Money

These 6 super-rich celebrities still drive cheap, old cars

Share
These billionaires still drive these cheap cars
VIDEO0:4500:45
These billionaires still drive these cheap cars

When some people get rich, they indulge.

Microsoft co-founder and world's richest person Bill Gates, for instance, recently bought himself a Porsche 911. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson famously drives his amphibious Gibbs Aquada around the U.K.

But other celebrities never abandon the thrifty habits that contributed to their success. Here are six successful leaders, including some of the richest people in the world, who haven't traded up.

Warren Buffett

Kyle Blaney | Proxibid

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is well known for his frugal quirks. He never spends more than $3.17 on breakfast and he lives in the same house he bought for $31,500 in 1958 (that would be $260,000 in today's dollars).

In 2014, he reportedly bought a Cadillac XTS, a car with a retail price of around $45,000. It was an upgrade from his previous car: a 2006 Cadillac DTS, which he decided to get rid of when his his daughter Susie told him it was embarrassing.

The business mogul justified the delay by telling Forbes: "I only drive about 3,500 miles a year so I will buy a new car very infrequently."

Mark Zuckerberg

Acura TSX
Richard Hartog | Getty Images

The founder and CEO of Facebook, the world's largest social networking platform, is often seen driving a black Acura TSX, a car valued at around $30,000. He says he prefers the choice because it's "safe, comfortable and not ostentatious."

He also reportedly has a Volkswagen GTI, a car of similar value.

Kirk Cousins

The Washington Redskins' quarterback is making $23.9 million this season. But that doesn't stop him from continuing to drive his GMC Savana passenger van.

The vehicle's original retail value was around $33,000 but, with 100,000 miles and a dent in the side, it's now only worth a fraction of that.

"You don't know how long you're going to play," Cousins told the Wall Street Journal in 2016. "You've got to save every dollar even though you are making a good salary."

Unlike some of his fellow players, Cousins steers clear of yachts and sports cars. "It's better to buy appreciating assets than depreciating," he says.

Alice Walton

Ford F-150
Boston Globe | Getty Images

An heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, Alice Walton is the wealthiest woman in the world now that Liliane Bettencourt passed away last week. Her vehicle of choice is a 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch, with a modest price of around $40,000

Her late father Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, drove around the 1979 version of the same truck until he died in 1992.

Ingvar Kamprad

nakhon100 | Flickr

Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad doesn't like to spend money on what he doesn't need. He once claimed to save by only getting his hair cut when he's in developing countries.

In 2014, when he returned to Sweden after 40 years of tax exile, The Telegraph reported that he said on television, "If you look at me now, I don't think I'm wearing anything that wasn't bought at a flea market."

For two decades, he drove a 1993 Volvo 240 GL. He only gave it up recently when someone persuaded the now 91-year-old that driving it was too dangerous. Originally, the car was worth around $22,000.

Steve Ballmer

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Bloomberg | Getty Images

The owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and former CEO of Microsoft has proudly driven Fords throughout his life because his father was a manager at Ford Motor Company.

In 2009, Ballmer was personally delivered a new Ford Fusion Hybrid by Ford's CEO at the time, Alan Mulally, in celebration of their one-millionth vehicle equipped with SYNC, an in-vehicle communications and entertainment system.

The car's original retail price was around $28,000.

This is an updated version of a previously published article.

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook

Don't miss: Why one NFL quarterback drives a dented van he bought from his grandma for $5,000

This NFL starting quarterback drives a dented van he bought from his grandma for $5,000
VIDEO0:5200:52
This NFL starting quarterback drives a dented van he bought from his grandma for $5,000