young

i have a story...

my boss drives an older c230. it's a leaser but well maintained.

he must have just gone to the coffee shop we frequent in our office building b/c when i go in, the coffee guy/manager asks me, "is he a millionaire?"
i said, "millionaire? no, not that i know of. why?"
he said, "well, he drives a mercedes."
"so?"
"well, you got to be rich to drive one."
i looked incredulously at him. "um, no, not really. it's just an older c-class... you know, they're not that expensive."
he looks at me and says, "what car do you drive?"
i said, "you don't want to know." which only got him more curious! he kept asking me as i was trying to escape.

i found later that he asked a coworker what cars i drove and my friend told him not knowing why... i hope he knows, i'm no millionaire. and that tip cup isn't going to be full anytime soon.

later on, i realized i should have said, "if he's a millionaire, i want a raise! "

i'm telling this story b/c i just read about another person who got asked how much his car was and how much money he made by a couple of strangers... which he thought was rude. i sort of feel the same way. i'd never ask someone on the street how much someone made.

SoCal240/6

What area of the country do you live in?

Because its hard to believe that anyone could be that dumb, except maybe someone living in a shack in the deep Ozarks or something.

revstriker

Funny story!! You have to remember though, that some people only know "mercedes" and don't know a C from a S class (not that having an S makes you a millionaire).

I drive a Mercedes and I'm a Thousandaire!!!

PS - Young, what are you doing in a coffee shop?? You're supposed to be home sick!

young

must... have... coffee...

just kidding. actually, it happened last week but i just remembered when i read about the other guy being asked how much he made.

Steve H.

Guys, I live near Washington DC and got the same attitude. People think this is an expensive car. I would of too if I hadn't seen and paid attention to the ads. I have owned 10 cars in my life and this is the first one that almost universally people said "congratulations" when I told them what I got. It was a nice fringe benefit.

tommy

Close; King of Prussia, PA. Eerily similar.

young

oh crap... i don't live in king of prussia! it's Wayne! i just use KoP b/c it's a nearby point of interest.

and actually, the coffeshop is in Bala Cynwyd. try pronouncing that! :p

BrabusCClass

People ask me all the time how much my car is. I tell them and they are surprised. I dunno. They always complement it so I'm usually happy. No one has ever asked how much I make.

BigBadDad

Maybe its not the car the makes poeple think you are a millionaire, maybe you just SMELL like money! Sniff, sniff.

columbus

How 'bout "Ball o' thin weed"? Close??

dasMafia

I have gotten the same with my BMW... a couple of co-workers couldn't believe I spent "like 35,000 bucks" on a car... I just told 'em my wife is my sugar momma... and its used!

greg230

bala kinwood (pronounce like that i think)

Fuzzo

it's funny that you mention about people asking how much other people make..

i have always wondered why no one talks about how much money they make... i understand that it can cause bad feelings among co workers and what not.. but could it be because it's such a forbidden thing to do (talk about how much one makes at work) if everyone was open about their pay.. it would only encourage people value themselves more... in terms of what they do at their jobs...

i have a coworker and we joined the same time and basically do the same thing.. but aafter our annual raise.. he is making 6 less than me.. and we do the same thing... we both have the same manager all that.. so we were puzzled why he didn't get the same thing or atleast closer to what i got.... since he can't really bring up anythign to my manager... he is now looking for a nother job.... would you guys say that it's a bad thing that he's looking for a new job.....

tommy

Greg's our winner! Young, tell 'em what he's won!

Greg, where in Bucks do you live, btw? I don't think that you've ever answered that one. My parents are in D'town. Have you asked Keenan about reprogramming for the HIDs? Decided on whether you're installing yourself or not? I'm starting to get a little nervous about having to drill to allow for the ballast wiring, to tell you the truth. Oh, almost forgot to mention: the type of ballast that you get is independant of which stage you get. You can get Type I or Type II ballasts with either. Thought I'd clear that up a little.

LarryB

Funny thing, up in my area, everyone assumes that you paid a fortune for your car. There are so many extended cab Z71 pick-ups in the area that cost way more then my C230 that it makes me laugh. Let them think that way. IMHO, the less similar cars, the better.

MarkL

I'm in the DC area too, and there's just something about having a Mercedes. I've mentioned this before, but you could have a couple of people who drive $38K SUV's etc., and they still react a certain way when they find out you have a M-B. When I first got my C240 about 7 months ago, I was a little sheepish when people asked me what I got. I would say, "well it's the little Mercedes"... Now I just say Mercedes C-Class and let them figure it out.

To Fuzzo: I'm not sure how far along in your working career you are (i.e., age), but you'll find some people can have similar jobs but may have come from differing work histories, so there's a salary difference. However, there's also salary "compression" where eventually, everyone's making a similar amount in a certain job even though they've been working different lengths of time. When you say that guy is making "6 less", I'm assuming you mean 6K? Have you been working in general longer than him? Maybe you do a much better job !

benzomonterey

I got a 4.5 % cost of living raise today. I will add that to the pile.

revstriker

Fuzzo, I agree with MarkL on this, but would also like to add my $.02. Pay can also be determined by the applicant pool. When the applicant pool is larger than the number of jobs, the going pay will be smaller, and vise versa. It's possible for two people to be working at the same company with the same experience with much different pay plans. Also, if it was open what everyone got paid, you would have animosity against the higher paid workers, and in turn, lower moral.

Now is this fair?? Of course not, but it's also life. If someone is unhappy with what they earn, they can try their luck someplace else.

Mike T.

Heh, you should work for government like I do, then your salary and benefits are absolutely in the public domain. Everyone knows what everyone else makes - even managers (like me).

leepolun

Hey,
I got a smililar story. I have been unstaffed from a consulting company for a few months now, even though now unemployed, but close to. But still get paid from doing nothing. One day, I drove my white C230k into a grocery parking lot, and bump into a cute college friend whom I haven't seen for about 2 years since I graduated.

I pulled up, she looked at my surprised, eyes pop, mouth open, yelled,"Did you hit the Jackpot?" Why are you driving that?

Needless to say, she gave me her updated cell phone # immediatedly.

Petey

Find a new place to get coffee.

-Petey

SoCal240/6

I guess its different depending on where you live.

In most of California, MBs litter the roads. When I see a C class, I certainly don't think millionaire, I usually think "$40K a year secretary with a $400/month lease." C classes are pretty common in most apartment complex parking lots.

Here's a true story: My wife and I were behind a late model C class with a "big hair" lady driving, we were behind her in the ATM drive though line. She took forever. When she drove away, she left her receipt hanging out of the ATM. It showed that she spent all that time making a $20 deposit, to bring her checking account balance to $62.

That is closer to what I think of when I think C class.

trench

I think this is true in California because the housing is so expensive here. (Funny - when I was typing "housing" just now, I first typed "hosing" - which is essentially the truth). Most younger people can't afford to buy a house, but the cost of rent and a nice car is generally much less than a morgage payment (especially here in the SF Bay Area). Of my friends I went to school with those that moved away all own houses, those that have stayed behind all rent and have nice new cars.

I had a buddy from Boston who used to find it irritating that all of the crappy apartment parking lots were filled with $30-40K cars. I'd just say to him, "Welcome to California."

Regards, BT

MarkL

No, no, no! You're supposed to think yachts, polo matches, golf, you know -- the good life :p .

Here in DC suburbia, we have our share of M-B's, though I really don't see too many new C's where I am. But, when I go to certain areas like Potomac and Bethesda (about 20 minutes closer to DC), that's where all the C's/E's/S's are. My wife travels to work on a street called River Road from Chevy Chase to DC. For years she always commented on all the stuck M-B's on the side of the road during snow storms!

pixmation

In Alhambra area (east of LA), E class 5 series is everywhere. Where I came from there is a 100% tax on cars. So when most moved to US, MB and BMW cars are bargains.

The C230K cost around $49,000 USD in Hong Kong.