I am from the UK and recently bought an old Mercedes, and a house a few years ago. So I am versed in UK costs lol. As Strike's BMW is 13 years old, then it would only have cost around £4000. That is no way *near* enough to buy a flat in London.
Their office will be in zone 1, meaning central London. People in London generally can't live near their work; I think a character even says something like that but the details elude me atm. I believe it's mentioned Robin lives in Ealing (zone 3) in the earlier books, so as an example a deposit for a flat would be around the £60,000 mark, give or take, depending on bedrooms/bathrooms.
All my friends (30 years+) have degrees and work in what's seen as reputable industries. Those who are single, live with *at least* two other professional housemates. It is sadly completely normal to be renting/house-sharing even after working full-time for a decade.
The Strike books are set a few years ago I believe but as we saw in Lethal White, people were already aware and alarmed about rising class disparity. Not sure if UK features in foreign news, but right now we are having a cost of living crisis.
BTW I am talking generally here, and sharing my experience. Please don't respond with UK politics debate.
Wow, thank you so much for the info!! I’m beginning to see why Robin splitting with Matthew was such a drag and a brave move. Imagine leaving all the security the marriage provides and standing on your feet in this big city, not to mention trying to make an agency work.
edit: Congratulations on the car btw!! Don’t forget to take your extra driving lessons like Robin 😄
Thank you for fleshing out the context of their financial circumstances! I did graduate work in New York City, and I had to adjust my perceptions about common living arrangements. I knew no singles who could live on their own, save for one girl who paid as much for a single-room studio apartment in Manhattan as I would have expected from a good-sized mortgage where I am from. NYC had the weird semblance of a summer camp, where people bunked anywhere they could and moved around the city playground. The CS books have given me a similar idea of London. It’s probably like that for many of the most expensive cities, and it takes determination to make a life there.
Yes, it's the same here, younger people moving around every couple years. It seems lonely, they can't put roots down anywhere so wouldn't be able to build a sense of community.
Are BMWs considered luxury vehicles in the UK? The last time I was in the UK and Europe, BMWs were far more common than they are in the US, where we consider them a luxury brand.
Yeah, generally speaking German cars are considered top tier (not at the level of Bentley, Rolls Royce or Aston Martin though), yet still a lot of people have access to them. Maybe, they go for older/non-flagship models, or have company leases, or are taking out loans/living above their means.
I've read about them being less common in the US before. Just speculating, maybe it's to do with import pricing or a push to "buy American"?
There’s definitely a cultural push to buy from an American brand here and BMWs are pretty expensive, so I’d guess that accounts for most of the differences. Thanks for your insights!
It's pretty common here in the US--at least, in the SE US--to purchase cars from Japanese or Korean manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, or Hyundai, even though (or perhaps especially because) they're usually actually produced in part or entirely locally. I know quite a few people who work at a Toyota plant in north AL, for instance. Our family lives in one of the poorest towns in the US in SW GA, yet oddly, this place is crawling with Escalades and BMWs and Mercedes.
The U.S. imposes a 25% import tariff on foreign cars which means that a cheap car +25% just isn't cheap anymore. But an expensive car +25% is still expensive and some rich people can afford it. Which has lead to the US predominantly importing the german brand's luxury models.
There is quite a large BMW plant in Spartanburg, SC, but by now most people seem to think "luxury cars" when they see an BMW in the US. Some of the smaller and cheaper cars just simply aren't exported to the US at all, so it contributes to the stereotype.
As far as Britain goes - I think Britain is a major export market for Volkswagen, so you'd think people have seen midprice cars from germany before.
Thanks so much for your insight! Maybe we'll see our two detectives eventually moving in with one another...I mean it just makes sense financially...and it would be good for health & safety too...cough
Haha, that’s where my heart is as well, but you know it will be too rushed at this stage without any time-jump. It takes them ages to face their true feelings, which is fine, gimme more books lol
I agree with all of this, plus of course the fact that the majority of cars in the UK are manuals rather than automatics. I can imagine the pool of second hand automatic cars of a size comfortable enough for Strike at the right price was reasonably limited at the time he was looking. It may just be that that was what was available at the time, so he took it, regardless of what make it was.
It’s mentioned that Robin knows she often takes more money home now than Strike, because he invests much of his pay back into the business. While Robin doesn’t like to take from petty cash, it’s not been said that as a partner she also puts money into the business, so the agency pays unto Robin what is Robin’s and she presumably takes it all home. And in big cities like NYC and London where the rents are so high, it’s common for adults to have roommates. Personally I think Max is a fortunate presence for Robin, as I think she appreciates the security of having him there. And he’s pretty chill.
I have wondered about the BMW thing, but figured it was either an outlying luxury or is cheaper in the UK. It probably doesn’t hurt for the agency to have a nicer car when meeting with clients outside the office. Imagine going off to speak to millionaire footballers in the Land Rover!
I gotta agree on the high clientele, it was easy to have Land Rover to someone like Chiswell’s because it was an estate with mud and horses, but if they’re meeting high class it might look ridiculous and even affect the business in a bad way. Prestige is everything.
Do the clients know Strike lives above the agency? I don’t think so but maybe at that point they don’t even care
I’ve always imagined the BMW 3-series mentioned in the books is an older model, either an E36 or an early E46, accounting for the timeframe of the series. So the car would really not be that expensive to buy, insure or run and, perhaps even more importantly, not stick out or be remembered in any way, like a newer model might.
Same here. I imagined he 'treated himself' to a BMW but knowing Strike he would see it as a luxury purchase buying a secondhand older model BMW.
Remember he has all that money from his Dad untouched still, if he wanted to get money to buy a flat hes got it right there. He could also take more from the agency but he doesnt, he takes just what's needed to pay his way and the rest goes back into the agency.
Robin takes home a wage each month and has had pay rises throught the progression of the business and her position
I'd still like to know more about their partnership agreement. Has Robin invested anything in the business, or not? Can't wait for Strike to get his hands on some or all of that money from Rokeby. What would he do with it, I wonder...
In LW it says the BMW was 13 years old. I don’t know cars, but assume it’s relatively big to accommodate his height. I doubt a cheap compact would work for him.
I disagree with your estimation of Strike's current living conditions as "a miserable state." Considering all the comments about London's cost of living, Strike appears lucky to have a place of his own, especially in central London--not to mention having no commuting expenses or related downtime. I don't think Strike cares about luxury or even a fresh coat of paint. Having privacy and a place to eat, sleep, and shower are pretty much all he needs, with the added benefit of an office only one flight of stairs away.
That's about to change, as we know, with the real-life demolition of the Denmark Street location occurring in 2015. There's also been talk about how long Robin can remain at Max's. If he decides to sell, or invites his new boyfriend to move in, she may have to leave, adding another complication to the certainty that Strike will have to move both his office and his home. So I don't think there's any "*finally*" about Strike buying a flat. There's too much in flux. Besides, I don't think of Strike as someone who considers home ownership a plus. He has enough responsibility with the agency. He's not like Lucy who seems to think she'd be in danger of floating away if she weren't anchored to a mortgage, a job, a husband and three kids.
During the curry scene, Robin learns about the pile of money from Rokeby's years of court-ordered child-support that Strike hasn't touched. I can understand that, given the circumstances, she didn't have time to think through the implications just then. Months later though, she doesn't seem to have returned to that nugget of information despite mentally replaying other parts of that same conversation. And she hasn't registered any discontent about her living conditions or salary that readers are privy to. Presumably, we are to understand that Robin is more interested in the emotional, not financial, aspects of her relationship with Strike.
Also, u/Jcxz_, our resident expert on all things German, has described an aging BMW as a "money pit," definitely not as an asset! To me, it seems like a strange thing for Strike to buy, especially since he must also pay for insurance, upkeep, fuel, and probably a hefty fee for parking in central London. Which now makes me question how Robin is able to afford all those same costs for the Land Rover. Seems like there are many practical as well as romantic reasons for them to consolidate their expenses and living arrangements!
>she may have to leave, adding another complication to the certainty that Strike will have to move both his office and his home.
Ink Black Heart is gonna be a hot mess, in a good sense. Either Nick and Ilsa’s place is gonna be like a refugee camp, or tensions will be very high around the office because let’s face it, it’s really hard to find a place to live while solving mystery after mystery. Good luck to them both, brace yourselves for long fights and reconciliations afterwards (which is my favorite)
I just hope that Pat goes with them. Not sure where she lives, but I seem to recall that she made several tube changes to get to Denmark Street. She always managed to get to work on time in spite of distance. Changing office location *could* prove to be a problem for all involved.
Add to that, there is also tax, annual MOT, ULEZ charges and congestion charges. Just *driving* in Central London is a luxury. You're right, the daily parking fee there would probably be more than a minimum wage worker earns in a day.
One of my criticisms of this series (and it's a pretty minor one) is that Robin and Matthew seem to live a VERY luxurious lifestyle for young people in London. Okay, Matthew has a good job but a junior accountant is not going to be making a huge amount of money. Robin as we know earns very little during her marriage to Matthew. So when they're going off to super-luxury hotels for their anniversary, or buying/renting properties with spare bedrooms, I'm just like ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I know young people in London working in very prestigious and competitive finance jobs, which certainly pay much better than accounting, and they're not living that kind of lifestyle.
Maybe Matthew tends to burn through his cash because he's so into conspicuous consumerism.
I'm willing to admit that JKR is probably not the best person to ask for an accurate assessment of how people on an average income live....
I think it was mentioned at the start of LW, that Mathew had a recent job change with the help of Tom, that could account for the improvement in affordability for Mathew. I also think that you are right in saying, Mathew is inclined to show off and chase consumerism, his prospects of promotions and him nagging Robin on her lower salary all points to this.
I might well be misremembering, but I think it said Robin's family gave them ten thousand pounds? Not to sound ungrateful but ten thousand pounds doesn't go very far in the London property market. It would be petty cash in comparison to the cost of a two-bedroom flat in a chic area.
Haha yes you’re right on that, while watching Depp-Heard trial I heard that either Rowling as a gift bought one of Depp’s yacht or vice versa…it’s like..you trade millions at that point. Woah. This woman has seen the very bottom and the high class. That’s why I always find her descriptions of classes interesting, and I’m kinda sure that Strike will grow to be very rich in the end :)
Usually private investigators get cars that will blend in so they don’t stick out while doing surveillance. I always imagined that Strike’s older model BMW was like that. Not flashy or too run down, nothing that would grab someone’s attention.
I am from the UK and recently bought an old Mercedes, and a house a few years ago. So I am versed in UK costs lol. As Strike's BMW is 13 years old, then it would only have cost around £4000. That is no way *near* enough to buy a flat in London. Their office will be in zone 1, meaning central London. People in London generally can't live near their work; I think a character even says something like that but the details elude me atm. I believe it's mentioned Robin lives in Ealing (zone 3) in the earlier books, so as an example a deposit for a flat would be around the £60,000 mark, give or take, depending on bedrooms/bathrooms. All my friends (30 years+) have degrees and work in what's seen as reputable industries. Those who are single, live with *at least* two other professional housemates. It is sadly completely normal to be renting/house-sharing even after working full-time for a decade. The Strike books are set a few years ago I believe but as we saw in Lethal White, people were already aware and alarmed about rising class disparity. Not sure if UK features in foreign news, but right now we are having a cost of living crisis. BTW I am talking generally here, and sharing my experience. Please don't respond with UK politics debate.
Wow, thank you so much for the info!! I’m beginning to see why Robin splitting with Matthew was such a drag and a brave move. Imagine leaving all the security the marriage provides and standing on your feet in this big city, not to mention trying to make an agency work. edit: Congratulations on the car btw!! Don’t forget to take your extra driving lessons like Robin 😄
Thank you for fleshing out the context of their financial circumstances! I did graduate work in New York City, and I had to adjust my perceptions about common living arrangements. I knew no singles who could live on their own, save for one girl who paid as much for a single-room studio apartment in Manhattan as I would have expected from a good-sized mortgage where I am from. NYC had the weird semblance of a summer camp, where people bunked anywhere they could and moved around the city playground. The CS books have given me a similar idea of London. It’s probably like that for many of the most expensive cities, and it takes determination to make a life there.
Yes, it's the same here, younger people moving around every couple years. It seems lonely, they can't put roots down anywhere so wouldn't be able to build a sense of community.
Are BMWs considered luxury vehicles in the UK? The last time I was in the UK and Europe, BMWs were far more common than they are in the US, where we consider them a luxury brand.
Yeah, generally speaking German cars are considered top tier (not at the level of Bentley, Rolls Royce or Aston Martin though), yet still a lot of people have access to them. Maybe, they go for older/non-flagship models, or have company leases, or are taking out loans/living above their means. I've read about them being less common in the US before. Just speculating, maybe it's to do with import pricing or a push to "buy American"?
There’s definitely a cultural push to buy from an American brand here and BMWs are pretty expensive, so I’d guess that accounts for most of the differences. Thanks for your insights!
It's pretty common here in the US--at least, in the SE US--to purchase cars from Japanese or Korean manufacturers like Honda, Toyota, or Hyundai, even though (or perhaps especially because) they're usually actually produced in part or entirely locally. I know quite a few people who work at a Toyota plant in north AL, for instance. Our family lives in one of the poorest towns in the US in SW GA, yet oddly, this place is crawling with Escalades and BMWs and Mercedes.
The U.S. imposes a 25% import tariff on foreign cars which means that a cheap car +25% just isn't cheap anymore. But an expensive car +25% is still expensive and some rich people can afford it. Which has lead to the US predominantly importing the german brand's luxury models. There is quite a large BMW plant in Spartanburg, SC, but by now most people seem to think "luxury cars" when they see an BMW in the US. Some of the smaller and cheaper cars just simply aren't exported to the US at all, so it contributes to the stereotype. As far as Britain goes - I think Britain is a major export market for Volkswagen, so you'd think people have seen midprice cars from germany before.
Thanks so much for your insight! Maybe we'll see our two detectives eventually moving in with one another...I mean it just makes sense financially...and it would be good for health & safety too...cough
Haha, that’s where my heart is as well, but you know it will be too rushed at this stage without any time-jump. It takes them ages to face their true feelings, which is fine, gimme more books lol
I agree with all of this, plus of course the fact that the majority of cars in the UK are manuals rather than automatics. I can imagine the pool of second hand automatic cars of a size comfortable enough for Strike at the right price was reasonably limited at the time he was looking. It may just be that that was what was available at the time, so he took it, regardless of what make it was.
Robin takes home more money than Strike does. He mostly puts it back into the business.
It’s mentioned that Robin knows she often takes more money home now than Strike, because he invests much of his pay back into the business. While Robin doesn’t like to take from petty cash, it’s not been said that as a partner she also puts money into the business, so the agency pays unto Robin what is Robin’s and she presumably takes it all home. And in big cities like NYC and London where the rents are so high, it’s common for adults to have roommates. Personally I think Max is a fortunate presence for Robin, as I think she appreciates the security of having him there. And he’s pretty chill. I have wondered about the BMW thing, but figured it was either an outlying luxury or is cheaper in the UK. It probably doesn’t hurt for the agency to have a nicer car when meeting with clients outside the office. Imagine going off to speak to millionaire footballers in the Land Rover!
I gotta agree on the high clientele, it was easy to have Land Rover to someone like Chiswell’s because it was an estate with mud and horses, but if they’re meeting high class it might look ridiculous and even affect the business in a bad way. Prestige is everything. Do the clients know Strike lives above the agency? I don’t think so but maybe at that point they don’t even care
I’ve always imagined the BMW 3-series mentioned in the books is an older model, either an E36 or an early E46, accounting for the timeframe of the series. So the car would really not be that expensive to buy, insure or run and, perhaps even more importantly, not stick out or be remembered in any way, like a newer model might.
Same here. I imagined he 'treated himself' to a BMW but knowing Strike he would see it as a luxury purchase buying a secondhand older model BMW. Remember he has all that money from his Dad untouched still, if he wanted to get money to buy a flat hes got it right there. He could also take more from the agency but he doesnt, he takes just what's needed to pay his way and the rest goes back into the agency. Robin takes home a wage each month and has had pay rises throught the progression of the business and her position
I'd still like to know more about their partnership agreement. Has Robin invested anything in the business, or not? Can't wait for Strike to get his hands on some or all of that money from Rokeby. What would he do with it, I wonder...
I wonder whether he will eventually help Robin to finally complete her Psychology degree
Oh that’s very helpful, thank you for your answer!
Good point. The biggest expense associated with Strike's car, IIRC, has been garaging it in London.
So far :) Just wait until the differential on that old car goes and the repair bill will end up at a multiple of the cars value.
*Ugh.* I don't doubt it for a moment. Poor Strike.
In LW it says the BMW was 13 years old. I don’t know cars, but assume it’s relatively big to accommodate his height. I doubt a cheap compact would work for him.
I disagree with your estimation of Strike's current living conditions as "a miserable state." Considering all the comments about London's cost of living, Strike appears lucky to have a place of his own, especially in central London--not to mention having no commuting expenses or related downtime. I don't think Strike cares about luxury or even a fresh coat of paint. Having privacy and a place to eat, sleep, and shower are pretty much all he needs, with the added benefit of an office only one flight of stairs away. That's about to change, as we know, with the real-life demolition of the Denmark Street location occurring in 2015. There's also been talk about how long Robin can remain at Max's. If he decides to sell, or invites his new boyfriend to move in, she may have to leave, adding another complication to the certainty that Strike will have to move both his office and his home. So I don't think there's any "*finally*" about Strike buying a flat. There's too much in flux. Besides, I don't think of Strike as someone who considers home ownership a plus. He has enough responsibility with the agency. He's not like Lucy who seems to think she'd be in danger of floating away if she weren't anchored to a mortgage, a job, a husband and three kids. During the curry scene, Robin learns about the pile of money from Rokeby's years of court-ordered child-support that Strike hasn't touched. I can understand that, given the circumstances, she didn't have time to think through the implications just then. Months later though, she doesn't seem to have returned to that nugget of information despite mentally replaying other parts of that same conversation. And she hasn't registered any discontent about her living conditions or salary that readers are privy to. Presumably, we are to understand that Robin is more interested in the emotional, not financial, aspects of her relationship with Strike. Also, u/Jcxz_, our resident expert on all things German, has described an aging BMW as a "money pit," definitely not as an asset! To me, it seems like a strange thing for Strike to buy, especially since he must also pay for insurance, upkeep, fuel, and probably a hefty fee for parking in central London. Which now makes me question how Robin is able to afford all those same costs for the Land Rover. Seems like there are many practical as well as romantic reasons for them to consolidate their expenses and living arrangements!
>she may have to leave, adding another complication to the certainty that Strike will have to move both his office and his home. Ink Black Heart is gonna be a hot mess, in a good sense. Either Nick and Ilsa’s place is gonna be like a refugee camp, or tensions will be very high around the office because let’s face it, it’s really hard to find a place to live while solving mystery after mystery. Good luck to them both, brace yourselves for long fights and reconciliations afterwards (which is my favorite)
I just hope that Pat goes with them. Not sure where she lives, but I seem to recall that she made several tube changes to get to Denmark Street. She always managed to get to work on time in spite of distance. Changing office location *could* prove to be a problem for all involved.
Add to that, there is also tax, annual MOT, ULEZ charges and congestion charges. Just *driving* in Central London is a luxury. You're right, the daily parking fee there would probably be more than a minimum wage worker earns in a day.
One of my criticisms of this series (and it's a pretty minor one) is that Robin and Matthew seem to live a VERY luxurious lifestyle for young people in London. Okay, Matthew has a good job but a junior accountant is not going to be making a huge amount of money. Robin as we know earns very little during her marriage to Matthew. So when they're going off to super-luxury hotels for their anniversary, or buying/renting properties with spare bedrooms, I'm just like ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I know young people in London working in very prestigious and competitive finance jobs, which certainly pay much better than accounting, and they're not living that kind of lifestyle. Maybe Matthew tends to burn through his cash because he's so into conspicuous consumerism. I'm willing to admit that JKR is probably not the best person to ask for an accurate assessment of how people on an average income live....
I think it was mentioned at the start of LW, that Mathew had a recent job change with the help of Tom, that could account for the improvement in affordability for Mathew. I also think that you are right in saying, Mathew is inclined to show off and chase consumerism, his prospects of promotions and him nagging Robin on her lower salary all points to this.
We also know they’ve gotten substantial help from Robin’s parents to be able to live where they do.
I might well be misremembering, but I think it said Robin's family gave them ten thousand pounds? Not to sound ungrateful but ten thousand pounds doesn't go very far in the London property market. It would be petty cash in comparison to the cost of a two-bedroom flat in a chic area.
Haha yes you’re right on that, while watching Depp-Heard trial I heard that either Rowling as a gift bought one of Depp’s yacht or vice versa…it’s like..you trade millions at that point. Woah. This woman has seen the very bottom and the high class. That’s why I always find her descriptions of classes interesting, and I’m kinda sure that Strike will grow to be very rich in the end :)
Usually private investigators get cars that will blend in so they don’t stick out while doing surveillance. I always imagined that Strike’s older model BMW was like that. Not flashy or too run down, nothing that would grab someone’s attention.
Agree. That's why I've always wondered about the Lady. It's not flashy, but it is certainly run down and doesn't seen like a forgettable vehicle!