A garage full of exotic cars is not the only advantage of being rich.

My wife turned to me today, as we were sitting in the shiny red convertible at the traffic lights and said, "Do you know, you're living your dream."

And after I thought about it for a second, I realised she was right. I was driving a half-million dollar car, and it was costing me nothing.

More about the car in a minute, but her comment made me think again as we roared off from the lights with a throaty burble from the supercharged V8...

Did you know the rich - whether they're famous or just wealthy - rarely pay for anything?

Not the big items of course, there's no knockdown price for a house. But they regularly get:

• Free holidays on wealthy yachts and islands. Richard Branson is famous for inviting interesting people to his Necker Island.
• Free goodies. The handout bag that are given to movie stars at the Oscars and at movie premieres can contain thousands of dollars worth of stuff.
• Free meals. Sometimes just attending a restaurant is good publicity. The late food critic Michael Winner rarely had to pay for his meals.
• Free trips. When asked if they care to join them on their private jet? They do!

And sometimes, they get cars. While I'm not famous (except online of course), my car purchases over the years have got me:

• Numerous test drives of exotic cars... Aston Martins, Porsches, Mercedes. That's apart from the ones like these I've owned.
• Free flights to racing tracks and the chance to drive exotic cars (where I once won a slalom trophy)
• Free goodies, like the $1,000 bluetooth unit which the dealer gave me for my latest sports car.

So if you're sitting at home or work right now, wondering if you should buy my system or take a few tickets, don't delay.

Money makes money. Do you know that expression? 

Doesn't matter how you get the money, once you've got it you become special to many businesses. And they treat you right because of it.

If ever there was a solid silver reason for winning the lottery, this is it!

And the car in my garage? (right). A new Mercedes SLS roadster in gleaming designo red with black leather, offered to me by a dealer. One of only two like it in the country.

A sleek, powerful beast that makes every woman look younger and every man look like a film star.

I have it till Tuesday to evaluate whether I'll buy it or not. Even if I don't, the experience will have been worth it.

Move up in the winning world, and like me you'll have a lot to look forward to!

UPDATE: I decided not to buy it right now.