My favorite example of this is drug dealer's cars. In Gang Leader for a Day, the author recounts how lieutenants in a Chicago drug gang who made only 30-40k/year had to spend almost all of it on their cars, and often had to live with their mothers as a result.
This applies to a lot of jobs. Lawyers at certain firms are expected to wear expensive clothes and drive nice cars; the guy who drives a Geo Metro to work and wears a "meh" suit is frowned at. Even more ridiculous is the fact that like the drug dealers, the fashion is driven by the richest people, and the less secure and wealthy folks follow.
There's a great book called The Millionaire Next Door, where they look at the spending habits of millionaires. One of the things that stuck out was the fact that a lot of these people have "boring" jobs that don't have "face" to keep. No one really cares about what the owner of a janitorial company or a welding supplier looks like, so there's no pressure for him or her to have the Right House or the Right Car or the Right country club memberships. In contrast, the book notes a couple of doctors and lawyers who are really active in their professions' social scenes and are living paycheck-to-paycheck despite earning far more.
Personally, I like my Shittic (beat-up Civic that is missing half the paint). Every month that it keeps running is another month that I don't have to make a car payment. My girlfriend winces every time she sees it, though...
