Karen Spencer has never believed that enjoying a luxury vehicle requires an apology, but it requires hard work.
"Everyone sets a priority for how their money should be spent," she said. "Vacations, clothes, collectibles. For us, it's luxury cars."
That mindset took root growing up on a farm in Northwest Iowa, where cars were a lesson in economics, effort, and enjoyment.
"My father worked so hard on the farm. It's not easy work, and he didn't buy himself much. The one luxury he indulged in was a really nice car. He got a lot of new cars," she said. "He passed down that love with the understanding that loving a car meant being a good steward of that property. If you treat it well, it will treat you better, and it will retain its value better. You work hard for what you have, and you want what you've earned to stay nice."
Her father eventually found his way into a BMW X5. Since his passing, the well-loved vehicle has been driven by her 92-year-old mother.
Karen carried those lessons with her into a career in business intelligence software, into motherhood, and eventually into owning luxury cars of her own. She enjoys understanding systems, solving problems, and working with technology – qualities that naturally shaped her appreciation for performance vehicles.
"I think that's why I gravitate toward higher-performing cars," she added. "My first BMW was a red 335xi. It was gorgeous! Once you drive a BMW, it's the only thing you want to drive," she said. "I got my husband into them, and that's all he's considered driving since."
LaMont Spencer admits that wasn't always the plan. A retired Air Force electrician who worked on Air Force One before continuing his career as a contractor supporting Offutt Air Force Base, LaMont likes understanding how things work.
"He reads the manuals front to back, and understands everything about them," Karen said. "I just get in and drive and figure it out as I go."
For Karen, performance has always been part of the reward. She recently purchased a 2027 BMW X6 M after stopping into ONYX to explore an X5.
"I went in to get the X5," she said. "I was trying to convince myself to move into an X5 with a hybrid. But I asked if there was a chance I could drive the X6."
That test drive settled the question.
"Scott Schuetz got it down off the pedestal and I test drove it," she said. "That was pretty much the end of it. Once I drove it, there would have been no other car for me."
The new X6 M checked every box.
"The last two vehicles I had didn't have the middle shift. That's nature. That's where you shift a car," she laughed. "I have my middle shift back and I'm so happy, and I think I graduated. I've had a number of X6s, but I've graduated to an X6 M."
"I got into BMWs because of Karen." LaMont said. "My first BMW was a 2013 50i, which I loved."
What has kept him coming back, however, is the experience.
"I love the cars. I love the people," he said.
After more than three decades working with the military, first on active duty and later as a contractor at Offutt, LaMont has developed an appreciation for organizations that invest in their people.
"Sometimes on my way home from the base I'll stop by and say hi to the team," he said. "I like seeing the same people there. That tells me the company is taking care of their employees and they're happy to stay. They ask how I'm doing. It's like another family."
He admits there is one downside.
"The only problem is I go in to say hi and then I see new cars."
At 17, Paityn Spencer recently traded her first MINI Cooper S for a special-edition MINI Countryman.
"It's gray. The seats are forest green. It's beautiful," she said.
She enjoys making the vehicle her own, from the ambient lighting choices to the playlists that fill the cabin.
"I love the lights. My lights are purple right now," she said. "Purple was my brother's favorite color. I have a purple Christmas ornament in my car, purple beads around my mirror."
Her favorite feature, though, sits overhead.
"I love my sunroofs! There are two and they're my pride and joy," she said. "I absolutely love driving with my windows down."
"Cooper, my Labradoodle, was here before the car," she said. "He's my childhood dog and he's such a sweetheart. I always want him to go for rides with me. He only rides with me."
The family knows from experience that the best things in life only become the best when you appreciate and care for them