Should you be "proud" of your C63?
05-13-2011, 01:29 PM
#27
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05-13-2011, 01:33 PM
#28
To the OP...I'm fairly certain I'm the one that said we buy cars we should be proud of...
This is what I meant...
I'm proud to be an auto enthusiast.
I take pride in caring for my cars well, for knowing them well, and for loving cars since I was 5yrs old. I'm proud to have been a subscriber to Road & Track for over 20 years.
I'm proud to pay $4+ a gallon just to burn it up at 9mpg if I want to.
I take pride in knowing that my car is highly engineered, in appreciating a handbuilt AMG engine, knowing the craftsmanship that goes into it, and for not buying my car as a status symbol.
I take pride in being an advocate for automobiles as an investment in my soul and mental health, even when others may believe that an automobile is merely transportation.
So yes, I do take pride in choosing certain cars, as they are indeed a reflection of who I am and the decisions I make. Anyone that doesn't understand that can jump in a lake. I do not buy cars for anyone except ME. I'm secure in the things I like, and I like fast, powerful and well engineered driver's cars.
As Churchill once said, "I am easily satisfied with the best." So true.
This is what I meant...
I'm proud to be an auto enthusiast.
I take pride in caring for my cars well, for knowing them well, and for loving cars since I was 5yrs old. I'm proud to have been a subscriber to Road & Track for over 20 years.
I'm proud to pay $4+ a gallon just to burn it up at 9mpg if I want to.
I take pride in knowing that my car is highly engineered, in appreciating a handbuilt AMG engine, knowing the craftsmanship that goes into it, and for not buying my car as a status symbol.
I take pride in being an advocate for automobiles as an investment in my soul and mental health, even when others may believe that an automobile is merely transportation.
So yes, I do take pride in choosing certain cars, as they are indeed a reflection of who I am and the decisions I make. Anyone that doesn't understand that can jump in a lake. I do not buy cars for anyone except ME. I'm secure in the things I like, and I like fast, powerful and well engineered driver's cars.
As Churchill once said, "I am easily satisfied with the best." So true.
05-14-2011, 07:00 PM
#34
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2003 E55 & 2014 GL550
After all, noone ever poses with their toaster. 
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05-18-2011, 09:18 AM
#35
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'11 C63, '22 GLS 63, Porsches, M3, M4
Thanks for all the valuable responses to this thread. Here's my attempt to sum up my take on it all:
1. Maybe there are two senses of pride: (a) self-confidence stemming from past achievements, which gives one courage and persistence to take on challenges in the future (more noble) and (b) feeling of superiority to others, especially peers (less noble).
2. Both senses of pride seem to be involved with owning a C63. Some people (including me) might view the car as a symbolic reminder to themselves of their competence, but it can also be used to "show off" relative wealth and social class, and going faster than other people on the road is perhaps a way of saying "my car is badder and faster than yours, so I'm better than you." Like I said, the latter manifestations of pride are less noble, but I suspect that they're there at least a little bit in almost anyone who drives a C63 (including me), whether they consciously realize it or not.
3. I don't personally view wealth as much of a basis for pride (in either sense), since not all well-paying work is equally honorable, some people work very hard doing honorable work but don't make much money, and luck is also a factor in wealth (being born in the right country at the right time, good role models, connections, the economy and markets working in one's favor, etc.). So like others, though I've worked plenty hard, I'm not proud to have the car, but I'm thankful, which is basically the same thing as saying that I feel lucky.
4. Given how indulgent the car is, it probably gives many owners (including me) a feeling of having "made it" in the sense of access to the finer things and experiences life can offer, like a nice house, gourmet meals, exotic vacations, etc.
5. I used to think that people mod cars because they're obsessed with performance in a way that they can never be satisfied. But based on some of the comments in this thread, I now realize that modding involves creative engineering design aspects, artistic expression, and craftsmanship, so I have new respect and appreciation for what modders are trying to do. And it's also true that while perfectionism can lead to pathological obsession, it's also been a contributor to many of the great achievements in human history.
6. Last but not least, I think that choosing a relatively rare and unique car like the C63 can be a way of expressing individuality, and modding the car ties into that. And I suspect that this motive is more common among younger owners as compared older ones.
Hope you all found this thread as interesting and enlightening as I did.
1. Maybe there are two senses of pride: (a) self-confidence stemming from past achievements, which gives one courage and persistence to take on challenges in the future (more noble) and (b) feeling of superiority to others, especially peers (less noble).
2. Both senses of pride seem to be involved with owning a C63. Some people (including me) might view the car as a symbolic reminder to themselves of their competence, but it can also be used to "show off" relative wealth and social class, and going faster than other people on the road is perhaps a way of saying "my car is badder and faster than yours, so I'm better than you." Like I said, the latter manifestations of pride are less noble, but I suspect that they're there at least a little bit in almost anyone who drives a C63 (including me), whether they consciously realize it or not.
3. I don't personally view wealth as much of a basis for pride (in either sense), since not all well-paying work is equally honorable, some people work very hard doing honorable work but don't make much money, and luck is also a factor in wealth (being born in the right country at the right time, good role models, connections, the economy and markets working in one's favor, etc.). So like others, though I've worked plenty hard, I'm not proud to have the car, but I'm thankful, which is basically the same thing as saying that I feel lucky.
4. Given how indulgent the car is, it probably gives many owners (including me) a feeling of having "made it" in the sense of access to the finer things and experiences life can offer, like a nice house, gourmet meals, exotic vacations, etc.
5. I used to think that people mod cars because they're obsessed with performance in a way that they can never be satisfied. But based on some of the comments in this thread, I now realize that modding involves creative engineering design aspects, artistic expression, and craftsmanship, so I have new respect and appreciation for what modders are trying to do. And it's also true that while perfectionism can lead to pathological obsession, it's also been a contributor to many of the great achievements in human history.
6. Last but not least, I think that choosing a relatively rare and unique car like the C63 can be a way of expressing individuality, and modding the car ties into that. And I suspect that this motive is more common among younger owners as compared older ones.
Hope you all found this thread as interesting and enlightening as I did.
Last edited by IAA-C63; 05-18-2011 at 10:52 AM.
05-18-2011, 09:46 AM
#37
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2009 C63, 2.5 Suby RS, Evo 8
This is why my GF don't understand why I love my car so much. Girls will never understand our love for cars. I just tell her...it's just like you girls buying expensive *** purses...we guys will never understand....
05-18-2011, 12:42 PM
#39
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05-19-2011, 02:18 PM
#40
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hahahaha
