livestrongONe

I just bought Saturday my MB 04 C230 Komp sedan Black on grey. Ok in my apartment complex I have poeple who areon there walks stopping and looking at my car.At work everyone was around my car at lunch time and thought I got a raise(NOT) and wanted to know all the specs of the car and finaly I drove up to the snobby rude salesman at my local MB who would treated me like I was not worth their time because I did not fit the MB MONEY Image( I guess jeans and T-shirt and flip flops drives salesman away) and walked in to ask about the nice chrome key and price. Long and behold they came out of the wood work and offered me a soda and a tour of the service center and dealership while they found out the price. $245 a key and no promise it will work.. Ahhh life lets see a saleman trying to make a living selling cars if nice and informed and willing to help will sell more cars ,then we have an Engineer who dresses casual and willing to buy a car on the spot and is treated like dirt will buy car somewhere else and tell all his friends and fellow works who have money to buy else where. LIFE You GOT to LOVE IT. Oh i said no thank you to the soda and tour because I was not worth right(their faces dropped.

electromethod

Need to take a few english classes too. Forumulate complete sentences. No one expects you to dress up to go the dealership but taking pride in your appearance is a factor in every aspect of life. How you behave/interact also is a key point regarding how you will be judged. I have gone into dealerships dressed in shorts, collared shirt, and flip flops and been treated with respect. Try to look at it from their perspective and realize that maybe part of the blame lies with you.
Anyhow... enjoy your car and best of luck to you

Buellwinkle

It's funny but if you get a cheap high end car like a C230, Audi A4, Jaguar X, BMW 325 people think you have money. Ironically the same people that think you have money because you drive a low end german car drive high end SUV's that they paid much more for. For example my 2004.5 C230 was 25K new but people on the Jeep forum think I'm a snob yet many have easily paid more than that for their Jeep. A guy at work bought a $48K Ford Expendition but he's more impressed with my car.

Sauceboy01

Buellwinkle, you're on it buddy!

Doesn't this actually mean that we made a much smarter decision?

KIRA

lol yea that happened to me too i work at Longs Drug and all my co-worker and customer see me walk out of my car they keep looking at it.

But when i go to my dealer, in 3 years old nike shoes, a normal sweater but got ketchup on it, a jeans full on white paints(by accident but is now fashion!!) i bring my car for a burn lightbulb replace and while waiting i walk in the showroom and check out the SLR, a salesman came to me and ask if i wanna sit in it(that's the first time i ever sat in one) lol that's was funny that time...

PaulX608

I had the same reaction when I bought my ML430. I bought it used, but it was in real nice shape and didn't look it's age. All my neighbors started with the comments about home equity loans or inheritance. At work, our office manager looked at me and said that the boss must be paying me too much money. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I paid less for my ML than she did for her new Maxima! Of course, since I got such a deal, my ML is still worth close to what I paid for it. Her Maxima, I'm guessing, is not :p

rrpnow

yea i get that too... i drive the 06 c230... yes its the lowest moddel, but people are liek damn you're rich... i was like not really... it costed 30k... their response "but its a benz"... so i guess the name carries a lot of prestige... woot go us benz drivers...

jan ken po

I get the same reaction. "I need to work where you work." "Big balla in the house". "must be nice to buy a 45k car."

diamondblak05

I get that same "you're rich" reaction from people also. I wish that was true though.

I always go to my local MB dealer wearing shorts, t-shirts, sandles, caps, etc.....(during the summer of course) and I've not been treated inappropriately thus far. I think regardless of what you wear, as long as your personality and attitude don't portray a total "d**k", you will be treated in a fair manner. In the past, people have stereotyped those who drives MB, BMW, Jaquar, etc...to be wearing suites and ties. Well, so long for that. Today, even a poor man like me can afford one. I guess the salesman is still stuck in the good old days!

03see2thirtyk

Same.....

They sometimes call me money bags at work. Although I never have had the chance to go to dealer to purchase. I got my 03 from my brother for $23K and alot of people at work are like you must be getting paid way more than the others in your department. yeah right. LOL. Driving a benz can get you alot of respect. For sure you get the random haters. But that's on them.

Capt Nemo o2

I get the same... It just looks like a lot of money!

As far as dresscode goes, dealers have learned by now not to take into account what people wear (to a certain degree). Back in '87 my dad went into a Caddy dealer dressed in blue jeans, t-shirt, messy hair, and a spring jacket. One salesman came up to him and said hell be right back. 45 minutes latter another salesman comes up and says "can I help you?" My dad says "yes, I'll take that Eldorado, that deville, and that seville." It was the first time this dealership ever sold 3 cars at once. The other salesman must have felt retarded.

livestrongONe

I just wanted to say I am a nice guy and treat poeple the way I want to be treated. I am sorry for not writing full sentences. I think my car looks like a million $$$`s. MB is doing something right. OK who in here walks away from their car and then looks back and say now thats a goodlooking car and it ALLLL MINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE lol.

Sauceboy01

Well, my theory is that we made an amazing Bang For the buck decision and automobile investment.

Name one other car besides the low end 3 series that gives you as much as our cars do the for the price!!... NONE!

Maybe other automobile manufacturers should wake up and smell the shizah!

r3v1ls

Come to Los Angeles for a bit and you'll barily ever get a reaction from anyone. But I do agree that people think we paid a lot more for these cars then they're actually worth. I've met people with Honda Accords thinking my car is worth double theirs when it's actually worth less. It actually makes me feel good as a smart buyer...

yeloaw

Well, here in so cal, no one seems to notice. I don't really get any response or stares, a girl will look once in a while, but thats it.

AsianML

What you all say is true to me too. A close family friend is always saying "wow" and "you've got the #1 car now" and all that. At school a friend has a fully loaded brand new Escalade ESV, but everyone is always commenting on our ML (even though it's 3-4 years old). And to make it even better, we bought it used.

c55m8o

well, when AMGs were a =rare= breed on the road, I used to get a lot of looks and people walking around it when parked ... now, it's just another 4-door.

it was fun though when I had the SLK320 6-speed too, so had his & hers Benzs... It's not that we have money .... it's that we HAVE NO KIDS.

drexappeal

Actually, I've gotta say that it depends on what part of L.A., dawg. Granted, in L.A., our cars (w203) are a dime a dozen (i.e. 10/12 for those that never understood the phrase), but I still think they garner some attention...it just depends on what crowd in garners attention from.

My case and point, my cousin's co-worker who is a Loan Processor (who makes decent money) said to him, "I bet your cousin gets girls left and right with that car. He's got the looks and the $."...Once I heard that, I started laughing and this is why. My cousin owns a Mitsubishi EVO VIII MR, which is technically more expensive than my 2004.5 C230k SS, but for some reason, just because I drive a Benz, she automatically had a different reaction to my car than his.

See, no matter what, people who don't really know cars may not necessarily understand how affordable a C Class is compared to a lot of cars out there. Granted, if I could've afforded it, I would've had a C32 for sure - but there were no pre-owned ones that I would've considered (w/ exception to the short time Wiedermann put his car up for sale) and a brand new one was way out of my price range. Regardless, my main point is that I think it depends on the crowd that you are looking for a reaction from. If you're in West L.A., Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Encino and all the other "well-off" areas of Los Angeles, most people won't even sneeze at your car (well, unless it's really hooked up). If you're in other areas of L.A., it's a completely different story.

dalazernet

Ok, had to give my input too... I'll never forget the double take I got from my co-workers when I went back in after my weekend task of "finding a new car". They all thought I was going to look at subaru, or VW... oh the expression on their face when I told them I bought a "Mercedes-Benz"! Probably catapulted any chance of a raise anytime soon... but I played off the angle of "what a great lease rate I got" to counteract anything like that...

Every now and then I get a crack at work when people are talking money...something like "Not all of us have money to throw around on a Benz" to catch my ear ;-)...We have fun.

Now, I picked up the "middle lower end benz?"...the C280 4matic with just about all the trimmings so it was a little bit up there, but either way, when you compare these vehicles to others in similar priceranges...the build quality and handling is simply better (in my opinion)... and when my car got hit in that accident two weeks ago, well -- mine just got crunched...the other car fell apart with pieces all over the road... I'll be sticking with Mercedes even if it makes me "snobby" or "old"...

My .02
- Eric

Ru4Rl

i have to say even here in manhattan (i guess just owning a car here is a bit decadent) co-workers and friends make a big deal out of the car. and it's the cheapest of the mbs (230 coupe)!

funny story: A few of us were heading to a party in NJ. I friend had bought a new Accord EX sedan which was over 2K more than i paid for my 230. Her car is roomier, newer, etc. but everyone was like 'no let's take the benz'.

second funny story: My most shallow of friends said "it actually makes you a better friend"

dalazernet

LOL! Sounds just like a friend of mine! Perhaps we both know her? LOL....

Capt Nemo o2

If it was a her, you should have said to her "No, it makes me a better lover!!!"

mleskovar

When I brought my new Benz to work all anyone wanted to know is if the "new black car" parked in one of our company spaces worked for the same company. A car purchase, clothes, neighborhood, or ethnic appearance only earns respect from small minds.

raymond g-

mleskovar....I salute your comments.

EV0LVE

this is something i can totally relate to. when i first brought the car to work (since i ride my bike most of the time) my co-workers were totally shocked at how, thos one gal asked me if i felt rich, she drives a 4 runner xle limited with full option, that thing costs like 40K. people whos never had a benz have no idea on how affordable this cars can be.