ego-maniacs in power who decide every facet of my life. people should have the option to opt out of this insane traffic madness and ride their bikes on peaceful tree-lined streets if they like.

and ps. i could care less about the "values" of a volvo owner and the "values" of a cadillac owner. what possible "values" of any interest to any other human being could you possibly be transmitting through your car?

i own a Volvo, therefore if you get into a business partnership with me, i won't screw you over like the cadillac a-hole?

@Magnifico: Possible values: (1) driving the unnecessary expensive car affirms value of wealth over & beyond its practical use value; (2) driving such a car affirms the value of, specifically, 'me', the driver, within the social hierarchy, & thereby affirms the values implicit in that hierarchy - obviously self-serving (am not suggesting that this is ALWAYS a bad idea, although I don't have much respect for the overall hierarchy).