ElDiabloJoe

A lot of the discomfort of driving such a nice car depends largely on where you drive it. I dislike driving it to work because it becomes a target for any of my employees that may require discipline.

Then again, in the neighborhood in which I live, easily 50% of the cars are E, 5-series, Jag, etc., so the comfort level is much higher. Plus there's the whole "Yes, I belong here" vibe that keeps the Blue Haired Mafia from eyeballing you and wondering why you're in their neighborhood.

And yes, I've read "The Millionaire Next Door." And I largely agree with it. My next car may be a Tundra or an Accord for just that reason.

EDJ

04E500

This is great fun. I own a janitorial company and have been very successful in my line of work for the past 15 years. I have learned over the years that my passion for cars and my business "image" can conflict. There are clients who see me in the car and see it as a sign of success and others who "know" that their monthly service fees paid for the car.

Sometimes it helps on sales calls as it immediately answers any questions of competence, and other times its best to show up in the work truck.

Its been hella funny over the years seeing the look on peoples faces when the janitor rolls up in a Benz. Its freaking classic.

Lastly as many of you will probably agree, some people do buy these cars for their ego etc.. but our purchase is more about a bunch of airbags and crash test data. Both my wife and I have been in serious accidents and we want and can afford to drive something we feel will do an exceptional job in protecting us and our family if the need should arise. The fact that its a wicked cool car is just icing on the cake.

RAD

Interesting thread. One related item that has made me think twice is the MB-badged Motorola V600 that I now wear on my hip. I've often wondered if people thought I was being pretentious, or even worse, posing with a "Mercedes" phone--whatever that is!

vtec26

i think this is the key. if you can afford it, then by all means.

i never understood a guy i used to work with who had $800 payments (not including insurance) on a porsche, but lived in a $650 apartment. on top of that he bragged about the car all the time.

tendons

a friend of mine, a chinese surgeon, loves cars and has always wanted to drive someting really nice to work or to the hospital, but he was afraid that his patients, mostly chinese, would feel that he was making too much money from them and that his practice would suffer. His wife drives the mercedes and he has an eight year old chevy and is miserable every day about this. However, he does make some very nice money, but not a consolation.

Electro-E

I'm 17
I'm Armenian
I drive a Black E320...
I listen to old school rap like Eazy E and Dre, and krunk music....

People look at me driving and they probably think I'm some drug dealer or some spoiled wigga...but I don't give a **** about what they think, those people whose opinion I care about, know me for who I am and know I'm not like that...

saffrontiger

Please convert into english. Krunk?Wigga?
BTW, what's up with the attitude. By the tone of your response, I could have guessed your age. Ease up and have fun being a 17 yo.

Wiedermann

MR. saffrontiger:
100K in students loans in Medicine school is "nothing"...LOL... I've seen much worse... oooouch!... lol

LOL!!!

Cheers!

Wiedermann

MBAMGPWR

Great responses everyone! I think the perception/image that you give with your Mercedes is 90% your own self. I've seen people have old crappy looking Mercedes act like total a$$e$ and people with new SL600's be totally cool. It just depends on who you run into...

I hope that I give off the impression of someone who shows respect to everyone no matter who they are. Sometimes, you run into "that guy" who just judges without finding more information about you...I call him/her a, say it with me now, HATER.

Electro-E

Krunk music = Lil Jon kind of music...
Wigga = White/Caucasian guy who tries to act like he is black or from the streets.

DWP

This is/has been a very interesting thread. The automobile started 100 years ago as just a means of transportation, intended to be faster than the horse and without the unpleasant residue. Little did out ancestors know that in the 21st Century travelling by car would sometimes be slower than by horse, or that the car leaves its own unpleasant residue. Even less could they have imagined that the automobile would go far beyond a simple transportation device, and would become a moveable expression of the owner's ego, socioeconomic status and aspirations. Come to think of it, they probably could have have imagined it, given the status differences between a buckboard and a phaeton. Some things never change.

Oh, and about Electro-E's krunk music:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2103955/

Miguk_Saram

Ok.. without being offensive to anyone.. and for the benefit of all those who still may not get it:

Wigga is American slang for: "White [N]igga"; [N]igga being a derrogatory slang for a person of african descent. The term "Wigga" is actually a reverse metaphore meaning: "a white person who tries to act black" or, the non-racial equivalent: a Wannabe (want to be).

Fastbuck

PUZZ1

I never would have predicted such a lengthly thread when I started this. Great comments and very insightful. Thanks.

ajm0824

I think this thread touches on part of the buying experience that affects most of us. At least in our own minds. Kinda like "Oh they were thinking that too ". Personally I was a little apprehensive about getting my first MB.

I consider myself far from pretentious or self-centered but I'm at the point in my life that I can start to afford the "better things" (whatever that means).


At first I was apprehensive about getting the MB....

...then I drove one , debated for a while (0.23 seconds), and placed my order!

Electro-E

.23 seconds - hahahahahahahha

benzboy

Now on my 8th Benz. I'm proud to drive the best engineered car in the world. I buy the best model I can afford each time. Let the rest of the world think what they will, I love my MB!!

lyrixmajor

My father had every 3 series bimmer you could have thought of including the 2002's. when i was old enough to remember he said to me "DRIVE A BENZ BEFORE YOU DIE IN AMERICA"

my last car was a lex gs300 and i loved it....but i always knew i wanted a benz, just not any benz, but a E...the next one will be an SL. I have never been in love with my car as i am now. i know its just a material object, but i feel great when i step in and out of my car....i cant see myself driving anyhting else now....


benz addict for life....

i think i would like the follwoing in my driveway

E500 AMG Sport pkg...that i have
S600 AMG Sport pkg...that i want
SL65 AMG...that i want
Range Rover...that i want

EclassOzz

i dont feel guilty at all,im only 21 and have an 04 e320 that i pay for, i get looks all the time from older people,i can give 2 ****s about what they think,they chose there life,i chose mine..ive always wanted a benz since i was a kid,so i work hard for my money to get everything that i desire, if anyone on this board feels guilty who has a new benz..go trade your car in and buy 4 kia rio's...f the world anyway and f the police..had to add that in

lyrixmajor

i know whay you mean. people are always surprised when they see me in my car...as if a young person cant drive a benz....i always belive anyhting you want u can get....

rickyfanmdr

I sell real estate too. I say just buy what you like, period! I thought I needed to buy an S Class!lol

Green E-300 DT

Really shows your maturity!

Twenty one years old? Sounds more like sixteen or less to me!

Barry45RPM

Who you gonna call, when you have an accident, or when your car gets stolen? Its post 9/11... don't say f the police because you got a ticket somewhere/sometime. If you don't like the speed limit on the street you got busted on, the time to petition the town about its stupid law is now, after you have paid the fine for the law as was in force at that time.

They're just people at work doing a job 'till their 20 years go by, just like you.

prodigy1387

i don't think anyone should be ashamed of being able to afford what they can afford. because you're successful, who says you need to pretend like you're not? if you want something and you can get it, why not make yourself happy and it get it instead of trying to have a certain image for other people? i can sort of see where you're coming from, but i don't think that should be a major issue....if people think of you differently because of what car you drive, where you live, what clothes you wear, etc., for both sides of the spectrum, successful or not, then that's just ridiculous.

i also hate those who down younger people for driving nice cars. who said it was necessary for young drivers to drive civics or old beaters? i'm so grateful of my parents for providing me with everything that they have, and i'm glad that they've been able to be successful enough to provide me with such a good life. i never asked for a benz. my mom took me to the audi dealer first, then the benz dealer when we went car shopping, and i was sold on my car. a year later, i'm in college, still have the car, and i'm lovin it just as much as the first day i drove it off of the lot. i'll probably never get anything but benzes for the rest of my life, so long as i can afford them. you've only got one life - live it like how YOU want to, not for anyone else.

yxc145

gee.. I am 28 years old, driving a E class, while my boss drives and honda Hybrid!! and the owner of the company drives the same car as me........ that's pretty bad....... but, I feel good!!!!! because they don't pay me shxxxt.