desired_speeds

It is absolutely true that people look at you differently in whatever car you pull up in. My high school teacher years ago even told us a time when he pulled up to valet his Chevy Corsica beater, he got **** treatment. When he pulled up in his Jag type-S R, they treated him completely differently. I've come to find that my w211 gets a lot of attention though. People literally stop and stare as I drive past. At the end of the day, did you buy your car for yourself or for everyone else? I bought my car for myself, so I will enjoy it regardless of what anybody thinks or how they react to it.

Mike_W

While the W211 it is a very nice car (I love mine), here in OC they are also very common. Looking out my office window here in Anaheim, I can see four in the first few rows of the parking lot. The driver of a nice E-class will be treated with respect by the valet, but the front rows of the valet lots around here are populated with Ferraris and Aston Martins. In my experience, you can tell more about a man if he wears quality, well polished shoes than if he drives a Mercedes. A better grade wristwatch also sends a message long after you have left the parking lot.
Mike

AMGAffalterbach

Always a Movado on my wrist haha

They are common around here as well but very distinguishing still

gaazmon

@the red S63: *Drrrooooooollll. So sexy. I usually don't like Mercs in red but that is soooo nice

Definitely have gotten the "man this guy probably is a real douche" look and feel from people before. In law school I used to get people telling me "ah man your ballin' rolling around in an 80K car" little did they know I paid less than half that out the door back in 07 with only 23,650 miles and CPO (which was almost less than what some of them paid for they're new cars).

The best is with girls though. Some girls won't even give you the time of day, but the second they see you in a Merc or BMW, all of a sudden, your now in they're peripheral vision don't get me wrong do, they won't flock to you, no way, not around here where I live. There's 19 year olds around here with 911 Turbos, C63's, etc etc. But that's not what I bought my car for. Sure I enjoy some of the attention, and the once in a while "short term" results and advantages of my car with valet, girls, etc hehe but I'm not like some of my friends who think they can "buy" they're way to a girlfriend. In all honesty, I wouldn't want to be with someone who's first thought of attraction towards dating me was because of my car.

EscobarSLV

haha...gaazmon, you had your E in law school too? people thought my parents bought it for me but I was 26 at the time and had been working for 5 years since undergrad. I think I paid something like 28k for it and it had 22k on the odo. anyway, i've been on the forums forever but finally came back to post after being able to buy a new transmission.
"what'd you do with your first billable? fixed my benz..."

fila0220

I think he means something like, audemar, rollies, pattys, and panerai

100% agree. On first dates take the subway like a working class man to get a feel for what shes looking for. Then whip out the car to seal the deal. nothing more disappointing then reeling in some seaweed, when ur trying to catch some tuna

but seaweed is good for you once in a blue too

AMGAffalterbach

I love their craftsmanship however, they aren't as famous a name but older than Rolex. Also you know my age haha best I could come by as spending over $5000 on a watch right now... well I will stop there One day man, one day.

But I have no respect for women that look only for monetary value in a man, when you first pull up in your car you can tell by people's reactions that were once nice to you or once despised you whether or not they are genuine. The same people that respect you regardless are the only ones worth relating to imo.

AMGAffalterbach

To perpetuate off topic conversation, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of law do you practice? I've been involved in the Colorado Bar Association Mock Trial competition for the High School level and I absolutely love it! I know much more is involved in real-world law but they try to make it as close as possible. Real judges and magistrates, real courtroom, a full weekend of criminal defense law. If I don't go into medicine as I am planning, that is certainly one of my top choices.

Anyway @desired_speeds the W211 even in an area like mine wheremy subdivision is surrounded by three luxury gated communities and a little up north is Castle Pines Village (those houses....) it definitely gets some stares. It's more that Mercedes has made a lot of timeless designs and beautiful cars in general, so if you take care of it people recognize that even if they are not car aficionados. Regardless, no matter what they think I am truly amazed by the W211 even after a month of ownership just with its build quality and craftsmanship, engineering details and intuitive drive - I hope it continues this way.

gaazmon

lol ya i was 23 when i started and had been working since i was 17 (still am in the same industry). but ya in the beginning people were out for blood with all the gossip and back talking they would do (common thing in law schools, lot's of drama, think like high school). automatically everyone (students, professors, and faculty alike) assumed i was the biggest douche when i walked into that building (the black lacoste tshirt and porsche aviators didn't help lol) but i'm glad i proved them wrong throughout the year. i paid about 35k out the door, 23,650 miles, CPO (only 4 more payments left yay (great especially since i had to start paying these law school loans back)). law school had to take a break though because of some "technical difficulties" (i will explain below).

ya out here in LA (especially out of the city) public transport is no good. so i'll usually just have them meet me wherever we're having the date instead of picking them up. lol usually hard with certain girls (especially from my part of the world) since you gotta do the whole "meet her parents" routine lol.

i had a friend who told me his dad told him once that back in the day when his parents started dating, his dad would pick up his mom in his work truck and before their dinner dates would stop by 2 or 3 of these apartments to drop things off or take care of something quick. she thought he was just a handy man of sorts. lo and behold she finds out 3 dates in that he actually owns those 3 apartments and he says he didn't want her to like him for the wrong reasons in the beginning.

but yes we are young so seaweed is definitely fun once in a while. but u don't want it to stick on too long hehe

the best is when people from high school see you (especially girls... you know which ones). all of sudden they wanna strike a convo with you. i actually love to go along with it too.

regarding the o/t law subject: i actually never finished. i passed my first year last may, but in june the school had it's ABA (American Bar Association) Accreditation revoked/suspended. so i took a year off, moved back home, got back into my old work, and am reapplying as we speak (attention: Gaazmon might be coming to an area near yooouuuu lol) we shall see depending on where i get in out of the schools i applied. i really wanna finish it, never like to stop in the middle of something.

AMGAffalterbach

Come to DU law school and expect some pizzas at your door haha =P but good for you I really hope that works out for you! Yeah luckily I still have that privilege of high school girls and to see their shift in interest after this car - see where it will take me for grins and giggles. Haven't started driving it there on a regular basis but the parking lot for students is but a minefield of door dings and accidents. Maybe I should park in the teachers lot lol and suffer the consequences later

EscobarSLV

yeah, definitely wish you nothing but the best and good luck with everything gaazmon. i can 100% emphatically back your experience with driving a nicer car than some law professors. being asian, i am sure they all assumed my family ran nail salons, laundromats, pho shops or all the above. i remember getting a weird look from my legal writing prof when i dropped a friend off at the library. the students were even worse with the gossip but i'm preaching to the choir here. of course you know firsthand.

and not to jack the topic, so i'll say owning not just a benz but the E-class draws a bit more eyebrow raising from people especially since i look like i'm 12. they expect a C-class or SLK i guess.

gaazmon

Ya in high school it's funny. I mean where i went to school you saw a lot of nice cars (went back about a year ago for something and it hadn't gotten even more "up there"). i can't really speak since senior year of hs i had a 94 S420 so lol i had comments made about me to people i know (the stoners at school had the most giggles with it since it said 420). ya high school... a magical and weird place

Ya the parking lots in high schools r dangerous. Dude i came out to my car once and found a burrito had been thrown against my windshield so got pretty paranoid after that (5 years later find out it was my close friend at it was complete accident and he didn't even know it was my car lol)

not jacking the topic either but... DUDE DUDE DUDE i can totally relate. my parents where born in the middle east so automatically i earned the title of sheik (the two other friends i mentioned with the acura tl and bmw m3 where persian and indian so ya they dubbed us the oil princes).

ya they would totally expect just a c-class or slk at most, basic 3 series or a4. but when they see you in a "bigger" model all of a sudden different level (kind of why i actually chose not to buy the back then new style 08 C350 when they came out (literally went the first day they were on the lots at beverley hills mb) and went with my 04 E320).

2slowcdi

I always bought car's and trucks that fitted my needs.
That is why I have a diesel I like to travel and a diesel Benz its 700 miles or when I want to stop.
My Land Rover always gets more looks than my MB and if I have the window down I get "how deep can that go in the water?" I have a snorkel its to keep the dirt out of the intake but I just say " just up to the wipers".

I have a friend that went from a MB to a M5 and he did not change his driving at all and told me that with the Benz the police would give him a pass but not with the M5.

AMGAffalterbach

Quite a weird place at times but all worth it for the life experiences in the end. Yeah a lot of nice BMWs here including the teacher's M5s (wives are surgeons/doctors), but ultimately I will just have to take the plunge and park it in that hell hole of a parking lot lol.

And I can't disagree with that 2slowcdi.

Sgooter

A while back some guber (with his molars in front) pulled up alongside my SL at a traffic light and yelled over with "Hey, like how much did that little Kraut mobile cost? I replied: "20." He looked surprised and said, "Aw come on dude, you mean it cost only $20,000?" I said, "No, of course not, it cost 20 years of school." A moment later I drove away and in the rearview mirror I could see him still sitting there trying to sort out all the heavy math.

AMGAffalterbach

Ahahahahhahaha