DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Perry In South Boston

Q: Hi Perry, what are you doing here in South Boston?

A: I'm the real estate broker on this building, 350 West Second Street. It is a nine unit condominium, which is still being built.

Q: Is the type of car you drive important in your business?

A: Another client and good friend of mine, Greg Donovan, told me that if I traded in the Jag for a Volkswagen Beetle convertible that he wasn't going to give me anymore business. I guess he didn't want his broker pulling up in a Beetle.

Q: Can you tell me a little about your car?

A: It's a 2010 Vapor Gray Jaguar XF with an eight-cylinger engine and 385 horsepower. I have heated seats and steering wheel. There's no backup camera, just a sensor. The nicest thing about my car is when you turn on the heat or A/C, bingo, the grills open and close, so they don't get dust in them.

Q: So what made you buy this car?

A: I'm the only one in South Boston that has a Jaguar XF. I want to pull up to my appointments and for people to say, "Hey, there is Perry DiNatale, top real estate broker in South Boston. Look at him. Look at the jag. Isn't he something?" But with the birth of my second son, I'm changing my outlook. I'm going to get a Volkswagen Beetle and just go poking around, no more jag.

Q: How do you know you're the only one in South Boston with a Jaguar?

A: I drive around all day long just going from property to property and from meeting to meeting.

Q: Do you do a lot of business in this car?

A: A lot of deals get done in the car.

Q: What's your favorite thing about the car?

A: I love the air vents. Everybody gets turned on by that. I also like the cat emblem on the steering wheel growling at me. Grrr! My son Henry does that all the time. Grrr!